Echo360 and Elluminate

We had an interesting training session yesterday on Echo360.

About a week and a half ago we had our Echo server and appliance installed in one of our multimedia rooms. The tech from Echo360 was unable to make the trip (through no fault of his or the company) to Tacoma for the install so we did everything remotely.

He was also unable to make it (again not an issue with him or the company) to the training yesterday. To accommodate for this we set up an Elluminate session so everyone could participate remotely. Once we were all in the Elluminate session I granted him control over the PC in the multimedia room through Elluminate. Once he had established control he brought up the server application and trained us on it's use. In addition to all of that he also kicked off a capture with the Echo appliance and we got everything recorded. It was pretty awesome! I am sure that we caused a rip in the spacetime continuum somewhere in the universe, and for that I apologize.

Sometimes I Feel Like a Noob

We have a handful of faculty on my campus that are interested in learning everything they can about every piece of technology that we have available in my department. I am extremely happy when I get the opportunity to interact with them.

Yesterday I had one of these opportunities and the instructor wanted to delve into the inner workings of Blackboard. Now, I have been working with Blackboard since version 5 and can get around the system with relative ease. But when she started asking about features of the Early Warning System and Manage Chalk Title I started to feel a bit like a noob. This wasn't a bad feeling because I like to learn new things and play with tech, so it was actually quite fun.

My typical strategy, when it comes to technology, is to play around a bit with the tool first and then show faculty/staff/students. Now I am thinking it might be more fun to bring in a new tool and learn together.