Contents
Introduction ... 2
Objectives ... 2
Connecting to BigBlueButton Through Canvas ... 2
Using BigBlueButton ... 6
Saving Your BigBlueButton Conference... 15
Minimum Requirements to use BigBlueButton ... 16
Introduction
BigBlueButton is an open source project that enables students to participate in online
conferences and meetings with their peers and their professors through UF’s course management systems. These conferences can include audio, video, chat, and shared desktops. They can also be recorded and saved for later reference. It has been observed that this software works best in Firefox (it does not work with Internet Explorer or Chrome any longer).
Objectives
After finishing this lesson plan, participants will be able to: 1. Set up BigBlueButton conferences through Canvas 2. Use BigBlueButton to conduct conferences
3. Download the conferences if they have been recorded
4. Become familiar with the minimum requirements to use BigBlueButton
Connecting to BigBlueButton through Canvas
3. This screen below shows up. Name the conference, fill in the duration or choose no time limit, then decide to record or not. Next, invite all course members or only certain ones. Then click update.
5. When you are ready to start the conference, click START which is found on the same line on which your conference name is located.
6. The attendees must log on to the course site, then choose CONFERENCES, then choose JOIN which is found on the same line on which the conference name is located.
7. Make sure your microphone is connected if you want to interact in the conference. It is recommended to use a headset, not the microphone on your webcam (as it sounds like you are speaking in a tunnel).
9. BigBlueButton will test the audio.
10. If you are having issues with your microphone, make sure it is enabled. Open the control panel and choose sound. Right click to enable the device if necessary.
12. You may be prompted to allow your camera. Click on allow then choose to start sharing.
13. Webcams of all participants can be seen in the webcam box on the screen if they choose to share their cameras.
14. If you want to record the conference, be sure to click on the record icon in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Even though you clicked that in settings, you need to click it during the session to begin recording. Otherwise, the session will not be recorded.
Using BigBlueButton
2. It will ask you what file to load. It does prefer pdf files so if you have a PowerPoint presentation, save it as a pdf. Then choose upload.
3. It will then show on the screen in the presentation window.
4. To share your screen with the others, choose the share screen icon located in the upper left of the screen.
window, you can minimize it and enlarge another window such as the presentation window. It will minimize to the lower left of the screen. You can see the chat window again by
clicking on it.
6. In the users window, the moderator/presenter’s name will appear in blue and have a
projection screen by their name under “status” (at least initially). Other participants’ names will appear in gray in this window as they join the session. As you talk, your microphone icon will be highlighted. As other people join, you can see their webcam and microphone icons beside their names under “media”.
into the conference late, if you mute all users except presenter, they will not disturb your call.
8. You can also mute and unmute individuals as well by clicking on the microphone icon by their name.
9. You can give a participant the role of presenter by clicking on the image of the person to change it to the icon of the projector screen. They are not the moderator (the name in blue is the moderator), but they are designated the presenter.
can chat with individuals in the options tab. If you want to speak to individuals, choose which person you want to chat with from the list. No one else will be able to see what you have typed. You can also go back and forth between the tabs.
Default layout.
Lecture assistant layout.
Lecture layout.
end the session. The END button is located on the same row as the conference name.
Saving Your BigBlueButton Conference
1. If you recorded your conference, BigBlueButton will then prepare your video. Depending on the length of the conference, this may take a while. When it is done, it will say “1 Recording” on the same row as the name of your conference at well as provide the date.
2. To view the recorded conference, click on the arrow beside the name of your conference then click the VIEW icon.
Minimum Requirements to use BigBlueButton
1. Computer and other devices:
a. Desktop or laptop with XP (or later) or Mac OS 10.x (or later). The computer should have at least 2G of memory and 1 Ghz processor.
b. A laptop with a built-in webcam and microphone is sufficient, but you must be in a quiet area to use it.
c. BBB cannot be used on mobile devices.
d. It is strongly recommended to use a headset with a microphone and not use the webcam microphone.
2. Recommended browsers:
a. As of May 2015, Mozilla Firefox is the recommended browser for using BBB through canvas.
b. The web browser must run Flash 11.2 (or higher).
c. In addition, presenters need to have a Java runtime to share their desktop. 3. Internet connection:
a. For bandwidth, we recommend 1Mbits download and 0.5 Mbits upload speed. If you suspect a bandwidth issue, you can test it with http://speedtest.net.
b. It is preferable to connect through a wired network. Wireless network might experience periodic disconnects when the wireless drops in signal.
c. BBB will disconnect the user anytime it detects the network connection has dropped. If you have any issues, hit the refresh button to start the session again, set the audio and share the video again.
