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Creating open educational resources

6 Communicating and OpenLearn

A variety of software tools are available from OpenLearn to help you communicate with others to rework content and to enable your learners to work with each other. As well as Compendium, the mind mapping tool described in Activity 3, FlashMeeting enables video-conferencing through a web browser, and the unit forums allow asynchronous discussions. These tools can variously be used in situ or taken away as a client download or source code.

Activity 8

You should allow 2 hour(s), minute(s).

Log on to the Flashmeeting (FM) quick start guide and read about this video-conferencing tool.

Read the page there that describes FM and book a meeting with a friend or colleague to try out this communication tool.

It is very simple to book a meeting. After clicking the link ‘book a meeting’, you are given directions at the booking page, where you can add the details of the meeting: the date and time, the duration, the number of attendees, the booking title (e.g. ‘meeting with John’), a description of the meeting including the type of meeting, attendees, etc. (e.g. ‘Interview with John Wilson, Professor of New Media’) and keywords (e.g. ‘collaborative media’). You also have the option of making your live meeting ‘public’ so it can be attended or later reviewed by others who find it useful or interesting. You can then click on the submit button and a URL is created in the booking page, as well as sent to your email address. The URL can be passed on to the other participants, who simply click on the link to join the meeting at the arranged time.

Log on to the main FM website for a demonstration.

Now read the discussion

Some advantages and key features of FM are:

  • it enables audio broadcast over a network or internet;
  • there is no download and installation – it works in a web browser with the Adobe Flash™ player;
  • it is easy to use – click the Broadcast button to start – click again to stop!
  • you can indicate your intention to speak with a simple queuing system;
  • there is a public Text chat – chat to others while watching the broadcast;
  • you can share a URL when chatting so as to open a web page on all remote machines;
  • there is the ability to vote and use ‘Emoticon’ options – share your opinions and feelings!
  • anyone can upload slides, draw and annotate on the Flashboard;
  • there is a countdown timer showing remaining time;
  • you can view participants either as a list of images or names;
  • there is a simple booking procedure to manage your meetings;
  • it has low-data requirements (one stream at a time);
  • it is possible to record the meeting for easy web replay – very useful if the meeting has a ‘guest speaker’.
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Creating open educational resources
Pages: <Previous  7    8    9    10    11    12    13    14    15    16    17  Next >

Creating open educational resources

6 Communicating and OpenLearn

A variety of software tools are available from OpenLearn to help you communicate with others to rework content and to enable your learners to work with each other. As well as Compendium, the mind mapping tool described in Activity 3, FlashMeeting enables video-conferencing through a web browser, and the unit forums allow asynchronous discussions. These tools can variously be used in situ or taken away as a client download or source code.

Activity 8

You should allow 2 hour(s), minute(s).

Log on to the Flashmeeting (FM) quick start guide and read about this video-conferencing tool.

Read the page there that describes FM and book a meeting with a friend or colleague to try out this communication tool.

It is very simple to book a meeting. After clicking the link ‘book a meeting’, you are given directions at the booking page, where you can add the details of the meeting: the date and time, the duration, the number of attendees, the booking title (e.g. ‘meeting with John’), a description of the meeting including the type of meeting, attendees, etc. (e.g. ‘Interview with John Wilson, Professor of New Media’) and keywords (e.g. ‘collaborative media’). You also have the option of making your live meeting ‘public’ so it can be attended or later reviewed by others who find it useful or interesting. You can then click on the submit button and a URL is created in the booking page, as well as sent to your email address. The URL can be passed on to the other participants, who simply click on the link to join the meeting at the arranged time.

Log on to the main FM website for a demonstration.

Now read the discussion

Some advantages and key features of FM are:

  • it enables audio broadcast over a network or internet;
  • there is no download and installation – it works in a web browser with the Adobe Flash™ player;
  • it is easy to use – click the Broadcast button to start – click again to stop!
  • you can indicate your intention to speak with a simple queuing system;
  • there is a public Text chat – chat to others while watching the broadcast;
  • you can share a URL when chatting so as to open a web page on all remote machines;
  • there is the ability to vote and use ‘Emoticon’ options – share your opinions and feelings!
  • anyone can upload slides, draw and annotate on the Flashboard;
  • there is a countdown timer showing remaining time;
  • you can view participants either as a list of images or names;
  • there is a simple booking procedure to manage your meetings;
  • it has low-data requirements (one stream at a time);
  • it is possible to record the meeting for easy web replay – very useful if the meeting has a ‘guest speaker’.
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