Tele-TASK

The "tele-Teaching Anywhere Solution Kit" (tele-TASK) is a system for tele-lecturing that was developed by Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel's research group at the University of Trier (Germany), where it was first used in 2002. The project moved to the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) at the University of Potsdam in 2004 when Prof. Meinel was appointed as new HPI-Director.
Today this tool is used to record and to Internet-broadcast lectures, colloquia and conferences at Hasso-Plattner-Institute and other universities, and to produce tele-TASK podcasts. The basic idea is to synchronously record (1) video and (2) voice of the lecturer together with (3) the complete desktop of the presenter’s computer, slides, or whiteboard. With the help of an “electronic blackboard” and an appending pen, handwritten notes, which are added by the presenter during his/her presentation, can be recorded as well.
Tele-TASK has a wide field of application. It is an inexpensive and efficient solution for schools and other educational institutions, seminars and workshops, the broadcasting of events, such as a general meeting of shareholders, on the internet, internal training programs for new employees, product presentations, and teleconferencing.
HPI has used the technology for several year. The tele-TASK portal was re-launched in November 2008 with a variety of new features, such as new searching tools, better filters, and easier navigation.
The tele-TASK system is continuously developed and improved in order to adapt to recent trends. Due to the rapidly growing demand, researchers at HPI are currently developing technologies which allow users to quickly find individual passages within the recorded lectures. The increasing interest in mobile learning devices is met by the growing number of tele-TASK podcasts available on the tele-TASK platform. The podcasts can easily be transmitted to iPods, PDAs, and cell phones.
t-Cube (tele-TASK in-a-box)
The tele-TASK system is stored in a compact box which is small enough to be a carry-on item. It consists of a specifically configured computer, a video camera, a microphone, and several connecting cables. The entire system can easily be handled by just one person, and produces audio and video recordings of remarkable quality.
Internet Bridge Potsdam-Beijing
Tele-TASK facilitates distant learning and successful international cooperation. One example is the Internet-Bridge Potsdam-Beijing (http://www.internet-bridge.hpi.uni-potsdam.de/ ). Students at Beijing Technical University regularly view Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel’s lecture on “Internet Security” (http://www.tele-task.de/series/list/675/) via tele-TASK. At the end of the semester, Professor Meinel travels to Beijing to hold oral exams with the students.
Statistics
November 2008 (provided by the tele-TASK research team)
* nearly 11 million hits
* 2.7 million users
* more than 2,000 lectures
* 440 different lecturers
* more than 2,000 podcasts

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