Showing posts with label a. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Agile Retrospectives a Rising Patton Fusion

The last session of Agile Vancouver 2010 was a unique opportunity to watch Linda Rising conduct a conference retrospective with the Agile Vancouver organizers. It was interesting to watch how she facilitated and I wrote down some of her techniques so that I could try them out. The following day during the tutorials Jeff Patton led us through a mini retrospective with his own interesting twists based on his story mapping experience. What follows is the fusion of their ideas.

Note: This retrospective works nicely using index cards that can easily be sorted and grouped around a common table. If you are using walls and stickies, you can adapt where required.

Step 1 - Set the tone:
Recite Norm Kerths Prime Directive (Linda was able to recite this by memory):

"Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand."

After reciting, ask each team member one by one if they agree to uphold this statement during the meeting and to avoid blame. A simple verbal "yes" indicates agreement. The verbal agreement is a simple influencing strategy or pattern that helps set the tone for the retrospective.

Step 2 - Framing the Retrospective:
The facilitator tells a story of a co-worker meeting you in the hallway of your company. The co-worker asks: "I know you were on project [X], how was that?". Each person responds with "It was great because...". Instead of speaking the answers out loud, give each person 3 index cards and have them write their answers down in silence. This allows input from each person regardless of personality type and keeps your team members answers from influencing your own.

When each person has filled out their 3 cards, they read each one out loud and place them on the table. Once all cards are on the table, ask the group to silently group the answers together. Cards that are similar should be close to one another and cards that are different should be farther apart. According to Patton, the simple reason for doing this in silence is because it allows the work to happen quickly and without much discussion. In our exercise, we found this to be true.

Now that the good things are grouped together, take a different coloured index card and have the group summarize each grouping with a new card. For example, summarizing items like "team worked well together", "Bob collaborated to help me with my task", "Team rallied to complete the stories together" might be summarized with a card called "Great team work".

Step 3 - Do Differently:
Now that we have acknowledged the good things about the last period, remind the team that it is only a perfect project if they would do that project or iteration again in exactly the same way. In reality there is always something we would do differently. Ask the team to silently fill out 3 more index cards with what they would do differently. They may not write cards that associate blame, describe what wrong, or try to problem solve. In this part of the retrospective we are only identifying what we would do differently.

Once everyone has completed their cards, we again read them aloud as we place them on the table, group the cards in silence, and summarize with a different coloured index card. As the cards are read or summarized, the facilitator may need to remind the team to refrain from problem solving or directing blame.

Step 4 - Voting:
The next step is for the team to agree on which items on the "Do Differently" list are the most important. To keep the voting impartial and independent, have each team member write their top 3 items on an index card and hand the cards to the facilitator. The facilitator then tallies the votes and records the totals on the summarized cards. An alternative is to use dot voting, but Ive found that dot voting can be gamed too easily and that initial dots influence those who vote later (group think).

Step 5 - Experiments:
Using the top 1 or 2 voted items, ask the group to split into groups to discuss them - 1 group per item. Instruct the groups to discuss small experiments or tweaks that the team could try in the next iteration. If you practice frequent retrospectives, this discussion does not need to be about problem solving or even root cause analysis. The goal is to quickly agree on small experiments to try to resolve the issue you are discussing. For those dedicated to root cause analysis this may be a problem, but give it a try and do what works for your team while avoiding blame or delving deep into problem solving. This part should be time boxed to 10 or 15 minutes maximum.

After deciding on the experiments, have one person from each group present the idea to the group. This idea needs to be included in the backlog for the iteration and the team (not an individual) commits to completing the experiment during the iteration and examining the results.

Step 0 - Review Experiments:
At the beginning of the next retrospective, add a new step at the beginning to discuss your experiments to see how effective they were and use this information as input into future experiments.

Other notes:
If you are doing a retrospective for a larger period of time, then consider starting the retrospective by building a timeline of events. For more info, check out this blog: http://www.thekua.com/rant/2006/03/a-retrospective-timeline/

Thanks Linda and Jeff for sharing your methods and ideas.
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Monday, March 9, 2015

How about inline slideshow with a nice pop up gallery

A simple thing was kinda blowing my mind lately. Theres a lot of fancy galleries out there. Jquery and others, where Highslide happens to remain one of the best. But as I went through all of them and being more or less impressed, on none of "XY most best wow galleries" have I noticed 1 to satisfy my ... kind of a simple need.

What I (my client) wanted was a gallery that is inline as slideshow (with custom effects) and then as you click on the image, it enlarges into more-or-less full-screen or something like it.

Now amazingly I havent found any to be complete like that. Either theyre inline excellent slideshows without "popup-zoomin", or theyre amazing galleries that work from thumbnails (meaning static photos in the page). No fancy-wow-ough-yeah gallery covers the thing as:

1. inline slideshow (not thumbnails)
AND 2. pop-up (zoom-in or whatever) gallery (that has the controls of forward, backward,... and effects,...).

So after a month (or three months?), a combination of 2 scripts seems to somehow provide the best option:

1. Jquery cycle
2. prettyPhoto

With 1st, you put in images in 1 div and cycle through them with several effects. Nice, simple to plug in.

< div id="PhotosScrolling" >
< img1... />
< img2... />
< img3... />
< /div >

With 2nd, you just need to put some links over those imgs, so the final html looks like this:


< div id="PhotosScrolling" >
< a href="BigImage1" rel="ImageGalleryName" > < img1... /> < /a>
< a href="BigImage2" rel="ImageGalleryName" > < img2... /> < /a>
< a href="BigImage3" rel="ImageGalleryName" > < img3... /> < /a>
< /div>

Add the script calls with options. Example is as great as the great touristic destination itself :-).

What I love about these 2 scripts is their simplicity and css dependency. You can easily implement it on any database logic and need not think about much else.

Still wondering though, did I miss any script that does both jobs and can be implemented even easier?
Read more »

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Was The DNA of a 21st Century Educator Plagiarised in China

Source
This Article in other formats: 
  • Scribd
  • SlideShare
  • PDF 

DISCOVERY

The last time I looked in a mirror, I certainly didnt look like that! However, the DNA slide looks familiar. Oops, it looks like a slide from my DNA of a 21st Century Educator (Version 2) presentation. Awesome! Someone in China has translated my slide, and is sharing it with a group of local and international educators attending a conference (or seminar) exploring the future of education at the Luoyang International School (17 Oct, 2012). Here is another picture that reveals a bit more about this event:


Source


So, whats the problem here?



THE STORY

Yesterday evening (9 Jan, 2013), I got an e-mail from my Norwegian (online) buddy Stian Håklev (Co-founder of Peer2Peer University) informing me...

 Important Links:
  • Chinese Translation of my presentation
  • Report about the conference (Luoyang International School)
  • Company: General Plan
(Should the links above be deleted for some reason, please click here to view the presentation and report saved to Dropbox)

    WOW! Thanks, Stian for sharing this Pretty Hilarious news with a CSI kind of reporting of the event. Initially, I thought this whole thing was really cool, and I was kind of thrilled that someone would actually go to such lengths to reuse and translate slides that originated from me (WOW, the slides must be really good!). 

    I have heard and read that translated plagiarism is a BIG BIG BIG PROBLEM in China, but not in my wildest dreams did I anticipate it would happen to me. Certainly, not like this.

    Lets break down the case.


    THE CASE

    I first gave the DNA of a 21st Century Educator talk during the Annual Teaching and Learning Seminar 2012" at USM on the 26 June, 2012. However, the slides that have been reused and translated are from the second version, which was published 19 July (2012) on SlidesShare. Here is my original version:


    DNA of a 21st Century Educator (v2) from Zaid Alsagoff

    Since, the Chinese version was presented on the 17 October (2012), we can presume based on existing evidence that I am more likely the author. 

    Also, based on the time between both these events (19 July - 17 October), Mr. Copytran (Code name for the author(s) of the Chinese version) had more than sufficient time to translate the presentation slides to Chinese.

    The English version has 81 slides compared to 28 slides for the Chinese version. Interestingly, 26 (out of 28) or 92.85% of the Chinese version seems to be visually similar compared to the English version. However, we have to give credit to some critical thinking taking place here, as the 26 slides have been filtered (from 81), shuffled and organized a bit differently compared to the English version. 

    Moreover, unless Mr. Copytran used only Google translate (or outsourced the translation), he/she/it/they must have spent considerable time to translate these 26 slides, which I assume requires masterful language ability. Though, since my Chinese is practically zero, I would need some expert to verify this.

    Also, we have to give credit to Mr. Copytran for showing amazing ability to manipulate, redesign and delete important aspects of the 26 slides that will be revealed one-by-one next.


    SLIDE-BY-SLIDE


    Here we go:

    Yes, the DNA word has moved from one side to the other (Originality?). Also, the Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) license has simply vanished from all 26 slides. Also, you notice that the IMU logo(s) are no longer there. 

    Interestingly (red arrow), the General Plan logo appears for the first time. As we explore these slides, you will notice that this logo will appear, disappear and even move during its journey over 26 slides. I assume the General Plan logo is suffering from some kind of appearance disorder (perhaps feeling guilty, or perhaps wanting to be associated with important slides and points).  


    You notice the logo has repositioned itself on slide 2, as if it is the solution to the question (Say no more!). Besides the translations, not much more to say. Awesome slide, though!


    I cant believe that the LIC Facebook poll slide, identifying what (a few) members of this group think are the ingredients of a 21st Century educator was translated. Mr. Copytran please explain; "Why did you include this one?"


     Kudos! I mean, I just reused a stunning mind map explaining Howard Gardners 5 Minds for the Future. Mr. Copytran on the other hand, must have spent considerable time translating and manipulating the image. Also, he didnt delete the links (URLs) to the relevant resources, which is good. Though, if he did, surely someone would question Mr. Copytran how he managed to visualize the mind map so nicely.

     Same old story (as slide 4)!

     Same old story (as slide 4)!

     Same old story (as slide 4)!

     Still wondering why Route 21 was deleted from the Chinese version? No clues at the moment!


    Oops, I mashed up that graphic in 2009 (Evidence) based on Lucifer Chus wise words during his Keynote at the 2nd International Conference of e-Learning hosted by UiTM (ICEL 2009). So, Mr. Copytran, how did you develop this graphic? You certainly dont have any reference links to support your case, if you didnt develop it.


     Notice that the logo has reappeared and moved strategically beyond my comprehension to a new location. No doubt, my original slide looks better, right?



    Jane Hart, congratulations for getting your slide translated!

     

    WOW! Historic moment! Could this be a break through?

    Oops, back to basics. Steve Wheeler, congratulations for getting your slide translated!

    Now, the logo appears again and has amazingly moved again, too. It is as if the logo is playing a hide-and-seek game with us. Correct me if I am wrong!


    I was really happy with this mash-up of mine, and Yes Mr. Copytran does provide a link to my blog post, so thanks for the reference. It is nice to reference our own work, but even better when others reference our own reference. What do you think?

     
    Prof. Rozhan, congrats! Now, your 3-dimensial Technogogy diagram has been translated and hopefully it will be explored further in China. 


    Mr. Copytran, not a bad translated copy of the original one. What software do you use to edit graphics? 

     Same old story! This is getting boring!

     Yes, the logo appears again, and believe it or not, it has repositioned itself again, too. Amazing!


     Back to basics!

     Thanks for the translation!

     Jackie Gerstein, congratulations! Your diagram has been translated!


    Thanks for including this slide, because this is the one that enlightened Stian Håklev to discover the rest. 


    No comment!

    This is where I draw the line. Where is your reference to my Recap? Also, why is the logo suddenly appearing again? At least this time it appears the same place as the last time.


    Of course there is much more, Mr. Copytran you still have another 55 potential slides (81 - 26 = 55) to translate. LOL!


    I just cant believe that you cant even create your own Q&A slide! Take a risk and use your imagination a bit. Come on! Is that too much to ask for?



    Is this a case of Plagiarism? Please share your views.



    MY CASE VERDICT

    Seriously, Mr. Copytran you must have spent hours translating and manipulating this presentation to meet your desired goals. We should be celebrating your effort for all your hard work? However, that might not be the case, especially if this story goes viral in a negative sense. Maybe, in your mind you didnt do anything wrong, and just maybe you had every right to do what you did.

    I am actually not bothered by you reusing the 26 slides from my presentation (That is why I share!), but I am angry and irritated based on the observations shared above that you seem to have deliberately plagiarized some of my content, ideas and recommendations, without giving any form of recognition for it. Also, when I read the Google translated version of the conference report, my ego of any doubt vanished (like the CC license did in your slides). 

     Didnt you realize that the DNA of a 21st Century Educator (version 2) presentation has been viewed more than 31,000+ times by now? Actually, by day 3 or 4 (after publishing it on SlideShare - 19 July) it had already been viewed more than 15,000+ times (was featured as Top Presentations of the day), and cited by numerous of bloggers and educators around the world through varies social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, blog posts, etc).

    More importantly, didnt you realize that this presentation has been published under a Creative Commons license (Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike or CC BY-NC-SA) empowering anyone for free to reuse and remix for non-commercial reasons with attribution. Most of my learning articles, presentations and artifacts since 2008 have been published with such a license, and hundreds of educators around the world have been reusing or remixing them as they like (with attribution), and that is one major reason why I love to share.

    However, when a person representing a corporate e-Learning company (General Plan) literally takes my presentation (or 26 slides from it), and presents it at a conference (translated version) without giving any credit (at least on the slides). And then has the cheekiness to put his company logo, and even delete the Creative Commons license from all the 26 slides translated, is something that I find really unacceptable.

    It might be flattery (to some), but it is also totally against any principles of professionalism (that I know of).

    The best way (in my opinion) to deal with people with such integrity and professionalism is to expose them to the world and remind others that doing such things are not worth the risk.
     
    I can go on, but then again perhaps Mr. Copytran did no wrong. 

    In the 21st century you can easily copy or plagiarize, but you can easily get caught, too. And you certainly cant hide online for that long! That is for sure! 

    Why potentially waste your career and credibility just for one presentation?

    What were you thinking?
    Read more »

    Monday, March 2, 2015

    WiZiQ A Free Virtual Classroom Tool!

    • WiZiQ + Live Class Module for Moodle
    • YouTube: WiZIQ - The Free T&L Platform
    • Via Patricia Donaghy

    WHAT?
    On WiZiQ educators and learners can connect live anywhere in the world from home using this FREE virtual classroom software. Inside the virtual classroom you share an interactive synchronized collaborative environment where you can communicate with each other on one-to-one basis using microphone, chat and share whiteboard (similar to blackboard in the classroom), presentation and documents.

    FEATURES?
    WiZiQs virtual classroom features include:

    • Two way audio
    • Text chat
    • Multiple participants
    • PowerPoint & PDF sharing
    • Whiteboard
    • Media files like gif, jpg, swf, png etc.
    • All sessions are recorded
    • Only you have access
    • Review them later

    LATEST UPDATE!
    The free Live Class module for Moodle is now available. Moodle users can activate a block and an activity from within Moodle to schedule and launch sessions in WiZiQ’s virtual classroom.

    Click here for detailed instructions on how to install it, which includes video tutorials.

    REFLECTION
    No annoying downloads are required, and WiZiQs Flash-based learning environment works in any web browser and on any operating system. Multiple choice WiZiQ tests have, recently, been also added to the site. In addition, free public sessions are offered on an ongoing basis and recorded completed sessions are available for viewing.

    "In future, we will offer certain advanced features on WiZiQ for a monthly subscription fee. However, basic features on WiZiQ will always be free (Source)." Lets hope that also PowerPoint (or file) sharing and multiple participants (say up to 40!) will always remain free.

    I have been waiting for years for a free easy-to-use Flash-based virtual classroom (synchronous learning) tool, which also has PowerPoint or file sharing capability. So, Patricia you have certainly made my day with that great news!

    I suppose all the commercial virtual classroom alternatives (Centra, Adobe, WebEx, etc.) will increasingly need to be more creative about making revenue, at least in the education sector. Yeah, very soon Yahoo, Google and MSN (Why not add Facebook, too!) will have their own virtual classrooms with such capability, too.

    WiZiQ thanks for initiating the battle for virtual classroom freedom, enabling all educators and learners around the world (with computers and Internet access) to synchronously collaborate, communicate, and learn online for free. I am surprised that Google and the Gang did not think of it before.

    Yeah, now we can even integrate WiZiQ with Moodle as an Activity Module! This is the one learning tool really missing in Moodle! WiZiQ to the rescue! I love it :)

    Read more »

    Sunday, March 1, 2015

    How to Embed a Video in Smart Notebook!

    Its Tuesday again, and I am shockingly writing this post before the stroke of midnight! :)  The winner of this weeks poll was how to embed a video in Smart Notebook!

     
    Heres the poll for anyone interested!


    Now, onto the tutorial!  If your video is not .flv, check out yesterdays tutorial to learn how to convert it!




    Dont you just love when theyre short and sweet?

     You can download this tutorial as a PDF by clicking this picture!
    Note: This tutorial is hosted on Google Docs.  To save it from there, just open the file and click File > Download to save onto your computer!

    I do plan on adding some other Smart Notebook Tutorials in the future, but in the meantime I want to add a Microsoft Word/PowerPoint option... how to make any font into an outline!


    Read more »

    Friday, February 27, 2015

    How to Print Anything at a Smaller Size!

    I absolutely love this little trick!  Im not even joking when I say I use it at least three times a week!  Every time I make/buy a new center game, I use this trick to print the cover page smaller so that it will fit in a quart size ziploc bag.  And... I use it to make visuals slightly smaller so that they fit better on my walls!  It is definitely one of my favorite tricks!

    So... time to show you how to print anything at a smaller size!


    Before I go into the poll and the tutorial, do you see the ADORABLE product in my preview?  Well... its fabulous and its free from The Primary Gal!  Shes relatively new to blogging and TPT so head over there and give her some love!


    Now, for the poll!  This was clearly the winner but the other options were definitely contenders!


    And of course, heres the tutorial!  Step 1 mentions that its easiest to do this with a PDF, so if youre not sure how to make a PDF, be sure to check out my previous tutorial below!


    The steps are slightly different on Mac and PC so I did two separate write ups!



    You can download this tutorial as a PDF by clicking this picture!
    Note: This tutorial is hosted on Google Drive.  To save it from there, just open the file and click File > Download to save onto your computer!

    As for next weeks poll, Im going to add how to make a customized search so that it only searches specific websites... this is perfect for research projects!


    Read more »

    Thursday, February 26, 2015

    How to Make a Bunting Banner in PowerPoint!

    I just knew that this option would be popular on the poll!  And it was perfect timing since I was planning on making a bunting banner this week for my classroom! 


    More than half of you voted for this in the polls!


    Now, onto the tutorial!






    I am printing that bunting banner first thing tomorrow morning!  I love how it looks!!!

    You can download this tutorial as a PDF by clicking this picture!
    Note: This tutorial is hosted on Google Drive.  To save it from there, just open the file and click File > Download to save onto your computer!

    For next weeks poll,  Ill add how to use/open QR codes.  I figured this would be a good prerequisite for how to make your own QR codes!

    Read more »