Virtual+Classroom+-+Wimba+Tutorial



= Blackboard Virtual Classroom - Wimba Virtual Tour   = = Icons in Film History: D.W. Griffith   =


 * Description**

For this assignment, we were tasked with creating a a Wimba video of our virtual classroom in Blackboard. Wimba is an interactive tool that is integrated into the Blackboard Academic Suite that allows synchronous and asynchronous instruction, interaction, and collaboration for both students and instructors. You can learn more about Wimba on their website. Wimba includes a number of different instructional tools such as uploading Powerpoint slides and hosting webcam chat videos, but I used the "archive recording" feature to create a video of the Wimba session. I chose to produce a virtual tour of my Blackboard classroom for the Wimba archive video, which Wimba automatically exports as both an audio MP3 and a video MP4 file. Since Blackboard is a closed system limited to those with access as students or faculty of Wilmington University, a video tour of the distance learning course I created is an excellent way to demonstrate the course to others who don't have access to Blackboard.


 * Process**

It's always difficult to begin the process of crafting a presentation that you know will be recorded. In a classroom setting stumbling over a word or two is par for the course and is usually quickly forgotten. When recording something to present later it can be tempting to start again after any small mistake. I have to force myself not to discard an entire presentation over a misspoken word, as long as the information is still accurate. In my Wimba Virtual Tour video I give a brief summary of the most important aspects of my virtual classroom, and describe how their used both individually and in conjunction with each other. Almost every assignment in my course is tied to another in some fashion, and I point that out where it's relevant to demonstrate how effective distance learning can be. The diversity of tools available, including Wimba, makes crafting an exciting online environment for the student fat less difficult. In my video tour I give a detailed explanation of each content area, but hopefully leave the viewer wanting to learn more about the course.


 * Reflection**

The most useful part of the Wimba Virtual Tour of my distance learning course is the ability to export the video file and save it locally. In the future I will need to demonstrate my ability to create online classes, but I will not be able to grant access to my Blackboard course to those outside of Wilmington University. Since I have a virtual tour of the class I can provide a link to the video if I need to give someone a demonstration of a distance learning course I've created. I have uploaded the video to my own hosting site, as Wikispaces doesn't support files as large as this video. For those who may not have their own web hosting, there are a number of different free options available for online file or video storage. Youtube or Teachertube would be easy ways to upload the Wimba generated video and make it available to others. Since we are creating an online portfolio on Wikispaces, having this video as an addition to my portfolio is an excellent way for me to demonstrate what I've created in Blackboard.


 * Wimba Virtual Tour**

Click here to see the Wimba Virtual tour of Icons in Film History: D.W. Griffith.