Anthony Mostek – NOAA
National Weather service
and
Tom 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 Project
VISITview: 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
• On - screen help
• Big Red Pointer
– positioning (click)
– drawing
• drag for line
• SHIFT+CTRL+drag for
box
– open (ALT+?)
(in English)
– close (any other
key)
– change color using
choice box
Help pop-up
Annotations – drawing and text
To 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 Controls
Change color
Animate or stop
Loop or Rock mode
Change animation speed
Manually set frame or fade
Erase all
Fade mode on/off
Toggle between last two frames
Single step back (<) or forward (>)
Labels are dim – example of “disabled” controls
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-thefly
• 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
Shows frame number and label / Select page to show
Load the selected page
Get client/student
status of last load
Load previous page
Load next page
Choose an enhancement to apply to the current page
When beginning,
hit Next to load
first page
Appears red when
you have NOT
loaded a selected
page yet
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
Edit menu
File menu
The builder interface
Labels for pages
Initial Big
Red
Pointer
position
URL for linked text or audio
Page
and
frame
thumb
nails
Slide
through
page or
frame
View
pages,
frames,
portals, or
overlays
Insert
Append
Append all
Browse thumbnail
Browse
directory
and files
File menu
Open 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 an image from a URL
Import Presentation
Make a Windows .EXE file drom a .ZIP file
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 move
2. click this Move item
3. click on destination page/frame
Copy/Delete secected page or frame
Browse for images
Insert thumbnail at selected position
Browse directories
to find file names
Append
thumbnail
to end (of pages
or frames)
Append all
Hints, cues, messages
Current directory
Thumbnail of last selected file
(click so see original size image)
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
Initial red
pointer position
Type in page label
Page selected
(magenta border)
# frames on
this page
Type in linked
URL or audio
filename
If there are
frames for a
loop, check to
have them
looping upon
startup and set
the speed
Original filename
Slide through pages/frames
Select page or frame view
Save Lesson and Set Parameters
Choose Save Lesson under file menu
Directory name
Directory contents
Specifiy filename
(name.zip)
Save
Cancel
Essentially,
accept the
defaults.
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 ?