Navigate 2.1.3 Commercial versus Open Virtual Classroom Quest
Consider for a moment the role of synchronous learning in the virtual classroom and the exploration of various synchronous applications. When would an open source application take precedence over a commercial product? Using these quests as a point of reference, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the open source versus commercial software in relation to synchronous learning in your blog.
I am familiar with the commercial synchronous platforms, like Adobe Connect and Blackboard. I was unfamiliar with any open source applications. I explored BigBlueButton. It has similar features to commercial products such as:
Some drawbacks to BigBlueButton are:
It seems like this version of an open classroom is a good alternative when you don't have funding to purchase the commercial software.
I am familiar with the commercial synchronous platforms, like Adobe Connect and Blackboard. I was unfamiliar with any open source applications. I explored BigBlueButton. It has similar features to commercial products such as:
- ability to annotate your presentations
- ability to make participants into presenters to allow them access to audio functions
- sharing of webcams
- control of layout
- chat boxes
- viewing recorded sessions
Some drawbacks to BigBlueButton are:
- It needs to be hosted somewhere.
- It requires a lot of memory to run and takes a lot of disk space
It seems like this version of an open classroom is a good alternative when you don't have funding to purchase the commercial software.