Wimba offers a range of content creation, voice and collaboration tools that can be integrated with Victory. See the Wimba website for more details. Please find a brief description of each tool below.
Wimba Create is a tool that allows web page content to be authored using Microsoft Word.
Wimba Create provides a quick and easy way to convert a Word document into web pages that include:
- navigation and a table of contents
- formatting and definitions
- hyperlinks
- pop-ups and includes
- self-test questions
- flash movies, streaming audio and video
- metadata
Wimba Voice Tools come in a number of varieties. To make use of these tools, users must have a headset available, and two suitable headsets by Logitech can be found at the links below. Headsets are available for booking out from the Richmond IT Helpdesk on deposit of a campus card (students) or by signing them out (staff). It is important to select the correct input and output channels to get good quality sound. Voice Tools are set up for use in the Victory ‘Build’ tab. Recordings are made in the ‘Teach’ tab. Finally, recordings are played back in the ‘Student’ view.
The aim of Wimba Voice Tools is to add the instructor’s voice to enhance presence and:
- Build engaging and reusable course content
- Create and distribute podcasts
- Verbally explain complex material
- Author narrated web tours, and add spoken announcements to course sites
- Engage in audio-based threaded discussions
- Send voice comments on papers and assignments
- Teach pronunciation, rhythm, stress, and emphasis
http://www.wimba.com/products/wimba_voice/
Wimba Voice Boards allow the user to create voice-driven discussion boards in Wimba, accessed from within Victory. A recording interface and two pane thread display allow the voice recordings to be clicked to select an audio file, and transport controls allow it to be played, stopped and paused.
Wimba Voice Authoring allows the user to record a sound file for that site’s users to play back. This could be a page describing the scheme of work vocally, or describing and assignment.
Wimba Podcaster allows users to record a podcast and post it via Wimba Podcaster straightaway. Users can then subscribe to the podcast by dragging the podcast icon over the interface of the podcasting tool of their choice (such as iTunes, or FeedDemon etc). That podcast, and any future ones produced by the academic, will then download automatically to their PC when the application is synchronised with that PC (or other suitable device). If the user chooses the RSS News Feed icon instead, they must copy and paste the address into the reader of their choice. This is very quick and easy to use, and creates a very professional result.
Wimba Voice Email facilities provide the user with an audio recording interface that also has an email addressing facility, which when filled in and the file is recorded can be sent and then played by the recipient within Wimba. It does not deposit emails in the Victory inbox unfortunately, but can provide quality voice messages to any outside email address.
Wimba Presentation allows voice messages to be added to web pages. However, a better way of making a voice presentation may be to use one of the dedicated screencasting tools, such as Adobe Captivate, TechSmith Camtasia Studio, or Jing. For more on these tools see the ‘Tools’ section in our pages.
Wimba Classroom really starts to add power to live sessions, and is particularly useful for courses that involve remote access to content where a live lecture at distance is desirable. However, it can just as easily be used in a single lab to allow the speaker to demo elements on screen in real time, or across campus to other buildings participating in a live session.
To learn more about Wimba Classroom, go to:
http://www.wimba.com/products/wimba_classroom/
Wimba Classroom allows users to share applications online, and to follow the speaker as they describe what they are doing on screen. Sections of the presentation can be accessed via a playlist. The speaker can take over a user’s screen completely, and highlight items of interest. Participants can use instant messaging to make points via text, and the academic can respond to those thoughts while continuing to present the lecture materials. Multi-way video and audio chat is therefore possible via Voice over IP networks (VoIP). Quizzes and surveys can be undertaken by participants.
The application has white boarding and drawing tools to illustrate points made, and the session can be archived to act as a recorded presentation for others to access asynchronously, and the audio can be downloaded from an archive too. A list of live participants is available. The University of Portsmouth is accessing Wimba Classroom running on Wimba servers, and this is quick to update screens and is reliable in operation. As the ASP operation we will use takes up relatively low amounts of internet bandwidth, the system is well suited to use with distance learners, although only trying it in action will prove that slow connections operate fast enough.
Learning to use Wimba
Academics needing to be trained in the use of Wimba Collaboration Suite have four options:
- Attend one of the DCQE eLearning Centre Seminars.
- Ask for a one-to-one session with one of the eLearning Technologists in that Centre.
- Ask for a one-to-one session with the PBS eLearning Technologist, Rachel Short.
- Ask for a Group Demo in Richmond Labs (by arrangement in advance).
