Archive for 'eduFire Platform'
Using eduFire to build information about Industries (ex. my class on Digital Marketing Franchise)
Posted on 20. Jan, 2011 by Ryan Busch.
How might eduFire serve the development of information for different industries?
Digital Marketing Franchise Class
The more time I spend in the tomes of the eduFire community, the more fascinated I become with the variety if educational concepts being employed on the site. This got me thinking–why not use eduFire to educate people about information related to specific industries?
Around the same time as this thought, someone mentioned the concept of a digital marketing franchise. I’ve run my own consulting business and I love digital marketing–but I hadn’t really heard of this concept. So rather than feel like an idiot about my own fields of expertise–I started searching for some basic information about the concept. I quickly found that the majority of the information out there was was all an attempt to sell me a franchise–but it didn’t tell me much about the concept, the risks, the costs, etc…
So…I thought I’d try to put these two ideas together as an example of how eduFire can serve people who want to strengthen the cannon of information about an idea. I’m a neutral third party (I’ve never owned a franchise, I don’t work for franchises)–but I am inquisitive, an educator, and I am passionate about digital marketing. So–here’s a stab at a survey of Digital Marketing Franchise. This class is free of course–the goal being to broaden objective information on an idea.
Of course–this is one example of an idea–but there are so many other people like me who want to know more about whatever they find interesting. Those people could be doing this. Companies could be doing this. For all of the flashy marketing and salesy information out there–there still exists a need to actually examine and evaluate things from a basic level. To ask questions and interact. To explore and review without a bunch of made-up lingo and fast talk. I think that for companies–the people who participate in this sort of engagement make better customers. I think that potential customers appreciate clear messages and and the ability to make decisions based upon concrete ideas.
Know anyone who’d like to try this? Tell them to look at eduFire as a concept for actually communicating with interested people.
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We’re Back! Bug Fixed: Schedule New Classes Now!
Posted on 14. Dec, 2010 by Ryan Busch.
eduFire is working again!
Hello eduFirers!
I have some VERY exciting news to share–one of the major bugs that we’ve experienced in the last few months has been fixed! Teachers and students should now be able to enter classrooms as normal!
I don’t think that there are enough exclamation points available for me to express how excited I am to share this with you!!!
While we still have some other challenges to conquer–this was a MAJOR concern for everyone–but thanks to Scott and Jared (the programmers from eduFire’s original team), it seems that you can all return to using the eduFire platform for your classes. So no more skyping on the side ;)
Please let us know if you run into any issues– we just ran a paid test and everything went smoothly. But, if there are still any “bumps in the road” showing up (an we apologize if that happens)–just make sure to point them out and we’ll look into them.
Again–thank you all for your patience and commitment to keeping eduFire alive during this all–now–get back to teaching!
All my best,
Ryan Busch | President | eduFire
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eduFire Educates Teachers and Students
Posted on 13. Mar, 2009 by Koichi.
eduFire has created two class-list pages: The eduFire Teacher Class page, and the eduFire Student Class page. Now, just to clarify, we’re not here to tell you how to teach, or how to run your classes. We do, however, want to show you how to use the tools that are available to you, and help you with marketing your classes and teaching services. The actual teaching part? That’s all up to you, of course. We’re not going to step on that. We just want to make sure everything works for you, and you know the potential of the platform before you start teaching!
When you join eduFire from now on, you’ll get links to these classes in your eduFire mail, but for you eduFire veterans, it might be worth scanning these pages every once in a while to see what’s new. It’s not just tutor and student orientations that we’re offering! There will be marketing classes as well.
If you have any suggestions or ideas for classes that you think could help you as a teacher or student, please let us know and we’ll see what we can do! We hope that these classes will help you squeeze every bit of potential out of the platform, and let you be the best possible teacher!
Once again, here’s the links: Classes for Teachers and Classes for Students
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Record Your eduFire Classes for Future Viewing
Posted on 23. Jan, 2009 by Koichi.
Until recently, you were only able to record your 1-to-1 sessions. Classes (with up to 100 participants!) could be recorded before, but your recordings would fly away into the unknown, and you’d never see them again. Now, with classes out of Beta, we’re happy to give you the ability to record (and view) your recordings after the class is finished. This means that if you hit the record button, all your students will be able to go back and re-watch the entire lesson, just like they were in the class again (yep, the video size and quality is that big!).
Only teachers have the ability to record their classes (students, don’t forget to remind your teachers if you want a recording!), and it’s pretty easy to do.
Click on “Meeting” in the top-left menu, and bring your mouse down to “Record Meeting.” Another prompt will come up asking you a few things. Feel free the change the name of the recording and write a description, but do not click “Record Audio from Speaker Phone” unless you are using an audio source that isn’t through the eduFire platform. So, for most of you, this means ignoring this button.
Enjoy your new ability to record classes! After the class is over, give it an hour or so to process, then check your “My eduFire” page. A link to the recording will appear under the class that it’s associated with!
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eduFire Classes Goes Live! Let Social Learning Begin!
Posted on 22. Jan, 2009 by Koichi.
It’s finally happened! Just the other day (on the same day as the Obama inauguration – we do feel bad for overshadowing his big day), eduFire classes came out of testing and went live (along with a brand new home page), and we’ve already seen a lot of activity. Classes are being added, and all that is left is for you to join them (or create some more)! Since we’ve recently added an “Other” category, there’s been a lot of new things as well, such as a class on raw foods, a class about Twittering for Business and Blogs, and even one about network security!
So what does this mean for you? Well, a lot of things, but here’s a few, nicely numbered out:
- Reduced Prices for More Students: Think of it like getting a bulk discount at the store. By allowing for more students (you can do up to 100 participants in a class), teachers can charge less and make more! Not only that, but students will pay less (or nothing, for some classes), which means everybody wins!
- Social Learning: Did you ever try classes when it was in beta? Learning with other people… learning with your friends… can be a lot of fun! Students help each other out, they can practice with each other, and have a grand old time. The culture of a group class is really interesting!
- More Choice: Now, anyone will be able to create a class. It doesn’t have to be about languages. It doesn’t have to be about test prep. Feel free to make up new categories, and teach a class based on your expertise! We definitely look forward to see what your creative minds come up with.
If you have a chance, help eduFire spread the word! Just a Tweet on Twitter, a blog post, or telling your friends about it will be much appreciated! We look forward to seeing you in a class!
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Keyboard Shortcuts to Use in Adobe Connect
Posted on 11. Jan, 2009 by Koichi.
Recently, I took a class run by eduFire CEO Jon Bischke, and it was all about using shortcut keys and other software to make your Mac usage more efficient. Today, during a class, Quincy (an avid eduFire class attender) asked about keyboard shortcuts that you can use in the eduFire teaching platform. I didn’t know any of them at the time, but now I’ve done a little reasearch and found that there are quite a few!
The easiest way to get a list of the shortcuts would be to go where I went – The Adobe Connect Tutorials Page (where you can find a whole lote more, as well!). Just want the shortcuts? Here they are, in good ‘ol PDF format.
