Yesterday I attended a training class on the use of virtual classroom technology (www.WizIQ.com). This is the same technology I will be using to tutor students online. The technology is all JAVA based (looks like I should learn JAVA stead of drinking it), and is amazingly user-friendly.
The trainer (and the virtual classroom website) was based in India. The quality of the audio in the virtual presentation was not the best but not prohibitive either. The PowerPoint presentation was smooth as was the whiteboard controls. Also, the ability to play audio and video files (podcast, YouTube, etc.) within the classroom setting is phenomenal. I found this amazing that I could take a class from someone on the other side of the planet and still have a smooth interaction. I have used Skype before and have had problems talking to people in Houston, Texas let alone India!
I am quite enamored of the technology and would love to see it used more often in the US. Currently, most of the instructors using the technology are in Asia and are geared toward supplemental instruction for the college entrance exams in India. Not only is this tech beneficial for non-traditional methods of instruction, the controls of the classroom also make this a good place to teach a traditional style lecture class.
What great strides have been made in technology! And a big thank you to Rohit for the tutorial and the interesting discussion of True Blood!
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