South Carolina EduSpace

How do I become a member of EduSpace?
If you are educator, you will have to be registered by your district’s technology department. Once a master account has been setup for your district, you will receive an email with an activation code in order to begin your EduSpace journey. Complete the user registration and your ready to go.

What do I need to use EduSpace?
In order to access an EduSpace tele-mentoring session you will need the following...

A windows based PC w/ a 1.5Ghz processor, 512M of RAM and Windows XP or greater
Multimedia Speakers attached to your PC
An EduSpace account associated with your district’s master account

Do I need to have my IT administrator make any adjustments in order to conduct an EduSpace session for my class?
Absolutely not. EduSpace uses the TCP port 8080 in order to communicate to the interactive client running on your PC. This port is normally used for internet credit card transactions and is rarely blocked. Also, because EduSpace does not need for your PC to have specific network information in order to communicate (such as a static IP address or NAT port forwarding), you can maintain your networks security and still participate in EduSpace.

What would be an optimal setup for a classroom in order to take full advantage of EduSpace?
An optimal classroom experience would include the following equipment or services. A 3.0Ghz Windows XP machine w/ 1G RAM and dual display output a 2500+ ANSI Lumen projector with DV IN from PC A ceiling oriented sound field system with echo cancellation support A lapel or bodypack style microphone for classroom teacher A handheld microphone for student interaction

How much does EduSpace cost?
EduSpace has a very unique model in that there is no cost associated with tele-mentoring calls to K12 educators. All calls are supported from companies that want to provide this service to South Carolina students. This model will allow all districts to participate with a minimum barrier of entry

What type of subject areas will be offered by EduSpace tele-mentors?
These will vary and increase as time goes on but, a wide range of business, science, history and mathematics will be covered fully and you are welcome to recommend someone to become a tele-mentor that you feel with benefit SC Schools.

Is EduSpace a system that is shared by other states or is it specific to South Carolina?
EduSpace is South Carolina born and bred and the systems focus will be on SC Schools.

What if I want to conduct a High Definition session with someone in EduSpace?
EduSpace will support HD conferencing up to 1080p for special events or business use. If you have a application or event you would like to conduct in HD, call Mission Control and they can set it up for you.

Do I require other equipment to conduct an HD conference?
Optic equipment for a PC based HD conference is available and can be used with the system but, we have found that most PCs do not have the power to process this quality of imagery. With these types of calls we highly recommend room based systems such as ones made by LifeSize or TandBerg. Make sure the room equipment you are using is certified for HD.

I have heard of some systems that are called “tele-presence” systems. What are they and will they work in EduSpace?
Tele-Presence systems are high end tele-conferencing system used for the purpose of simulating a “true to life” experience to the user. Displays are normally at eye level and an individuals dimensions on the display are as they would be in real life. In a business environment this often replaces face-to-face meetings and with the high level of realism, the conference is conducted as a normal one would. In a tele-mentoring environment using EduSpace, we can definitely achieve the video quality of a tele-presence system but it differs in that our audience is not a few people but a classroom of students. EduSpace will fully support tele-presence meetings up to 1080p

What of I want to have multiple people in my session, ca I do that?
Absolutely. EduSpace will support up to 5 individual interactive endpoints in a conference.

What if more than 5 want to see the conference? Are others allowed to view it as well?
Yes. EduSpace will be offering the EduCast viewer for one way viewing of authorized conferences. This service is streamed in Adobe Flash so most users should be able to view without a problem. With this feature, if you have a special guest or event, a large amount of classrooms could view it as it happens.

What if I want to view my conference later and show it to others? Does EduSpace have the ability to record my session?
Yes. When you schedule your session you will have the option to record it for later playback.

I have had a very good tele-mentor present to my class and I would like to let everyone know how well they performed. Is there a way I can tell other educators of my experience?
Yes. Within 24hrs of your session, EduSpace will send you a session evaluation of 8 questions. This will be used to gauge a tele-mentors abilities, knowledge and general performance. This evaluation process is similar to the ADEPT (Assisting Developing Evaluating Professional Teaching) process currently used by the SC Department of Education. These evaluation areas will be averaged with other educators experiences and provide a sar rating for your tele-mentor. The higher the stars (1-5) the better the performance evaluation has been for that tele-mentor.