Find out about enhancing educational experience with Echo360 at MoodleMoot Australia 2017

August 14, 2017

Have you heard of Echo360?

If you have not, you might want to tune in and hear about this active learning technology or find out more about it in person at our upcoming MoodleMoot Australia 2017 in Sydney from 26 – 28 September.

First of all, what is Echo360?

Echo360 is a video platform tool that turns classrooms and events into collaborative communities of learning and success. The platform provides industry-leading video, engagement and analytics.

And did you know that more students learn with Echo360 than any other video platform?
Developed for educators by educators, Echo360 solutions has many benefits, including:

  • increasing in-class participation with digital polling,
  • providing a rich out-of- class experience with recorded course content,
  • delivering usage analytics to help instructors measure student progress
  • supporting institutions wishing to deliver face-to- face, blended and/or distance learning
  • enabling students to learn, watch and participate anywhere, anytime, on any device.

If you want to see how Echo360 work, we recommend you heading over to their website or better yet if you are in Sydney, join us at MoodleMoot Australia 2017 in September to speak with representatives and hear their presentation.

In the meantime, let’s take a moment or two to talk to Jo Williams, General Manager – APAC, from Echo360 to find out more about their video platform and how they can extend your Moodle sites!

Moodle HQ: Thank you Jo for taking the time to chat to us today! We are looking forward to seeing the Echo360 team at MoodleMoot Australia 2017 soon.

Would you be able to start with explaining to us briefly what Echo360 is, and how it is being used in K-12 classrooms, higher education and workplace to enhance online learning?

Jo: Echo360 has been a fixture in many higher education institutions globally for many years, allowing them to easily live stream and record lectures, tutorials, practical demonstrations and other activities inside and outside the classroom, then post them online for students to view at their convenience. This gives students 24×7, on-demand access to content that can be viewed at times convenient to any schedule while allowing instructors pedagogical flexibility (whether that be lecture, MOOCs, flipped, team-based learning, field trips, blended or online).

At Echo360, we know that anyone implementing lecture or personal capture has to be able to do more than just record videos. Instructors need to connect and engage with their students to help them learn. The latest engagement and participation technology from Echo360 helps make learning more productive for both campus-based and online courses. These tools include polling, chat, and Q&A features to make the presentation highly interactive, enhancing overall understanding of the content, and allowing students to ask clarifying questions in real time in an anonymous and risk-free way.

All student interactions with the Echo360 content (videos, presentations and activities) are collected to provide real time analytics for instructors who can see who is using the materials, how often, with what benefits. They can also see who is not using the materials and may be struggling in their learning, to determine if and when to intervene proactively. Early detection and intervention for students at risk has proven to be invaluable in their success.

Due to the proven success with students, many of our customers are now using the Echo360 solution for professional development extension and to share administration information and training across campuses.

Moodle HQ: How does Echo360 extend the Moodle learning platform?

How can educators who are currently using Moodle to deliver their courses get started with Echo360?

Jo: While Moodle manages the overall student learning experience from communication, course content and assignments to assessment, Echo360 works seamlessly with the Learning Management System technologies to provide access to live streamed or recorded content, creating the same kind of social experience in a virtual world as the student might experience in a traditional classroom. That means opportunities for interaction with instructors as well as peers. The engagement features I listed earlier help make that a possibility.

Echo360’s platform provides instructors with a library of all content that can then be copied, edited, shared and reused for further classes. Any of that content can be embedded or linked to directly from within Moodle allowing instructors to create the flow they want to ensure a seamless experience for students.

Due to the flexibility of the platform, instructors can use as little, or as much of Echo360 as they feel comfortable with and that suits their teaching style. Many instructors choose to start by capturing their lectures and making them available to students, before moving on to also uploading their slides for review and note-taking, and then onto utilising the polling and quizzing tools. Others who use flipped classes or team-based learning may start by uploading content and quizzes for students to work with before the class and not capture the classroom at all. For all instructors, the analytics can be viewed to make changes to their teaching as well as for early intervention. Where educators start, and what tools they use, will depend on pedagogy preferences and the desired learning outcomes.

Moodle HQ: What are some of the most popular features of Echo360 that students and educators enjoy using or is most beneficial for their learning?

Jo: Students have always appreciated access to recorded lectures for times when they have to miss a class and/or are reviewing content for exams. The note-taking feature that allows students to take time-stamped notes next to video and slides takes this learning to a new level that creates personalised study guides for review.

Traditional lecture formats can inadvertently create an environment where students feel uncomfortable participating in inquiry. The anonymous question and discussion board has offered them the opportunity to more fully participate without fear of appearing foolish.

The multiple types of formative assessment activities within Echo360 also offers students an anonymous way to participate, aiding with clarification and retrieval of information that they can answer on their own devices, including smart phones.

Moodle HQ: Lastly, Echo360 will be at MoodleMoot Australia in Sydney from 26 – 28 September.

What can participants at these conferences expect at your presentation and exhibition space?

Jo:Echo360 has been a proud supporter of Moodlemoot in Australia since 2010, and we’re excited to be sponsoring the event again this year!

Sam Hegarty from the UNSW Business School will be presenting on their use of Echo360, talking about the student and teacher perspective of the platform, and how Echo360 contributes to their vision of a compelling lecture experience. Conference attendees will be invited to stop by our exhibition space to receive a demonstration of the Echo360 solution and help themselves to free Echo360 giveaways!


 

Thank you Jo for taking the time to talk to us.

You too can meet the Echo360 team at MoodleMoot Australia in Sydney (26 – 28 September).

Or for more information or to get in contact with them, please visit: echo360.com