From CYCLOPS to Smart Meeting Pro

From CYCLOPS to Smartmeeting pro – 30 years of telewriting with a few diversions in between

Cyclops  (1980)– telewriting system.  Provided support for OU tutoring, therewas a real need for it. Bought the OU tutoring to a local centre. It was ashared screen telewriting plus phone conference. Could interact with voice,hand writing and graphics

Students preferred itto the alternatives

So why isn’t it usednow? Framework for evaluation at three different levels:

Micro, Meso and Macro –usability, usefulness, efficiency

• Micro layer – worked at this level! Familiar system – overhead projector, true wysiwis, students operated it with no training.
• Meso layer – tutors adapted it to their teaching style, tutor station with graphics pad
• Macro layer – matched students needs, wrong business model, saved student travel costs, but increased OU costs for facilitator and line charges

Fast forward 30 years…Smartmeeting pro – Canadian company, developed SMARTBoard, meeting room andconferencing system, telewriting revisited!

Will it work? Probablynot!