Adobe Connect Pro Topic Page Number Overview 2 Prerequisite Terms 2 System Requirements 4 Logging into an Adobe Connect meeting 5 The Meeting Room 6 Meeting Preflight 8 Working in an Adobe Connect meeting 9 Menu Descriptions 15 Support 17 Modified on 10/16/2008 http://www.clemson.edu/ccit
fessional Adobe Connect Pro Adobe Connect Professional is a web conferencing application that gives users the ability to participate in online, interactive sessions. Adobe Connect provides instructors and trainers the functionality to incorporate multimedia into real-time meetings as well as provides tools for all meeting participants to communicate and collaborate. Adobe Connect is licensed by for use by faculty, staff, and students for academic purposes. Its use is subject to the Policy on Information Resources for Employees/Students (misuse policy). Prerequisite Adobe Connect Terms Content Any file type supported by the Adobe Connect server that can be uploaded and shown within an Adobe Connect meeting is considered to be Content. Supported file types include PPT, SWF, FLV, JPEG, MP3, and ZIP* files. *Only zipped Adobe Presenter presentations are supported other zipped files are not supported. Hosts Maintain the highest level of permissions within an Adobe Connect meeting. A Host is responsible for scheduling and moderating meetings. Hosts have the ability to upload content and manage the layouts in a meeting room. They also control the rights of all other participants in a meeting which gives them the ability to promote, demote, and eject participants as required during a session. As part of their administrative rights, Hosts have the ability to use any feature available to Presenters and Participants. Layouts The collection and arrangement of the various tools available within an Adobe Connect meeting. Default layouts include one for Sharing, Discussion, and Collaboration. Default layouts can be rearranged and copied. Custom layouts can be created by Hosts by selecting, sizing and arranging the various meeting tools (see Pods below) on the Adobe Connect stage. 2
Participants Maintain a minimal level of permissions within Adobe Connect. Participants have the ability to view and use tools made available by a Host or Presenter(s). Participant permissions can be promoted and demoted during a meeting as deemed necessary by a Host. Pods Within a Connect meeting, the individual windows/panels in which the meeting tools are contained are referred to as Pods. Presenters Maintain a limited level of permissions within an Adobe Connect meeting. Presenters can use uploaded meeting room content from the meeting room library or upload selected content from their workstation. Presenters also have the ability to display and share control of their desktop or any applications running on their local computer. Depending on the layout selected by a Host, Presenters have the ability to broadcast audio, video, chat, write notes, prepare polls, share files, and display web links. Registered User faculty and staff are eligible to become members of the Adobe Connect Meeting Workgroup. Workgroup members have the ability to login to s licensed Adobe Connect server using their Clemson userid and password at: http://connect.clemson.edu. Unregistered User Anyone other than a registered user as described above will Enter as a Student or Visitor at the unique meeting web address provide by the meeting Host. This typically applies to Clemson student participants or any other guests to Adobe Connect meetings. Getting Started I. System Requirements To participate in an Adobe Connect meeting, you need the following: a. An Internet connection (DSL or higher recommended) b. One of the supported operating systems, browsers, and additional requirements listed below: 3
Adobe Connect Role Supported OS, browser and additional requirements Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business, or Enterprise (32-bit edition) Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or later Mozilla Firefox 2 Adobe Flash Player 8 or later Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 2 Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7 Mozilla Firefox 1.x, 2.x Mozilla 1.x or later Netscape 7.x Adobe Flash Player 8 or later Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x Mozilla Firefox 1.x, 2.x Mozilla 1.x Netscape 8 Adobe Flash Player 8 or later Connect Professional Participants Windows hardware requirements Intel Pentium II 450MHz or faster processor or equivalent (1GHz recommended when screen sharing) 128MB of RAM Mac OS X v10.4, 10.5 (Intel) Firefox 1.5.0.3, 2.x Safari 2.x Adobe Flash Player 8 or later Mac OS X v10.4 (PowerPC ) Safari 1.x, 2.x Firefox 1.x Mozilla 1.x Netscape 7.x or later Adobe Flash Player 8 or later 4
Mac OS hardware requirements PowerPC G3 500MHz or faster or Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz or faster processor 128MB of RAM Linux: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (REHL) 3 update 8; RHEL 4 update 4 (AS/ES/WS); Novell SUSE 9.x or 10.1 Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.7, 2.x Mozilla 1.7.x SeaMonkey 1.0.5 Processor: Modern processor 800MHz or faster (1GHz recommended) Memory: Minimum of 512MB recommended Adobe Flash Player 9 or later Solaris Mozilla 1.7 Adobe Flash Player 9 or later Additional requirements Minimum bandwidth requirement is DSL/Cable (wired connection recommended) Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business, or Enterprise (32-bit edition) Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or later Mozilla Firefox 2 Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Home Edition Service Pack 2 Connect Professional Host/Presenters Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7 Mozilla Firefox 1.x, 2.x Mozilla 1.x or later Netscape 7.x Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x Mozilla Firefox 1.x, 2.x Mozilla 1.x Netscape 8 5
Windows hardware requirements Intel Pentium II 450MHz or faster processor or equivalent (1GHz recommended when screen sharing) Minimum of 512MB recommended Mac OS X v10.4, 10.5 (Intel) Firefox 1.5.0.3, 2.x Safari 2.x Mac OS X v10.4 (PowerPC) Safari 1.x, 2.x Firefox 1.x Mozilla 1.x Netscape 7.x or later Mac OS hardware requirements PowerPC G3 500MHz or faster or Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz or faster processor (1GHz recommended when screen sharing) Minimum of 512MB recommended Additional requirements Adobe Flash Player 9 or later Minimum bandwidth requirement is DSL/Cable (wired connection recommended) c. Adobe Connect Add-in to share a screen or application on your computer (automatically downloaded and installed as needed) d. A sound card and speakers to hear audio broadcasts from other meeting participants e. A microphone to broadcast audio to other meeting participants (highly recommended) f. A web camera to broadcast video to other meeting participants (optional) Note: Adobe Flash Player is standard in most browsers. Before beginning to use Adobe Connect you can test your computer at: http://connect.clemson.edu/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm 6
II. Logging into an Adobe Connect meeting: a. As a registered user (Hosts): 1. Go to: http://connect.clemson.edu/. 2. Login with your Clemson userid and password. 3. Click the My Meetings tab 4. Then click the Open button for the meeting you want to enter. 7
b. As an unregistered user (Participants, Presenters): Adobe Connect Pro 1. Go to the unique meeting URL: http://connect.clemson.edu/... meeting id. 2. Select the Enter as a Student or Visitor radio button. 3. Type your full name in the field provided. 4. Click Enter Room. 8
III. The Meeting Room Menu Bar Meeting Room Status Indicator Stage Area Layout Control Pod Options 9
Layout Control Adobe Connect Pro Arrangements and sizing of Pods are referred to as Layouts. Available Layouts are listed and can be toggled between using the Layout Control. The Layout Control also has a control to lock a Layout from being moved or resized and a control to enter Preparing Mode. Preparing mode is unique because it allows a Host the ability to make changes to layouts without interrupting a meeting in progress. Custom Layouts can be created by selecting, sizing, and placing combinations of Pod types as desired on the Stage Area. Menu Bar Drop down lists of menu items are available to control Adobe Connect settings, options, and tools. The availability to view different menus depends on a user s designated role in a particular meeting (Host, Presenter, Participant). Meeting Room Status Indicator Color-coded indicator that provides feedback about meeting bandwidth consumption (green = good, yellow = marginal, red = disconnected). When clicked on, additional information about data transfer (Up/Down), and Latency (delay) is displayed. Pods Refer to Prerequisite Connect Meeting Terms section on Page 2. Pod Options Each Pod contains an individual set of options specific to the Pod type. Each Pod s specific options can be accessed by clicking on the icon located in bottom right corner of each Pod. For example, a Chat Pod has the following options: Text Size, Enable Private Chat for Participants, Clear Chat, Disable 10
Chat Notifications, and Help. As you can see, the options in this example are specific options related to the Chat Pod as are other Pod Options. Stage Area The Stage Area is the workspace that contains all of the Pods within the currently displayed Layout. IV. Meeting Preflight A. Upload any PowerPoint, SWF, Flash Video, JPEG, and MP3 files to the Content Library that you plan to use before the meeting. B. Choose, modify, or create a Layout depending on the purpose and needs of the Connect Meeting. Briefly described, common layouts are as follows: 1. Sharing Layout designed for displaying to meeting Participants what a Host/Presenter has either uploaded into Adobe Connect as content or is displaying on their local computer monitor (screen sharing) along with audio/video broadcasts. 2. Discussion Layout designed for facilitating communication between various Participants using primarily Chat along with audio/video broadcasts and possibly poll questions. 3. Collaboration Layout designed for Participants to use the whiteboard overlay over supported file types as well as to exchange uploaded files. 4. Custom Layout assembled and configured from available Pods and Pod types based on a Hosts preferences and meeting needs. C. From the Meeting menu, select Manage My Settings. Then choose the Audio Setup Wizard. Complete the wizard before each meeting to make sure that your microphone is working and adjusted for the best audio quality possible. 11
D. From the Meeting menu, select Manage My Settings. Then choose Select Camera. Most camera problems are the result of an uninstalled camera driver or the fact that a camera change has been made. Note: Adobe Connect automatically defaults to the last camera used on your computer rather than detecting a camera change. V. Working in Adobe Connect There are nine types of Pods that can be used within Adobe Connect. Camera and Voice Pod The Camera and Voice Pod gives attendees the ability to broadcast and view audio and video within Adobe Connect. To begin using this Pod, do the following: 1. Set up the microphone and camera from the Meeting menu as described earlier. 2. Press the button to begin broadcasting a microphone and camera. 3. An Adobe Flash Player Settings window will notify you that camera and microphone broadcast is about to begin. Click on the Allow button to begin broadcasting your audio and video. Immediately after broadcasting begins, the Camera and Voice Pod controls will change slightly. 4. The broadcast controls will now include a Stop broadcasting button, a Start/Pause camera button (useful when trying to reduce bandwidth usage), a microphone Talk On/Off button and a microphone Hands-free control button. Notice there is also the familiar Pod Options button. 12
Pod Options for Camera and Voice Pods allow for varying the image speed slow images consume less bandwidth as opposed to fast images. Also notice the option to change the picture orientation and the option related to voice. The Voice option correlates to bandwidth in the sense that the more microphones involved, the more bandwidth consumed. Adobe Connect Pro You can also hover over individual s camera images to see additional options. Attendee List Pod Meeting attendees are listed in the Attendee List Pod. An icon is displayed to the left of each attendee s name that represents the current permission level of that attendee. o The o The icon represents a Host icon represents a Presenter o The icon represents a Participant Hosts can promote or demote other attendees by clicking on a name from the Attendee List to highlight it and then on the icon in the bottom left corner of the pod. Hosts can also use the hover feature to grant participants microphone rights or screen share rights without having to change their 13
permission levels. If you grant users microphone rights the universal talk button becomes available to them in the bottom left corner of the meeting window. Indicator lights will display below the universal talk button to signal that their microphone has been detected. Other participants will see a speaker icon next to the name of the attendees who are talking. In the Attendee List Pod, to the far right of My Status, is a drop down menu available to all attendees. From this menu, attendees can choose from various symbols to give feedback when desired or prompted. There is also a universal status feature available in the bottom left corner of the Adobe Connect meeting. This option can be used on layouts where the Attendee List pod is not available. The Pod Options menu for the Attendee List allows you to provide participants with additional access to features without having to change their permission level. You can do this by choosing the Change Enhanced Participants Rights option. The other common options people use are the Clear User Status, Edit User Info, Clear Everyone s Status, and Removing Selected Users from the meeting. 14
Chat Pod Chat Pods are one of the best ways to allow attendees a chance to participate within an Adobe Connect meeting. Attendees have the ability to post text messages to a Chat Pod by typing a message in the horizontal, white, text-entry block and Used to select message recipients then clicking on the post message button. Messages can be sent to Everyone" for all attendees to view or to individual attendees using the drop down list of attendees located to the right of To: at the bottom of the Chat Pod. Messages can also be sent privately if a Host or Presenter has enabled this option. Hosts and Presenters also control the Text Size and the Clear Chat command in the Chat Pod Options. Q & A Pod Chat pods can also be tied to the Q & A pod. This is only available to Hosts and Presenters. This type of Pod can be used to help manage and filter Participant questions to Presenters best qualified to handle particular questions. A Q & A Pod is most likely to be used in a meeting with a large number of Participants and multiple Presenters. 15
This allows presenters or moderators to review questions and submit answers to individuals or everyone in the meeting. The Q & A pod can be activated from the Presenter Only Area. Share Pod Share Pods provide Presenters and Hosts with the ability to display content including: Adobe Presenter (ZIP) Image files (JPG) FlashPaper files (SWF) Flash files (SWF) Flash Video files (FLV) MS PowerPoint (PPT) files The files can either be selected from the Content Library if they have been uploaded ahead of time or they can be uploaded from My Computer... Share Pods can also be used to display a computer desktop, window, or any open application from a Host or 16
Presenter s desktop. Adobe Connect Pro Presenter mouse movements and actions are displayed to all attendees via Adobe Connect. In addition, control of shared desktops and applications can be transferred to other meeting participants. A whiteboard overlay can also be added to a Share Pod to annotate, highlight, and markup displayed content items. Note: When using an uploaded PowerPoint presentation there is a Sync button at the bottom of the slide, to the right of the Pod controls be sure that the Sync button is in the pressed position (darkened). Otherwise, attendees will have control to navigate the presentation on their local computer as desired. Note Pod Unlike Chat Pods, Note Pods are used only by Hosts or Presenters to post important information or reminders. Pod Options, as shown in the box to the right of the example Note Pod on the right, are limited to formatting and quickly creating or changing displayed notes. 17
File Sharing File Sharing Pods are designed so that Hosts and/or Presenters can upload files to be distributed to all meeting attendees no matter what their permission status. Hosts/Presenters can add files to the File Share Pod from the Content Library or select files from My Computer To transfer files from a File Share Pod: 1. Click the file name from the list 2. Press the Save to My Computer button 3. Follow the download dialog Attendees limited to Participant status can also take advantage of the file sharing feature if a Host is willing to temporarily promote the Participant for the purpose of uploading important files. Note: Since files are not actually opened within Adobe Connect, virtually any file can be uploaded to a File Share Pod. Poll Pod Poll Pods are another way to gather and incorporate feedback within an Adobe Connect meeting. 18
To create a poll: 1. Hosts and/or Presenters can click the Prepare button to enter multiple choice or multiple answer questions 2. When ready the Poll can be opened and closed by selecting the Open Poll / Close Poll button. Poll results can be displayed as a number, percent or both. With the Broadcast Results option, poll preparers have the ability to allow results to be visible to all attendees or to keep them private. Web Links Pod Web Links Pods are used by Hosts and Presenters to create a list of web sites to be shared during a meeting. To add and make a link available in a Web Links Pod: 1. Select Add Link 2. Enter URL Name (text name that you want to appear in the list, ex. ) and URL Path (ex. http://www.clemson.edu) 3. After adding a link, select it from the Web Links list by clicking on the URL Name 4. Click the Browse To button The selected web site will automatically open in a new browser window on all participants desktops. Web Links lists can be edited in the Web Links Pod Options. 19
VI. Menu Descriptions Meeting Menu Command Manage Access & Entry Invite Participants Manage Access & Entry Block Incoming Attendees Manage Access & Entry Block Guest Access Manage Access & Entry Place Participants on Hold Manage Access & Entry Auto Promote Presenters to Participants Create Breakouts Record Meeting Manage Meeting Information Room Performance & Appearance Optimize Room Bandwidth Room Performance & Appearance Optimize Screen Sharing Room Performance & Appearance Room Screen Resolution Room Performance & Appearance Room Background Manage My Settings My Connection Speed Audio Setup Wizard Select Camera Full Screen End Meeting Exit Connect Pro Brief Description of Command Provides meeting URL and link to make e-mail invitations easy This will prevent incoming attendees from entering the meeting room. All attendees currently in the room will remain in the room. Will block guest access completely. Remember students log in as guests. So if you block guest access it will block your students as well. Allows the Host and Presenters to temporarily keep Participants from entering the meeting room Allows all attendees to be promoted to Presenters at one time Opens the Breakout Room configurator Records a Connect Meeting to an archived movie on the Connect server for later review and sharing Links back to Connect server to make adjustments to meeting information Allows a Host to fine tune meeting bandwidth settings to the average connection speed of all Participants Allows you to change your screen sharing to optimize it based on bandwidth Allows flexibility to make adjustments to room resolution Allows a Host to customize the background of meeting room with an image file uploaded as content Allows all attendees the ability to fine tune personal bandwidth settings based on their connection speed Wizard that walks Hosts and Presenters through fine tuning their audio for optimal results Helps attendees select a camera to use when allowed Option to hide the presentation toolbar and Windows Taskbar Has an option to post a closing message at the end of the meeting and/or redirects attendees browsers to another URL Closes the meeting room window but does not end the meeting for other participants logged into the meeting. 20
Command Make Me a Participant Make Me a Presenter Make Me a Host Show Presenter Only Area Preparing Mode Host Cursors Present Menu Brief Description of Command Menu option for a Host to temporarily change to a Participant status while in a meeting Menu option for a Host to temporarily change to a Presenter status while in a meeting Menu option for a Host to return permissions back to a Host status while at a demoted level Displays an additional set of Pods unseen by regular Participants. Includes Q & A Pod, Notes Pod, Private Presenter Chat Pod, and Private Web Links Pod to be used for Presenters and Hosts to communicate and facilitate meetings Allows a Host to view and edit layouts while not interfering with the presentation Allows a Host to control how mouse cursors are displayed during a meeting New Layout Command Sharing Discussion Collaboration Organize Layouts Layouts Menu Brief Description of Command Allows a Host to create a new Layout or duplicate an existing Layout and add a name to the new Layout Layouts are displayed under this menu as an alternative to the Layout Control Panel used for toggling between existing Layouts. Custom Layouts are added to the list as they are created Allows Hosts to organize the order of Layouts in the Layout Control Panel, as well rename or delete existing Layouts Command Share Attendee List Camera and Voice Chat Note Poll File Share Web Links Q & A Breakout Pods Move and Resize Pods Organize Pods Pods Menu Brief Description of Command Allows a Host to quickly add a new Pod or copy an existing Pod to the current Layout. When multiple Pods of a type are available, a list will be shown to the right of the Pod type in a drop down list. Pods are displayed under this menu as an alternative to the Layout Control Panel used for toggling between existing Layouts Allows you to bring content in from pods that were used in the breakout rooms. All pods will display data created in the Breakout room except the Attendee List, Q & A and Camera and Voice pods. When checked, allows a Host to customize the current Layout by moving and sizing Pods as needed. When unchecked, Pods are locked in place Allows Hosts to rename and delete Pods as necessary 21
Command Connect Meeting Help Quick Start Connect Resource Center Troubleshooting About Connect Pro Help Menu Brief Description of Command Links to indexed and searchable online help for Connect Meeting: https://connect.clemson.edu/common/help/en/connect/help.html?content =WS0018977C-29C0-40a3-A2ED-F3D5DD3A4B4E.html Links to demonstrations of top tasks in Connect Meeting: http://www.adobe.com/support/documentation/en/acrobatconnectpro/qui ck_start/index.html Links to Adobe Connect s Resource Center: http://www.adobe.com/resources/acrobatconnect/ Test your computer to make sure that you are set up with all of the tools you will need to participate in a Connect: https://connect.clemson.edu/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm Connect Meeting Add-in version and Connect Meeting version information Support Please contact, Subject: Adobe Connect. 22