One of the elements missing from online courses is real-time interaction. Luckily, there are some ways to get around this. There are free, and easy programs available online for your use. First, here are some essential facts about VIDEO CONFERENCING followed by a short list of some sites that offer video conferencing options:
All you need to know about VIDEO CONFERENCING:
Number of participants - the total number of participants able to view your conference screen.
** Conference Features - these deal with the delivery and transmission of the presentation.
--> Switch Presenters - the ability to switch control of the conference to other participants.
--> Screen sharing - the ability to share your screen or parts of it with conference participants.
--> Screen recording - the ability to record your conference meeting to a file.
--> Streaming Video - the ability to share your webcam video with conference participants.
** Conference Collaboration Features - these deal with the activities by presenters and participants during the conference.
--> text chat - a text area for participants to enter questions and discussion.
--> whiteboard - an interactive workspace for you/participants to draw, type and annotate in.
--> sidebar forum - the ability of participants to chat in rooms during the presentation.
--> polling / quizzing - the ability to poll your audience during a presentation and get instant feedback.
--> sidebar forum - the ability of participants to chat in rooms during the presentation.
--> polling / quizzing - the ability to poll your audience during a presentation and get instant feedback.
Here are 5 tools to try for VIDEO CONFERENCING:
http://www.appear.in | (+)extremely easy to use (+) no login required; no installations or plugins (+/-) can only support up to 8 users at one time. |
http://www.join.me | (+) easy to initiate a meeting (screen share) and/or join one (+) easy online chat features (+/-) up to 10 users in a meeting (+) can share control of presentation (+) no need to register |
https://plus.google.com/hangouts |
(+/-) up to 10 users at a time
(+) Google on Air - can record live webcams or presentations for a future date. (+) do not need a gmail account to join a meeting; need a gmail account to setup one. |
http://www.meetingburner.com | (+) instant sharing of screen, portion of the screen with others (+) stream video from your webcam (+/-) up to 10 attendees (-) need to register |
http://www.vyew.com | (+) ability to share AND annotate your screen (+) conference features available in free version. See a comparison of Vyew to other applications such as Adobe Meeting, GotoMeeting and WebEx. http://vyew.com/site/product/comparison (+) Collaboration features available. (-) need to register |
Articles on Discussion Forums:
- Creating Engaging Discussion Forums (Part 1 of 2)
- Creating Engaging Discussion Forums (Part 2 of 2)
- 8 Ways to Create Engaging Discussion Forums (Poster)
- 4 Types of Student Behaviors in Online Discussion Forums (Part 1)
- 4 Types of Student Behaviors in Online Discussion Forums (Part 2)
Help on the Video Conferencing Tools Mentioned:
