Calling experienced web-meeters

[kinzel]

Hoaky there,

heads up geekoids... a chance to foam at the keyboard about that hateful/favorite/bland bit meeting/collaboration software you've used....

we've done some "meetings" and some teaching in SL, but it's subject to lag and the unpredictable "rolling log-out," not to mention the not-so-rare griefer.

We've been interviewed in IRC and on related-type things...

So what we're looking for is useful software to do online small-party teaching and consulting. Small party meaning 10 or fewer participants at any one time.

I have in house invitations to try:

WebEx
GoToMeeting

and am willing to look at other solutions. At this point it looks like there's a monthly $nut to crack -- that could be doable, but we'd need to be sure that what we're working with will actually work...

So does anyone know if Ekiga will work with Freespire?

Comments?

Steve

Comments

Re: Online instruction

[kinzel.livejournal.com]

...this is in response to a long series of requests we've had to do workshops and such, online.

We have some face to face experiencence -- I've done some lectures/seminar type things at Nebula weekends on PR/marketing for newbies and midlisters, for example... and we've both done workshops at conventions; I've taught adult ed, we've lectured/spoken to numerous writing classes... and so I think we both favor face-to-face.

We also both have notched some other experience, going back to the 80s, of working as mentors for an international correspondence course for writers.

All of this to say, we're not quite sure since it's not been organized yet. We might want to do a regional online workshop with a meeting at the start and the end of units/semesters/solstice....

Overkill, but the price is right

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

You mght take a look at Sakai or Moodle - both are open source learning management systems, much more than you probably need. http://www.sakaiproject.org and http://moodle.org/

I've seen plenty of people using basic bbs, newsgroup, or wiki sorts of things for online teaching. Mostly needs an organized pattern of "teaching materials," "assignments," "turnin," "Main Class Discussions," "Chat Board," and maybe "Team Space" if you are doing collaborative efforts. University of Phoenix basically uses newsgroups with a web interface or outlook express, for example.

Are you sure you want synchronous meetings?

Might take a look at http://www.edutools.org/ - the CMS comparisons. Again, serious overkill, probably.

[damara.livejournal.com]

Just a thought - I'm not sure what you're looking for, but would something like Skype work?

Re: OK

[kinzel.livejournal.com]

Well...
I dunno, I may not want to host it mysefl. I just have gotten used to doing things myself... sigh.

I've gotta know . . .

[(Anonymous)]

what, pray tell, is a griefer?

Craig

Re: I've gotta know . . .

[kinzel.livejournal.com]

A griefer is:

a vandal
a troublemaker
a troll
a punk (not in the punk music sense, alas)
a self-actuated noise-maker
a PITA