Macromedia Breeze

Info

Breeze is used for video conferences and synchronous presentations over the Internet.

Version

Current Version 5 In order to figure out what version you are running on the Breeze server, use this URL: http://breeze.richmond.edu/version.txt

Documentation

• Adobe Breeze Maintenance - this discusses the Presenter issue that resulted in the 1904 error
• Breeze support docs from Adobe
• Breeze Resource Center
• Breeze resources from ASU
• Breeze resources from UMN
• Resources from UTM
• Breeze Presenter handout
• A flyer on various uses of Breeze

Server Maintenance Window

Friday mornings 6:30-8:30 am.

Feature Requests

Breeze Feature Request Click the Blojsom Feature Request Link to email questions, enhancements or features you would like to see added to the application.

Requests

• LDAP authentication

Done - August 2006.

Used ldap_bsa.zip

• The breeze_ext_ldap.jar is located in the appserv/lib directory
• the custom_bsa.xml is in the appserv directory
• and feature.xml is in the appser/apps/feature.xml We added the following line:
• in order to add ldap support we had to add Coates' certificates as a trusted certificate in our default keystore using keytool. Here is an adobe technote about keytool and Contribute Publishing Services: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=54f01608

FAQ

• How do I host a synchronous online meeting?
  • Contact your ATS Liaison.
• Will this work with the Mac?
  • Yes. Note: If you have an Intel based Mac, you will not be able to upload documents unless you go ahead and run Safari in Rosetta mode. In order to do this, go to Applications, right click Safari and choose Duplicate. Rename the copy of Safari to Safari Rosetta. Click once on Safari Rosetta and click File > Get Info. Make sure the checkbox "Open using Rosetta" is checked.
    

Suggestions for audio and video

-Web Camera: Logi-Tech Quick Cam Pro 5000 (Windows) , or iSight (Mac) -Headset with microphone: Logi-Tech Precision, or Altec Multimedia Stereo Headset with Microphone - Bundles: Mac (Contains a Logitech Precision PC Headset and an iSight webcam), Windows (Logitech Precision PC Headset and a Quick Cam Pro 5000 webcam) - A uni-directional mic we have found to work well in our meetings where we have a group of people in one location connecting to a Breeze meeting where a number of additional people are gathered is the Blue Microphone's Snowball Microphone.

Penn State has tested and approved these for use with Breeze. I?ve used my Plantronics headset and a Quick Cam chat camera on my PC without a problem. The headset/mic combo that came with the Quick Cam didn?t work too well, though. Poor sound quality and difficult to configure?

Topic Ideas

• An Introduction to Breeze
• Blackboard Basics
  • Blackboard Policies
  • Requesting your course
  • Using E-Reserves from Blackboard - Andy?
  • Getting Help
  • Enrollments
  • Accessing Your Course
  • The Control Panel
  • Adding Content
  • Student Photographs
  • Sending Email
• Blackboard Advanced
  • Editing the Menu
  • Assessments
  • Assignments
  • Gradebook
  • Discussion Board/ Discussion Grader
  • Course Copy/Archive
  • Groups/Advanced Group Management
• Operating Systems - knowing your computer (Kevin - mac, PC - ?)
  • File Management
  • Saving Files to the Desktop
  • Backing up data
  • Accessing Programs
  • Working with Windows
  • Drives
  • Cut and Paste
  • Copy and Paste
  • Drag and Drop
  • Renaming Files
  • Save and Save As...
  • Vocabulary
• Discussion Boards - Terry D.
• Email - groups and lists. Possibly using Outlook Express
• Virus Protection (Scott T?)
• Getting Connected - Chip?
• Internet Browsing
• Using Google to the Max
• Library Research - Digital Librarian
• Grading - Terry D.
• Microsoft Word
  • Basics
  • Mail Merge
  • Footnotes
  • Styles
• Photoshop - Hil
• An Introduction to the TLC - Melissa
• Internet Browsing or using your browser
• RSS
• Blogging
• Podcasting
• Instant Messaging

Breeze Technotes to Remember

• Error 1 is thrown when trying to access the Breeze server from off campus. This technote provides a custom.ini file that must be in place in the root folder of Breeze.
• There is an issue with swf files not playing in Breeze after you insert them into PowerPoint using the Presenter add-in. Here?s the solution.

Suggestions for Running a Class Using Breeze Remotely

This semester (Fall '06) we used Adobe Breeze long distance with an instructor from New Jersey. We have learned many things along the way. In order to do this, TMSS installed button mics on the ceiling so that the class could talk back to the instructor and have a conversation. This allowed the instructor to run the class more like a lecture-style class instead of a more traditional online class, which generally has to have the content prepared well in advance of any class period. The instructor purchased a copy of Adobe Presenter so that we could make him an author on the Breeze server. Both of these things lead to problems addressed in this URL: http://learning.richmond.edu/twiki/bin/view/IS/AdobeBreezeMaintenance We partially resolved the Presenter problems with the Presenter fix outlined in the previous URL. In addition to the Presenter 1904 error received upon installation, the professor also received the following error:

Server ERror: 500

<status code = "invalid"><invalid field="file" type="string" subcode="format"/></status>

This additional error disallowed the instructor from uploading files directly from PowerPoint. We were able to have the instructor go into the Breeze meeting room and to select the file from his computer.

Some additional things to consider:

• the instructor used a classroom facilitator - both a faculty person and a student. The faculty person came to class to make sure that the equipment was properly set up and to take attendance. The student facilitator rotated each week and acted as a guide for the instructor. He/she would go ahead and interrupt the instructor if there was a question. He/she would be responsible for maintaining the flow of the class.
• we found that it was difficult maintaining audio levels at times with the students. We are working to change the configuration of the room so that it is in a u shape so that the students always face the mics.
• although it shouldn't be necessary, we found that you have to go through the audio setup wizard in breeze each week. This has been difficult, because it is almost impossible to test the level of silence in the room when classes are changing.
• we recommend having more time between classes of this nature so that there is enough time to have the computer equipment set up, the room rearranged around the mics, and for contact to be made with the instructor.

-- KevinCreamer - 09 Aug 2006 -- SueMcGinnis - 13 Nov 2006