ePresence Interactive MediaAn Open Source eLearning Infrastructure and Web Portal for Interactive Webcasting,Videoconferencing, & Rich Media Archiving

Rhys Causey, Ronald Baecker,

Kelly Rankin, and Peter Wolf

rmb@kmdi.toronto.edu | Univ. of Toronto

Department of Computer Science & Knowledge Media Design Institute

The ePresence Interactive Media System

http://epresence.tv/

- Media space for distributed groups to participate

and interact in webcast events, such as lectures.

- Two HCII 2007 presentations on current research

designed to enhance capabilities of ePresence.

Presentations: Wed 4:00, "e-Learning & m-Learning", Exhibition Hall 2-A

· Baecker, Birnholtz, et al. (2007)

Smooth intergration of videoconferencing within architecture to allow “video- conferencing for the few” to exist concurrently with “webcasting to the many.” · Baecker, Fono, Blume, Collins, Couto (2007)

How a persistent chat system enables viewers of a webcast to engage in dialogue about the content of the learning event, during and after the event.

For more info: email us at info@epresence.tv

The Web Portal continuedViewing Presentations

- Viewers can embed presentations into their website or blog.

Web portal embeds hosted presentations into portal interface.

- When a user gives “praise” to a presentation, it is automatically

added to a list of the user’s favourite presentations.

- Through this, users are easily able to “bookmark” content for

future reference.

ePresence Conferencing

Version 4.0, Currently in Beta Test

- Dynamic, archiveable web conferencing with desktop sharing;

100% cross-platform with Flash plug-in

- All particpants are shown in a “users online” list and have the

ability to chat, publicly or privately.

- Participants with a webcam and/or microphone are displayed

along the top bar. Videos moveable, audio levels adjustable.

- Audio provided via VoIP or separate audio conference.

Users and Adopters

ePresence Open Source Consortium

Live/Archived Presentations

Live Interface

- Video and slides streamed

live over the Internet

- Synchronized media

- Live chat

- Questions to the speaker

Submitting Presentations

- Thumbnails of each presentation submitted to the site are

retrieved by background process on the server.

- Users can preview presentation; helps ensure they are active,

valid ePresence presentations. Presentations are no enabled on

site until thumbnails are retrieve successfully.

- Profile pages list all presentations submitted for each contributor.

The Web Portal

Organizing Content

- Content organized through general, pre-defined categories,

tagging, and ability for users to “praise” presentations.

- Administrators manually feature specific presentations and

contributors on front page of site.

- Users can view dynamically generated popular presentations

within different time periods, based on number of times praised,

number of times viewed, & popularity of applied tags.

Finding Presentations

- Full-text indexed open source search engine: search phrase from

user –> matches from engine.

- Ability to find presentations that are similar/related (by building

a query based on presentation’s meta-information).

- Users can search through different fields (e.g, tags, titles, event

names, descriptions) and distribute fields’ weight unevenly.

Archive Interface

- Hierarchical structure

- Synchronized media

- Navigable table of contents

and timeline

- Searchable

Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the Natural Sciences and

Engineering Research Council of Canada through a grant to the

Network for Effective Collaboration Technologies through

Advanced Research (NECTAR), and in part by members of the

ePresence Open Source Consortium.

Knowledge Media Design InstituteUniversity of Toronto

Academic Computing, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of Toronto

Caseware InternationalToronto

Learning and Teaching Through TechnologyUniversity of Waterloo

Northern Ontario School of MedicineLakehead & Laurentian Universities

Caresource HealthcareCommunicationsSeattle, Washington

Health Sciences Information & Media ServicesMemorial University of Newfoundland

Institute for Optical SciencesUniversity of Toronto

Princess Margaret HospitalUniversity Health Network

Stellar Jay CommunicationsVancouver, B.C.

Micro-Electronics DepartmentUniversity of Torontoat Mississauga

Ontario Institute for Studies in EducationUniversity of Toronto

Computing and Network ServicesYork University, Toronto

NECTAR Research NetworkUniversities across Canada

Videotelephony Inc.Ottawa

Waterloo Inst. for Health Informatics ResearchUniversity of Waterloo

Academic Computing SystemsSeneca College of Applied Arts and Technology

Penn Foster Career CollegeScranton, Pennsylvania

Centre for Global eHealth Innovation w/University of Toronto Joint Centre for BioethicsToronto

Munk Centre for International Studies University of Toronto

Adaptive Technology Resource CentreUniversity of Toronto

Imex Systems Inc.Mississauga, Ontario

Optical Regional Advanced Network of OntarioToronto, Ontario

InSynergy ConsultingEspaña, S.A.

Departamento de Engenharia InformáticaInstituto SuperiorTécnico, Portugal

FIDOWEB SRLSardonia Italy

Ontario Poison CentreThe Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto

Borden Ladner GervaisToronto, Ontario

Toronto Rehabilitation InstituteToronto, Ontario

Faculty of BusinessBrock University