Elluminate recently released a new version of Elluminate (version 8.2). Currently we are using Elluminate 7. Elluminate 8 has several new features and we have now upgraded our servers to Elluminate 8 (May 28, 2008). This upgrade will not affect your existing sessions, session links, Elluminate moderators login url (http://elluminate.acomp.usf.edu), user records, and past recordings. The user interface will also remain the same with a few additional buttons and menu items that refer to the new features.
The only change you will notice is that when you and your students log in to a session after we have completed the upgrade, you will experience an increase in the time taken to download the software for Elluminate. This should not take long. However, if your students will be connecting by dial-up (slower Internet connection), they should be advised to log in early for the first session after the upgrade. Also, after the Elluminate session window opens you will notice a few interface changes which are mostly aesthetic. Some major changes include:
- Support for PowerPoint 2007, when uploading slides to Elluminate
- Ability to send text messages to all breakout rooms
- Ability to send an Announcement to all users in the session, which opens up as a dialog box (to attract attention)
- New tools for learning and teaching, including timers and automatic sorting of participants by raised hands
- Enhanced video quality and Interactive two-way video, which provides resolutions from 160 x 120 to 640 x 480 and allows users to take snapshots of video feeds and paste them onto the whiteboard area of the Live! interface
- The ability to publish clickable URLs from Web tours to chat and whiteboards, including the ability for moderators to switch sessions to full-screen Presentation Mode
- Synchronized notes, allows users to take notes during a live session and notes can be saved, edited, and shared with other users
- Indexed recordings, giving users the ability to move playback to any of the index marks
- Improved compatibity with Windows Vista and devices used with Windows Vista (headsets, cameras, etc.)
- Improved support for USB microphones
To learn more about the features in Elluminate 8 and for great moderator training in Elluminate 8, consider attending our workshops on Elluminate in the Fall and Spring semesters. Go to http://www.cte.usf.edu/workshops/#synchronouselluminate to register for the workshop when the new schedule is posted (usually at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters). More details on the workshop are listed on the site.
Also visit: http://elluminate.com/support/docs/8.0/moderator.jsp for online moderator tutorials on Elluminate 8.
While we do not normallly perform upgrades to the system during the semester, we were unable to perform the upgrade as planned during the intersession due to the unplanned unavailability of our system administrator.