This “lesson” is simply advance preparations for our first class meeting. On the first class day, will meet synchronously in a Blackboard Collaborate – an online web conference where we can share audio, video, and more in real time.
Advanced Organizer
Keep in mind –
- You need a gmail account ready for class use, and must provide it in the class roster – it’s needed to add you to to Google Hangouts.
- You should test your computer with both Google Hangouts and Blackboard Collaborate several days prior to our first class meeting.
- There are two readings due ON our first class day.
Look for answers to these questions –
-
What does the term “free” in “free software” refer to?
- What differentiates “free software” from “open-source software”, if anything?
Activities
Due prior to 8/26/13 class meeting
1. Obtain a gmail account
You’ll need a gmail account (Google email) to participate in some synchronous class meetings that utilize Google’s Hangouts – for example, when we have guest speakers. Unfortunately “@hawaii.edu” accounts will not work – hangouts are not an enabled feature on University of Hawaii accounts. If you don’t have a gmail account already, or if you prefer to use a separate account for this class, please create one now. Step-by-step instructions are available if you need them.
2. Update our Class Roster
Add your name and contact information to the class roster, including your gmail address. If you prefer not to share your contact information with the class, you may omit it; we do, however, need your gmail address. Please include a photo that would allow me to pick you out of a lineup – no sunglasses, facepaint, cartoons or Halloween costumes. The image should be cropped to 160×120 pixels. An easy image cropping tool is available at cropp.me – or use your favorite image editor.
3. List Your Software
Make a list of the 5 software titles that you use most often. These can either be web-based utilities, or software that you install and run on your own computer. We’ll use your list in our discussion at the first class meeting.
4. Google Hangouts: Test & Troubleshoot
There are several forms of Google Hangouts, but we’ll primarily be using “hangouts on air”. Check the system requirements for hangouts if you’re unsure your computer can handle it.
Please make certain you have a working headset with microphone for our hangouts. Omnidirectional microphones, like those built into your laptop, make for poor audio quality and can cause unpleasant audio feedback for the class. I recommend USB style headsets for minimizing troublet, and if you’re buying one – look for one withOUT a hardware mute button. A majority of audio problems stem from inadvertent muting of the microphone with its own hardware switch.
Let me repeat that: Get a headset with microphone, and make sure it works with your computer in advance.
For guest speakers, we will be using Google+ Hangouts On Air, which allows public viewing and recording to YouTube. That means, our class will be open to the world, as will your comments and actions during that broadcast/recording. Please take a look at the the terms and conditions. Hangouts are limited to 11 total participants (ie, instructor, guest presenter, and 9 students) – therefore, some of the class will watch the broadcast via Youtube, but will not have voice/video input during the presentation. This method allows us to easily invite external viewers and to make the recording immediately available.You can start your own hangout for testing and troubleshooting, even if it’s just with you in the video call.
Hangouts can be started from your gmail account, or from your Google+ page (which comes along with your gmail account). If/when asked to approve the Google Talk plugin, allow the installation. In your gmail account, select any contact and click the video call icon to begin a hangout. Inside the hangout window, notice the audio icons in the upper right corner. Your microphone and webcam default to being ON, but you can mute either of them with their icons. Use the settings gear icon to select your microphone and webcam, if you’re using a headset as I’ve asked – you’ll likely have at least two microphones to choose from (built-in and the headset). Play a test sound with the provided link and verify that your headset is working well. When you’re satisfied that things are working correctly, the exit (hang up) icon will end the hangout.
5. Blackboard Collaborate: Test & Troubleshoot
Collaborate is a web conference utility, similar to Google Hangouts but with larger participant capacity and a lot of additional features. It is java-dependent, so it can take a bit of fiddling to make sure your computer is ready for participation – this makes it slightly less fluid for inviting external viewers. Please make sure that you prepare your computer and headset well in advance of our first class meeting. Enter the isntructor’s Collaborate “virtual office” (voffice) 15 minutes early to test your audio (microphone and speakers) for each session.
Review our web conference support page, especially the Test Room section. There is an embedded document there that walks you through logging into Collaborate. Above it is a Collaborate Testing link – please walk through it. If you need assistance after testing this, contact the College’s Web Conference Support manager at esupport@hawaii.edu for assistance.
Collaborate clients for iOS and Android are available, however users have reduced functionality. Mobile clients to not receive the session video feed, and whiteboard tools will not be available. To enable your full participation, you are encouraged to join our web conferences from a computer running Linux, Windows, or OSX instead.
Dr. McKimmy’s voffice: tinyurl.com/paul-voffice. You can enter this voffice at any time to test your audio, but Dr. McKimmy will only be present for appointments and class sessions.
- Plug in your headset with microphone first.
- It is highly recommended that you use a wired Internet connection. Wireless can cause you to lose the connection or create audio lag. If the audio begins sounding like chipmunks talking, your connection has lagged and the system is speeding up your feed to get you in synch again.
- When you click the voffice link, Collaborate will ask for a “Session Login”. Use your first name and last initial. This is how you will appear in the participant list.
- Each time you join a session, go through the audio setup wizard right away – this will confirm your mic and headset are working well. The icon is above the video window:
Let me repeat that: Use wired internet, avoid iOS/Android devices, run the Audio Setup Wizard each time!
Professor’s Perspective: on Synchronous Sessions
I am aware and chagrined at the irony of teaching a course on Free and Open-source Software using proprietary web conferencing tools. In future iteractions, we will likely move to using Big Blue Button, an open-source alternative. My reasons for this are:
- Collaborate is a sunk cost for the College – there is zero incremental cost for using it.
- At the time we invested in Collaborate, Big Blue Button was just getting started. In fact, it’s still in second beta as of this writing.
- ETEC students will be using Collaborate in any future online courses from our Educational Technology department.
- I have not yet had time to work on a Big Blue Button installation and stress test it for class. When that happens, this course will move to it.
- Google Hangouts on Air have some advantages in easily bringing in outside audiences. I want to maximize the reach of our guest presenters, and broadcasting on Youtube seems a good strategy.
You’ll find “Professor’s Perspective” in several of our lessons. I hope you’ll find my personal and professional insights here useful.
Reading
Due prior to 8/26/13 class meeting
OK, I think you’re ready for class! Note on the syllabus which synchronous sessions are for Hangouts on Air (guest presentations) and which are for Collaborate (most others).
