Anthony Mostek – NOAANational Weather service

andTom Whittaker

Today’s training

• Objective: prepare and teach teletraining lessons using VISITview– background– overview– hands-on

• Requirements:– basic DOS experience– Power Point, Corel Draw or something similar– Windows 98, 2000, NT, or XP computer (LINUX or

MACS can be used)

VISITview ProjectVISITview: teletraining / distance-learning / collaboration

software aimed at the meteorological community

• History:– Initiated 1998-1999– Four programmers have contributed– Feedback from instructors directs changes

• Goals:– Complement other training aids– Continue to evolve as needs are identified

VISITview Overview

• Modes– pre-loaded lessons – via a browser (VISITview RAMSDIS Online)

• Participants– master (instructor)– student– listener

• Client/server• Not a slide preparation tool

VISITview Terminology

• Lesson – a collection of pages

• Page – one or more frames

• Frame – a single image (GIF or JPEG)

• Client/server – commands are initiated by the client; the VISITview server redistributes commands

• http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/visitview/terminology.html

VISITview Client-Server

• Training Sessions– the Lesson is downloaded to your local computer

before the scheduled session

– the server is used to distribute the “small” commands to everyone (move pointer, turn to next page, draw text and animations, etc.)

• VISITview RAMSDIS Online– all images are downloaded in real time from the server

– the server is also used to distribute the “small” commands to everyone (move pointer, turn to next page, draw text and animations, etc.)

The Student’s view

• Download a lesson– make a directory, ftp the file, ‘run’ it

– (use a browser for VISITview RAMSDIS Online)

• Voice connection - set up a conference call via phone or yahoo messenger

• Basic mechanics (“knobology”)• Starting up a session

– convenience batch files

Features for students and instructors

• Big Red Pointer– positioning (click)– drawing

• drag for line

• SHIFT+CTRL+drag for box

– change color using choice box

• On - screen help– open (ALT+?)

(in English)– close (any other

key)

Help pop-up

Annotations – drawing and textTo draw free-hand, just “drag” mouse – press button and hold while moving; when you release button, drawing is sent

To draw a box, hold SHIFT+CTRL and “drag” the mouse

To do text, click ALT+T. A | cursor will appear. Type your text. Move it around. Change color. Press “enter” to send it to everyone (press ESC to abandon)

Animation ControlsAnimate or stop

Change colorChange animation speed

Loop or Rock mode

Manually set frame or fade

Fade mode on/off

Toggle between last two frames

Single step back (<) or forward (>)

Labels are dim – example of “disabled” controls

Erase all

User ID and “chat”To initiate a chat window – ALT+C Enter a user or site ID and hit the “submit” button

Chat client window – resizable. All chatting is public – everyone sees everything.

Write here.

Other features

• Zooming – pixel replication

• Enhancements – colorizing images on-the-fly

• Portals - frame within a frame– 4 panels emulation– showing “large” frames

• Overlays available

From the Instructor’s viewpoint

• Creating a lesson: your slides and the Builder

• Packaging and testing

• Distribution

• Doing a lesson

Page and Enhancement Controls

Load next page

Load the selected page

Load previous page

Shows frame number and label / Select page to show

Get client/studentstatus of last load

Choose an enhancement to apply to the current page

Appears red when you have NOTloaded a selected page yet

When beginning, hit Next to load first page

Creating a lesson

• make your slides

• use the VISITview Lesson Builder

• check your lesson

• distribute your lesson

• run a session

Make your slides

• Use Power Point

• Pages consist of one or more frames

• Each frame is a single GIF or JPEG image

• Image size determines VISITview window size

• 640X480 is good

• Portals and other issues

Use the VISITview Lesson Builder

• Start the builder (visitbuild.bat or from start/All programs/VISITview Lesson Builder)

• Use “browse” to gather and organize your pages

• Put labels on each page• Use “file => move” to move things around• Use “save lesson” to save it into a ZIP file

The builder interfaceFile menu

Edit menu

Labels for pages URL for linked text or audio

Initial Big Red Pointer position

Page and frame thumbnailsSlide

through page or frame

Insert

Append

Append all

Browse thumbnail

View pages, frames, portals, or overlays

Browse directory and files

File menuOpen an existing lesson in a ZIP file

Start a new lesson

Save the work as a zip file

Browse for images in a directory

Make a Windows .EXE file drom a .ZIP file

Import Presentation

Make an image from a URL

Unzip File

Exit (if changes, ask to save)

Edit Menu

Undo previous Move or Delete or Insert or Append

To move page or frame:1. select page/frame to move2. click this Move item3. click on destination page/frame

Copy/Delete secected page or frame

Browse for imagesBrowse directories to find file names

Current directory

Thumbnail of last selected file(click so see original size image)

Hints, cues, messages

Insert thumbnail at selected position

Append thumbnailto end (of pages or frames)

Append all

Filenames appear here when you browse.**Click to select one file**CTRL+Click to toggle one or more image files.**SHIFT+Click to select a range of files

Organize Pages and Frames

Type in page label

Initial red pointer position

Page selected(magenta border)

Type in linkedURL or audio filename# frames on

this page

Original filename

Slide through pages/framesSelect page or frame view

If there are frames for a loop, check to have them looping upon startup and set the speed

Save Lesson and Set Parameters

Essentially, accept the defaults.

Choose Save Lesson under file menu

Specifiy filename (name.zip)

Save

Cancel

Directory name

Directory contents

Parameter details

• Height – height of window (frame size + 120 lines for controls (e.g. 480+120=600)

• Width – width of window (frame size + 20 for borders (e.g. 640+20=660)

• Server hostname – name of machine running VISITview server you want to use as a promary server (e.g. www.ssec.wisc.edu)

• Alternate servers – name(s) of other machines running VISITview servers you use as backups (e.g. visit.cirs.colostate.edu) Entries here make alternate batch files.

Getting assistance with VISITview

• Home page on the web (in English)

http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/visitview

• Contacts ?