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SPECIAL SECOND SESSION

A special second session of the Cross-Cultural Rhetoric International Symposium will be held on June 14, 2007, from 5pm-7pm Pacific Standard time (visit TimeandDate.com to calculate the symposium time for your time zone).

The special session was convened to allow participation by interested universities which could not participate in the earlier session because of time zone conflicts. Attending this special session will be scholars from Stanford University, University of Sydney, and the National University of Singapore.

SECOND SESSION: PROGRAM

Hour One

I. Team Presentation of the Project [Marratech CCR Room through the Stanford Switchboard]

  • Fall 2006 & Intercultural Theory
  • Winter 2007 & Technology
  • Spring 2007 & Rhetoric
  • Looking Ahead & Pedagogy

** Break: Refreshments & Fresh Air **

Hour Two

II. Small Group discussion [CCR Room and Pedagogy Room]

IV . Return for Large Group Reflections [Marratech CCR Room]

Participants return to the Marratech CCR Room for a closing conversation as a large group. Questions to consider:

  • What do you see are the challenges and benefits of this approach to developing intercultural competencies in students and teachers?
  • Similarly, what are the challenges and benefits of this approach to teaching rhetoric and as a pedagogical model?
  • What are the benefits and challenges of this sort of technologically-mediated learning in a global context or in globally distributed teams?
  • What do you see as the feasibility and benefit of your institution's potential participation in this project?
 

SECOND SESSION: TECHNOLOGY

The Cross-Cultural Rhetoric International Symposium will be held using Marratech technology. Marratech supports real-time video and audio when used in conjunction with a web camera and microphone.

We will be scheduling preliminary connection tests with participants to insure problem-free connections on the day of the symposium itself. Contact the CCR team to schedule a connection test on a day and time of mutual convenience before June 14.

Software: Marratech. Download it free for PCs or for Macs at http://www.marratech.com.

Peripherals: For the audio/visual interface, participants should use a web camera and an echo-cancelling microphone or headphones/microphone in conjunction with Marratech. Let the CCR Project team know by June 1 if you have difficulty procuring a webcam or microphone from your institution. Note: even without these peripherals, it is possible to participate in the symposium through Marratech.

 

SECOND SESSION: CONNECTION INSTRUCTIONS

For general marratech set-up, watch Bob Smith's Marratech for Innocents.

Hour One Connection: Introductions & Project Team Presentation
  1. Hook up any peripherals (webcam, headphones, microphone, etc.)
  2. Open Marratech
  3. Type the following in the address bar of the Marratech window: http://switchboard.stanford.edu
  4. Click on the link to CCR Room
  5. Please make sure to activate your camera
  6. Please mute your microphone for the opening remarks, except when you are introducing yourself. Please mute your microphone for the opening remarks, except when you are introducing yourself. [You mute your microphone by making sure that the microphone icon light in the lower right corner of the Marratech screen is not lit up – click on it to turn it off]
Hour Two Connection: Small Group Discussions
  • Note: One discussion group will move to a different virtual room, and one will stay in the original CCR Room. If you are in the group staying in the original CCR Room, you do not need to make any adjustments to your Marratech.
  • To join the other virtual room:
    • From the CCR Room, click on the small house (home) icon in the upper left of your Marratech screen
    • Type into the Marratech address bar http://switchboard.stanford.edu if you computer doesn't automatically take you back to the switchboard menu.
    • Choose the Pedagogy Room and enter by clicking on it.
    • Make sure to activate your camera and microphone when you enter your small group room.
    • Please have headphones on hand in case there is an echo problem; using headphones will minimize echo and feedback
Final Group Reflection and Discussion
  • Note: Participants in the original CCR Room do not have to adjust their Marratech
  • For participants in the Pedagogy Room:
    • From your small group room, click on the small house (home) icon in the upper left of your Marratech screen
    • Type into the Marratech address bar http://switchboard.stanford.edu if the switchboard menu does not automatically appear
    • Re-enter the CCR room
    • Make sure to activate your camera and microphone when you enter your small group room.

 

TROUBLESHOOTING  

  • No one can hear you. Make sure your microphone icon in the lower right is lit up.

    • If the microphone icon is lit up but no one can hear you, go to the Tools menu (on a PC; Preferences on a Mac) and go to Audio. Make sure you have the right audio input (microphone) selected. If you're using a separate webcam, you probably should select the microphone embedded in your webcamera.
    • If the microphone button only lights up when you press on it, you're in walkie-talkie mode. To get rid of walkie-talkie mode, go to the Tools menu (on a PC; Preferences on a Mac) and go to Audio. Make sure that the walkie-talkie button is not checked.
    • Quick fix: Communicate via the chat room (lower right of the marratech window) to ask for help.
    • Can't fix it? Participate in the conversation using the chat room.
  • You can't hear anyone else. Make sure that your speaker icon in the lower right is lit up; it should light up when you click on it. If this doesn't work, go to the Tools menu (on a PC; Preferences on a Mac) and go to Audio. Make sure you have the right speaker selected.
    • Quick fix: Communicate via the chat room (lower right of the marratech window) to ask for help.
  • No one can see you. Make sure your webcamera is plugged in. Make sure that the camera icon in the lower right of the Marratech screen is lit up; it should light up when you press on it. If your camera still doesn't seem to be working:
    • Sometimes, if you've activated your webcamera software before you've entered Marratech, you'll cause a communication problem between Marratech and your camera. Close out of Marratech and come back in again and see if this resolves the problem.
    • Can't fix it? Participate in the conversation without your webcam.
  • You see a red and yellow bar across your participants window. This means you are having bandwidth issues. To solve this problem, you'll need to turn off your video. You can try turning it on again in a moment to see if the issue clears up.
    • Can't fix it? Participate in the conversation without your webcam.
  • You don't hear an echo, but people say that you're echoing. Often, the person causing an echo can't hear it. If you're told that you're echoing, the first step is to go into your Marratech options/preferences and make sure you have the right input/output selected. You should also go into your Computer's settings and do the same. However, for the sake of community spirit and productive conversation, please be prepared to do one of the following if you're told that you're echoing:
    • Use Walkie-Talkie mode. To go into Walkie-Talkie mode, go to the Tools menu (on a PC; Preferences on a Mac) and go to Audio. Check the walkie-talkie button. To be heard, you simply need to hold down on the microphone button, and release it when you're listening.
    • Use headphones. Usually echo is caused by a conflict between your speakers and your microphone, so by using headphones, you prevent your microphone from "hearing" what's coming through your speakers, eliminating any echoes that might come from a slight time delay.
  • You can see the PowerPoint, but it doesn't seem to advance. Usually when you watch slides on the whiteboard space of Marratech, the slides advance on your computer when the speaker advances them. However, occasionally, that doesn't work. In that case, you will need to manually advance the slides by using the pull-down menu that is directly under the menu bar at the top of the Marratech screen.
    • Still doesn't work? Then download the PowerPoint from the website to your computer and run through the slides yourself in another window rather than looking at them through Marratech.
  • Marratech just doesn't seem to be working right for you. In case of weird quirks (delays, freezing, extreme out-of-sync video/audio), you may want to close out of Marratech and rejoin. Just let people know what you're doing through the chat room before disappearing!
  • Have a question during a presentation or discussion? Type it into the chat room window and either one of the project leaders or one of our helpful Tech Ghosts who will be haunting our Marratech rooms will try to answer it promptly.