TQ#6

The collaboration service we chose to experiment with and research as a team was Elluminate, and I chose to do a podcast as an individual. We chose Elluminate because two out of three group members never had the chance to use if before, and we figured the third group member could help us if necessary. Elluminate is also one of the most popular collaborating mediums available. I chose podcasting because again, I didn’t have any experience with podcasting, and I think it would be a great tool to be able to use in the classroom. There were successes and frustrations with each; however, I’m glad I got to experience both, as I think each time I use them I will become better versed and better prepared to take on frustrating situations posed by both.
The frustrations I experienced with my podcast were that the first time I tried to have all of the necessary files saved in places I could easily remember and access them, I could not find the correct “lame” file to use after I pressed the “Find Library” button. After about five minutes, as it was late at night, I gave up and figured I better wait until the next day so that I don’t throw my computer through the window. Needless to say, the next day when my brain was rested and clear, I looked again at the webpage that provided the tutorial for setting up one’s computer to adequately accommodate for podcasting. There it was, a link right in front of me to set up my computer so that the correct file of “lame” would be accessible to me. I clicked and downloaded, and I found the “lame” file in my computer file. I followed the directions to unzip the file and save the correct lame file; however, I couldn’t save the file. I went back to the link on the website and worked through the troubleshooting page. In less than one minute, I had the correct file of “lame” saved, and I was on my way to becoming a podcaster. I was also frustrated when after I followed the prompts on the tutorial for the audio setup, I couldn’t locate the screen that was posted on the tutorial. After I plugged in my headphones and configured the audio that way, the sound of my voice on the podcast was clear, and the loud noise when I played my podcast went away.
The successes I experienced in my podcast go hand-in-hand with my frustrations. Although I experienced frustrations, I felt the sensation of success when I went back to the drawing board and was able to record a short podcast of my voice. My next inquiry with podcasting will be how figuring out how to incorporate videos into my podcast.
As mentioned previously, my team chose to use Elluminate for our experiment with collaboration services, and I think it went pretty well for the first time I ever used it. My team members had already been exposed to it and had previously gotten to experience it in other jobs or classes. Again, my frustrations and successes with Elluminate coincide with each other. It was very exciting to see Kristen for the first time and to hear each other; however, when Cindy, our other teammate, joined us, I had trouble transmitting my video through my webcam and could see Cindy and Kristen but could neither transmit nor see myself. We also experienced some difficulty with our sound and a loud beeping noise; however, it seemed to subside after I fixed my audio settings (which Kristen kindly let me know about). A nice part about Elluminate is that even though the sound and the video transmitting didn’t work all of the time, we were still able to communicate via the whiteboard feature and the chat feature. Overall, I enjoyed my initial experiences with podcasting and collaborating via Elluminate.