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Video Conferencing - Collaboration - Voice Messaging Solutions
There are a multitude of technology options to connect with your work colleagues, clients, and students. Here are a few solutions to assist in your video conferencing, group collaboration, and voice messaging and management. There also is a Knowledge Base [KB] article which provides a broad view of many available technology options at: https://kb.uwlax.edu/98585
Group Collaboration 
If you want to collaborate with a small or large group you’ll may want to use Microsoft Teams. Teams works extremely well for document collaboration and as a file repository. You can schedule meetings on an ad hoc basis and also pre-schedule events. Chats are another great feature. You can schedule meetings in your Outlook calendar and schedule a meeting like you have done in the past. Now you will be scheduling your virtual meeting using Teams as your application.
Here is a helpful video to learn how to effective use Teams.
Microsoft Teams Tips & Tricks – 1 hr 1 min
Cisco Jabber 
Cisco Jabber delivers instant messaging, voice and video calls, voice messaging, desktop sharing, conferencing, and presence. This is an excellent tool to mimic your campus VoIP unit on your desk. Basically you are extending your office telephone to your computer (both laptop or desktop with mic) or to your mobile phone. It will appear that you are calling from your office phone rather than from your home or personal phone. You also can review and delete messages you may have received on your work VoIP phone. ITS is working on a solution to provide this application to non-university personally owned computers as well.
Here are three short videos created in Mediasite Desktop Recorder on how to use Jabber:
How to configure Jabber on your UWL-issued computer
Using Jabber on an iPhone or iPad
Using Jabber on an Android phone or tablet
How to Enhance Your Technology Experience
Whatever technology platform you select, here are some helpful best practices to ensure an effective and efficient technology experience.
2) How robust is your home network? Consider maximizing your bandwidth by turning off unused devices and to limit the load on the network. Also consider the internet access and bandwidth your end users have. Their limited bandwidth may degrade the experience.
3) Test and plan your experience. Don’t attempt using these technologies for the first time during your scheduled event with the end users. A poor initial experience may discourage future use.
4) Choose the “right size” for your technology experience. Decide the size of your audience
and if your event requires live interaction, chatting, video, audio, or document collaboration.
5) Participants who are not speaking should keep their mics muted. If video is not required,
you may want to mute that and only utilize audio.
6) Use a headset with mic to improve your outgoing audio and to enhance and isolate the
audio you are receiving.
Resources to Effectively Conduct Remote Meetings
Here are some useful resources to enhance your remote meetings and video conferences:
Leading at a Distance – 36 min