Broadcast Yourself

When I looked at this week’s assignment what concerned me the most was how I could learn new web broadcasting technology and also get it up and running well enough to broadcast my own Webinar.  Personally I was not concerned about broadcasting myself, setting up the audio or what the content would be about.  Getting the technology to work for my laptop and others within the group was my #1 concern.

The first step was to identify a broadcasting service.  I looked for APPS that were free that could work with an IPAD or MAC.  I couldn’t find anything but I did select GotoMeeting that I’ve used with Webinars that I attended.  I established a login & password and reviewed several of the online how-to tutorials.  The Quick start included how to schedule a meeting, and all the features on the control panel.  They also had scheduling and hosting a meeting.  The tutorials included how to use the webcam, audio, chat and recording features.  The tutorials were informative and helpful.  I contacted my friend Nancy Potts through a phone conversation and email to coordinate the GotoMeeting session.  I had wanted to speak to her about our upcoming trip to Europe and I also thought that she was tech savvy enough to do the meeting with.

In preparation for the GotoMeeting session the topic I needed to discuss was where are

I did a test broadcast with one of the computers in my house as the attendee and my laptop as the broadcaster/presenter.  I was happily surprised that the session, chat, webcam, Internet presentation all worked.  Next I did a test session with my friend before the official session later in the day.  The test session worked with her computer but she did not have a webcam.  She was able to chat, see me through the webcam and hear the audio transmission.

Next I needed to prepare for the scheduled session.  The main topic of discussion was to summarize her experiences in visiting Spain, what are the main attractions to visit and how to best prepare for our upcoming trip.  I’ve never traveled to Europe and I wanted her advice.  I prepared several websites for us both to view about top attractions and hotels located in Madrid.

We successfully started our scheduled session and started our conversation.  She was able to see my webcam video, chat responses, audio conversation and Internet searches.  I was only able to chat with her and the audio did not work on her computer.  I was able though to have a great conversation despite the technical problem.  We talked about where to visit and what to expect with the hotels and our conversation helped me immensely with my plans to Europe.  She said that the GotoMeeting program was “cool” because she was able to see the Internet search on my computer. 

As I reflect back on the project I am glad that I was able to learn this program and setup the broadcasting session.  I do think that there could be several ways that the project could be improved.  One suggestion could be for our class to have some type of Live Webinar session that could explain how the programs work and what to expect.  I also think that for this project we should be given more time. Possibly one week to learn the software and ask questions and a second week to set it up and implement the session.  I’ve participated in several Webinars and it seems to be very common to run into technical difficulties.  I do however; think that Webinars are a valuable tool for educators and students. 

 Attached is the recorded file from the GoToMeeting session -