Collaborating Online on WiZiQ - Our Latest Video
Here's our latest video; this provides an overview of the latest features and benefits of WiZiQ's virtual classroom, which can also be used with Moodle:
We would love to hear your feedback.
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Here's our latest video; this provides an overview of the latest features and benefits of WiZiQ's virtual classroom, which can also be used with Moodle:
We would love to hear your feedback.
Looking for WiZiQ?
This post is intended for all who hear about WiZiQ [ http://www.wiziq.com/ ] by word of mouth and look for it on the search engines using "whizique" or wizique etc. We hope that this will help anyone searching for WiZiQ reach the destination. To go to the WiZiQ website, simply follow the above link; to see more navigation options for beginners, scroll down to the bottom of the post. Currently, you are on WiZiQ's Blog.
Google suggestions
Google enlightened me about this with it's auto suggestion feature. Typically, when you are searching from your toolbar, Google offers more keyword suggestions; so when I typed in WiZiQ in the Google toolbar search box in Firefox, Google threw up "Wizique" as a suggestion.
Whiziq? Wizique? or WiZiQ?
In the search results, one of the listings pointed to Edtechtalk - Women of Web 2.0's 45th Podcast [http://edtechtalk.com/node/2394], where you see the following variations in the chat transcript:
1. "whizique"
2. "WIZIQue"
3. "WIZIque"
Sharon Peters, of course, shows the way by providing this information, "wiziq - ustream - flashmeeting - google presentation" and a link to the dashboard, "http://www.wiziq.com/Dashboard.aspx"
And cpeppler too with a suggestion for the URL, "I think it's just wiziq.com"
Here at WiZiQ, we like to pronounce it [Wiz - IQ]. And hey, if you know more variations of WiZiQ's name, just post a comment! It would help everyone reach the right place through the search engines :-)
Navigation for beginners
Here is some helpful navigation for beginners on WiZiQ:
1. Join WiZiQ - http://www.wiziq.com/Register.aspx
2. WiZiQ FAQs - http://www.wiziq.com/Faq.aspx
3. WiZiQ Tutorial presentations - http://www.wiziq.com/educational-tutorials/level/13-WiZiQ
4. To see how the virtual classroom works, you can either see any of the recorded public sessions titled, "A free virtual classroom tool that needs no downloads!" by Mark Cruthers here: http://www.wiziq.com/public/default.aspx?Session=Archived
OR
Take part in a live demo session by Mark, with the same title, here:
http://www.wiziq.com/public/default.aspx?Session=Upcoming
Gerry De Ocampo and Jeff Dungan are graduate students at San Diego State University, currently working on a project on technology demonstration of online conferencing systems; they have taken up this project for EDTEC 550, an Introduction to Distance Education taught by Dr. Fred Saba.
In this project, Jeff and Gerry are compiling EDTEC 550 students' feedback on WiZiQ and Adobe connect and have also put together a survey for the students. This survey would help gather information around user experience on WiZiQ and Adobe Connect.
Jeff and Gerry provide an overview of the project here; an excerpt:
We believe it is important to compare WizIQ as an alternative to Adobe Acrobat Connect for online meetings and as an online teaching environment. Adobe Acrobat Connect is not free, and is somewhat limited in its features and functionality depending on the amount of bandwidth available. Additionally, one has to install a required software package to use it.WizIQ is a free, web-based product so anyone can use it anytime anywhere, making online teaching and learning accessible to anyone in the world.
Here is another excerpt from the their test run feedback on WiZiQ:
I am really impressed though that no software needs to be installed, no firewall worries for people who access it at work (I work in a k-12 school so everything is blocked here), it is totally free, and most of all, once you sign up for an account you have access to millions of other users that can be searched by name or interests or areas of specialties. (JDungan)
A very interesting project, of course, and we look forward to the results of this initiative. More than anything else, it would be a learning experience for us here at WiZiQ
More Resources on the project:
The recent update of WiZiQ's VC ( Virtual Classroom ) has brought better control to presenters. Attendees now will not have audio and voice chat control in the classroom by default; the teacher/presenter would need to transfer control selectively, as required, to chosen attendees. Here's a very short video on how to do that:
See what else changed in the latest Virtual Classroom Update
WiZiQ's VC (Virtual Classroom) has been updated. Here’s a peek at what’s new in the Virtual Classroom:
Support for Word Documents and Excel Spreadsheets: You can now upload Microsoft® Word documents and Excel spreadsheets directly to your live sessions (using “Upload from Desktop”). Also, we will soon be including this feature in the “My Content” tab on your WiZiQ dashboard, so that you are able to upload, play and share your docs and spreadsheets from the “My Content” tab on WiZiQ as well.
Change in attendees’ rights: The attendees will not have any audio or video rights initially, at session launch; it implies that attendees do not have the right to speak or write. They can only listen to the Session Presenter and chat with other fellow attendees. So if you want to enable attendees’ voice chat, you need to transfer control to them one by one. [see video on this feature]
2-way video: Now, you and your attendee can share each others’ live video during the session. In a group session, a presenter can give away full video control to any attendee to relay his or her live video to the rest of the attendees. Additionally, the presenter and attendee video can be easily swapped.
New actions on whiteboard/content objects: The drawing and writing toolbar now includes a “Delete” button. You can use this button to delete any drawn object. We also expand the editing-action list with ‘undo and redo’ options. You can undo or redo 5 of your latest actions.
New look and feel: The basic architecture of the virtual classroom stays the same with ‘Whiteboard’ and ‘Content’ as main workspace. Panels for chat, attendee list and audio, video settings now occupy the right side. Now you also have an option to expand or collapse these panels to let whiteboard or content occupy the full display area.
And we are not stopping here. The WiZiQ team is constantly working hard to give you the best. Keep checking back for any update, and we invite your feedback to help develop WiZiQ as the best platform for teachers and learners.
Santosh Mehta
