Videoconferencing

Nwal said alghafri

U082932
 "Facing the Challenge of a New Age"
This new world of geographical togetherness“
has been brought about, to a great extent,
by man's scientific and technological genius.
Man has been able to dwarf distance, place
time in chains and carve highways through
the stratosphere. Through our scientific
genius, we have made the world a
…”neighborhood

Martin Luther King, Jr., December, 1956

 ?Videoconferencing – What Is It

Video conferencing in its most basic“

form is the transmission of image
(video) and speech (audio) back and
forth between two or more physically
.”separate locations
 Videoconferencing Components
 Cameras (to capture and send video from
your local endpoint)
 Video displays (to display video received
from remote endpoints)
 Microphones (to capture and send audio
from your local endpoint)
 Speakers (to play audio received from
remote endpoints)
 :Two Additional Requirements

 Codec - "compressor/de-compressor“ - makes

the audio/video data "small enough" to be
practical for sending over expensive network
connections. A codec takes analog signals,
compresses and digitizes them, and transmits
the signals over digital phone lines.

 The Supporting System and the Network

Connection
:But It’s Much More Than Video
 Computer presentations
 Other media
• CDs, DVDs,
 ELMO visual presenter (hardcopies, photos)
:Various Uses
 Presentations
 Virtual meetings
 Videoconference-based learning
 JIT (just in time) events
 Recruitment/search committees
 General meetings
:Additional Uses
 Project coordination
 Informal work sessions
 Alumni relations

Question and answer sessions
 Videoconferencing
 Traditional videoconferencing was about audio-
video communications to facilitate meetings
without the burden of travel.

 Visual collaboration is much more; it is the

combination of audio and video and data in both
real-time and store-and-forward applications.

 It’s not just about meetings anymore.

Benefits of Videoconferencing
 Can improve work quality
 Increase productivity
 Reduce costs
 Improves communication
 Groups can meet more frequently
 Critical meetings can be convened in less time
 More faculty and staff can be involved
 Benefits of Videoconference-based Learning
 Closely resembles traditional classroom-based
education; permits learners to be active participants
in the process

 Faculty and staff needs can be met more quickly

through just-in-time training

 More faculty and staff can be trained faster without

increasing training resources

 Guest lecturers can be easily integrated into the

course
 Benefits of Videoconference-based Learning

 Enables any site to be the provider of the learning

activities.

 Videoconferencing is cost-effective, when you

consider the traveling costs for traditional training.

 Videoconference-based learning exploits the already

acquired videoconferencing technologies and
network infrastructure.
 Limitations of Videoconferencing
 The initial cost of the equipment and leasing the lines
to transmit conferences may be prohibitive.

 Unless a strong effort is made by the instructor,

students not located with the instructor may remain
uninvolved in the course.

 If visuals, like handwritten or copied materials, are

not properly prepared, students may have a difficult
time reading them.
 Limitations of Videoconferencing

 If the “pipe” that carries the transmission among sites is

not large enough, the students may observe “ghost
images” when rapid movement occurs in “real time”

 If the system is not properly configured, class members

may observe an audio “echo” effect. The result is audio
interference that detracts from the learning environment.
 Limitations of
Videoconferencing
 The absence of QOS (Quality of Service) provides
virtually no guarantee of a satisfying and successful
experience

 Though the technology is improving, a successful

videoconference is dependent upon the connections
and technologies at all of the participating sites, AND
the network infrastructure

 Security issues
 Start you work

 At the beginning of a videoconference make sure that

participants introduce themselves. It is often helpful
to have a sign in the background that gives your
location.

 Look directly at the camera as often as possible when

speaking.

 Wear neutral, solid colors. Avoid checks and stripes.

Avoid white and shades of red. Red is not codec-
friendly. Bright fluorescent objects also cause halo
effects and other distracting artifacts.
 Start your work
 Be natural, but try to minimize motion.

 Try to arrange a simple, uncluttered, static

background in neutral or darker solid colors.
Do not sit in front of windows. Tilt pictures,
framed degrees, awards or any other glass-
covered wall hanging downward to
eliminate reflection and glare.
 Start your work
 Try to have direct light on the face of the person
speaking. Too much light from behind causes
silhouetting, too much from above causes shadows
under the eyes.

 Avoid placing videoconferencing equipment in rooms

prone to echo effects or exposed to outside noise.
Eliminate in-room sources of extraneous noise. On
multipoint video conferences mute your location
when not speaking.
 Start your work

 Be aware of the transmission delay ...

pause for others to comment.

 When asking questions in a group

conference, direct the question to a
specific individual if possible.

 Use a real or even a fake plant to

humanize the setting.
 Videoconference-based
Learning Strategies
 Establish Class Expectations
• It ain’t MTV
• At the begging of the session, prepare the
preparing learners for an active experience

 Reduce Distractions

 Engage Students with Variety and Interaction

 Encourage Dialogue
 Using videoconferencing in
open university in uk
http://www.open.ac.uk/

The course, "You, Your Computer and

the Net" (OU code T171(
In open university there courses are uploaded within the
website using several types of delivery system
including videoconferencing .

They use it for many reasons :

 Deliver learning materials
 Enhance discussions and communication
 Provide learners with different resources of
learning
 Uploading messages from the university to
their participants.
The end