I’m working on a “Preparing your presentation materials for Elluminate” guide that’s designed to be a PDF/handout that can be uploaded to course moodles and or linked to on the public web. Instructors and students will then have a way of knowing some of the lesser known secrets of what types of files and various presentation services work or don’t work in Elluminate. The idea being that students would hopefully not spend hours and hours creating a presentation that is incompatible Elluminate. I’ve also thought about creating a website with this information, but I find that a PDF file feels more like course material than additional reading that might not get read. I’ve pasted my first draft below and am wondering what the rest of you think. Try to keep in mind that this guide is not to be like our already awesome GSLIS Elluminate Tutorial. The Elluminate tutorial is more of a nuts and bolts “What does this button do” type resource, but I would think that most LEEPers by the end of the semester are already familiar with the Elluminate interface and just need to be reminded of what works well in Elluminate and what doesn’t.
I’ve split this handout up into five sections of what I thought represents the different types of presentation materials I’ve come across in my time being a LEEP GA. I’ve made sure to mention such things as external links fail to be clickable after conversion to whiteboard, the problems with dynamic flash-based website and presentation services like Wix and Google Docs, as well as a brief overview of things to remember about speaking to class via phone bridge.
I. Powerpoint/Whiteboard
II. Sharing a Website.
III.Sharing Audio/Video clips and Handouts.
IV. Adobe Acrobat PDF Slides
V . Headsets vs. Phone bridge
I. If you are presenting slides created with Microsoft Powerpoint or Open Office you can email the slides to help@support.lis.illinois.edu any time prior to class. Please include the course name in the subject line. If you included links in your slides and you would like them to be “clickable” please indicate so in your email and have your slides emailed at least 24 hours before you are scheduled to present.
II. Any dynamic or flash type websites such as Google Docs Presentation, wix.com, and prezi.com fail to work with webtour because clicking on links does not change the url. If you do decide to use these services you can use verbal prompts to indicate slide transitioning and website navigation so that classmates can follow along in their own browser. Application Sharing will work with a Google Docs Presentation, but other services like Wix and Prezi that use animated photo galleries and animated content transitioning do not display well.
III. To share audio or video files as well as handouts with your class save the file to your I:Drive and paste the link into the chat. Go to lis.illinois.edu/helpdesk/filestorage for instructions on saving files to the I:Drive. To share a video from youtube you can paste the link into the chat or use webtour, flash videos fail with Application Share.
IV. Adobe slides are best shared via application share. There is no way to convert them to the whiteboard. If you would like to share links you must prepare them beforehand and paste them into the chat.
V. Using a headset and microphone combination is the best way to send audio to class. Audio setup can be done before class by going to Tools → Audio → Audio Setup Wizard. You may also request to meet a LEEP GA prior to class to ensure that your headset is set up and working. Those who do not have a headset and microphone can use the phone bridge. Notify your instructor or LEEP GA and provide a telephone number beforehand if you require a phone bridge. A phone bridge can also be used as a last second workaround to audio problems. Using a stand alone microphone or the built-in mic on laptops and Macbooks can cause audio feedback and echo if the presenter is not using headphones.
