Edition 63, December 2008

Online collaboration tools available for VET practitioners

Education Network Australia (edna) has released a suite of free online voice tools to further online collaboration and communication for those working in the education and training sectors.

The online voice tools were recently integrated into edna's online collaborative spaces, edna Groups.

This means that all edna Groups now have free access to the following tools:

  • Wimba Live Classroom
    Live Classroom is an online conferencing tool, similar to Elluminate and Centra, in that it allows for application sharing, web sharing, a shared whiteboard, text chat, voice chat and video chat. It is the integration into Moodle that makes it an attractive option for our users. Sessions can be archived and the archives can output an MP3 audio file on request. Recent edna E-learning Insights podcasts have featured these audios.

  • Wimba Voice Recorder
    The Wimba Voice recorder allows Group owners to simply strap on a headset, click on a button and record an audio message that members can then play back online via the embedded recorder/player. This can be a big time saver for Group owners who are not comfortable with recording and uploading audio via other means.

  • Wimba Voice Board
    The Voice Board is the Voice Recorder embedded into a special type of forum. Group owners can start off a discussion with a recorded audio message and text, and then participants can log in and record audio replies.

  • Wimba Voice Presentation
    This tool allows Group owners to upload files or link to online content, then add audio and text messages to them. Group members can leave their own audio and text, creating a conversation on a wide range of materials.

  • Wimba Podcaster
    The Podcaster allows a Group owner to record up to 20 minutes of audio and then make it available for member subscription. While it certainly wouldn't replace other podcasting tools, it could be very useful to alert members to new material or events in a Group or course without sending email.

edna Groups is a fully-featured collaborative toolset based on open source Moodle system software. Groups can be public (open to all) or private (invitation only). Each group receives a space in which it can choose from a range of tools to facilitate communication and collaboration.

For example, you can set up web forums and live chats; share web links, files and images; create web pages and wikis; poll or survey members; add RSS newsfeeds.

edna Groups are available only to organisations that are part of the Australian education and training community. Online community spaces are not available to individual users, only to groups or organisations, and are not available to students.

To use edna Groups, your organisation must be not-for-profit and non-commercial. Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), however, are eligible.

Eligible edna Groups members can apply for a new Group using the online application form.

For more information on setting up and using an edna Group including the voice tools email groups@edna.edu.au or visit www.groups.edna.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=59111

This page was generated on 23 December, 2009