Interactive web conferencing is a cost effective way for businesses and schools to work and is going to become much more popular as more people find out about it
More businesses are taking advantage of web conferencing to interact with clients and employees. They may not realize the learning benefits of this tool.
Lectures have been a staple for teaching people for many years. A person would stand in front of a group of people and tell them the things they needed to know.
This type of education has been used in classrooms full of students and in businesses that need to teach large groups of employee’s things they need to know. It is considered to be an effective teaching tool. While it may be an easy way to teach large groups of people, it is not always an effective learning tool.
People who listen to a lecture may not pay as much attention as they need to in order to understand what is being taught. They may not have the opportunity to ask any questions they have. They may lose interest in what a person is saying because of the tone of the speaker’s voice. There are many people who are at a lecture that do not get the education they should for a variety of reasons.
A good business or school will look for tools that allow everyone involved to learn as much as possible. One of the tools that is available is web conferencing. When used properly, it can be a very effective way for large groups of people to learn what they need to know.
(Next page: Benefits of interactive web conferencing)
Interactive Web Conferencing
The key to using web conferencing tools such as UberConference as a teaching and learning mode is to make it interactive. IT does not benefit anyone if there is one person that is doing all of the speaking at a web conference. If this occurs, it is no different than having a lecturer stand in front of a large group of people. There will still be many people that do not pay attention to the web conference that is nothing more than a lecture.
When the web conference becomes interactive, it becomes a valuable learning tool for everyone involved. Thanks to web conference services such as Uberconference it is easy too. The service allows everyone who is signed in to interact with the person that is holding the conference or with others that are attending.
It is important that the person who is in charge has control over these interactions to make sure that the meeting stays on point and the service can help with that. This tool will allow people around the world to gather for a learning experience and allows them to learn from each other in addition to the person holding the conference.
Benefits
There are many different ways that people can learn from this experience.
• Greater accessibility – More people can attend a web conference because distance is not an issue. As long as they have a computer and an internet connection they can participate.
• Increased interaction – The people who are attending the web conference can interact with the person that is holding it. They can ask questions to make sure they understand what is being said. They can also interact with the other people at the conference. This leads to a better understanding by all of those that participate.
• Increases active learning – When you interact with other people you become more involved in what is being taught. It is easier to remember what is being taught and how to apply the lessons that are learned in this setting.
• Increases learning opportunity – A lecturer that does not interact will teach what they know. When the interactive web conferencing tool is used, the amount of things that can be taught and learned will grow. The variety of the people involved in the lecture will bring different viewpoints to the lesson and will increase what can be taught.
How to make it effective
Setting up a web conference meeting as a learning tool will not guarantee its success. In fact, if it is not done properly, it is a waste of time and money. There are several things that can be done to make sure that the tool is used properly and people who attend are able to learn as much as possible.
• Make sure everyone knows how to join the web conference – It is a good idea to have a meeting beforehand to make sure that everyone knows how to use the web conferencing tool.
• Schedule the meeting – make sure the meeting is scheduled and everyone is aware of when it is.
• Have a lesson plan – It is important to make sure that you have a plan although it does not have to be set in stone.
Interactive web conferencing is a powerful learning tool for everyone involved. It is a cost effective way for businesses and schools to work and is going to become much more popular as more people find out about it.
John Reiley is a senior business analyst currently residing in NYC. He has been helping business owners plan their strategy for success since 2005. He can be reached on GooglePlus.
- The learning benefits of interactive web conferencing - June 12, 2014
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