Elluminate

Elluminate is a real-time virtual classroom environment designed specifically for educators. The moderator-led environment provides a platform for lectures and debates to small group discussions and presentations. It operates as a fully functional classroom with its interactive whiteboard. One of the nice features about Elluminate is that the communications framework ensures that all users are in sync, regardless of computer platform or Internet connection speed.

I read a blog from a teacher who used Elluminate to connect members of the symphony to her music class. Individual members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra came into the classroom, via elluminate, to teach students about their instruments. They played short pieces, demonstrated the key elements or physics of the instruments, and answered questions from the students. The instrumentalists also recorded short music clips which were uploaded onto the shared Ping music blog. The students then grabbed and downloaded the clips that they wanted to use, added them to audacity and made up their own musical stories, which in turn were uploaded back onto the Ping blog.

Elluminate Vroom is a "three-for-free" conferencing if you do not have access to elluminate through your school or university.

Tips from Elluminate Users:

1. The objectives should be clearly stated.  Incude a bullet point list of topics, goals, and desired learning outcomes can help guide the participant.
2. The content should be organized in a clear sequence, with a logical flow.  Powerpoints should be clear and not distracting. Avoid too many all-text powerpoints, and use engaging and meaningful graphics when possible.
3. Audience participation is encouraged (even when recorded, seeing audience participation is engaging) with use of polls, surveys, and interaction.  Pace the insertion of polls and audience participation so that they are presented in regular intervals.
4. Audio should be spontaneous, conversational, and related to the content.  Avoid reading the powerpoints. Respond to questions from participants in a clear, relevant, and respectful way. Encourage individuals to use their audio. If they text message their question, be sure to read their question aloud in order to record and capture it for the archived session.
5. Use high-impact images that reinforce the objectives of the session or class.  In addition to powerpoints, it is possible to incorporate video, maps, graphics, tables, and other high-impact media. Make sure that you are making the connection between the course goals and the presentation.
6. Encourage participants to respond, not just with text messages, but also with audio questions.  You may also wish participants to send links to their own sites and to information that others will find helpful.
7. Content should be of high quality and relevant to the objectives.  It is a good idea to go through an prune material that does not directly bear on the goals and objectives of the class. A distraction or a dash off into the wrong direction can be devastatingly time-consuming in a synchronous webinar format. It’s even worse if the session is being archived for future use. Editing out the digressions later can be a real headache.
8. Content should be aligned with the level and needs of the participants.
9. Quizzes, questionnaires, and other interactive elements can be included.
10. Start small until you are well-versed in the use of tools.

If you are interested in using Elluminate in the classroom, check out these links:

Elluminate

http://www.elluminate.com/community/best-in-class-2009/index.jsp

Classroom20

Library Blogspot