How To

Elluminate is a web-hosted video conferencing program. It has a whiteboard and slideshow capabilities with an unpaid maximum capacity of three simultaneous users in a meeting.

Things to note about Elluminate's Terms of Use:

  • Elluminate has the right to edit, reproduce, and distribute "User Materials".
  • Elluminate may actively monitor your internet activity.

What would you like to do?

Organizing Additional Meetings

If you are already registered with Elluminate, follow these steps to set up a new meeting:

  1. Open your web browser and navigate to http://www.learncentral.org/
  2. Click on the “Login” tab in top right of the LearnCentral homepage.
  3. Enter your registered email and password as prompted.
  4. Click on the “Invite” button.
  5. Enter the e-mail addresses of your contacts (remember you are limited to two additional people for this) and then click on the “Send Invitation” button. E-mails containing the link to your meeting room will be sent out immediately.
  6. Click on the “Meet now, in my vRoom” button and wait for your contacts to arrive.

Audio

In this section you have the controls for your microphone as well as inbound audio. Use the button with the microphone icon to turn your microphone on or off. To the right of this button are your audio volume sliders. The top slider adjusts your outbound volume. The bottom slider adjusts your inbound volume. Adjusting these sliders will affect your computer’s “Master Volume” levels.

The maximum number of people able to use microphones at any given time is three by default. You may have up to six speakers simultaneously. To change the maximum number of possible simultaneous speakers, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the “Tools” tab.
  2. Click on “Audio”.
  3. Click on “Maximum Simultaneous Talkers…”.
  4. Adjust the slider as desired.
  5. Click on “OK”.

Video

In the pop-up window for your video screen you may notice a number of buttons. From left to right, top to bottom the functions are as follows:

  • Reduce/Increase the Size of the Video Pane.
  • Send Snapshot to Whiteboard: This will take a still image of your current camera feed and post in on the Elluminate whiteboard. This will only work while you are either previewing or transmitting.
  • Hide Secondary Video Controls.
  • Preview: This button allows only you to see what will be displayed to others when you click transmit.
  • Transmit: Sends your video feed to all contacts.
  • Transmit/Receive Quality: This drop down menu allows you to select the quality of the image you send as well as the maximum quality of image you will receive. For example: if you are transmitting medium grays/color, you will be able to receive coarse grays/color, but not fine grays/color.
  • Device: This button allows you to select the source of your video feed.
  • Advanced: This button allows do adjust the specific settings of your camera. Any color or exposure balancing can be done through this function.

The maximum number of people able to transmit video at any given time is three by default. You may have up to six transmissions simultaneously. To change the maximum number of possible simultaneous video feeds, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the “Tools” tab.
  2. Click on “Video”.
  3. Click on “Maximum Simultaneous Cameras…”.
  4. Adjust the slider as desired.
  5. Click on “OK”.

Chat

Elluminate chat functions like a standard instant messaging window. There are a few additional organizational functions.

  • Show: Use this drop down menu to select what chat is displayed in your window.
  • Display Time: To toggle timestamps for messages you may click the icon of a clock located to the right of the “Show” menu.
  • Send To: Use this drop down menu to specify who will be able to see your messages.
  • Announcement: With moderator privileges you may broadcast messages to everyone regardless of what they have selected in the “Show” field. Click on the icon of a bullhorn next to the “Send to” menu, your next sent message will be an announcement. You must click on the icon each time you wish to make an announcement.

Participants

In addition to naming all those present, this is the area to manage permissions as host. Also, in the two far columns you can monitor emoticons and polling results. From left to right, here is a summary of the columns and their use.

  • Emoticons and order of raised hands: here you can observe non-verbal and unwritten expressions. Clicking on the column header will clear all raised hands. Clicking on a raised hand in a single user’s row will remove their raised hand. You may activate your raised hand or emoticons by clicking on the icons located in the bottom left of the participants field.
  • Polling Results: This column will display results of any polls conducted. Click on the column header to clear it. To clear an individual’s response, click on their row in this column. You may post your own vote by clicking on the check mark or the ‘x’ icon located in the bottom right of the participants field.
  • Microphone Permissions: Click on this column header to grant or remove microphone permissions to all participants. You may do the same to a single person by clicking on his or her row in this column.
  • Chat Permissions: Click on this column header to grant or remove chat permissions to all participants. You may do the same to a single person by clicking on his or her row in this column.
  • Whiteboard Permissions: Click on this column header to grant or remove whiteboard permissions to all participants. You may do the same to a single person by clicking on his or her row in this column.
  • Application Sharing Permissions: Click on this column header to grant or remove application sharing permissions to all participants. You may do the same to a single person by clicking on his or her row in this column.
  • Video Permissions: Click on this column header to grant or remove video permissions to all participants. You may do the same to a single person by clicking on his or her row in this column.
  • Names of Participants: You may right click on the name of an individual participant to call up options pertaining directly to that person. This includes providing moderator privileges, selecting all objects they have on the whiteboard, requesting desktop control, and removing the participant.

Whiteboard

This whiteboard is your primary visual presentation area. Through it, you will be able to share PowerPoint presentations or create simple images in real time. Given that you may have multiple whiteboards up to navigate between I shall refer to individual screens as ‘slides’ for the purposes of instruction.

  1. When your ‘vRoom’ starts your whiteboard will display a slide indicating the essential functions of the vRoom.
  2. At the top of the whiteboard there are arrows pointing left and right. Use these arrows to navigate through the slides on the whiteboard.
  3. You may note that, to the right of the slide navigation arrows, there is a drop down menu. This is where you may select which slide to navigate to directly.
  4. To replace the introductory slide with a clear whiteboard click on the “File” tab at the top right of the screen. Go to “New” and click on “Whiteboard screen” in the drop down menu.
  5. You can use the various tools located to the left of the whiteboard to write and draw on your slides.

Fullscreen

You may click on the icon of the white screen (just right of the polling tools) to make your whiteboard space occupy the full screen of those you are making your presentation to.

File Transfer

  1. Click on the folder icon in the tool bar.
  2. Click on the “Load File…” button.
  3. Locate the file you wish to transfer and click on the “Open” button.
  4. Once you’ve selected the file it will save online and may be retrieved by your contacts when they visit the file transfer window.
  5. Click on the diskette icon next to an uploaded file to retrieve it. Click on the trash bin icon next to an uploaded file to remove it.

Multimedia

If you wish to share a video file with other contacts you may use this feature.

  1. Click on the icon of the CD near the middle of the toolbar at the top of the window.
  2. Once the multimedia window is open click on the icon at the top left of the multimedia window.
  3. Select the file you wish to upload.
  4. You and others will now be able to view the video you’ve uploaded provided you have the correct software.

Application Sharing

Using Elluminate, you may either present or share control of applications as they run on your desktop.

  1. Click on the icon of a computer monitor near the middle of the toolbar at the top of the window.
  2. You may then choose to share your entire desktop, a limited space of the desktop or an individual application.
  3. Your contacts will be able to request application sharing privileges by clicking on the icon of a mouse located at the top left of the application sharing window.
  4. You may suspend or stop application sharing by clicking on the pause or stop icons located on a tab of your application border.

Polling

You may conduct polls in Elluminate using a mechanism provided in the ‘participants’ field. There are a few additional tools in the toolbar at the top that facilitate effective use of poll results. The polling tools are on the left side of the tool bar.

  • The polling icon with an eye on it toggles whether or not other guests at the meeting can see poll results before they are published.
  • The middle icon with a lock closes and opens polling.
  • The third icon publishes poll results to your desktop.

Quiz Manager

Using this tool you may conduct quizzes with your group.

  1. Click on the ‘Show the quiz manager’ located near the centre of the toolbar.
  2. With the quiz manager open, click on the ‘create new quiz’ button.
  3. Enter the name of the new quiz in the highlighted field at the top right of the window.
  4. Click on the ‘add a new question’ icon (marked with the green circle).
  5. Type your question in the blue field provided.
  6. You must then choose between multiple choice or short answer format for the question and click on the corresponding icon located in the top right of the quiz manager window.
  7. Repeat steps 4 to 6 as needed. You may navigate between and review questions using the arrow icons near the top left of the screen or using the drop down menu. If you wish to delete a question, select it and then click on the ‘delete current question icon’ (with the trash bin on it).
  8. Once you’ve completed your quiz, click on the diskette icon to save the quiz.
  9. When you return to the quiz manager you will see your quiz in the ‘quiz library’ field. Click on your saved quiz and new icons will be highlighted for use.
  10. If you wish to ensure the quiz is saved to your hard drive for future use, click on the diskette icon.
  11. You may now edit your quiz further or distribute it to other group members. To edit the quiz click on the pencil icon. To distribute it click on the magnifying class icon.
  12. If you have clicked on the magnifying glass icon and wish to distribute the quiz, click on the green arrow icon. This will create a pop-up window for all participants allowing them to complete the quiz. You may click on the stopwatch icon before distributing the test to set a time limit in minutes.
  13. You may collect the quizzes by clicking the red circle icon which becomes highlighted during the quiz.
  14. You may distribute the results by clicking on the far right icon in the tool bar.
  15. Close the quiz manger by clicking on the red circle icon.
  16. Written versions of the test will be saved in your quiz library. They may also be saved to your hard drive. You can open previously written quizzes from your hard drive using the second from the left icon in the toolbar.

Web Tour

Similar to application sharing, this feature allows you to guide your contacts through websites. It is recommended you use application sharing for this purpose as Elluminate’s web tour feature does not include synchronized scrolling.

Timer

  1. Click on the stopwatch icon in the toolbar.
  2. Set time.
  3. Select notification settings.
  4. Click on the “Start” button.

If you still have any questions we suggest you try the Elluminate support page.

Even more support may be found on the Elluminate forums.