Getting Your Message Out
Many universities use Elluminate Live! for distance classes. ELive is a fine tool lets users share application screens and whiteboards, participate in audio chat sessions, and move into breakout rooms for small group discussions. Sessions can be saved and viewed later. I use it in my own classes for many tasks.
But what if you don’t have access to ELive, or need to use only certain features? What if you don’t need synchronous communication with your audience?
There are some free alternatives to ELive that are worth your consideration.
Google Presently
The latest addition to Google Docs is Presently, a presentation program that resembles and works with PowerPoint. Existing PowerPoint presentations can be uploaded and viewed at any time, or the author (or designated collaborators) can take control of the presentation and walk viewers through it. There is a text chat window so that viewers can communicate with each other or with presenters but no audio chat feature. Uploaded PowerPoint presentations will not show any animation at all (bullet points, slide transitions, etc.) and action buttons will not work. While it sounds limited, when employed for simple instruction it can be a very useful tool. This presentation was uploaded from an existing PowerPoint presentation and shows the utility of having web access to an instructional document.
To use Presently, all you need is a Google account. If you have a GMail account, use Google Reader, or keep a Blogger bog, you already have one.
SketchCast
First there was podcasting. Then came vcasting and screencasting. As of a few weeks ago, we now have sketchcasting.
Imagine that you are a high school math teacher standing at a whiteboard walking your class through a geometric proof. You draw a few figures on the board, make a few comments as you go, and arrive at the final proof. That is the concept behind SketchCast. SketchCast gives you a whiteboard with different colored markers onto which you sketch your ideas while you (optionally) narrate your sketch. This process is recorded and produces a video that can be embedded into a web page or blog or can be saved online for viewing by anyone. It really helps to have a graphics tablet with a pen to make your sketch, but it will work with a mouse or trackpad. If your mousing skills aren’t great, you can enter text from the keyboard by selecting the text tool, but you only get one font in one size. You can’t paste images from another source–you’re limited to what you draw or type on the whiteboard.
Still, there are some instances when a SketchCast could come in very handy. Math comes to mind immediately–solving an equation, working through a proof, simplifying a fraction, etc. Many art activities are possible–cartooning, specific pencil or color techniques, for example. How about sounding out words using the audio feature?
WizIQ
WizIQ shares many features of Elluminate: two-way audio, text chat, shared whiteboard, and PowerPoint and PDF Document sharing capabilities. It’s designed as a way to deliver tutorial information either in real time or as a saved archive. Members (membership is free) can schedule real time sessions and invite participants, participate in others’ sessions, browse from a wide variety of saved sessions, and search for other members with similar interests. Real time sessions include audio, chat, and shared documents. Saved archives function much like PowerPoint presentations, including some animation and embedded sounds. Some PowerPoint features–action buttons, for example–do not work, but there are on-screen controls for stepping through the slides. Saved sessions may also be embedded into web pages or blogs. Like Presently, you can upload existing PowerPoint documents.
WizIQ makes sense as a way to deliver online tutorial content to an audience. It’s not better than Elluminate in this regard, but it’s free.
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One Response to “Getting Your Message Out”
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Hi Skip Via,
I am glad to read your excitement with the Elluminate product. I did want to make you aware that Elluminate also offers a free version of Elluminate Live! This 3-user version is called a vRoom and you can use it for as much as you’d like and as long as you’d like — no restrictions! It has all of the same helpful applications as Elluminate Live! including whiteboard, application sharing, voice over IP, video, synchronized notes and tons more.
You can sign up for your free vRoom at http://www.getvroom.com!
I hope this helps. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have concerning the Elluminate Live! product or vRoom.
Best,
Amber Koskela
Online Marketing Associate
Elluminate, Inc.
Office: (603) 882-2461
Email: amberk@elluminate.com