NCREN Collaboration Tools
Video control room at MCNC in RTP, NC
Video conference class at WCU
• Three years ago, MCNC and the NCREN community began an earnest effort focused on developing the best possible plan for collaboration tools.
• A large group of volunteers representing many disciplines found in the universities met, talked, outlined, wrote, and refined the plan.
• This and the following slide was our starting point.
NCREN Collaboration Tools
• Provides centrally managed and coordinated services among universities and other institutions
• Enables fully interactive, face-to-face, live discussions among sites
• Supports up to 23 sites in a single conference• Interoperates 4 different audio/video techniques• NCREN integration of Video-over-IP (Internet
Protocol) provides optimum flexibility:– Point-to-point MPEG2 video sessions– Point-to-point H.323 video sessions– Multi-point H.323 sessions– Gateways to NC State Gov’t (ITS) network– Ability to blend various video technologies
NCREN Collaboration Tools
The NCREN Collaborative Services Workgroup engaged the statewide community and used scenarios from The E-Learning Commission Report for North Carolina. Here are a couple of examples.
And the following scenario was also used to show the power of collaboration tools.
NCREN Collaboration Tools
. The working group has identified the following collaborative services as high priorities for the higher education community in North Carolina in the near term.
NCREN Collaboration ToolsService Examples Why?
Standards-based video, telephony and data services, including a directory, regional program support, and high quality interactive programming
H.323, H.320 bridge, H.264, SIP, XMPP, CATV over IP, Video network control for point to point and point to multipoint programs
Proactively plan for next generation video, telephony and data technologies
Learning Management System (LMS) hosting, administration, and integration with other learning technology services
WebCT, Blackboard, Sakai, Moodle
Support collaborative licensing, efficient use of technical/support resources, and joint course/degree programs; shared knowledge base
Synchronous Learning Management System (SLMS)/collaboration tool hosting and self-scheduling
Centra, Elluminate, Horizon Wimba, BreezeLive, Camtasia, Oracle Collaboration Suite
Support identified needs for active learning, science education, internships and service learning, group collaboration, employee training, and research
Content Management Systems, including search, archiving, storage capabilities for audio, video services
Harvest Road, Stellent, Artesiainvestigations for digital assets,
learning object repositories
Support content, knowledge and resources sharing; learning object repositories
NCREN Collaboration Tools
• Classroom capture• Collaborative writing tools (e.g. Wikis) • Web-based broadcast services (e.g. podcasting,
streaming), including the cataloging and archiving of those service
• Virtual communities and social networks (e.g. Facebook, video blogs, Second Life, Croquet)
• Utility services such as email and calendaring• Instant Messaging• New or non-IP based video services such as
MPEG, High Definition TV, TV over RF
Emerging technologies and potential services include:
NCREN Collaboration Tools
A set of recommendations was developed in the first year, and then refined for each of the following two years. These recommendations are…
NCREN Collaboration Tools
And now, we’ve formed the following task groups:
Governance
Web Conferencing
Digital Media Asset Licensing
Video Conferencing
Classroom Capture
LearnNC meets Higher Ed.
Top Related