Webcast Information - Robotics Courses

NASA Robotics
for Research
and Exploration

Web Broadcast Support Information

OR PARTICIPATE LIVE!!! If you live near the Bay Area, CA or Idaho Falls, ID, and you are interested in meeting the lecturers face-to-face, call Michelle at 650.604.6240. Space is limited.

Date	Title / Link
June 22, 2004	Maria Bualat, NASA
June 24, 2004	Dr. Charles Tolle, INEL
June 29, 2004	Mark McKay, INEL
July 1st, 2004	Dr. Herschell Smartt, INEL
July 6th, 2004	David Breummer, INEL
July 8th, 2004	Charles Neveu, NASA
July 13th, 2004	Dr. Chris McKay
July 15th, 2004	Dr. Silvano Colombano, NASA

Please read the following before proceeding to the broadcast!

This web broadcast is intended to display multiple tools to help you visualize, hear and participate in the broadcast. Since there are so many items that must be loaded it may take a few minutes for everything to come up correctly on your screen if you have a dial-up connection. If you have DSL or Cable you may experience a faster display of the content.

It is recommended that you set your screen resolution to at least 1024 X 768. The way that the broadcast page is set up requires for you to have extra viewable area on your screen. To do this in Windows, right click on the desktop, go to properties and click on the settings tab. There you will see a metering bar that you can move back and forth to the desired resolution size. Select 1024 X 768 or higher. If you have it set any lower you could experience difficulties in viewing the tools within the page correctly. If you have problems with your settings you may get technical help by utilizing the contact info at the end of this page.

It is also recommended that you update your browser and your media players before proceeding to the broadcasts. Windows users can go to the start menu and initiate a "Windows Update" and that will help in keeping your browser current.

Entrance Page

The page you will be directed to when you click on a lecture link will be the entrance page. This page will provide you with the opportunity to customize your broadcast experience. You will be required to answer some basic questions. The first question will ask what Media Player you would like to view the broadcast in. Some work better for others so you may want to experiment with the two types to see which one you may like better. The last item on the page is an option to turn the transcript off. Depending on how well it works for you and how important it is, you can make the decision to turn it off. You may change any of these items any time during the broadcast for any of these preferences. You may return to the entrance page at any time by clicking on the "change layout" link in the links window. Once you have made your selections you will then be taken to a page that has the following....

Below is the layout of the screen that you will be entering. You can click on a region to get more info on that region.

Once you enter the Web Broadcast page, items will start to load. The items and useful tips are below and correspond to the numbered items above.

1. The Audio and Video Window

This is where you will see and hear the designated speaker for the broadcast. You may also see any video that they intend to show you.
You will have two choices in how you would like to view the web Broadcast. One will be through Real Player and the other will be with Windows Media Player. Whichever one you have on your system or prefer to use over the other is the best choice. If one fails to load for some reason you can try the other by changing the layout within the links window.
With this layout your browser may not have the proper plug-in to display the content inside the window on the page. If this happens you may click on the link at the top of the window that says either Windows Media or Real Media and it will open a Player separately from the page.

If you don't have a player or would like to upgrade for maximum performance you can go to the following links to download the player of your choice
Windows Media	Click to go to download page
Real Media	Click to go to download page

2. The Transcript Window.

This is a feature that we have made available primarily for those that are hearing impaired. It is also there for whoever might be having difficulty understanding the speaker.
This item will start to connect to the provider of this service and a window may open asking if you would like to download the plug-in. You may click yes and the plug-in will be installed and will automatically start once the web broadcast has begun.
This item may not automatically load for Mac users, and sometimes causes the browser to freeze. If this occurs you can turn this option off in the entrance page to the lecture by either clicking on the lecture link on this page or by changing the layout in the links window.

3. The Link Window

This window will have three main links within it.
The first link will take you back to the entrance page where you selected your preferences for the lecture and is labeled "Change Layout". This is where you can change the media player, and turn off the transcript if it is a live event.
The second link is where you can download the actual Microsoft Power Point Presentation for the lecture. You will need Power Point on your computer for this option. You can download the power point presentation by right clicking on the link and selecting "save target as" which will start the download process. Doing this will enable you to see more detail within the slides.
The third link will bring up this page in case you have trouble experiencing the lecture or a simple question regarding the technology for the broadcast.

4. The Power Point Window

This is the window where you will be able to view the Power Point Presentation. It will be in web format so it will be easily displayed and you will not need Power Point on your computer to display the information.
When the presentation first loads it will show the first slide of the presentation. Make sure the title corresponds with the correct lecture that you would like to view. You want to be at the event that corresponds to the date.
If you have a slower connection you might want to go through the slide show prior to the event so that all of the images load to your computer before hand so the slides are easily brought up when the instructor is talking about a particular slide.
You may click through the presentation at your discretion but it is advised to click through it as the instructor tells you to.

5. The Chat Window

The chat window has been designated for those that wish to ask questions during the lecture. It is strongly advised that you refrain from any small talk or chit chat while in the chat room. When you submit a question you won't see it right away. It will be sent to the moderator for review. You may see your question appear if it is something that is of relevant importance to the lecture. You may ask questions at any time during the broadcast. Any technical questions may be directed to the Web Broadcast Engineer email address at the bottom of this page.

For Further Assistance
E-mail
Course Project Manager	mgoldschmid@mail.arc.nasa.gov
Web Broadcast Engineer	sjcarter@mail.arc.nasa.gov
Course Professor	jbeck@sjsu.edu