CHAT AND WHITEBOARD

Introduction

The Chat and Whiteboard Tool have been integrated so that you may have a chat room
with the facility of a whiteboard. The Chat room enables you to instantly communicate
with users that are registered in your course or section. The Whiteboard is now
integrated into the Chat room enabling you to add an image or draw on the Whiteboard
as well as chat in real time.

New features available in the Chat and Whiteboard room include:

• Handraise mode — The instructor or designer can control participation in the Chat room with the handraise mode facility.
• Slide Shows — The instructor may also add slide shows to the Whiteboard and discuss them with the students in the Chat room.
• Mute — The instructor may temporarily disallow a student from participating in the Chat room by using the mute option. The instructor may then unmute the student at a later stage.
• Deny Access — The instructor may deny a student access to a Chat room. With this option the student will not be able to access the Chat room at all.
  

Accessing a Chat Room

1. When you click on the Chat link in the left hand Course Tool menu, you'll see chat rooms available to you.

   

2. Click on the chat room title (in the example above "Common Room") to enter the chat room. Please wait while the chat room loads in a new window.

   

3. Place your cursor in the chat text area at the very bottom of the screen and type in your chat message.
4. Press the Enter key on the keyboard or click on the Send button in the chat window to send your message. The sent message will appear in the chat dialog area.
5. The other participants may reply to your message. You will be able to read them when they appear and respond in the same way you responded in steps 3 and 4.

Sending Private Chat Messages

You may send a private chat message to any participant in a chat room if the instructor
or designer has allowed private chatting.

In the Chat window's Participant List (at lower right), double click on the name of the person to whom you would like to send a private message. That person's name is highlighted and
a Private chat window opens. Place your cursor in the chat dialogue box and type in the message you would like to send the person. Press the Enter key on the keyboard or click on the Send button in the chat window to send your message. The sent message will appear in the chat dialog area. The private message is sent.

You may chat privately with the user until you select to close the Private Chat window.

Sending a URL (Web Link) to the Chat Participants

You may send a link to a website to the chat participants. This link will open in a new window and the participants will be able to navigate in this website.

Place your cursor in the chat text area and type in the URL or website address that you would like participants to access. You must type in the full Internet address (e.g., http://www.yahoo.com).

Press the Enter key on the keyboard or click the Send button in the chat interface.

The link is sent and will be displayed in the chat dialogue area.

If the participants click on the link from the chat dialogue area, a new window browser window opens to show the linked website.

Setting a Chime Preference

If you would like to be notified when a participant enters a chat room you may set an entry chime.

You may choose to be notified via the following options:

• a sound
• a flashing screen
• a flashing screen as well as a sound

This option is useful if you are waiting in a chat room for participants and the chat room is minimised. Whenever a person enters the chat room you will be notified.

In the Chat window, click on the Chime Preference button. The Chimes Preference window opens.

Click the radio button to select the notification method you prefer.

 

Using the Whiteboard on the Chat Window

The WebCampus whiteboard lets you draw images for sharing with other participants. Drawing tools for the whiteboard are shown at upper left of the Chat window. These are summarized below. (Holding your mouse overeach tool without clicking allows you to see a label for the tool.)

Details about how these tools function are as follows:

Entering Text — You may type text in the whiteboard drawing area.

1. Click on the Text tool from the whiteboard tools menu.
2. If you wish, select the text font (typeface), size, and bold or italic or underline from the text tools at next to the toolbar.
   
   
3. Click in the whiteboard area to place a cursor where would like to add text.
4. Type in the text you require. Press the Enter key on your keyboard.

Freehand Drawing -- You may draw freehand on the whiteboard.

1. Click on the Pencil tool from the whiteboard tools menu.
2. If you wish, select the width of the line you want to draw.
   
   
3. If you wish, also select the color of the line you want to draw. Bring the hollow square to the top of the color tools by clicking on it. Then click on the color box to choose the line color. The color tool at left below shows that no line color has been selected. At right, you can see that red has been selected as the line color.
   
   
4. Click on the whiteboard where you want to start your drawing. Holding the mouse button down, drag the mouse to draw. Release the mouse button when finished.

Drawing Objects — You may draw straight lines or oval or rectangular objects in the whiteboard.

1. As with freehand drawing (above), you can choose the width and color of a straight line. For ovals and rectangles, you can also choose the fill color. First bring the solid square at the left to the front by clicking on it. Then choose the color. This box shows that lines (and outlines) will be red, and fill will be green.
   
   
2. Click on the Line or Oval or Rectangle tool from the whiteboard controls.
3. The cursor will change to a cross.
4. Click in the whiteboard area where you want the object to begin. Holding down your mouse button, drag the mouse till the object is the size you wish. Then release the mouse button.
5. The object will appear on the whiteboard for all users in the room.
   

Moving Items — In the whiteboard you may move objects you've created.

1. Click on the Move icon in the whiteboard toolbar. Little blocks appear around each object on the whiteboard toolbar.
2. Click on the small square that is attached to the object that you would like to move.
3. Drag the object to its new position. Release your mouse. The object is moved on
   the whiteboard.

Duplicating Items — You can duplicate text, lines as well as objects.

1. Click on the Duplicate icon. All the objects, lines and text on the Whiteboard
   display with little blocks.
2. Click on one of the small squares on the item you would like to duplicate.
   The item duplicates.
   

Reshaping Items — You can reshape objects and lines in the Whiteboard area.

1. Click on the Reshape icon. Small squares appear on all the elements on the
   whiteboard area.
2. Click on one of the small squares on the item you want to reshape.
3. Hold down your mouse button while you reshape the object. Release the mouse
   button when you have the shape you require.
   

Deleting Items — You may delete single items on the whiteboard.

1. Click on Delete icon. Small squares appear on all the elements in the whiteboard.
2. Click on one of the small squares on the item you would like to delete. The item is deleted.
   

Changing Item Color and Line Thickness — You can change the attributes of lines and shapes you have drawn.

1. Choose the Select tool from the toolbar.
2. In the whiteboard area, click on the object you want to change.
3. Select the line width, outline and fill colors you wish. The object changes immediately.
   

Using X and Y Coordinates

As you move your mouse over the whiteboard editing area, you will notice that the x and y coordinate values change. If you pause at any point on the whiteboard you will see a particular value for the x and y. That is the position of your mouse on the whiteboard.

Zooming In and Out

You may zoom in and out on the whiteboard to magnify and telescope images by clicking selecting the Zoom In or Zoom Out tool and clicking in the whiteboard area.

Undoing Your Last Operation

You may undo the last operation done on the whiteboard by using the Undo button.

Clear Whiteboard

You may erase the whole whiteboard by using the Clear icon. (You will be asked to confirm that you really meant to do that.)

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Loading Files into the Whiteboard

Click on the Load Files button on the left just under the whiteboard. A Get Files window opens.

Click on the My Computer icon to access the files from your computer.

An Open window appears. Navigate in the Open window to the location of the file that you want to load into your whiteboard. Click on the file name. The file name is highlighted.

Click on the Open button. The My Computer Applet screen displays the progress
of the upload. The Get File screen closes. The Whiteboard screen refreshes
showing the image that has just been loaded.

Note: Alternatively, if the file is already in WebCT you may click on the My Files icon and select the file you would like to load into the whiteboard from there. Once the file has loaded you may edit, draw and add to the whiteboard.

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Saving the Whiteboard to a File

You may save files on the Whiteboard if the instructor has allowed the option.

Click on the Save button at left just under the whiteboard. A Get Files window opens
Type in the name of the file in the Save as text box.

Click on the OK button. The file is saved in My Files in the Chat Whiteboard Folder
and the Get Files window closes.

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Printing the Whiteboard Screen

Click on the Print button at left just under the Whiteboard screen. The whiteboard appears in a new browser window.

Click on the browser's Print button.