Sakai: Meetings

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Meetings

Meetings (BigBlueButton) is an open source webinar tool that allows you to share content and communicate with your students remotely. You can display presentations, use a white board, use audio and/or a webcam, use text chat with your students, and share your desktop. Meetings is a synchronous tool, which means users have to be online at the same time to interact.

New! Creating and Running a Meeting Handouts

What version of Meetings (BigBlueButton) do we have?

What can you do with Meetings?

Minimum computer requirements

Sound or Voice "Conferencing"

  • For the best results, all participants should use a headset, vs a microphone and speakers.
  • Or, once you join the Meeting, you can call the number displayed in the Chat area, enter the conference pin displayed in the Chat area, and you can use your phone to talk in the Meeting.
    • If I use my phone, is there a way to hide my phone number from the Meeting participants? Yes.
      • Now only your area code is displayed.
      • Otherwise, follow the first set of instructions, they are the easiest way to hide your phone number
  • Why do others only hear part of my audio? Your microphone volume may be too low. Move your microphone closer to your mouth. You may need to change the volume setting of your microphone. (BigBlueButton)

Users Area

  • The Users area (in the upper left corner of your Meetings session) has been updated and simplified.
  • What can the instructor/presenter do in the Users Area? Whenever a student enters the Meeting, they will appear in the Users area.
    • Beside each user name, you can click on the mic icon, to mute or unmute a user. Optionally, you can also click on a lock icon, to lock a user's mic muted or unmuted.
    • In the lower left corner of the Users area, you can click on the Settings icon (it looks like a wheel):
      • If students have clicked on an icon to Raise Hands (for attention or in answer to your question), you can click on the link to Lower All Hands
      • Don't use this: You can click on the link to Mute All Users but you would also mute yourself and/or the presenter!
      • You can click on the link to Mute All Users Except Presenter. This is good setting to use when some users have speakers or mics instead of headsets-their devices can cause a great deal of noise/feedback that you can mute.

Uploading and Displaying Presentations

  • How do I upload a document to display to my students? In the Presentation area (in the middle of the Meeting), in the lower left corner, click on the icon that looks like a document with a plus sign on it.
    • Click on the Select File button to select your document
    • Find your document, click on your document, and in the dialog box lower right corner, click on the Save button
    • Click on the Upload button to upload your selected document into Meetings (you'll see a Progress status displayed until your document is uploaded successfully). Remember, save your files as pdf's for the best (and fastest) results.
    • Your document will display. At the bottom of the Presentation area:
      • You can click on the icon to upload another document.
      • Click on the right facing arrow (or later left facing arrow) to transfer to other pages in your document.
      • If your document has more than one page, click on the number icon, to display miniatures of all the pages of your document. You can click on any miniature page to display the page. If you can't see miniatures of all of your document pages, a tiny scroll bar appears below the miniature pages that you can click and drag to move around your miniature document pages. When done, click on the number icon to turn off the display of miniatures.
      • Click on a triangle and drag it to maximize display of your document.
      • Click on an icon with two horizontal arrows to maximize the display of the width of your document.
      • Click on a four headed arrow icon to fit your document in the presentation display area.
  • See the Using Whiteboard Features area for instructions for using the Whiteboard with your uploaded documents.
  • Is there a page limit for uploaded files? 100 pages. (BigBlueButton)

Whiteboard Features

  • The Instructor and Presenter can use a Whiteboard in Meetings, by moving your cursor over the right side of the default presentation area. A number of icons will pop up for you to click on and draw with. New icons are highlighted in bold:
    • Whiteboard icons available: A hand (pan and zoom), pencil, shapes (rectangle, circle, triangle), line, T (text), X (clear page), backward arrow (undo shape), color box (to pick a drawing color), sliding arrow icon (to change the thickness of the lines/shapes drawn).
    • You can draw on the default presentation page, an uploaded document, or you can upload a blank document.

Chat box

  • A Chat box is displayed on the right side of Meetings.
  • At the bottom of the Chat box, type in text, then click on the Send button. All participants will see your message.
  • All participants can type in Chat messages.
  • If you need to chat with a specific user, near the top of the Chat box, beside the Public tab, click on the Options tab.
    • Click on the name of a user. A new Chat tab will appear, with the user name.
    • In the user's Chat tab, type in text, click Send. Only the selected user will see a new Chat tab appear with your name. They have to click on the tab starting with your name. The user will then be able to see your private Chat message.
    • If the user responds to your private Chat message, their message will pop-up in your Chat tab with their user name.
  • Click on the Public tab, to post chat messages to all participants.
  • How can I copy all chat messages to the clipboard? (BigBlueButton)
  • To share a video, share the video link in the Chat box. If you try to share your desktop and play the video, students won't hear the video, only the presenter will!

Layout Manager

Webcam Features

  • The instructor can display their webcam, as well as students.
    • After the instructor has plugged in their device, they must go to the upper left corner, and click on "Share my Webcam". You'll be presented with a Webcam Settings dialog box.
    • In the Webcam Settings dialog box, you must click on the Start Sharing button to display your Webcam or click Cancel.
      • Optionally, you can change the device you're using and change the size of your webcam display.
    • Your webcam will display in the Webcams area, usually located in the lower left corner of the default presentation.
    • Students can perform the same steps to display their webcams.
    • Instructors can move their cursor over student webcam displays, click on the microphone icon, and mute or unmute them.
      • Instructors can also click on the "X" in the upper right area of a student webcam display, and close the display.

Advanced: Desktop Sharing

  • To start sharing your desktop, in the upper left corner of Meetings, click on an icon that looks like a monitor (between the headset icon and webcam icon).
    • The Presenter's view of Desktop Sharing will appear in the lower left corner.
  • In the Desktop Sharing: Presenter's View, you must either click on the icon to share Full Screen or Region. When first starting out, click on Full Screen.
  • On Firefox and Chrome, you’ll have to look at the top of your Meetings session.
    • For Firefox, go to the top right, and click on the Allow button, so you will be able to share your desktop.
  • In the top/middle of your Meeting, you’ll now see a new dialog box, requesting you to allow plugins to run for Adobe Flash and Java Platform.
    • Click on both of the drop downs, and click on Allow Now or Allow and Remember. Click OK.
  • Next, a dialog box will pop up asking if you want to Run an Application (from publisher BigBlueButton, Inc).
  • Your Desktop Sharing: Presenter's View will now display a miniature copy of your desktop-this is what your students are now seeing displayed. ** You can click on any web browser tab, open a new web browser tab or window, or go to any application (such as Word or Excel).
    • When you are done displaying your desktop, you must return to the Desktop Sharing: Presenter's View, and click on the Close button.
      • Your Desktop Sharing: Presenter's view will close. Your students will see the last document you displayed (otherwise, they'll see the default Presentation).
  • Can I share a video while sharing my desktop? NO. Your students will not hear the video (but you will). To share a video, share the link to the video in the Chat box.

Record and Playback Basics

Update: Meetings does record lectures now. But recordings may not show up for over 24 hours. You must "show" Recordings (make recordings available) to students, too.

  • Is there a record start/stop button? No.
  • How do I set up a recording? When you create a meeting, you can click on the box beside Recording.
  • When does a recording start and stop? BigBlueButton will record all of the meeting, from the time the first person joins to when the last person leaves. When you set up a meeting, you can also state it's duration, therefore, a meeting may also end when it reaches your stated meeting duration. (BigBlueButton)

Advanced Record and Playback

  • When does a recording appear for review? It can take a few minutes to approximately 24 hours after you make a recording:
    • Click on Meetings, Click on Recordings.
    • To the right of your Meeting title, you can click on one of two links to recordings of your meeting. Click on a recording link to review it.
  • How do you Share Recordings?
    • 1) Click on Meetings, Click on Recordings.
    • 2) Move your cursor over the title of the Recording-below the title, click on the "Show" link.
    • 3) Now you can direct students to the Meetings Recordings area link, or after clicking on the recording link, you can copy the web address of the link and share it with others.
  • Can I download recordings? You can do this now, but we don't recommended it. Why? The recordings can be very long, with long pauses. Recordings start when the first person enters a Meeting; and the recording doesn't end until the last person leaves the Meeting .
    • Recording capabilities were a recent update for BigBlueButton. In the next release, a on/off button will be added to your Meeting session, so you can start the recording when you are ready, and pause or stop the recording when you want.

Accessibility

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