Webconferencing
- 1. Webconferencing for Education by Savannah Eberhardt
- 2. What is Webconferencing? A webconference is pretty fairly summed up by its name. It is a conference that takes place on the internet. There is a lot of different software you can use for all sorts of conferences: Video chats, audio chats, text chats, and even chats where you can use the cursor to hand-write messages. I will go over some basic tools for webconferencing, and why they may or may not work best for you.
- 3. Webconference Tools •Instant message clients (AIM, msn, yahoo messenger) •Online chat clients (tinychat, real-time forums) •Voice chat/calling clients (voxli, ventrilo, teamspeak) •Video chat/calling (Skype, oovoo)
- 4. Which should I choose? Choosing the type of conference for you is really all about the personal preferences of those involved. Text chat clients are a good choice because everyone who has a computer and internet can participate, but they're also a little difficult to manage, because everyone types at different speeds. Video conferences are the closest to the real thing, and they're the most helpful for working on group projects or presentations, especially where visuals are involved. Voice chats are an easy middle-ground. Not everyone has a webcam, but many computers come with built-in microphones these days, and even if yours doesn't, a decent microphone is still fairly affordable.
- 5. Why Use Webconferencing? Webconferencing is an easy solution for college students working on a project together in a class, but the rest of their schedules just don't line up. Or say a student is commuting, and can't be there on the day you wanted to meet. With webconferencing, this isn't a problem, and the meeting can be held whenever both parties are near a computer with internet.
- 6. Who is Webconferencing Best For? If you are a visual learner, webconferencing will most likely work with you if you use a video call on Skype, or and instant messaging client with text. Auditory learners will benefit from voice and video chats. But the ones who will benefit in all three categories are the interpersonal thinkers, who will be able to exceed through human interaction.