Part A- Brainstorm Session

For your convenience, click here to listen to this blog rather than read it.

After being assigned to a group to create a ten minute stand alone professional development tutorial on technology, I quickly headed to see who I would be working with and what our topic would be. I was pleased to find myself in a group of very productive gentlemen who shared the same desire to incorporate mobile devices like smart phones and Ipads into our classrooms as a learning tool. We (Kyle, Brian and I) collaborated via email numerous times prior to our initial meeting using the web conferencing tool; Vyew. Vyew appears to be a very effective tool, but during our first use, we were experiencing sound and audio difficulties. We had to revert to talking on the phone as a means of verbal communication during this meeting. However, the following day Brian and I were toying with Vyew and had no audio/sound problems.  So we proceeded to continue using Vyew for another session only to again face those same audio/sound problems from a prior meeting. Furthermore we discovered that there was no way to record our session. We attempted to use Camtasia but learned there was a fee to utilize its full benefits. So we scrapped that idea and turned to our trusted Google Hangout option. Below is a video from our brainstorming meeting.

There are several advantages to using web conferencing tools. To begin, they are extremely convenient.  One does not have to commute which saves time and allows for more preparation. Secondly, these meeting can be recorded and referred to later for reference, unlike in-person meetings that are recorded only by means of notes scribbled on legal pads. Lastly, web conferencing tools like Google Hangout, allow you to share your screen and give your audience/group members, visuals. Despite literally being apart by miles, these conferencing meetings can be more intimate than traditional in-person meetings where some may feel uncomfortable crowding around you to see your computer screen. In virtual meetings online resources are easier to share.

The only disadvantages I faced (not sure I can speak for my whole group) with using a web conferencing tool was not knowing which of the hundreds available would best suit our needs. Google Hangout is great. But we pretty much chose it because we were already familiar with it and it is reliable. But I'm sure there is something better out there. The disadvantage is not knowing which web conferencing tool is the best fit for us, and learning how to use it.