WiZiQ Blog

New Virtual Classroom is Out

We would like to announce that today (25th of June) we upgraded our Virtual Classroom. The classroom now has a clean new interface, which is more user-friendly with easy upload and content sharing, new whiteboard conception, new chat box, and many more things. With the new changes at the backend the online classroom is also faster than it was in the old version as it is made using Adobe Flex technology.

So, to start at the beginning…

New design for the Virtual Classroom

We created a totally new outlook for the whole classroom, choosing colors which are good for the eyes, new icons and clear shapes.

Live chat

In the old version many times it was a problem to read the text after a long chat but now the chat-box is resizable. Other changes are the multi-line input box and also the option for text-size to be modified. In the premium service you can also send private messages in any session through the same text box, but by specifying an attendee or classmate.

Navigation bar

No more Whiteboard tab or Content tab as it was in the old Virtual Classroom; we put them together in one, the Whiteboard. Next to the new tab button you can find the Content Manager and the Content Upload icons. Using these you can easily get your documents and pictures into the Virtual Classroom from the Content Manager or directly from your desktop.

If you take a closer look, you can also recognize two arrows for undo and redo. If you made a mistake like deleting something, you can easily redo it.

Navigation for documents, PDFs and PPTs

If you uploaded a PPT, Word/Excel Document or PDF, which has more than one page you can navigate between the pages with this new navigation. We also had it in the old version, but now it’s more visible, and has bigger icons for easy clicking.

New shapes

As you can see we have some more new shapes for easy drawings for teachers/students talking about mathematics, geometry, physics, etc. These shapes make it easier to communicate for teaching/learning these sometimes hard subjects.

Whiteboard Tabs

Now, if you opened a tab, you can also close it, just click on the right side of the open tab where the red X appears.

Easy color and size changing in the tools

Recently, sometimes it was hard to change the color and the size of the shapes. Now with this new design it’s just a few clicks to familiarize the shapes you want to use.

Transfer audio/video/whiteboard to attendees

Now we made the audio/video transfer easier for the teacher as it’s just one click to transfer control to attendees, and you can choose to transfer just audio, or audio&video. Transferring whiteboard control to attendees will be available in the premium service so it won’t be visible to everyone.

Extension of the session

Teachers can extend the lesson with an easy click anytime during the session in different timings like 5, 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes.

Hope you like this new design and we invite you to share your opinion or suggestions about the Virtual Classroom to enable us to develop it in a way you like it! Just leave a comment here or in the WiZiQ forum.

Virtual Classrooms vs Traditional Classrooms

A typical traditional classroom

As students and teachers, we all have had the experience of being in a traditional classroom. You can see and interact with your classmates. Every movement or sound around you is visible or audible to distract you.  The usual scene of flying aeroplanes, caricatures, jokes etc behind teachers' back especially when they are writing on the board, punishments, getting grounded  and what not. You are getting bored but dare not leave the lecture in between. Or else maybe as a teacher you want to extend your lecture but the schedule holds you.

Virtual classrooms – A teacher’s perspective

Now the scene has changed. In the Virtual Classroom, a teacher can address a strength of about 200 without having to shout, without getting distracted and everything is under control. Imagine how much time is saved! As a teacher, you can upload PowerPoints, Excel sheets, Word documents and PDFs. Just a click away!  Not to forget using as many boards as you want to, getting connected to the Internet, loading videos--probably everything that a teacher requires is a click away. You are constantly facing the students. There is no din and noise to be borne. No disturbance and yet you can interact with the taught!  It is for you to decide whether a student can talk or not. Sounds like a wow science fiction! No it is no Teaching Story 2050, it is a reality in 2008. And that too without any investment! As a teacher you have the right to select your pay package and you can teach globally. What else would a teacher desiring to take up online teaching as a profession want!

Friendly learning tool for students

For a student there is no distraction except your own concentration span. Look, see, hear and if you wish, you can request for a recording of the lesson.  This means you don’t have to scribble the notes! Well, if you are feeling tired, you can go away, refresh yourself and re-join again. The best part is that you have the right to select and appoint your teacher from thousands of teachers around the world. That sounds great!  You can interact with people from all around the world, share experiences and learn a lot through each other. Well, the advantage of knowing about different cultures and places, and making pals is always there.

This is all that WiZiQ has done to the Virtual Classroom and is constantly on the march to do much more.  Just register for free and enjoy teaching and learning in a new environment.

Supreet Seher

Sneak Preview - Virtual Classroom Update Coming Up

The new Virtual Classroom is scheduled to be launched soon. We decided to put up a sneak feature preview for our users to show what's coming up.

The new version has been built using Adobe Flex technology and the interface is better and more responsive than ever before. We hope you like it! Here is the link again: http://www.wiziq.com/New-VC.aspx

What do you think of the new features? Let us know--leave a comment.

Jagdeep Singh Pannu

Live Class Module for Moodle Updated

We updated the Live Class module for Moodle on the 13th of May. The old version of the module has been replaced with the new one on both the download locations:

• Latest version on WiZiQ
• Latest version on Moodle

Do you need to upgrade?

The latest versions of the Live Class block and activity for Moodle only address known installation issues. So if you already have a working installation, you don't need to get the latest version and we highly recommend that you do not as it does not include enhancements.

If you have tried to install in the past but have faced issues, you should download again and try now.

If you still face installation issues

If you face problems in installation, first check if you are installing the latest version. If you downloaded the module after the 13th of May, then you are.

Every server has a number of variables, which could get in the way of a successful installation. Simply mail us the following information to support@wiziq.com:

1. Site URL
2. Admin login and password
3. FTP URL
4. FTP admin login and password

Related Posts

You might also like to read more posts related to the Live Class module:

Using WiZiQ's Live Class Modules with Moodle
Best Web Conferencing Software for Moodle

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Jagdeep Singh Pannu

Harman Talks about WiZiQ with Meri Walker

Harman Singh, Founder and CEO of WiZiQ, shares his vision with Meri Walker in an interview for Mawstoolbox, a site for teachers to learn about how they can make a career teaching online.

Meri has put up this interview on her site here: No More Forbidding Licence Fees...

Jagdeep Singh Pannu

Maria H Anderson's WiZiQ Demos

Practice Sessions on WiZiQ

Maria H Anderson will be doing practice sessions on WiZiQ for instructors to help them discover how they can use WiZiQ for e-teaching.

Maria writes, "There was a lot of interest at ICTCM in this little program called WizIQ and I offered to do a demo this week to let instructors try it out."

Directions and Tips

Maria has also given step-wise directions on what to do before these sessions to help attendees to prepare themselves for a smooth experience. I would like to add that to avoid echo issues, it is best for attendees with speakers to not activate their microphones; virtual classroom protocol is as important for a smooth session as is protocol in traditional classrooms. Also, I tried to answer a question recently: what's the "best" web conferencing software; this post includes some tips on what to expect in virtual classrooms and how to avoid probable issues that could be encountered in all web conferencing systems.

Session Links:

ICTCM Demo - Friday, March 14 [3:30 PM To 4:30 PM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)]

ICTCM Demo - Sunday, March 16 [7:00 PM To 8:00 PM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)]

Public Sessions on WiZiQ

If you are an expert in your subject and want to publicly share your sessions with everyone, it is a good idea to get these listed on our Public Sessions page. Subject experts can get visibility on WiZiQ this way. We also try to publicize your sessions by reaching out to audiences that are interested in your subject. You would need to send a request for us to help you with that.

Jagdeep Singh Pannu