iLecture - Student Guide v0...Student Guide To Using iLecture 8 June 2012 Page 2 of 6 Where%do%I%find%the%iLecture%recordings%(in%Blackboard)?% Depending$on$your$unit,$iLecture$recordings$may$be

Student Guide To Using iLecture

8 June 2012 Page 1 of 6

The iLecture service is a simple and easy way for you to access recordings of your unit lectures or other video-‐based resources prepared by your lecturers. iLecture recordings will be made available as soon as practicable after the lecture, typically before the following day. Students should note that the provision of iLecture recordings is not guaranteed as this service may be affected by technical difficulties outside of the lecturer's and University’s control. The following guide provides assistance for using the iLecture recordings.

• What equipment do I need? • Where do I find the iLecture recordings? (in Blackboard) • What is the EchoCenter?

o How do I download iLecture recordings? • How do I access the EchoPlayer? • How do I use the EchoPlayer APPS?

o How do I navigate to particular slides in the recording? o How do I search within a recording? o How do I create personal bookmarks?

• How do I access and download my iLecture recordings? • How do I subscribe to Echo podcasts?

What equipment do I need? You will need the following equipment to access your iLecture recordings through the EchoCenter and EchoPlayer:

• An internet browser (such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari) • Adobe Flash plugin (http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/) • The ability to play (or listen to) audio through your computer.

The following chart displays the minimum platform and browser requirements that you will need to access your iLecture recordings. Please refer to the chart below to see whether you have this hardware and software and if not, access the links provided above to update your software. Operating System Internet Explorer Firefox Chrome Safari Windows Vista v8 and higher

supported v3.5 and higher supported

v14 and higher supported

Not supported

Windows 7 v8 and higher supported

v3.5 and higher supported

v14 and higher supported

Not supported

Mac OS X v3.5 and higher supported

Not supported v5 and higher supported

Linux v3.5 and higher supported

iOS Supported via iOS specific player.

Android Android and Opera browsers have been verified, though they are not officially supported by Echo360

Notes:

• The iLecture media player (“EchoPlayer”) requires Adobe Flash v9 or higher. Therefore it is only possible to access the EchoPlayer on platforms that support Adobe Flash. Support for Flash is not available on iOS devices.

• Media files downloaded from the EchoCenter (MP3 audio files and M4V video files) can be played back using a variety of common media players that are available for each operating system.



Where do I find the iLecture recordings (in Blackboard)? Depending on your unit, iLecture recordings may be available to you via the EchoCenter or embedded within other content areas within the Blackboard unit.

In the Blackboard unit shown here, the EchoCenter link appears at the bottom of the course menu on the left of the window. When clicking the EchoCenter link, the EchoCenter page will usually be displayed within Blackboard unit window. Refer to the What is the EchoCenter? section for more information.

For some units, iLecture recordings will appear individually within the Blackboard unit structure. In this case, the lecturer has chosen to contextualise the iLecture recordings in the broader organisational structure of the Blackboard unit. The Blackboard unit shown demonstrates a sequential module of work with an iLecture recording at the end of the list.

For this iLecture recording example, you can either: 1. Access the EchoPlayer version 2. Download the audio file (mp3) version 3. Download the video file (mp4) version



What is the EchoCenter? The EchoCenter is where all of the iLecture recordings for your unit can be found. The week numbers in the EchoCenter correspond to the associated week number in the study period, i.e. Week 1 would usually be the first week of semester.

ß

Expand or contract the number of weeks displayed

Show or hide the iLecture recordings detail

Open the iLecture recording in the EchoPlayer Subscribe to

the audio or video RSS feed for the the unit

Download the audio (mp3) or video (mp4 file for the iLecture recording

Recent iLecture-‐level discussion (if enabled for your unit)



How do I access the EchoPlayer? Access the EchoPlayer by clicking on the Launch Echo link next to the iLecture recording in the EchoCenter. If you are accessing from a browser on a Windows or Mac OS X computer, you will be presented with the following Chooser page. If you are accessing the EchoPlayer from an iOS device (iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch), then an iOS compatible version of the EchoPlayer will immediately be displayed. This version allows you to play the primary video and use the scene-‐based thumbnails for navigation within the recording.

Choose your preferred Configuration and click Launch EchoPlayer:

• Broadband – highest quality version suitable for broadband internet connections • Dial In – lower quality version targeted at users accessing from slow internet connections • Screen Reader – support screen reading software and suitable for people with visual disabilities

The Broadband version of the EchoPlayer incorporates controls for navigating the recording, an APPS window with options for interacting with the recording, and controls for manipulating the visual appearance of the player.

Shortcut back to the EchoCenter

APPS window for interactions with Recording

Controls for Window Positioning

Controls for Playback and Navigation

Screen Video Playback Window Controls to

Hide/Show Closed Captions (if available)

Closed Captions window (if available)

Lecturer Video Playback Window (if available)



How do I use the EchoPlayer APPS? The APPS window in the EchoPlayer includes various tools for interacting with the iLecture recording. These help with navigating the recording, collaborating with peers or just finding out more about the recording. Click on an individual application to use it. Click on the Applications button at the top of the individual application to return to the APPS list.

Scenes The Scenes App provides a sequenced list of thumbnail slides with corresponding times with the recording. Click a thumbnail to navigate to the beginning of that section of the recording.

Search The Search App provides a text box in which to enter search terms. Type a search term into the text box and click Submit. The player will perform a search against keywords found on the text of slides (based on Optical Character Recognition analysis). The search will also analyse the closed captions if they are available for the particular recording.

Bookmarks The Bookmarks App allows you to create a personal list of topic tags or notes against points of interest within the recording. Click in the text box to create a personal note at the current timepoint in the recording. You can later Edit or Delete notes that you have created. Notes: • There is currently no easy

method for extracting your notes

• Notes can only be accessed by returning to the same recording in the EchoPlayer, i.e. they are not shared across recordings.

Discussions (optional) The Discussions App facilitates contextual discussions with fellow students and lecturer based on particular points of interest within the recording. Click Create New Discussion to begin a new topic tied to the current timepoint. Enter a short Title and Message and click Submit. Note that discussion posts will be from your Student ID. Discussions are ordered beginning with the most recent post/reply and a labelled based on the Scene. • To view a discussion post, click

the topic block. • To navigate to the point in the

recording, click the Scene link. • To post a reply to a topic, click

Post Reply, enter your Message and click Submit.

Info The Info App provides additional information about the recording, including the University’s copyright notice.

Help The Help App provides a link to the Curtin service desk and a list of keyboard shortcuts for using the Echo Media Player.



How do I subscribe to Echo Podcasts? The iLecture server also provides audio and video podcast feeds for each unit. A podcast feed provides a more streamlined way of downloading and viewing the downloadable versions of the recordings, saving the need to revisit the EchoCenter page in Blackboard to download the latest recording. To begin, you will need to already have access to suitable podcasting software such as iTunes. To subscribe to a podcast, you need only the podcast feed URL. Where available, the Podcast Feed Links can be located at the bottom of the EchoCenter page for the particular unit.

To get the video podcast feed URL:

• On Windows, right click on the Video Podcast link and choose Copy Link from the contextual menu. • On Mac, Ctrl click on the Video Podcast link and choose Copy Link from the contextual menu.

Note that the option Copy Link may vary depending on the browser you are using. For example, on Internet Explorer 9 this will by Copy Shortcut. To subscribe to the podcast feed on iTunes, choose Subscribe to Podcast… from the Advanced menu. Paste the previously copied URL into the URL text area and click OK.

iTunes will subscribe you to the podcast and will then automatically download the media file for the most recent recording. You can then choose to download any previous recordings as required.

Podcast Feed Links

Documents

iLecture - Student Guide v0...Student Guide To Using iLecture 8 June 2012 Page 2 of 6 Where%do%I%find%the%iLecture%recordings%(in%Blackboard)?% Depending$on$your$unit,$iLecture$recordings$may$be