Setting
up the equipment took about 30 minutes.
We encountered some difficulties in putting
up the data projector primarily because
the classroom we were using was not really
suitable for an online conference activity.
To change rooms was not possible at that
time because of time contraints. So we had
to work on with what we had. The following
photos will show you how basic our set-up
was. It may not be visually attractive but
it is/was effective.
A
data projector was used to project
the images from the laptop to the
screen. The data projector, as you
could see from the photo, is placed
on top of a stool to approximately
match the height of the screen.
For
speakers, we used a portable speaker
that comes with a detachable microphone,
connected the wires to the laptop
and voila! we've got sounds ;-)
Now,
this is the laptop that we used,
placed on top a chair. The webcam
was carefully positioned on top
of a dictionary [we weren't able
to use the cam due to missing driver:-(]
This
screen gave life to the online conference.
The images were projected on the
screen. The text box was big enough
to be read by all and the sounds
were loud enough to be heard. But,
still, it would have been best if
we had a webcam.
We've
Got Sounds!
Susanne tells her story: On age and
computers
Renata
shares her story: On love, cultures,
and teaching
A
student talks to Susanne
A
student talks to Renata
In
retrospect...
This
activity has allowed these Taiwanese
students to interact with foreigners
in a safe and educational environment.
Susanne's story made them realize
that age isn't a barrier to learning
and through Renata's story they understood
that a lot is at stake in cross-cultural
marriages but love usually finds its
way. What is truly amazing and a bonus
in this event is when my students
found out that both Susanne and Renata
speak many languages, and that they
speak these languages fluently. As
foreign languages majors, these students
experience the difficulty and pain
in learning languages. However, with
Susanne and Renata serving as good
role models of language learners,
my students have been given a new
sense of inspiration, that with time,
patience and diligence, they, too,
could become very sucessful language
learners. Elderbob's participation
was, indeed, a welcome surprise. My
students appreciate the fact that
Bob had to stay up late, and Susanne
had to wake up early in the morning,
and Renata probably had to rush home
from work. Despite their busy schedules,
these Webheads have given my students
the chance to meet, interact, and
engage in a fruitful conversation
that would, hopefully, make an impact
[little as it may be] to the way they
view learning.
