Dimdim 4.5 Released

I know I have written about Dimdim in the past but just wanted to let you know that their product offering has been upgraded and I had a chance to use it today with a colleague to share with him just how easy it is to start a web conferencing session. Dimdim is an very easy to use web conferencing application that runs through the browser and lets you upload your PowerPoint presentation for seamless webinars complete with Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and access to your webcam. Dimdim provides for a shared whiteboard and as the host you can pass control to your participants with the easy to use interface. Considering that this is a free webconferencing tool it packed with features- in fact even if it were not free it would be worth the price of admission. The free account will let you host sessions with up to 20 participants and the Premium account for just $99 a year will allow you to host up to 100 participants. Your participants can use the VOIP to hear the presentation and can use the built-in IM feature to ask questions. With Dimdim you can also record and playback your meetings which makes it easy to post and archive for future use. If you would like you can also use Dimdim to share your desktop or any applications on the hosts computer. If you haven't tried out Dimdim give it a try you will be happy you did.

Where did the Summer Go?

As I write this post, I am reflecting on the past several days as my wife and I got my daughter situated and moved into her college dorm. If you have never moved a child into a a dorm or an apartment it sure is a lot of work! Once again another transition, as all of us move into our respective lines of work. Tomorrow I am back at the College of St. Elizabeth to start the Fall 2008 semester. It is hard to believe just how fast the summer went! I am eagerly awaiting to see my graduate students and look forward to sharing with them the trends and the new and exciting products that will soon be released. There is no escaping the impact that Web 2.0 has had on the field of educational and assistive technology as more and more mainstream tools on the web find their way into the work that we do. With free text to speech applications and the range of applications like Google Docs, Buzzword, Jing, and Jott- just to name a few, the combinations are endless as we craft our recommendations for the students we work with. As more and more teachers become aware of the power of wiki's- they can really begin to help students make their curriculum more accessible for those students that need it. All this summer I have been working with teachers on a math grant applying the principles of Universal Design for Learning into their math lesson plans. It has been exciting for me to watch how the teachers have embraced the UDL theory and have been able to plan accessible lessons which have been scaffolded with technology.

Reflecting on my trip to NECC 2008- this year will go down as the year of the netbook. If you haven't had a chance to look at these ultra small notebooks now is the time to do so. The netbooks will be seen as just one more vehicle for students to have a rather inexpensive tool to access the internet with. Weighing in at about 2.2 pounds these devices will will run Window XP and in many cases a variant of Linux. Asus, Acer, and HP have jumped into the bandwagon and soon Dell will announce their new netbook which will probably be released later this month. Schools will begin to look at these devices more seriously because of the cost and their functionality for the money. Many of the netbooks start at around $300 dollars and up. It should be interesting to watch as schools begin to adopt these tools.

Teaching at the college gives me another perspective from the vantage point of higher education as to how technology is being applied for instruction. At the college all students have access to Blackboard which is used as a portal for instruction. I have created some very rich courses using Blackboard that provide my students with a multitude of resources. Over the years I have developed many learning resources for my students using Camtasia Studio, a wonderful application for creating screencasts and video tutorials. At NECC 2008, I was introduced to Adobe Captivate 3 which I will add to my einstruction toolkit. Adobe Captivate 3 not only allows you to create video demonstrations, but also allows you to quickly develop compelling interactive media which you can output to Flash. I will be posting some more information about Adobe Captivate 3 in some later posts in September.

Certainly, collaboration is the buzzword and I'm sure going forward you will be hearing more and more about this as developers add these features into their existing applications. But you only have to look to Web 2.0 technologies to see that the foundation is already there for example in Google Docs and Buzzword, just to name a few. For this reason it will become even more important when we are educating our students and preparing them for the world or work that they have opportunities to work in teams and to collaborate with others outside the context of their school. Do what you can to seek out the exciting projects like the Flat Classroom Project that are taking place on the web to give your students these invaluable opportunities and experiences. I have learned that, yes the world is flat and having tools like Skype, Oovoo, CrossLoop, Yuuguu, Adobe ConnectNow and Dimdim, have allowed me to conduct the work that I do effortlessly without the need to leave my office. So reach out beyond your school and district and challenge your students to use these rich sets of tools to make learning more meaningful and rewarding.

I trust that this will be an exciting start to the school year and I look forward to sharing my ideas and experiences with you as I continue to explore and use new tools. Please feel free to email me with your comments and suggestions.

Dimdim 4.0 Released

FYI- I have written before about Dimdim, a free web conferencing Web 2.0 application that just keeps getting better and better. Here is the latest news about Dimdim

Exciting Dimdim News

Hello. We wanted you to be the first to know that we're launching a brand new version of Dimdim.

Since we launched our first public beta in April, Dimdim has been used in 180 countries by over 500,000 people. And we've made Dimdim even better by adding over 60 new customer-requested features including: Recording: You can now record your meetings and share playback URLs or embed the recording directly onto your own website just like YouTube videos. Multiple Presenters: With a single click you can allow any attendee to share their presentation, whiteboard, webcam - even their desktop. Mac Desktop Sharing: Mac users can share their desktop with anyone using just a browser. Free Teleconferencing: While we've improved our free VoIP microphone sharing everyone now gets their own unlimited free conference call account. Private Meetings: Simply assign a meeting key and only those who know both your meeting room name and your meeting key will be able to join. No Install: Now you don't need to install anything to join or even host a meeting. You'll only need to install our screencasting plug-in if you choose to share your desktop. Best of all, you do not need to do anything to get these new features as all Dimdim accounts have already been upgraded. Just sign in to use Dimdim 4.0 today. Take some credit for helping us make Dimdim even better: tell your friends to sign up for the new Dimdim and let them know these new features were your idea. We'll vouch for you.

Help us by telling everyone that the easy, open, and affordable web meeting is now even better at Dimdim.com. And breathe easy knowing that Dimdim users have saved millions of dollars and thousands of tons of CO2 by meeting virtually instead of commuting. Thank you for helping make Dimdim - and the world - better. Sincerely, Steve Chazin Chief Marketing Officer

Dimdim Now Open to Everyone!

If you are looking for a free open source web conferencing solution look no further then Dimdim. Dimdim which was in private beta is now open to all parties that are interested in setting up an account. Dimdim is a free cross platform web conferencing service where you can share your desktop, show slides, collaborate, chat, talk and broadcast via webcam with absolutely no download required for attendees. I have used it with some of my clients quite successfully. Like all webinar platforms you will need to learn how to navigate your way around- but once you do you will find it a very easy platform to do your webinars in. Give it a try- it is a great way to deliver professional development programs and the price is right:-)

Can You Say DimDim

This past year I have had the opportunity to experiment with many of the Web 2.0 tools which have allowed me to share my desktop (Yuuguu.com, Gatherplace.net), do video-conferencing (Skype, OoVoo) and to collaborate with others. Using a host of these services has extended my reach shall we say, and I know that the upcoming new year will bring me opportunities to further reach out and provide a host of services that were once just not possible. With broadband access it is now possible to have a genuine presence and provide both tutoring, consulting and training with your computer. Having access to high quality video conferencing through a service like OoVoo changes the playing field and provides a level of communication and feedback that was not possible through email or instant messaging.

While many of us have participated in webinars through services like WebEx or GoToMeeting some of these services may be out of the reach of individuals and would not make much financial sense if you were going to be hosting a limited number of workshops. With a monthly subscription fee starting out at around $50 dollars it maybe just too much of an obligation to sign up for. While doing my regular trolling on the web I came across a new Web 2.0 company that was offering a free open source web meeting service. I sent Dimdim an email and they provided me with a free account and I was able to log in and start a web meeting within seconds. Dimdim is a browser-based web 2.0 service that allows anybody to share their desktop, show slides, as well as talk, listen, chat, and broadcast via webcam. dimdim´s hosted service is available for free and can be easily used for small gatherings, to seminars with hundreds of attendees.

Finding this service I had to jump in and check it out. It was hard to believe that such a service could exist for free! I logged into dimdim and entered my password and user name and was able to immediately start a session using my webcam for video and audio. Once I got to the presenters screen I was able to import my PowerPoint presentation and also had access to a virtual whiteboard to write some notes. While using my MacBook I could import PowerPoint preventions, for some reason I could not get access to sharing the desktop or sharing an application. I suspect that this feature has not been implemented yet. I was successfully able to share the desktop and share applications on the Windows platform. Moving through my PowerPoint was effortless and the audio and video really helped to have a presence as I was doing the webinar. Overall, dimdim performed well and the interface was easy to use without the need for any manuals or directions. If you are looking to provide webinars and do more of your training and consulting via the web then take a look at dimdim and let me know what you think. The price is right!