Quickstart Guide and Tutorials
Adobe Connect is a web-based communication tool that allows faculty and students to quickly and easily share presentations, desktop materials and other information over the Internet through a web conferencing interface. Adobe Connect has robust collaboration tools for discussion, whiteboard and text chat, and supports the use of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) audio as well as phone conference audio.
Using Adobe Connect
Before deciding to use Adobe Connect, consider your desired end result. It is always important to put your course strategies first, and select the course tool to help carry out those strategies second. You may find that certain objectives are more effectively carried out using another method of instruction (e.g., asynchronous discussion)
Adobe Connect requires that you dedicate time to plan and design learning activities, and will also require some student preparation. Allow yourself time to prepare and practice with the technology, and give your students time to do the same.
Creating a Meeting Room
Meeting rooms are the way that Adobe Connect connects users together to share information. In order to create a meeting room, follow these steps:
- Log-in to http://connect.rit.edu/ using your RIT Computer Account.
- Select Meetings on the top navigation bar.
- Select New Meeting above the list of meetings.
- Fill in the required information and select Finish at the bottom of the page.
Setting up the Meeting Room
There are several options under the Meeting menu in the Adobe Connect interface that allow a host more control over the meeting room. Below are descriptions of what the various settings allow the host to change:
- Manage My Settings - This menu allows you to run the Audio Wizard, which will help you set up your microphone. The menu also allows you to toggle full screen mode, change your connection speed, and select the camera you would like to use.
- Manage Access and Entry - Allows you to invite people into the meeting room. It also lets you control who can enter the room by letting you block all people from entering, blocking only guests, or allowing anybody to enter.
- Manage Meeting Information - A shortcut to the web interface, where you can adjust settings such as the title of the meeting and access recordings.
Customizing the Meeting Room
Meeting rooms can be organized into different layouts to suit the needs of the presentation. All of the layouts can be altered by adding, removing, or resizing any of the available pods. Below is a description of the default layouts as well as an overview of all the available pods.
Layouts
- Sharing Layout
The Sharing Layout is used for sharing documents between all the people in the meeting room. This can include items such as PowerPoint slides, PDFs, or the presenter's desktop. By default, this layout includes the Camera/Voice, Attendee List, Chat, and Share pods.
- Discussion Layout
The Discussion Layout brings the chat between the participants and the presenter to the forefront. Discussions can also be supplemented by polls given to the participants. By default, this layout includes the Camera/Voice, Attendee List, Note, Chat, Poll, and Discussion Note pods.
- Collaboration Layout
The Collaboration Layout is used for working together in the meeting room. Presenters and participants are able to chat, share files with each other, and draw on an interactive whiteboard. By default, this layout includes the Camera/Voice, Attendee List, Note, Chat, File Share, and Whiteboard pods.
Pods
- Share - Allows the sharing of documents, the presenter's computer screen, and an interactive whiteboard.
- Attendee List - Allows the users to see who is in the meeting room. It also allows the host to switch who is currently presenting.
- Camera and Voice - Allows the presenter to communicate with the others in the room with a camera and/or microphone.
- Chat - Allows everyone in the room to communicate with each other by text.
- Note - Allows the presenter to have a textual note on the screen at all times for an important piece of information.
- Poll - Allows the presenter to ask a question of all the participants in the room and share the results gathered.
- File Share - Allows participants in the room to upload documents to the meeting room that can be downloaded by all other participants.
- Web Links - Allows a presenter to include links to websites that would be helpful for the purposes of their presentation.
- Q&A - Allows a presenter to mark a question asked in the chat as answered so it isn't asked multiple times.
Recording the Meeting
Any Adobe Connect meeting can be recorded for distribution and editing to others using the Connect web interface. In order to record a meeting, follow these steps:
- Under the Meeting menu in the Adobe Connect interface, select Record Meeting.
- Enter a name for the recording and a summary (not necessary).
- When the meeting is over, go back to the Meetings menu and select Record Meeting again.
Accessing a Recorded Meeting
After you finish recording a meeting, you can get the link for distributing to others who would like to view the meeting. In order to get the link, follow these steps:
- Log-in at http://connect.rit.edu/ with your RIT Computer Account.
- Select Meetings on the top navigation bar and select your meeting from the list on the page.
- Select Recordings above the meeting information and click the name of the recording you would like to view.
- From this page, you can edit the meeting information and get the URL for distribution.
Ending the Meeting
Ending a meeting removes all the participants from the meeting room. The host can also choose whether to display a message to all the participants at this time, which can be helpful for things such as a reminder about the next meeting time. In order to end the meeting, select End Meeting under the Meeting menu in the Adobe Connect interface.
More Adobe Connect Tutorials