When making decisions about the learning management systems that a virtual school will use to conduct synchronous learning, it is crucial that we understand the capabilities and costs of the systems that are available.
The first major decision is to determine whether the school will select software from a vendor or will opt for open source software. Purchasing software from a vendor can be easier initially, because the vendor will handle setup and the school itself does not have to worry about writing or maintaining code for the software. The cost, however, may be prohibitive for some programs, and often the software purchased from a vendor is not as flexible or easily customized.
Open source software, on the other hand, is more flexible and customizable, and is usually much less expensive. The drawback to open source software is that the organization will need to maintain the software with an IT department. iNACOL provides a chart that details the pros (+) and cons (-) of each approach.
Another decision the organization must make is which software to use for conduct synchronous learning. There are many options available, so let's explore several of them.
Google Hangouts
Google Hangouts is what would happen if Skype or FaceTime met a private chatroom. With Google Hangouts, users can not only create and participate in a group message thread, but they can also have a video chat with multiple users. The service is free, and users can access it through a computer, tablet, or mobile device. Google has been working to improve the system for education, but it still seems pretty limited in what a teacher can do as far as providing a synchronous learning experience. Google Hangouts would be really great for students who are working on a group project from different locations or for classroom discussions. Google Hangouts is also free, which is nice.
Adobe Connect can provide web conferencing and mobile-to-mobile collaboration. Adobe has been working to tailor its product more to education, but it still seems more designed for businesses. It's also not cheap. The cost varies according to the number of users and meeting hosts. Organizations can pay either a flat rate (determined by number of users) or elect to pay a per use fee of $.32 per minute per user.
Blackboard Collaborate
Unlike some of the other products, Blackboard Collaborate was designed for education. Many of the features are similar to those offered by the others (mobile access, web conferencing, etc.), but one feature that makes Blackboard Collaborate stand out is a voice authoring feature. Theoretically, then, a teacher could record a lecture as a voice-over on a PowerPoint or other type of presentation, which would be helpful for many students and could potentially be accommodating the special needs of vision impaired students. With the voice authoring feature, too, teachers could record podcasts that the students could download and listen to through phones or mp3 players at a time that is convenient. One of the biggest drawbacks with Blackboard Collaborate is the cost. Depending on the number of students served, it could cost up to $100,000 each year.
GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is another resource that could be useful for synchronous learning. Like many of the others, GoToMeeting offers web conferencing and a simple design. The program seems simple to understand and use. One feature I enjoyed was that the facilitator of the meeting could control the audio of the other users or switch control of the meeting to another user. GoToMeeting could be really useful for students to use when giving presentations to the rest of the class. The cost seems more reasonable than that of some of the others, too; for meetings of up to 25 people, it is $49/month, and for meetings of up to 100 people, it is $69/month.
BigBlueButton (my favorite)
BigBlueButton is the application that seems to have more pros and fewer cons than any of its competitors. With BigBlueButton, the teacher can control the audio of all of the other members, can annotate presentations, and can see and speak with the students through video. Members can chat either with the whole group or select members through a private chat option. And best of all? It's FREE.
Any of these systems can allow a teacher to deliver information synchronously, and the organization needs to decide which program fits the specific needs of its faculty and students before selecting one.
The first major decision is to determine whether the school will select software from a vendor or will opt for open source software. Purchasing software from a vendor can be easier initially, because the vendor will handle setup and the school itself does not have to worry about writing or maintaining code for the software. The cost, however, may be prohibitive for some programs, and often the software purchased from a vendor is not as flexible or easily customized.
Open source software, on the other hand, is more flexible and customizable, and is usually much less expensive. The drawback to open source software is that the organization will need to maintain the software with an IT department. iNACOL provides a chart that details the pros (+) and cons (-) of each approach.
Another decision the organization must make is which software to use for conduct synchronous learning. There are many options available, so let's explore several of them.
Google Hangouts
Google Hangouts is what would happen if Skype or FaceTime met a private chatroom. With Google Hangouts, users can not only create and participate in a group message thread, but they can also have a video chat with multiple users. The service is free, and users can access it through a computer, tablet, or mobile device. Google has been working to improve the system for education, but it still seems pretty limited in what a teacher can do as far as providing a synchronous learning experience. Google Hangouts would be really great for students who are working on a group project from different locations or for classroom discussions. Google Hangouts is also free, which is nice.
Adobe Connect can provide web conferencing and mobile-to-mobile collaboration. Adobe has been working to tailor its product more to education, but it still seems more designed for businesses. It's also not cheap. The cost varies according to the number of users and meeting hosts. Organizations can pay either a flat rate (determined by number of users) or elect to pay a per use fee of $.32 per minute per user.
Blackboard Collaborate
Unlike some of the other products, Blackboard Collaborate was designed for education. Many of the features are similar to those offered by the others (mobile access, web conferencing, etc.), but one feature that makes Blackboard Collaborate stand out is a voice authoring feature. Theoretically, then, a teacher could record a lecture as a voice-over on a PowerPoint or other type of presentation, which would be helpful for many students and could potentially be accommodating the special needs of vision impaired students. With the voice authoring feature, too, teachers could record podcasts that the students could download and listen to through phones or mp3 players at a time that is convenient. One of the biggest drawbacks with Blackboard Collaborate is the cost. Depending on the number of students served, it could cost up to $100,000 each year.
GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is another resource that could be useful for synchronous learning. Like many of the others, GoToMeeting offers web conferencing and a simple design. The program seems simple to understand and use. One feature I enjoyed was that the facilitator of the meeting could control the audio of the other users or switch control of the meeting to another user. GoToMeeting could be really useful for students to use when giving presentations to the rest of the class. The cost seems more reasonable than that of some of the others, too; for meetings of up to 25 people, it is $49/month, and for meetings of up to 100 people, it is $69/month.
BigBlueButton (my favorite)
Any of these systems can allow a teacher to deliver information synchronously, and the organization needs to decide which program fits the specific needs of its faculty and students before selecting one.
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