Making Connections with Shindig

Last week I was invited to attend the OLC Accelerate Conference in Orlando, and talk about how we are using Shindig at ASU. Our presentation was called "Making Connections with Shindig", and we focused on the vital need for faculty and students to make connections through engagement during a class, whether it is online or face-to-face.

Shindig is a web conference tool that allows students and faculty to "flow" through the virtual room easily, and have side conversations, just like a regular classroom.  We have used it for our online courses to create debate teams and online presentations. We've also used it for allowing off-campus participants to participate in an on-campus event that includes asking questions, and working in small discussion groups. We've set up a "mobile unit" that allows us to roll a cart into a classroom, and immediately start the streaming, without burdening the professor with extra technology to control. Our next testing will include using it for online office hours, and online lab reviews.

To hear Amy's OLC Accelerate Presentation, click here.
To see some short clips of what Shindig looked like during our classes, click here.

To try it out, or get more information, please feel free to contact amy.pate@asu.edu, or go directly to the Shindig website.