Understanding the Interwise iMeeting Interface

The Interface

When you first join an iMeeting event, the following window appears.

The following sections explain each area of the window in detail.

Participant List

The participant list indicates who is attending the event, who is presenting, who is speaking, and who is queued to speak, as well as all options selected under the Raise Hand menu and responses to polls.

Your icon always has a box around it.

The person presenting at any given moment has a green box around their icon.

The person speaking has a microphone next to their icon. In the screen shown above, John Smith has a microphone with 1 next to it. This means the audio for the event is not voice activated and he is queued to speak next. For more details on managing participants, see Managing Participants.

Toolbar

The Toolbar provides quick access to several features.

Raise Hand

Raise Hand is the default option in a drop-down menu of participant responses. Participants can also indicate emotions and agreement or disagreement, or they can request that you present the content faster or slower. The complete menu of options that is available is shown below. Presenters can select these options as well. The selections show up in the participant list in place of each individual's icon.

Once an option is selected from the menu, that option appears on the button. To turn off the selection, click the button again to toggle it off.

Send Note

This allows presenters and participants to send text messages to either individuals or to all participants. If you click on the Send Note button, a small window appears allowing you to type a message and select who you want to send it to.

When someone sends a message, a message window automatically opens on the screen of the receiver. The receiver can type a message in response if they wish.

Step Out

If you need to temporarily leave the event for a few minutes, click the Step Out button. Your icon will be grayed out in the participant list, indicating to the rest of the participants that you are currently unavailable. In the participant list shown below, John Smith's icon to the right of his name is grayed out, indicating that he has stepped away.

Enlarge

This button allows you to enlarge the whiteboard area by hiding the participant and materials windows. Enlarging the whiteboard area is helpful when you are displaying web sites, since part of the web sites may be covered by the windows on the right side of the screen. Participants in particular find it helpful to enlarge their view.

Mute

Click this button to mute your microphone. To unmute your microphone, hold down the Ctrl key while speaking or click the button again. If voice activation is not being used, unmuting the microphone puts you in the queue to speak.

Tip

Regardless of whether you are using voice activation or not, it is a good idea to ask participants to always mute their microphones. If the microphone is not muted and voice activation is used, non-speaking sounds are often picked up by participants' microphones. The Ctrl key or mute button can then be used to activate the microphone only when a participant needs to speak.

Drawing Tools

The drawing tools are available to the presenter or any participant who is speaking.

The tools allow you to mark up the whiteboard, including any content displayed on the whiteboard, such as PowerPoint slides, documents, images, etc.

Tool	Description
	Clears everything in the whiteboard area of the screen, including content and annotations.
	Point to any item in the whiteboard and click. An arrow with your name next to it appears on the whiteboard.
	Allows you to type on the whiteboard. Click on the tool and then click on the whiteboard where you want to begin typing. A cursor appears and you can begin typing.
	The Shapes icon has a drop-down menu that allows you to pick from several possible shapes. Select the shape you wish to use and then click on the whiteboard to begin drawing.
	Allows you to draw a checkmark on the whiteboard. Click on this icon and then click on the whiteboard where you want the checkmark to appear. Keep the left mouse button pressed and drag the mouse to indicate the desired size of the checkmark.
	Erases portions of the whiteboard. Click on this icon. Your mouse pointer changes to look like the eraser. Click and hold the mouse while you drag the eraser over the portion of the whiteboard you wish to erase.
	Allows you to select the font type, font style, and font size for text you type on the whiteboard.
	Allows you to select the line width used for the shapes.
	Allows you to select the color of the tools used on the whiteboard.

Status Panel

This area of the screen indicates the status of the event.

The appearance of the status panel changes depending on what is happening in the event. If you are speaking, the status indicates that you are speaking, as shown above. If someone else is speaking, that person's name appears in the middle line. The green, yellow, and red bar on the right side of the status panel indicates how loud your microphone is.

Tip

You can adjust your microphone and speaker levels by clicking on the percentages for each and sliding the sound level up or down.

The connection can be indicated as Good, Fair, or Poor. This is an indicator of the quality of your Internet connection to the event.

Tip

If your connection is fair or poor, you may notice a delay in the transmission of content materials or in the response of speakers. This may be caused by a slow Internet connection, such as a 56.6 Kbps modem, or Internet traffic. Interwise works best on a LAN network connection or a broadband Internet connection, such as DSL or cable. If you are connecting to Interwise through a network or broadband and your connection is still not good, try closing the event and rejoining it.

Content Window

The content window defaults to display a Materials tab with a list of content that has been uploaded for use during the event. It also has tabs for application sharing, web sessions, and polling participants.

For more information on using the Materials tab, see Displaying Content.

Whiteboard

The Whiteboard area of the screen appears underneath the toolbar and drawing tools. This is where content is displayed. When an event is first started, an Event Info page is displayed in the whiteboard with tips on how to participate. This page disappears as soon as the presenter or a participant clears the whiteboard.

Maintained by itweb@wpi.edu
Last modified: Aug 20, 2008, 16:09 EDT