Online Collaboration Simply put, online collaboration lets a group of people work together in real-time over the Internet. Those engaged in online collaboration can work together on word processor documents, Power Point presentations and even for brainstorming, all without needing to be in the same room at the same time. There are many great online collaboration tools available, which can help your team accomplish its goals. What is a video and audio conference? This is a very broad category of online tools, incorporating a range of options from free one-to-one audio conferencing all the way to more sophisticated and expensive tools which allow multiple sites with entire classes participating using video and audio. 1. Video and audio, or just audio connection between two computers communicating via the Internet. o Examples of free audio conferencing software: Skype (both cross platform) Google Hangout (Gmail or Google + Websites) o Enables users to speak to other Skype users free of charge (although users can also pay a fee and make calls to landlines using the computer). o Examples of free video conferencing software: Skype, Google Hangout (Gmail or Google + Websites), ivisit (cross platform), ichat (Mac only), NetMeeting (Windows only). 2. Transmitted to & received from any computer in any location that has Internet connection (broadband desirable for effective use). Teacher must have microphone, can have camera. Ideally end users have microphone (camera not essential) for synchronous communication. 3. Technology requirements for video/audio conferencing:
o Computer with access (ideally broadband) to the Internet. o Browser. o Speakers to hear audio. o Microphone (to contribute audio). o Web camera to contribute video. What are the advantages of a video conference and online collaboration? 1. Free download of easy to use software that can be used via Internet to connect student, instructor, or guest speaker to class and enable both sides to see & hear. 2. Enables individual (usually limited to one connection) to participate in synchronous learning experiences from any location worldwide. Users can connect from home, work or other location easily accessible to them. 3. Specifically useful for guest speaker who is far away from face-to-face class location, or student who cannot be in face-to-face class. 4. Enables students to take virtual field trips to remote locations (either just by viewing the video or engaging in an interactive lesson. This is especially an advantage to students who attend schools in isolated communities, but is an advantage to all students regardless of location or socio-economic factors. 5. Can be used to record vodcast or podcast and uploaded to course website (for web-enhanced, hybrid, or fully online classes).
6. As video conferencing technology improves, this can become a far cheaper alternative to enabling school districts to offer specialized subjects by having one teacher teach a class to students at a number of schools (e.g. in foreign language). Video Conferencing/Online Collaboration Tools Skype Skype, the popular Internet calling app, has been around for quite some time. The (mostly) free service launched in 2003, and has become one of the easiest and cheapest ways to stay in touch with others across the world. Whether you're traveling internationally or want to save money when calling others, Skype has become a great option because it's accessible through computers, phones, tablets, home phones, TVs and even devices like your Xbox One. 1. Sign up Getting started is as easy as any other app. To open an account, visit the Skype homepageand click "Join us" in the upper right-hand corner. Choose how you want to log in. You'll see you have the choice to sign in with your existingfacebook or Microsoft account, or you can create an account just for Skype.
2. Download Skype. After setting up your account, you may be asked if you would like to buy Skype credits, which are used to make phone calls to mobile phones or landlines. Remember, calling other Skype users is always free, but calling phones and landlines costs money. If you re not sure you want to purchase credit, skip this for now. Now, go ahead and download Skype: For Windows users: Save the Skype Setup Application to your computer. Doubleclick the Skype Setup file and follow the steps to install. Launch the Skype application and sign in with your Skype name and password. If it's your first time logging in, you may be asked to customize your settings, such as your language preference, and if you want Skype to launch when your computer starts. If so, check off "Run Skype when the computer starts." Once you've completed this section, Skype will take a few minutes to install. 3. Check your audio and video settings.
For Windows users: Go to "Call" and click "Audio settings." Below it, you ll see "Video settings." Once you're in the settings page, here s what to check for: Make sure your speakers are on. If you can hear the Skype jingle, you're good. Check that your voice can be heard through the microphone. If not, choose the appropriate microphone from the drop-down menu.
Check to see if your webcam is connected. If so, you should be able to see yourself on the live video feed. If not, check your video settings and make sure your webcam is plugged in correctly. 4. Set up your profile Profile settings When setting up your account, you may have already been asked if you would like to change your profile picture. To change this and more, click on your name on the upper left-hand corner and all your profile settings will appear. You can edit your phone numbers, email addresses, country, state, gender, birthday, and add a blurb about yourself in "About Me." You can add as little or as much information as you want. The column on the right will display "Public" (information everyone using Skype can view), "Contacts only" (information your contacts can only see), or "Private" (visible to only you) for each field. If these words are grayed out, they're disabled, which means you cannot change the privacy setting. You ll have to choose what information you want to share based on that privacy setting. For example, your country and state are public. If you aren't comfortable with sharing this information, it s best to leave it blank. 6. Add your contacts. Once you're in the Skype app, you'll see "Find your friends and say hello." You can search for your Skype contacts in your address book by selecting "Search address book."
8. Other Skype features With Skype, you can also make group video/audio calls: For Windows users: Select the "Create a Group" button and then click on a contact you want to add to the group and drag it to where you see "Drag contacts that you want to add here. "You can also click the + button and select "Add people." Screen share with an individual or group: To share your screen, open up the conversation with one of your contacts. Click the + button and select "Share screens " The other person (or people, if it s a group) will then see what s on your screen. Send contacts: During an IM conversation, you can send contact details to your friends. Click the + button and select "Send contacts." Then, check the contacts you want to send to the conversation and click "Send." If you want to send contact details during a video call, instead of "Send" there will be an "Add to call" button. File share with an individual or group: To share your files/documents, open up the conversation with one of your contacts. Click the + button and select "Share file Select a file and click open. The file will attached and then can be shared.
Google Hangout To use Google Hangouts, you'll first need to have a Gmail, Google Apps for Business or Google Apps for Education account and activate that account'sgoogle+ profile. Now it's time to find where to access Hangouts video calls. If on a computer, you can start a Google Hangouts video call from one of two places: your Gmail inbox or Google+. In Gmail, look for the Hangouts icon in the bottom left corner, and on Google+, look in the upper right corner. Hangouts Video Calls If a colleague says, "Let's Hangout" with a capital "H", it likely means they want to initiate a one-to-one or group video call using Google Hangouts. For meetings and class collaboration, you'll most often rely on a Hangouts video call. Take a Quick Tour of the Hangouts User Interface So what does a Google Hangouts video call look like anyway? If you haven't yet participated in one, here's a quick tour of what you'll see on your first call.
Note: Google is constantly changing its Hangouts design, so your first glimpse could be slightly different. 1. Google Effects - Hangouts app that lets you add silly hats, mustaches and more to your video 2. Chat - Opens a sidebar that lets you chat with other participants 3. Screen share - Share your screen, with options to show a specific window, full desktop or certain app 4. Capture - Take a screenshot of the hangout 5. YouTube - Google Hangouts app that lets you watch YouTube videos with other hangout participants 6. Google Drive - Hangouts app to collaborate on existing Google Docs or start a new one 7. Google Effects - Hangouts app to let the other participant control your computer remotely (with permission of course, Google states) 8. Add Google Apps - Opens Hangouts app store 9. Invite People - Add participants 10. Mute Microphone - Mutes your microphone 11. Turn Camera Off - Turns your camera off
12. Limit Bandwidth - Allows you to manually control your video quality so you can adjust bandwidth usage 13. Settings - Opens settings for camera, microphone and speakers 14. Leave Call - Exits you from the video call 15. Google Hangout Room URL - The unique URL for your current Hangout 16. Help, Keyboard Shortcuts and Send Feedback - Click here for links or quick references of each 17. Hangout Participants 18. You Educational Technology Department, Group Head Office, The City School.