WIMBA PRONTO communication system.

All CUNY faculty are invited to participate in the use of the WIMBA PRONTO communication system.  Use of this program has been presented at the CUNY IT Conference (09),  This communication program will be available to all at CUNY through BlackBoard, a company that has now acquired WIMBA and all of its programs. 

Once downloaded onto your computer (you can download on any and every computer you use) you can set the PRONTO program to open upon your booting up or not.

You can set your status on a number of settings so that you are visible or not to others using PRONTO and if visible whether you are available or not or away or to indicate you are away for some specific time.

On the other hand you can indicate when you are available for your online office hours. You can conduct office hours online via PRONTO and have a waiting room of thsoe who wish to communicate with you visible to you.

Communications with PRONTO take place using text, voice and video: Faculty-Student, Student-Faculty, Faculty-Faculty, .Student-Student

(Best voice is via headset and external microphone but built in microphone and speakers work pretty well.)

It is easy to get started. 

Go to BlackBoard CONTROL  PANEL  then to MANAGE TOOLS and then to Building Block Tool Availability

Set the WIMBA PRONTO to Available.

When this is done then when anyone on the BB site clicks on COMMUNICATION button the Wimba PRONTO option appears on the listing and when that is clicked on a link titled Register and Download Wimba Pronto  will appear and clicking on that will download PRONTO onto the computer. 

It is not difficult for students to download PRONTO.

Here is one way proven effective already: 

Create a Discussion Board forum and place this in the message space

****PRONTO IM Chat Device -EVERYONE REPLY*****

 

To facilitate communications between faculty and students and students amongst themselves we have a tool that can facilitate chat (IM) and talk (voice by microphone) while on line.  Video link is also available as well.  You can conference talk and share applications on one another’s desktops and use a common whiteboard in a wide variety of ways.

<<<Go to left column-the Course Menu of Navigation Column

Go down to COMMUNICATION click on it.

Go Down to WIMBA Pronto and click on it.

Download and register and then you can link to the course and its members.

You will know when any of us is online and you can reach out directly to anyone. You do not need to be logged into BlackBoard ot use PRONTO.

EVERYONE Please REPLY to this indicating that you have read it and followed the steps and are now participating.

 This has proven to be the only instruction students need.