Ruminating & Elluminating with Amber #4
Day in the life August 31st, 2007Hi there, Amber here,
Today I want to talk about a new experience I had here at Elluminate. Granted there are plenty of new experiences having only worked here for about 4 full weeks now, but this one was particularly awesome! Wow, four weeks, happy anniversary to me!
I was sitting at my desk, quietly getting my work done, when Staples arrived with a package for me. I signed for the package not realizing the bundle of fun that had just been placed into my hands. I opened up the package and looking back at me was a Logitech quickcam.
Immediately I began opening the package and installing the necessary software. Once it was all set I opened up my Elluminate virtual office and invited a colleague to join me (you can sign up for your own free virtual office here). This was really a great way to learn the features available with Elluminate. Below is a picture of me conferencing. I took this picture with the same web camera thanks to its snapshot capability.
Ok, I know that I might look a little like a telephone operator but it was important that I turned off the microphone on the webcam, and used the mic with my headphone. It just sounds better that way. Regardless, this was still really cool. With Elluminate I could change the color and condition of the video feed depending on my bandwidth so it wouldn’t slow anything down.
I can see a lot of uses for this application. There may be times in class where showing a picture or explaining what you are talking about just isn’t going to cut it. Sometimes, all you need to do to get your idea across is demonstrate. I can see moderators using this feature often as a way to engage with their participants. It’s even just a great way to stay in touch with friends.
If you already have your own vRoom, I would highly suggest giving this helpful tool a try. If you don’t have a vRoom yet, you can easily sign up for Elluminate’s free 3 user vRoom today and start Elluminating!
That’s about all I have for you this week. Until next time bloggers…keep on bloggin’
Amber Koskela
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:01 pm
We use our webcam to do group virtual chemistry labs. The kids can see the equipment just fine, even the scales on the glassware.
Our first lab was quite an adventure. One of the demonstrations required shaking a big flip-top jard of M&Ms. Murphy just couldn’t resist a chance to make the first online lab memorable. The hinge side of the jar broke and there on live webcam half of our 3 lbs of M&Ms went flying everywhere. We had to stop the webcam and take an intermission while we cleaned up. All of us got a good laugh out of that one.