[Fwd: Summary from FFTw workshop]

[Leslie Southern]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Summary from FFTw workshop
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 12:14:43 -0400
From: Leslie Southern <leslie at osc.edu>
Organization: OSC
To: pacs at ncsa.uiuc.edu, pacs-trn at osc.edu, ag-tech at osc.edu,
gbma at ahpcc.unm.edu,Sirpa Saarinen <sirpa at ncsa.uiuc.edu>,"Alsing, Paul"
<alsing at ahpcc.unm.edu>, troy <troy at osc.edu>,griddeploy at osc.edu

Hi all,

Apologies for redundancies...

Here is a summary of the notes from April 18th FFTw workshop. All in 
all it went well. Users from OSC were excited about the use of
technology and would happily take another workshop over the AG 
given that the subject was of interest to them. 

I combined the notes from several folks and tried to categorize them
according to materials, instructor, and operator/producer issues. Some
items were repeated in the different categories. If I left anything out,
please let us know. Hopefully, from our experiences, we can generate
some sort of procedural documentation. 

-Leslie 

Wish list -- shared desktops, shared web browsers, shared whiteboards
and/or chat.

Materials
  * need ppt files at least 2 hours (24 hours) before presentation, 
    so hardcopies for students can be prepared.
  * A central website that included supplemental information was
    very helpful. PowerPoint slides in HTML a plus for students 
    with access to terminals. Would have been nice to have all
    presentation materials available at same location in same 
    formats.
  * need to know the order of presentations and materials required 
    for each presentation in advance. If all the slides were in one
    file or at one location in the appropriate order, confusion 
    would be minimized. 
  * separate evaluations at local sites may be helpful (users 
    polled at OSC liked the technology and would attend another
    workshop over the AG given content was of interest to them).
  * use different colors, fonts, bold or italicize various items 
    on slides, when describing items refer to their visual 
    distinctions, so audience can easily follow. (or share 
    pointer)
    
Instructor
  * keep mic a constant distance from the instructor -- use a 
    wireless mic.
  * instructor should face audiences, and remain fairly still
  * improve visibility of instructor -- have the instructor in the
    light, face the audience if possible. At UNM, the slide was 
    very bright and the instructor stood off to the side of the 
    projection in the dark.
  * repeat questions before answering
  * cite slide numbers occasionally (at OSC, users were also
    following along on the web at their local workstations)
  * use different colors, fonts, bold or italicize various items 
    on slides, when describing items refer to their visual 
    distinctions, so audience can easily follow. (or share 
    pointer)
  * Assume more time to cover fewer slides. Technology and
    interactions between remote audiences requires some time. Need
    to be more explicit verbally (i.e., no shared pointers)

Operator/Producer
  * varying preferences on windows, their sizes and locations. 
    Visual quality of medium size is better than large. Fewer may 
    be better. Audience typically interested in other audiences 
    and not necessarily their own. Unless the instructor is 
    pointing to display screens, there wasn't much point in seeing 
    the display screens of others. 
  * point camera at audience before they get there; smaller groups
    seem more sensitive to camera adjustments
  * make sure speaker knows to look at the camera and stand still,
    and where to stand (use tape if you have to). Or control your 
    speaker's environment to make them look at the camera and stay 
    still (i.e., use a podium or have them sit in a chair, find a 
    way to avoid putting slides on the wall behind them to prevent
    them from being tempted to turn their back on the audience) all
    the while considering local audience needs.
  * BE ON THE MUD
  * need backup (phone call) for audio difficulties. Have a 
    conference call backup available. It's preferable to have two
    of them, actually: one for backchannel and one for audio backup.
  * have a rehearsal, especially if your speaker has never talked 
    over the AG. Have a rehearsal even if they have, though, 
    especially to test audio.
  * you need at least two people to support node, so one can stay at 
    controls while other adjusts cameras, delviers mics, goes to the
    bathroom. But bring some reading or email to catch up on, 
    because if things are going well it will be boring (this is the
    desired outcome). You also might want a third person as producer
    and resource person for your local audience, depending on the 
    size of the audience and complexity of the event.
  * have all your equipment ready, including whatever you need for
    your gentner to switch to telco.
  * balance audio according to speaker
  * need to know the order of presentations and materials required 
    for each presentation in advance. If all the slides were in one
    file or at one location in the appropriate order, confusion 
    would be minimized. 
  * provide/allow 15 minutes at each location for a brief overview 
    of AG
  * Determine procedure for questions from remote sites. For
    small groups and if viewable, raising hands may work.
    Questions should be noted on the MUD. When students ask a
    question, have them announce location (name may help improve 
    interaction). Audience questions have to be monitored more 
    closely, speak up and watch mud.
  * would rather not watch folks eating lunch
  * have backup in case of problems, be flexible, perhaps change 
    order of remote presentations in the event one remote site 
    is having technical difficulties.
  * ensure appropriate people at each participating site know about
    the event as early as possible