Adobe Presenter and PowerPoint 2007

Will Adobe Presenter work with PowerPoint 2007? I did some tests in Windows Vista ... result is that Adobe Presenter appears to work fine with PowerPoint 2007.

You just have to save your PowerPoint 2007 file (.PPTX) as a PowerPoint 97 or 2000 file (.PPT). Adobe Presenter will prompt you to do this when you use the Presenter menu in PowerPoint. Also check this other post about compatibility with Adobe Connect.

Really, what's more likely to cause you grief is trying to find where Microsoft have hidden all your frequently used menu items in PowerPoint's 'snazzy' new interface!

Audio and text tutorials on Adobe Connect

I came across this site called Breeze Meeting Resources for the older version of Connect called 'Breeze'. It still has some good information there.

Theres an audio slideshow on Selecting the right audio hardware, an article on Best Practices for Screen Sharing which has tips on to how to manage meeting room bandwidth, and more.

Are you using PowerPoint 2007?

PowerPoint 2007 uses a new file format with a .pptx extension, and you can't upload that into Adobe Connect!

You can get around this by saving your file in an earlier PowerPoint format. Use the Save As... command (the F12 key will get you there) and choose PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation (.ppt).

Click the image above to see the larger version.

Where's the instruction manual?

Connect comes with a comprehensive manual which you can view online or download as a PDF, print and keep beside you.

Personally I like to keep a printed manual on my desk for handy reference, but if you're concerned about paper usage (it's 257 pages) the online version is just as good.

The relevant sections are:
Chapter 2 Connect Enterprise Basics
Chapter 3 Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional Meetings
Chapter 7 Adobe Presenter.

Yeti game

If you were in our Connect training session and you liked the Yeti game in our Foyer, you can download it from http://ntu.csie.org/~piaip/games/swf

Right-click the link "yeti.swf" and save to your computer, then upload into your Connect meeting room or to My Content. You can also do a Google search for "swf games download" and you'll find heaps more.

Adobe Captivate and Presenter compared

Lousie Turnbull passed on this comparison of Captivate 3 and Presenter that came from our contact at Adobe Education. There's a sprinking of American sales hype in the document, but overall it's a good matrix of when to each what product, and what each one does.

Adobe Premiere Elements on A3

We now have 2 copies of this great video editing software on A3. The hotdesk (OTP2193) and laptop 8 (OTP2115). You can use it to transfer files from the Sony handcam to a computer, and then edit your material and create your own vodcast.

It can also output to Flash video so you can insert your video in Adobe Captivate, Presenter or the LAW video editor. You can also play Flash video in an Adobe Connect meeting room.

If you need help using it give me a yell, I'd be happy to show you around. There's also a very good project-based tutorial built into the product.

Hey have your say....let Adobe know your experinces

Not all software is perfect and when that software is not open source it can seem to take for ever for bugs to get fixed. Adobe provide a place to submit feature request or bug reporting in one place http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform. Take the opportunity to let them know what’s wrong with Captivate, Connect and Presenter or any other Adobe product.

The way new features are incorporated is based on the number of requests per day received at this site. One feature I have requested is Tweening Motion in Captivate ah if only they would hurry up and provide it, I think development times would be so much quicker. So please start sending in your requests in now.

Webcam driver on hotdesk PC

The driver for Logitech Communicate STX Webcam is now on the hotdesk computer (OTP 2193).

Captivate with Hyperlinks

Captivate does a few things differently, its a great program that makes it easy to create interactive content but it has its peculiar annoyances like how do I add a hyperlink that looks like a hyperlink?

watch this short movie (recorded connect session) to learn one way to skin a .........cap

http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/p30296249/

Adobe Connect how to's

There are some excellent resources on using Adobe Connect at the TOL 2 ANT Wiki http://tol2antresources.nciwiki.com.au/Adobe+Connect. There is information and tutorials for beginners and advanced users. It contains many recorded training sessions and bite sized how-to’s.

Installing webcam driver

If you want to use a webcam in your Adobe Connect session:

1. Log a help desk call requested to get the driver installed, CLI staff go to http://wsrictsweb.wsr.det.nsw.edu.au/helpdesk
   
   Copy and paste this text into the helpdesk request form:
   --------------------
   Please install the driver for Logitech Communicate STX Webcam. Driver can be downloaded from http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/435/352&cl=au,en?osid=1&file=1
   --------------------
   
   
2. Plug in your webcam and go this Adobe Connect meeting room to test whether it works http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/webcamtest/

Evaluation time

It's evaluation time. It was a real mix of experiences with some people taking to Breeze pretty well, others not - like any technology I suppose. Here's a summary of what we found out:

Breeze/Connect is a useful tool, but a fairly complex one which requires training, practice and support.

"High latency" (slow response times) during October – November 2006 (you know it becuase you get the dreaded "orange light" in Breeze) meant that Breeze/Connect ran slowly and the audio dropped out. This problem was largely fixed by David Mallyon of ITD by December 2006. However the problem led to trial participants favouring traditional teleconference for the audio component of the meeting over VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). Given the response times have improved, we can now be more open to using VOIP audio, but always with teleconference as a contingency.

Positive experiences among CLI staff were due to:
o keeping things simple, not attempting to use too many features in the first few meetings
o separating the role of meeting chair and technical operator, at least until the chair becomes more confident
o for ‘high stakes’ meetings like reference groups, doing a ‘technical rehearsal’ of the meeting beforehand
o a feeling that the tool enhanced communication and teamwork, eg being able to work on a document together, being able to look at a proof of concept together, being able to see a stranger from a remote location
o a feeling that the meeting organiser controlled the technology and the process – we didn’t have to fill out a form or request work from another section to get things done.

Negative experiences among CLI staff were due to:
o dissatisfaction with vendor-supplied training
o feeling of being daunted when faced with the large number of Breeze/Connect features
o problems with network response times / VOIP audio dropping out
o potential for audio feedback loop when a face-to-face group converses with a remote participant
o using a wireless connection to the network from a laptop
o difficulty finding a quiet place in CLI where from where you can chair an online meeting – open office is noisy, meeting rooms are often all booked, sometimes the only meeting rooms available don’t have a data port.

Feedback from a sample of reference group members who participated in Breeze/Connect meetings was positive. This sample came from meetings that ran smoothly with no technical problems, just lucky I guess.