WEB CONFERENCE

I had the opportunity to participate in the web conference this past Wednesday. There were some technical difficulties, so we were only able to use the chat feature. I almost enjoyed this more. I have used Adobe Connect in other web conferences for our social studies department, and I sometimes have a hard time keeping up with the audio discussion and the online chat at the same time. It can definitely be a bit overwhelming. The information I learned in the web conference was not really very insightful. However, I think it was a great format for us to ask questions without the delay of waiting for an email response. I can also see its benefit for classroom teachers and for online collaboration. Several teachers in our district, especially math teachers, are using web conferences for tutoring in the evenings. Many district coordinators are also using them for after school meetings. One of the extra benefits of online conferencing is the money they save. There is no expense for keeping a school or district building open if teachers are each meeting online at their homes. I think one thing we do have to be careful of when using online conferencing is to make sure they actually serve a purpose. I know of some teachers who take students to a lab to participate in an Adobe Connect session. This is essentially the same as gathering students in a room and asking them to call each other on their cell phones. As with all forms of technology, we need to be sure we are using it to serve a purpose.