Design Ideas #11--Video Conferencing and Live Classes

27 May 09 Dear Team,   Hans has been bubbling over ever since he attended the video conference demo in London last week.  Therese, bless her heart, invites me of an online demo tomorrow:   A quick note about an upcoming technology demonstration.  We are having one tomorrow given by a company called DreamTek.    So I've spent the afternoon researching the topic from within Moodle (our college software program).  Here is what I discovered:   Numerous software programs (six?) are already experimenting with adding video conferencing to Moodle; The teachers' favorite program at this time is WiZiQ--a program designed by and for educators.  Here is what they are saying about WiZiQ: Teach live over the Internet with Online Classes Schedule private online classes with your students. All private classes are secure and only whom you invite can attend. Schedule public online classes that reach thousands of teachers and learners across the world. Allow/ disallow/ invite attendees to watch the recordings of your online classes. All classes are recorded by default. Communicate live via audio, video or text chat, shared whiteboards, presentations, documents, multimedia files, through WiZiQ's Free Virtual Classroom. Embed the live virtual classroom on your blog and website also. Get the benefits of travel-less classes and minimal infrastructure requirements. All you need is Internet, computer and a headset. Teach live over the Internet with Online Classes Schedule private online classes with your students. All private classes are secure and only whom you invite can attend. Schedule public online classes that reach thousands of teachers and learners across the world. Allow/ disallow/ invite attendees to watch the recordings of your online classes. All classes are recorded by default. Communicate live via audio, video or text chat, shared whiteboards, presentations, documents, multimedia files, through WiZiQ's Free Virtual Classroom. Embed the live virtual classroom on your blog and website also. Get the benefits of travel-less classes and minimal infrastructure requirements. All you need is Internet, computer and a headset. So, my next step was to download the software and to configure it with our existing Moodle software.  This took about two hours.  The operation of WiZiQ is now fully integrated with our college software.   To see it in operation, I have scheduled a demo time tomorrow at 9 am (2 pm London time).  This system operates entirely independent of Skype.  A mike is necessary.  A vidcam, if you want to be seen and heard.   The results are impressive.  The whiteboard allows keeping track of an outline as one goes.  Alternately, all participants can be adding their brainstorming at the same time.  The video definition is just about what one can allow if six to eight participants are to be seen at the same time.  Audio fidelity is B+.  Works best with a pair of headphone so that you can distinguish different speakers when two or more people are speaking at the same time.   Best of all: the product is FREE.   See you at the DreamTek demo, Aaron