I love, love, love these tools! Talk about reducing the intimidation factor for students who may need additional support or those who simply want to review in total the lesson of the day, week, month, semester. Being able to offer instruction using my screen, my voice, and my materials, really allow each student to have one on one instruction on demand.

In the brick and mortar classroom, using this type of delivery can provide the opportunity to develop learning teams that move at their own pace whilst being sure that each student is receiving the same instruction and explanations. This can also provide a great method for remediation and differentiation for those students who may struggle and require a deeper exploration of classroom concepts.

In the online classroom, these tools offer the opportunity to engage students using real-time, moving images, rather than the same tire PowerPoint slide show. I can provide a lot more information and ensure that students are deeply immersed in the learning in a variety of ways. Archiving sessions provides students the ability to revisit concepts that they find interesting or that they may have had difficulty grasping the first time. Students quickly learn they are accountable and have no excuse.

I can provide step by step instructions using a video and voice over for those tasks that students need be able to perform and systems they may need to utilize throughout the course. One of the things I hope to impart to all of my students is a sense of “I got this”. These tools allow them to get on board with me and feel confident in a way that only one on one instruction can offer.  In my demonstration

In my demonstration, I explain how to use the LMGTFY – Let Me Google That For You site. It was originally developed as an off hand, kind of passive-aggressive way to sidestep those people who would rather have you give them the answer than research it themselves. As an educator, this can be an all too common plight of the modern student, but sometimes, the learner really doesn’t know how to search for information. I have found the LMGTFY site can really be a great platform for introducing students to the idea of online research. I hope you find it beneficial too!

I reviewed several tools including:

1. Screenr – Free online recording tool
2. Jing – Free downloadable recording tool
3. Screencast.com – A repository for your Jing videos
4. Screencast-O-Matic – Free and subscribed recording tool
5. Explain Everything – A collaborative and interactive whiteboard

I chose to build my demonstration on Screencast-O-Matic. I like the simplicity and the option to upgrade should I desire. Here is the link for a fast demonstration of Screencast-O-Matic and LMGTFY

I selected the BigBlueButton (BBB) Live Session Application for my test run. Having had a lot of experience with commercial applications like Adobe Classroom, I was surprised to find BBB is very similar and can readily be modified to meet the needs of any delivery protocol. Oh…and…it’s free! This type of delivery would be beneficial for direct instruction, tutoring sessions, homebound student live sessions, academic group meetings, and for professional development.

This type of delivery would be beneficial for direct instruction, tutoring sessions, homebound student live sessions, academic group meetings, and for professional development.

I expected the application to be less flexible because it is an open source free platform, boy was I wrong. BBB is every bit as user-friendly and feature-filled as some of the commercial products I have used. Good to know! I did not have any issues per se’ except with the microphone, I continued to pick up voices even with my external microphone muted, until I realized the default is the internal built-in mic, something to keep in mind! I also found the screen share a little limited. I use multiple screens. I’d like to choose which screen to share. Neither issue would be a show stopper and I am sure a few more minutes of practice would sort those bugs out!

I easily implemented the tools, like the assorted templates for the meeting space, the whiteboard and presentation upload. Those make customizing a session quick and easy. I like that the tutorial videos were up and ready to go for the person joining as a default. Overall, I find the BigBlueButton software to be every bit as good as some of the commercial options, certainly, for one teacher, BBB has everything I could possibly need.

The recording of my practice session is here BigBlueButton Playback, along with the link to the BigBlueButton Site!

 

This post will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the open source versus commercial software in relation to synchronous learning in a virtual classroom.

My experience with virtual instruction has afforded me the opportunity to become very familiar with commercial software options for synchronous delivery. A significant advantage to using a commercial product vs an open source product are the features available. Technology is great when it’s great. Technology, however, often derails. When that happens the jumble can stop instruction in its tracks. But features come at a price. If it comes to using a product that is open source to using no product at all, then open source it is.  

I decided to do a comparison between Adobe Connect and Big Blue Button to highlight some of the features each has to offer. Most commercial products offer similar features to Adobe Connect.

Adobe Connect runs about $500 per year subscription which is for 25 participants. So if you were supporting multiple classrooms, that would get steep fast! For that you get:

Big Blue Button, on the other hand, is open source, so there is no subscription fee. This could be a saving grace for an organization, or teacher, looking to add a virtual dimension to the learning environment. The services offered include:

An open source application might take precedence over a commercial product for a small to medium sized entity that was simply looking for a place to house a meeting, not necessarily great for instructing.

The functions are limited in an open source space, like file sharing, application sharing, and screen sharing. These tools can be significant for instruction, demonstration, and evaluation.

In open source spaces, meetings have to be scheduled and cannot just “happen on the fly”. There is no participant reporting and no security protocol, priority issues to consider when choosing between Open Source and Commercial Software.

Generally speaking, the commercial software offers much more than open source software. In this case – you get what you pay for!

As a virtual instructor in the corporate world, I utilized both synchronous and asynchronous instructional methods. I met with my students daily for four hours in an adobe connect classroom and then students continued their learning through Email and on-line discussion. And finally, they had to demonstrate their learning using the companies actual systems and work with customers on live calls.

I also taught health and nutrition to college students using a blended model. We met once a week in a brick and mortar and the rest of the instruction occurred via the internet through instructional video conferencing, content specific games, ePortfolios, collaborative forums and social media.

Currently, I teach in a traditional brick and mortar high school. We adopted a one-to-one plan last year and every student now has a laptop provided by the school. My classroom became a blended classroom because of the knowledge I brought with me from the corporate world. I had an advantage, most teachers really struggled with how to utilize the technology in the classroom. For the most part, they did not utilize them at all or only as word processing tools.

Creating a blended classroom without any training is just about impossible in my opinion. Fortunately, my experience provided me with the background I needed to really utilize the tools at hand. The kids were working on ePortfolios, eNotebooks, and on-line discussion boards. The ability to use a rotating station model really allowed me to differentiate instruction for my students with disabilities and offered remediation time that I otherwise could not have provided in class. The real-time data provided a window into how students were doing with the information and made very clear those areas in which they struggled.

I really don’t have a preference between asynchronous or synchronous classes. They both have merit and offer unlimited potential for learning. Ideally, how one learns, will be the best indicator for which model is the one for them.