Videoconferencing Instructions for CU-SeeMe and ClassPoint:

Get On-Line Quickly with Powerscourt and/or Vivid Communications!

Presented at the 1998 Classroom Connect Disneyland Hotel Conference

by John Kuzmich, Jr.

November 11, 12, and 13, 1998

The best multi-point videoconferencing software for educators are CU-SeeMe and ClassPoint by White Pine which also require a White Pine reflector. Since novice users don't usually have access to private reflectors, it is a bit risky to involve students on public reflector sites because one doesn't know who will join the conference and getting on public reflector sites can also be a bit tricky and time consuming when they are crowded when doing a meeting with a group of educators. The best way to evaluate how well videoconferencing is for your school situation is to get on-line and do it! By working with either Powerscourt or Vivid Communications, you can get on-line quickly without necessarily purchasing the product and better yet, log-in on their White Pine reflectors that are dedicated for educators along with some technical support assistance. Can't get better deal for novice educators. I strongly endorse both companies for their service and dedication to educators. In the business world, the standard rate of using a private reflector site is at least $150 an hour and up. Call Powerscourt or Vivid Communications and you won't believe their rates for using their reflector site with your students and/or other educators.

Please contact them and they will even assist you with instructions on how to download demonstration versions of White Pine's Cu-SeeMe and/or ClassPoint software, provide temporary serial numbers for installation plus some technical support as well as allow you conferencing time on their reflector sites with little or no charge in order for you to more fully find out how well videoconferencing can meet the instructional goals that you have for your students.

Equipment Check

The cheapest beginning videoconferencing kit with a videocam, video capture card and a host of software including WhitePine's CU-SeeMe is 3COM's Big Picture kit which retails now at only $150.00 for everything. If you are using a Big Picture kit, be sure that the US Robotics videocam is plugged into the back of the video capture card with the yellow plug plugged into the yellow receptacle, the power plug plugged into the video capture card's power socket and the speak plug (miniature plug) plugged into the three receptacle from the left side of the computer while you standing in front of the computer. For more information about the Big Picture kit, call: 888-USR-4VID.

First Time CU-SeeMe Logging-On Instructions Via Powerscourt

1. Boot the computer up via your account in order to go behind your school's network security firewall.
   
   
2. Go to "Start" icon on the taskbar in Windows 95 or 98 and select CU-SeeMe. Or go to programs from the "Start" icon and select CU-SeeMe.
   
   
3. CU-SeeMe is an Internet video chat software featuring full color video, audio, typed text and data communications. It includes an on-line directory service to locate other CU-SeeMe users, as well as a list of public conference server sites of live group conferencing. It works with a 28.8 modem connect or with a LAN on your existing Internet or intranet connection.
   
   
4. When the CU-SeeMe software program boots up, go to "Test Setup" icon on the upper taskbar and check to see if the video and audio are working.   Click on the audio tab and click the speak button and adjust the volume to match what you are comfortable in hearing and likewise, click on the microphone side bar and probably move both the microphone and speaker control siding bars to the right about 3/4 of the ways to the right for maximum volume and microphone sensitivity Select "apply" icon and then okay button.  Note  you can't adjust these audio/volume controls when connected in a videoconference, that's why you must do it first before connecting.  Be sure you have turned on the speaker switch on the external speaker!  If for any reason, the video is out-of-focus, there is a knob around the videocam lens that you can turn to the left or right in order to focus the image properly! To maintain these audio/video settings every time you boot up the computer, to the Customize menu on the upper taskbar when you are logged on a videoconferencing sessions and go to General tab and there is a place to check so that all configuration settings are maintained every time you open up CU-SeeMe.
   
   
5. Go next to the "Manual Dial" icon on the upper task bar in "Phone Book."
   
   
6. Enter the IP address for the CU-SeeMe conference  to be held at the Powerscourt reflector site at: 209.210.38.10. The IP address should already be saved there if this is the second time you have gone to this site as it remembers all IP addresses previously connected.  Just click on the down arrow just below the blank space to type it in and it should appear.  Release the click and you have the IP address "smiling" at you.  Hit the button to call and wait for the connection to the CU-SeeMe reflector site. 
   
   
7. When connected to the CU-SeeMe reflector site, you will have about 10 different conference rooms to select from. Select conference room 7 which is what I'm using for these workshops and must put in the password  that Jennifer at Powerscourt gives you. You can'tenter the conference room without the correct password..
   
   
8. Then select the GO! button/box and you will now be in the conference room. I have set up for 3 people to see each other. To see more or less windows, go to the Customize icon on the upper taskbar and go to the video layout tab. Move the control siding bar between 1 and 12 and then select "apply" at the bottom of the screen.  Then select okay.
   
   
9. To chat during a conference, type in the windows at the bottom of the screen.  To use the microphone, press the microphone icon/button and hold down with the left mouse button while speaking. Release the mouse button when you are finished speaking so you can better listen.
   
   
10. You can bring a video window up by double clicking on the name of the person in the left column on the screen.  Bring up all participants by double clicking on their name individually. You can also move people on the screen by simply clicking on them and dragging them to another windows display on the monitor.
    
    
11. Important: you must terminate the conference via "Hang Up" icon on the upper taskbar before exiting CU-SeeMe.
    
    
12. Lastly and very important,  you must exit CU-SeeMe via the file menu and exit.  Do not exit from the Windows box in the upper right-hand corner as it is not good on the CU-SeeMe Phone Book software. You must technically exit Phonebook from the file menu.

First Time ClassPoint Logging-on Instructions at the Powerscourt Reflector Site

1. Setup of videocam hardware is the same as for CU-SeeMe.  See CU-SeeMe instructions above for installation of videocam and external speakers.
   
   
2. Go to the "Start" icon on the bottom taskbar in Windows 95 and select "ClassPoint Student if it has already been configured by Powerscourt.
   
   

Another way to get to ClassPoint is through your web browser is through Vivid Communications at the following URL: http://216.32.32.125:7642/cpc.html

You will need to sign up with Vivid Communications for a username and a password before using this ClassPoint site. Call Priscilla Given at: 888--862-3292.

3. When the program boots up, you will need to log into the Powerscourt class via the icon  "ClassPoint Login Page."
   
   
4. You are now in a ClassPoint opening page.  Select the only class listed there.  Probably have to select login box.
   
   
5. Log into the designated class given to you by Jennefer at Powerscourt with the appropriate user name and password. Then select the login box.
   
   
6. At this point, you are in the conference.  Go to edit menu at the upper left hand screen and select Options.  Once in this menu, select video layout and select how many windows you want to see displayed.  Probably three windows is okay.
   
   
7. You have a student panel displayed in front of you.  You can drag it around and reduce in size as well.  You can adjust the audio levels for the microphone and speakers.  There is an audio level icon/button at the bottom of the student panel.  Click on it and drag the control bars to the right for more volume for both the microphone and speakers.  When you are happy, hit the "Apply" button and then Okay buttons and you are back to the student panel.

To see the other conferencing participants, go to the student panel and click on the blue arrow.  The student panel will open up and you will see a place called "student roster" button.  Click on it and you will see the names of the conferencing participants.  Double click on each name (person) that you would like to have displayed on your monitor display.  Once you have everybody up, you can close down the window by clicking on the blue arrow again.  Drag the student panel box to the lower right corner of the monitor display so you can see the window displays of the conferencing people and be able to see the chat mode at the bottom of the screen.

If you don't have enough windows designated in ClassPoint for your multi-point conference, go the "Options" icon in the student panel. Place your cursor over each icon in the student panel and the upper right corner icon is designated as "Options" icon. Slide the side bar to the right to allow you to enter more users on the video layout screen. From one to twelves can be displayed.

7. In ClassPoint, you are basically an observer with the options of speaking with the microphone of the videocam or just listening through speakers. It is the teacher who controls the entire learning environment so that distant learning is more than just videoconferencing.

• Who can be heard and seen.



• Whether students can send private or group-wide "text chat."



• When the Whiteboard starts.



• Who can collaborate with Application Sharing.

The video and audio settings are pre-set by the teacher. Once in the class, each student's participation is controlled by the teacher. The students can see and hear the teacher and can view class materials in their Web browser and whiteboard windows. In the chat windows, students and the teacher can exchange typed messages in real-time. The teacher can also allow students to send private or public messages to each other.

A student can raise his hand, or ask to be recognized by the teacher by "requesting the spotlight" by clicking on that icon on the student panel. Only those selected students granted permission via "grants the spotlight" can be seen by and address the rest of the class.

ClassPoint uses a Web browser as a scheduling book and lesson planning center, as well as the entry point to join classes. Instructors control class setup, schedule, and roster via the browser with ClassPoint Planning Center. Student can access class materials anytime - before class, during class, or after class.

The Web-based interface allows Web touring. In a Web tour, the teacher leads a class through a series of Web pages which contain class materials. These pages can be live on the Internet or prepared by the teacher in advance. As the teacher changes Web pages, the change is reflected in each student's Web browser, and the teacher can even narrate the Web tour. Additionally, any media which can be delivered over the Web can be used in a ClassPoint session, including Web pages, streaming video, audio or electronic presentations.

The teacher can view any or all the student's video images, up to 12 videos at once. However, students can see and hear only those classmates that the teacher specifies.

Distance learning is more than must videoconferencing. And ClassPoint is more than simply Distance Learning. ClassPoint delivers a complete teacher-led classroom experience, from registration, to in-class discussion, to post-class assignments.

8. To terminate the conference, go to file menu and select exit not from the file menu, but from the logout button which offers the best termination of ClassPoint.
   
   

Downloading Demo Versions of CU-SeeMe and ClassPoint From Powerscourt

1. Here is the URL where they can download CU-SeeMe from: http://www.wpine.com/software/. One can either download the evaluation version or one can purchase it, the only difference between the two versions is the evaluation version will time out every 15 minutes.
   
   
2. Once installed, the user needs to run the setup.
   
   
3. During the setup, they should make sure they are using <<M_JPEG for their Video codec>> and the << Elemida Audio codec> for their sound.
   
   
4. Once that is done, the user may log on to the Powerscourt reflector at 209.210.38.10.
   
   
5. The user should use the demo room << Conf Room 7 >> which has a password that must be supplied by Jennifer at Powerscourt.
   
   

Demo ClassPoint Student Instructions from Powerscourt

1. The URL where one may download the student version of ClassPoint is:
   
   http://www.powerscourt.com/pbs/classpointoverview.html.

<< Note its at the bottom of the page >> Now before one installs ClassPoint, be sure that Microsoft's NetMeeting is installed and working.

2. Next one should call the Powerscourt office @1-888-302-3745 and get the URL which is 209.210.38.10 along with the serial number from Jennifer in sales. She will also give you a log in user name and password for the demo class. After the user installs it, they must run the student set up from the ClassPoint Student program.
   
   
3. Once they are done with the student setup they can go to the student log in page and log onto the server.