Getting a bigger picture: Web conferencing and related video conferencing systems are connecting campuses to students and staff far and wide.TAKING A TRIP WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING TO GO anywhere--that might be the best way to describe what web conferencing A videoconferencing session via the Internet. In order to interact with other participants, attendees use either a Web application or an application downloaded into their client machines. can do. The technology is being used in higher ed for everything from distance learning to helping administrators "virtually" meet face to face, and it is allowing HR departments to interview candidates who live thousands of miles away. Video conferencing See videoconferencing. (communications) video conferencing - A discussion between two or more groups of people who are in different places but can see and hear each other using electronic communications. and web conferencing, a newer technology, have been on campuses for a while now. Both have been boosted by increased desktop and laptop use, high-speed broadband, and more affordable and available software and hardware, such as webcams. The day may be coming soon when everyone will be conferencing and real-time conversations online will be as common as instant messaging Exchanging text messages in real time between two or more people logged into a particular instant messaging (IM) service. Instant messaging is more interactive than e-mail because messages are sent immediately, whereas e-mail messages can be queued up in a mail server for seconds or and e-mail. Web conferencing is happening routinely on campus, but it is being done in such an informal and ubiquitous way that it is hard to get a definitive handle on who is doing what, says Kenneth Green, founding director of The Campus Computing Project. Hard data on installations is nearly impossible to find. "There is much that occurs that doesn't involve campus infrastructure," he notes. Web conferencing applications now exist in common operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. , including Apple's OS X and Microsoft's Windows XP The previous client version of Windows. XP was a major upgrade to the client version of Windows 2000 with numerous changes to the user interface. XP improved support for gaming, digital photography, instant messaging, wireless networking and sharing connections to the Internet. and Vista. Groups of students and faculty members who are "meeting" online for impromptu discussions and workgroup tasks are flying under the radar This article is about the magazine. For other uses, see Under the Radar (disambiguation). Under the Radar is an American magazine that bills itself as "The solution to music pollution." It features interviews with accompanying photo-shoots. of the campus CIO CIO: see American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. (Chief Information Officer) The executive officer in charge of information processing in an organization. and the IT department. Certain larger trends are spurring the use of video conferencing and web conferencing. One is the growing number of nontraditional students who are requiring distance education options. These are the adult students coming back for degrees or professional development courses who need to access lectures and course materials during the midnight hours or before the workday starts. "Students are dictating to schools how they want to learn," says Mishez Avari, director of education for AT&T. The telecommunications company See telecom company. helps support video conferencing with help from Polycom, VBrick, and other corporate partners. Recently released statistics illustrate his point. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a new Eduventures study on adult learners, 40 percent of all students enrolled in higher ed are 25 years old or older. Most are juggling family and work obligations. The other impetus for the growing use of the technology is the increased use of high-speed broadband. Where only 31 percent of U.S. households had high-speed DSL DSL in full Digital Subscriber Line Broadband digital communications connection that operates over standard copper telephone wires. It requires a DSL modem, which splits transmissions into two frequency bands: the lower frequencies for voice (ordinary or internet cable See cable Internet. connections in 2004, today the percentage is 55. It is not just the students commuting from home, though, who are logging on to watch lectures, digest course material, or do online group projects. Colleges and universities are also purchasing more high-speed bandwidth for use in residence halls, explains Green. It's Academic It's Academic is a televised academic quiz competition for high school students, currently airing on two NBC affiliates in Washington, DC (WRC-TV), Charlottesville, Virginia (WVIR), and one CBS affiliate Baltimore, Maryland (WJZ). Academics still make up the largest number of web conferencing and video conferencing case studies. Washington State University Washington State University, at Pullman; land-grant and state supported; chartered 1890, opened 1892 as an agriculture college. From 1905 to 1959 it was the State College of Washington. was at the vanguard of video conferencing, installing its first system 20 years ago to connect its four branch campuses. Students spread out across the state needed access to required courses. This is what drove the technology installation, says Donald Dover, video conferencing operations manager See datacenter manager. . A system eventually linked classrooms on the main campus in Pullman to students across the Canadian border in Vancouver and on the other side of the state in Spokane. Initially, WSU WSU Washington State University WSU Wayne State University WSU Wichita State University WSU Wright State University WSU Weber State University WSU Western State University College of Law WSU Winona State University WSU Walter Sisulu University built the equivalent of television studios on campuses to conduct its videoconferences. This was an expensive undertaking. WSU spent $250,000 on each classroom outfitted with cameras, telecasting hardware, and other technology, says Dover. The communication was two-way but based on more traditional TV broadcast technology, with signals transmitted through a series of towers. The university then migrated to a more updated video conferencing approach, retrofitting classrooms with telecommunications technology to deliver the message. Multiple cameras and mics have been added to make the experience more realistic, Dover adds. Cameras located in strategic areas give instructors a peripheral view. "You have to make sure that students asking questions are being seen." Digital document cameras also capture and help broadcast images that need to be viewed at very close range. Thanks to more affordable hardware and chip technology, the cost of outfitting a classroom has dropped from a quarter of a million dollars to $50,000 today. "Some people cringe when they hear that, but we are looking at a significant reduction," he observes. Today WSU has 45 classrooms equipped for video conferencing across its four campuses. The video conferencing system originates 14,000 hours of academic programming per year and supports 8,000 enrolled students. St. Louis University, a private institution in Missouri, uses video conferencing for different academic purposes. Its Adventures in Medicine and Science Program gives middle- and high-school students access to human anatomy Human anatomy is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the adult human body.[1] It is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy.[1] procedures that they would not be able to experience in traditional K-12 curricula. Young biology students actually get an internal tour of the human body thanks to university instructors and a Polycom setup housed in the School of Medicine, explains Ray Vollmer, program coordinator. The effort was initially based solely on an ISDN ISDN in full Integrated Services Digital Network Digital telecommunications network that operates over standard copper telephone wires or other media. telecom structure, but now more internet protocol See Internet and TCP/IP. (networking) Internet Protocol - (IP) The network layer for the TCP/IP protocol suite widely used on Ethernet networks, defined in STD 5, RFC 791. IP is a connectionless, best-effort packet switching protocol. is part of the mix. A teacher who wants the class to participate can visit a determined website and connect to the program. Multiple classes can also watch the same program, but connectivity requires a telecom bridge between locations. These are synchronous broadcasts, which means that the students view dissection procedures and tissue specimens in real time. (Asynchronous Refers to events that are not synchronized, or coordinated, in time. The following are considered asynchronous operations. The interval between transmitting A and B is not the same as between B and C. The ability to initiate a transmission at either end. broadcasts are played back after they're recorded.) Each of the human anatomy tutorials is conducted in 50- to 60-minute sessions for which each class pays $150. Adventures in Medicine and Science started locally as part of the city's Cooperating School Districts program, says Vollmer. The state wanted to help rotor rural students. But the program was discovered by schools in other states and now services schools far and wide, says Vollmer. A team at Lehigh University Lehigh University, at Bethlehem, Pa.; coeducational; chartered and opened 1866 by Asa Packer. It has undergraduate colleges of arts and science, business and economics, and engineering and applied science, as well as several graduate programs. (Pa.) uses a mix of applications to serve adult distance ed students. An Elluminate web conferencing system is used to connect part-time business school students who cannot come to campus, says Peggy Kane, senior instructional technology There are two types of instructional technology: those with a systems approach, and those focusing on sensory technologies. The definition of instructional technology prepared by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Definitions and Terminology consultant. "They participate from a corporate site, or from home," she says. The lectures are broadcast from several classrooms that have been outfitted for this purpose. Some material is captured and compressed with Accordant's rich media system. Lectures and other materials are made available to students on demand through the Blackboard learning management system. "Typically the professors determine the mechanism for interacting with the students," she explains. The communication can be done from many platforms--telephone, discussion board, web conferencing, and so on. Beyond the Classroom Innovation is not confined to the lecture hall lecture hall n → sala de conferencias; (UNIV) → aula lecture hall lecture n → amphithéâtre m , though. Web conferencing and video conferencing systems are used more and more by administrators. In fact, Dover has seen usage at WSU shift from almost purely academic to more administrative. Currently, distance education accounts for only 50 percent of the use. HR interviews, workgroup meetings and other administrative functions account for the other online conferences. Oftentimes, though, the inspiration for web conferencing applications has been sparked in the academic department. This is what happened at Lamar University Lamar University is a four-year university located in Beaumont, Texas, USA, and a member of the Texas State University System. As of September 2006, the university had an enrollment of 9,906 students. , part of the Texas state university system. In September 2005, the staff had to scramble to recover from Hurricane Rita Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005. . The university pushed an e-learning initiative based on Media Publisher's video and web conferencing technology to help students with housing and transportation issues. From there, the staff decided to expand the technology outside of the classroom and use web conferencing to bring IT professionals on campus up to speed on new software and products. This way staff could use the technology for learning as well as students. Kim Allen Kim (Bryant) Allen (born April 5, 1953 in Fontana, CA) is a former Major League Baseball player. After attending University of California, Riverside and a nondescript minor league career, Allen briefly earned prospect status with the Seattle Mariners on the strength of his , director of network services and IT strategic planning Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. , now video conferences with counterparts on other campuses to talk about current high-level projects, such as backup systems and disaster recovery plans. "We used to meet face-to-face every couple of months," she recalls. Driving from Lamar's Beaumont campus to San Angelo San Angelo (săn ăn`jəlō), city (1990 pop. 84,474), seat of Tom Green co., W Tex., where two forks join to form the Concho River; laid out 1869, inc. 1903. , San Marcos San Marcos (săn mär`kəs). 1 City (1990 pop. 38,974), San Diego co., S Calif., a northern suburb of San Diego; settled 1880s, inc. 1963. , or other campus locations could take at least five hours. Now more meetings are done with a video conferencing system, allowing for more meeting time and less wear and tear on the staff. Other administrators saw the benefits and then thought of their own uses for web conferencing. Finance Department staffers who regularly traveled to Austin for training sessions, were able to train on their desktops back at the office. Lamar administrative staff use a number of web conferencing applications, including Media Publisher, whose logging capability can generate reports that show who has looked at an archived video training segment and for how long. At Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University, Mankato is a four-year university located in Mankato, Minnesota. The school has an enrollment of nearly 14,000 students and 600 full-time faculty members. MSU is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (MnSCU). , administrators in the Department of Education began using WiredRed's e/pop web conferencing tool in fall 2005 to remotely monitor teachers in the classroom. The technology has helped set up a virtual observatory virtual observatory, a collection of integrated astronomical data archives and software tools that utilize computer networks to create an environment in which research can be conducted. for interns and candidates who are applying for licenses as teachers or education administrators. Since its installation, the technology has helped bring together staff and candidates who are often located in different areas of the state and who each require a minimum of eight observations, with each session lasting 90 minutes. The DOE staff now conduct face-to-face evaluations and do job reviews all through webcams, screens, and an internet connection. Other technologies used include desktop and application sharing A data conferencing capability that lets two or more users interactively work on the same application at the same time. The application is loaded and running in only one machine; however, keystrokes are transmitted from and screen changes are transmitted to the other participants. . "I do everything that I would in person," says Loretta DeLong, associate professor in the Leadership Program. Her experience is really the goal of all video conferencing and web conferencing solutions. ONLINE CONFERENCING DEFINITIONS WEB CONFERENCING refers to online communication between a small group of users--perhaps no more than 50. Streaming video, along with slideshows, spreadsheets, and other visuals, are pushed over the internet along with audio. Students and their professors can have real-time interaction, presenting material and fielding questions. According to Forrester Research, the most common web conferencing providers are WebEx Communications, Microsoft Office Live Meeting Microsoft Office Live Meeting is a web conferencing service operated by Microsoft. Live Meeting includes software that is installed on client PCs, and uses a central server for all clients to connect to. , Adobe Systems Connect, Elluminate Live!, iLinc Communications Meeting, and Raindance Meeting Edition. WEBCASTING provides video and audio over the internet but is largely a one-way communication. Forrester suggests that webcasting be used for large video events, while web conferencing be used for small meetings. This technology is meant for one-way communication intended for many users. Material is often captured for asynchronous playback, allowing a student miles away from campus to play back a recorded lecture on demand. VIDEO CONFERENCING pushes rich media, including video and audio, through specialized hardware and software systems that are supported by telecommunications and IP technology. Common vendors, according to Forrester, are Polycom, Tandberg, RADVision, VCON, and Sony, which offers the Ipela system. COLLABORATION "COLLABORATION" HAS REPLACED "convergence" as the buzzword A term that refers to the latest technology or a term that sounds catchy. If not a flash in the pan, new technologies become mainstream. For example, Java was a hot buzzword in the 1990s, but should remain a major topic for decades. in AV technology. Any higher ed executive doing due diligence Research; analysis; your homework. This term has caught on in all industries, because it sounds so "wired." Who would want to do analysis or research when they can do due diligence. See wired. on a web conferencing system will no doubt hear the word bandied about. Collaboration is really teamwork at all levels. It can refer to the promise of effortless virtual connectivity--a seamless presentation that might include video, a slide show, photos, and spreadsheets. But it also refers to the ability of many users to do complex tasks at the same time, such as business students filling in data on a common spreadsheet and running analyses. Expect more collaborative applications to be introduced for the education sector during the coming months. In the effort to make their systems more user-friendly, vendors in the web conferencing and video conferencing arena are adding features like instant messaging and video-on-demand services. The web conferencing company Elluminate, for example, has just added a "breakout room" application called vRoom, which will allow web conferencing users to form subgroups of five members or so, in order to have access to applications with low bandwidth. The company is promoting the new product for use among small groups of students who can work on problems or engage in disparate tasks while the instructor "moves from room to room" to monitor progress and offer guidance. Other uses include one-on-one meetings, virtual office hours office hours, n.pl See business hours. , and tutoring. Adobe has added a Connect Professional application that brings small groups together for what it calls "eCoaching," The new feature is marketed to educators along with the company's web conferencing products. Students and instructors can share a host of programs through the system, including games and simulations. The application also integrates with Sakai, an open-source learning management system. TECHNOLOGY USAGE TIPS * Ask about network security. Vendors should be able to drive video and audio data through the internet or telecommunications system without introducing viruses or other problems. Make sure your network is protected. * Provide the proper bandwidth. There is nothing more frustrating than watching video clips that start and stop, or ones in which the movements and the audio are out of synch. Several schools that have implemented systems note that students will complain more about herky-jerky video than anything else. * Make the presentation a true "face-to-face" experience. Communication done through video conferencing is easier to follow and more pleasing to the audience when a professor is not "hiding behind the curriculum material," says Donald Dover, video conferencing operations manager at Washington State University. It is hard to be engaged by someone who is blocked by a podium, he observes. WSU's professors are instructed never to turn their backs to the camera. Instead of using whiteboards in a traditional sense, and turning to write, professors are coached in using dual channel video conferencing technology. This allows several images to be on-screen on·screen or on-screen adj. & adv. 1. As shown on a movie, television, or display screen. 2. Within public view; in public. at once. A professor can be explaining a point while pushing an image or spreadsheet to the screen from a laptop or panel that he is facing. The viewers can see all images at the same time, with some appearing in small windows. * Aspire to 24-hour customer service. For video conferencing and web conferencing to grow, IT managers have to view the systems as similar to telecommunications on campus. This is a network that can never go down, says Dover. That's an especially important point if distance education is being marketed as a convenience to students who can study material at unconventional hours. Resources Accordant, www.accordant.com Adobe Systems Connect, www.adobe.com AT&T, www.att.com Avaya Meeting Exchange, www.avaya.com Elluminate, www.elluminate.com iLinc Communications Meetings, www.ilinc.com Media Publisher, www.media-publisher.com Microsoft Office Live Meeting, http://office.microsoft.com Polycom, www.polycom.com RADVision, www.radvision.com Raindance Meeting Edition, www.raindance.com Sony Ipela, bssc.sel.sony.com Tandberg, www.tandberg.com VCON, www.vcon.com WebEx Communications Meeting Center, www.webex.com WiredRed, www.wiredred.com |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion