Give Online Students a Headset with Push-to-Talk Microphone

Just about every computer based video/audio-conference I attend has a few minutes at the start where people sort out audio problems. Rather than giving new online students a useless gift (such as a fridge magnet), a headset with a push to talk microphone (costing about $10) would be useful. Headsets are readily available, some with push-to-mute buttons, but ones with push-to-talk are rare. Such a unit would overcome several problems:

1. Poorly placed microphone: Many people try to use the microphone built into their laptop computer. This results in noise from the room, the computer, keyboard and desk. A headset microphone up near the mouth cuts out noise.
   
2. Feedback from loudspeaker: May people try to use the speakers on their computer. The result is feedback, with sound from the loudspeaker being picked up by the microphone and relayed back to the speakers. This results in an echo chamber effect. Some systems offer echo cancellation but this is not entirely effective. A headset isolates the sound from the microphone and eliminates the problem.
3. Background sound: For a small group, all microphones can be live at once. However, if there a dozen or more parties in the conference it is best if those not speaking switch off their microphones, otherwise background noise can be heard. Video conference systems offer click-on/click-off setting for microphones, but it can be difficult to tell when the microphone is on and easy to forget to turn it off. A spring loaded push-to-talk switch on the headset cable provides tactile feedback and resets to the off position when the user lets go.
   

Surveillance Style Headset for Video Conferences

Recently I have been taking part in numerous video conferences using my laptop. These require use of a headset to get reasonable quality sound. But you look a silly on camera with a big headset on. Also headsets can be uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. I found an air-tube headset in my local electronics shop. These are also called Surveillance Headsets (or security headsets) and are also used by TV presenters.

The surveillance headset has a soft ear plug which fits in one ear, connected to a clear plastic tube up over the ear and down the back of the neck with a curly tube. The tube ends in a clip attached to the collar. The neck clip has a wire which runs to a small box with clip to attach to your lapel, a push-to-talk (PTT) switch and microphone. This box has a second cable with a plug for the computer (some units have a separate lapel microphone).

That sounds complicated and it is a bit fiddly to put on. But once fitted, the ear-piece is very comfortable and not noticeable on camera. The unit I bought has a PTT switch. This is very handy for events with large numbers of participants where you only speak occasionally: you hold the switch to talk and so can't accidentally leave it on. Some units are designed for "VOX" so the microphone is on all the time and some have a VOX/PTT switch to select either mode. My unit has no VOX switch but I find a rubber band works fine to keep the microphone switch down for extended periods.

The tricky part is to find a surveillance headset with the plug for your computer. Most of the headsets have just one 3.5mm stereo style male plug, some have two mono 3.5mm male plugs, some a 3.5mm and a 2.5 mm plug. Most computers have two 3.5mm stereo sockets: one for the microphone and one for the earphone.

I made my own adapter cable. Otherwise you can make a connector from Cable Adapters. For mine this would be one 3.5mm Stereo Female to Two Male RCA Y-Cable (to split the 3.5mm stereo from the headset into two mono channels) and then two RCA Female to 3.5mm Stereo Male Adapters.

Also I found the headset works fine with my mobile phone, using a 3.5 mm to 2.5mm stereo adapter.

DumbPhones: Simple Digital Phones

Rick Welykochy from Praxis Services pointed out in the Link mailing list that there are such things as Dumbphones. These are phones which provide basic voice communications, without web access and apps. Apart from being easier to use for simply making phone calls, these phones also tend to be cheaper.

Simple Desktop Phones

As an example a CISCO Model 7965G IP Phone costs several hundred dollars, whereas a Cisco 500 Series 1-Line IP Phone is less than one hundred dollars. The cheaper phone has no screen and just a numeric keypad. If all you want to do is dial a number to make a call, the simpler phone is as good as and perhaps better, than the fancy model.

Simple Mobile Phones

The John's Phone takes simplicity to the extreme, being a mobile phone with no display screen at all. Instead of a screen, it has a slot for a paper notebook and pen.

The JUST5 J509 is more typical of easy to use mobile phones available, with a relatively large numeric keypad and a small display with large digits.

Open Source Web Conferencing for Distance Education

Just came across "Big Blue Button" which claims to be open source web conferencing for distance education. This might be a useful alternative to Wimba Classroom and DimDim. It seems to have much the same features. I joined the demo conference and it worked okay on my low power netbook. The source code is available.

However, BigBlueButton, Wimba Classroom and DimDim all use Flash and all assume that the presenter is showing Powerpoint, PDF or similar documents. DimDim does have a limited function for sharing web pages, but does not exploit this fully. There is scope for a product which genuinely works with web pages. Perhaps this could be done with HTML5 and could be tightly integrated with Moodle. This would simplify the software needed and reduce the resources needed to use the system. Essentially the system would be reduced to a small amount of code to knit together the web, audio and text chat functions.

End to End Secure Quadruple Play Communications Solution

The NZ Ministry of Economic Development has given notice it is intending to issue a Request for Proposal for the "Provision of End to End Secure Quadruple Play Communications Solution (Voice, Video, Data Mobile with security)". The wording of the announcement is worryingly loose and sounds like it was cobbled together from some vendor brochures. As an example a single service is "likely to encompass ... probably security perimeter ... possibility of datacentre consolidation... Probably VoIP telephony ...". The ministry is also asking for: single number for staff, a one user – one device voice model, mobile device deployment and management for secure mobile communications, GPS integrated mobile devices with mobile mapping and locating, Data Centre acceleration (whatever that is):

"The Ministry of Economic Development is giving advance notice to suppliers of its intention to release a Request for Proposal for the Provision of End to End Secure Quadruple Play Communications Solution (Voice, Video, Data Mobile with security).

The scope of this procurement is to select a single contracted service provider to work in partnership with the Ministry for the provision of Network Services. The Ministry expects to have a prime vendor arrangement with the Vendor taking responsibility for all aspects of the requested service.

Such a single service is likely to encompass the following areas:

· End to End fixed and mobile communications inclusive of data, video, fixed voice, mobile voice, internet and probably security perimeter

· The possibility of datacentre consolidation

· End-to-end monitoring via defined back to back commercial interfaces with the Ministry’s infrastructure suppliers

· Probably VoIP telephony both internally, call centre and externally prepared for the next level of innovation

· Specific fibre solutions for disk mirroring and/or replication to support DR

· Innovation consisting of, but not limited to :

o Single number for staff
o A one user – one device voice model
o Mobile device deployment and management for secure mobile communications
o GPS integrated mobile devices – mobile mapping and locating
o Data Centre acceleration
o WAN acceleration
o CTI for the call centres
o Authentication
o Security

Call and Data routing utilises the most appropriate least cost path (eg on-net, off-net, internet – via wifi, cellular etc) and this is transparent in service delivery and commercial arrangements..."

From: Provision of End to End Secure Quadruple Play Communications Solution (Voice, Video, Data Mobile with security), NZ Ministry of Economic Development, GETS Reference: 27573, 9 October 2009