The archive of the web cast session on Oct. 10 is now available. The audio and the slides (at least in the first 10 minutes) do not seem to sync very well. But it got better as it progressed. The video is Flash based (a form of streaming and compression technology) and you need to have the recent version of Flash on your browser. Otherwise it may not work well.

As I noted below, I did a brief overview of the key themes covered so far in the course, and spent much of the time addressing questions from some of the students who attended the live session.

Thank you to those who attended the live web casting session this afternoon. Only 11 of you attended, but there were plenty of questions and comments so I think it was very productive. I was hoping that the recording would be ready right after. But it appears that there are technical issues with the conversion and I am still waiting for the link. As I don't think the IT people are working on the weekend, the web cast recording will likely not be ready until Monday. I will send out another notice as soon as it is up and running.

Among the questions raised are:

Formats and timing of the remaining 3 quizzes.

Possibility of reducing the number of quizzes.

Channeling some more marks over to the group project or to the discussion forum.

Requirements for the blog assignment, which is due Nov. 2

I will consult with Becky to discuss the above. The blog is straightforward and will not change. We will get back to you soon about the rest.

Of course there were many questions related to the group project:

I've pointed to a data collection matrix that each group should use for the first stage of the project

I've asked all the group members to "report" to their respective wiki page by signing their name on the group's work space (you can reach there from the group sign up page). You must confirm your membership in the group no later than Oct. 16.

We've opened up a second African group so if anyone would like to join, you have another chance to move before the 16th.

A good place to start looking for potential case studies is at this site: http://globalvoicesonline.org/ . Click on Countries and you will see many stories represented from many countries. Start looking through for possibilities. But please read the project background carefully to make sure that it suits the basic criteria. 

You can access the live session today (Oct. 12 at 3-4 pm) here:

http://epresence.utsc.utoronto.ca/1/live/98.aspx 

You need to log in to access the live web cast. Please sign in a few minutes earlier if possible. I also detected some problem when using Firefox to access the web cast. I tried Safari (for Mac) and Chrome and both are fine. Firefox for PC may be fine as well, but I am not sure. Once you have logged in and the session has started, you will be able to submit questions by the text box on the page and I will be able to respond in real time.

Could someone test the access and report any problem to me? Thanks.

Fill out the Doodle Poll here

The Doddle poll is now closed. Thanks to those who bothered to "click". We will go with the 3-4 pm slot for the live web cast.

We will be using the same ePresence platform that we used for the first class <http://epresence.utsc.utoronto.ca/> . You do have to log in to the system when you arrived and it seems to forget your username from last time, so you have to register again. But it's a simple process of putting in your name and email address. 

The session will be recorded so you can review the discussion later. If you have questions that you would like me to address (anything related to the course so far and to the group project), please use the comment feature on this page to post them. Thanks.

This Friday Oct. 12th, we are planning to host another live web seminar for one hour, whereby students will have the opportunity to join via a chat function and ask Leslie any questions you may have so far in the course. 

We recognize that there has been some confusion regarding the assignments, quizzes, format for the wiki, etc. Therefore, we are hoping that this session will offer an opportunity to get student feedback on the course so far, and to clear up any confusion that may presently exist. We would also like to have your feedback on how best to conduct the remainder of the term.

Evidently, we are hoping that everyone will be able to join, but if you are unable to make it, we will be posting the recorded session later on the wiki. Also, if you know you will be unable to make the session, please feel free to post your questions in the comment section below and we will try to address them during the live session.

The available times for the live session are for this Friday from 12-1 OR from 3-4 pm. Please go to the doodle poll, here, to indicate which time works best for you. If both times work for you, please indicate that by selecting both times. We will hold the session for the period selected by the most of you.

I hope to see your participation and look forward to chatting with you on Friday!