Elluminate Live! e-Classrooms
Introduction
The College of Education has purchased the Elluminate Live! Web conferencing system which essentially allows us to extend our classrooms into a system of virtual classrooms. These virtual classrooms (“vOffice/vClassrooms”) will allow live instruction over the Internet through the use of two-way audio, direct text messaging and a shared, interactive whiteboard.
The Elluminate Live! Web conferencing system is both PC and Mac compatible. Participants and instructors speak to each other through a standard microphone connected to the computer. Elluminate Live! works on bandwidths as low as 28.8Kbps. Elluminate’s proprietary shared whiteboard features writing, drawing and erasing tools.
Participants and instructors can communicate using a variety of text messaging capabilities including private messaging between participant and instructor, one-to-one messaging between participants and one-to-many messaging between participants. The instructor monitors all messages.
PowerPoint presentations can be uploaded into the e-classrooms. And e-classrooms comes with a screen shot capture utility for “grabbing” a screen shot from an application or your desktop and showing it on the whiteboard. The “Web Push” feature lets instructors “force” participants to a Web site of their choice. Additionally Elluminate has the ability to share applications. So instructors can call up any software application, for example, a Word document and share it and work on it live with the class.
With Elluminate Live!, live classrooms can be recorded and played back. In addition, everyone in the classroom visually knows who is speaking, typing a message and using the whiteboard. However, all communication within the classroom is supervised, controlled and monitored by the instructor. For example, the instructor is aware of all raised hands and the order of being raised.
Participants can be polled with “yes/no,” “true/false,” or multiple choice questions. Responses can be visually monitored. There are also a variety of classroom management tools.
Effective Fall 2007, COE operates a local Elluminate 8.0 server, providing unlimited seats for COE web conferences and classes. We have eliminated the need for reservations altogether, and you can obtain a persistent URL for your own virtual classroom. Faculty and staff should attend an Elluminate training session to obtain their URL, see the training agenda at http://www.hawaii.edu/coe/departments/outreach/TechnnologyTraining.shtml. If you need your URL for Fall 2007 classes and can not attend training, contact Adam Tanners at tanners@hawaii.edu
To access all publicly-open COE virtual offices and classrooms:
http://elluminate.coe.hawaii.edu/
Faculty Preparation
Instructors assigned to vOffices/vClassrooms need to do the following tasks in preparation to teach with Elluminate.
- Instructors must participate in the moderator training prior to teaching using Elluminate.
- Moderator training is provided by Elluminate staff online ( http://www.elluminate.com/site/external/event/schedule )
- or by COE personnel (see current workshop schedule).
- Prior to teaching content, instructors should include an online orientation session for Elluminate with their students.
- Pre-configuring information & quick reference user guide must be emailed early to students. Pre-configuring information & quick reference guide will be included in the confirmation e-mail.
Technical Support
Please contact the UH Elluminate administrator if you have any difficulties or questions.
UH Elluminate Administrator:
Adam Tanners
tanners@hawaii.edu 956-0858
