the world's your office: realtime collaboration: presentation
TRANSCRIPT
“The World’s Your Office:” Realtime Collaboration
Internet Collaboration Tools
LIFT ForumSpencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library,University of Utah Health Sciences Center
Overview
Videoconferencing Voice over IP (VoIP) Instant messaging Group software
The World’s Your Office:Videoconferencing
Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences LibraryUniversity of Utah Health Sciences Center
Videoconferencing Overview
Access Grid demo What is videoconferencing? Uses for videoconferencing Hardware and software VRVS demo
What is Videoconferencing?
Real time interaction (seeing and hearing) with other people located with one or more remote sites
Components:– Viewing equipment (computer or TV)– Camera(s)– Microphone(s)– Network or phone line
Does It Work?
To paraphrase Mae West: “When it’s good, it’s very, very
good.”
Uses for Videoconferencing
Collaboration with colleagues Education
– Distance learning– Collaborative learning with 2 groups of
students at different schools
Telehealth– Patient care– Family support
Types of Videoconferencing
Multi-point– Multiple sites
Point-to-point– One-to-one communication
Hardware Spectrum
WebCam attached to a computer$50
Polycom ViaVideo attached to a computer$500
Polycom ViewStation Standalone unit$5000
Software – Single-Point Systems
•Chat programs•Yahoo, MSN, iChat
•NetMeeting
•Polycom proprietary software•Both users have Polycoms
Software – Multi-Point Systems: Access Grid
Internet II videoconferencing system
Software – Multi-Point Systems: Breeze
•Macromedia Breeze•Commercial product•www.breeze.com•Users access from any Web browser•Audio, video, application sharing, collaboration tools
Software – Multi-Point Systems: Bridge
•Telehealth Bridge•Schedule with telehealth department
Software – Multi-Point Systems: VRVS
•VRVS•Virtual Room Video-conferencing System•www.vrvs.org•Free•Audio, video, application sharing
Demonstrations
VRVS
Resources
Videoconference Cookbook Dale Alverson’s talk at InfoFair See handouts at:
http://medstat.med.utah.edu/collaboration/handouts.html
The World’s Your Office:VoIP
Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences LibraryUniversity of Utah Health Sciences Center
What is VoIP?
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
– aka Internet Voice, Internet Telephony
– a category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls instead of a regular (or analog) phone line.*
* VoIP converts the voice signal from your telephone orheadset into a digital signal that travels over the internet then converts it back at the other end so you can speak toanyone with a regular phone number.
What kind of equipment do you need?
A broadband (high speed Internet) connection is required.
– This can be through a cable modem, or high speed services such as DSL or a local area network.
Voice is sent via a:– Microphone attached to your computer and send
your voice through a cable modem – or a phone connected directly to a telephone
adaptor.
Types of VoIP services
Skype: • PC to PC or Phone Anywhere
(Skype is for calling other people on their computers or phones)
• Just need to register with Skype and you can call other Skype registered users online
VoIP: Skype features
Use with a microphone headset Can search for users online IM feature available Conferencing calls (limit 5
participants) SkypeOut:
• Additional service that lets you call traditional landlines or mobile phones anywhere in the world, but with a charge (which is minimal <4 cents/minute)
VoIP: Skype features – cont’d
Supported platforms:• Windows• Mac OS X• Linux• Pocket PC
Demo…
Skype:– http://www.skype.com/
The World’s Your OfficeInstant Messaging
Instant Messaging – What is it?
Software– Two people communicate via text
messaging – Real time
Developer– Mirablis– 1996– ICQ (I seek you)
Instant Messaging—Who offers it?
AIM www.aim.com/
MSN messenger.msn.com/
Yahoo messenger.yahoo.com/
Instant Messaging
Software—free downloads Hardware—any system More immediate than email Presence!
Cross Group Messaging
Trillian http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/
Added Features
Conference Chats Webcam Voice File transfer Games Mobile IM
The World’s Your Office Group Software
Group Software-What is it?
Web based communication technologies that allow interaction of team members as they perform interdependent tasks to accomplish a common purpose—Charles Steinfield, Michigan State University
Asynchronous (calendars, shared files etc) and synchronous (Videoconf, whiteboard etc)
Is it for my Group?
Are members of your project team separated by time and space?
Do you have a core group –actual work team, plus other stakeholders, such a department head or funding agency who wants to occasionally monitor the project’s progress?
Is your team’s email volume overwhelming? Need a private place to hash out questions and answers without playing catch up on email?
Ideal Infrastructure
supports synchronous and asynchronous interactions
provides shared workspaces and archives supplies needed awareness information
(participant availability and activity) enhances distributed activity
– structured workflow - no overwriting– decision support - who “said” what– project management-who is responsible,
deadlines
Products
IBM Lotus Team Workplace (Quickplace)
Yahoo Groups WebCollab
– Open Source
Microsoft SharePoint
Cost
License– Lotus Team Workplace (incl year
maintenance)• $12,735 • Unlimited number of users
– SharePoint 5-25 User/device• $1,000-4,000• With external users up to $8000
– Free
Demo: Lotus Workplace (Quickplace)
Member Access Rooms Creating/Importing documents
– Workflow– Forms
Discussion Calendar Project management
WebCollab
Project management oriented Tasks with deadlines Calendar
About Yahoo! Groups: features
Some features:– Messages– Calendar– Database- contact lists, etc.– Photo albums– Poll– Search Archive– Owner vs. Moderator– News Feeds
Demo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/healprogram/
Our Experience
Beneficial only when all team members use it
Training-in context Access –equal vs hierarchical Room vs Folder vs Page
Summary
Choice of collaboration tools– Integrated Stand alone– High cost Shareware/Open Source
Improving constantly Virtual approaches reality
– Distance– Cost
For more info….
See handouts at:
http://medstat.med.utah.edu/collaboration/handouts.html