Introduction
Technology that supports collaboration is an essential tool for on-line learning. Peer interaction is vital to creating an effective learning community. Vyew is an online collaboration tool that has applications for business and education. It is used for sharing desktops, documents, presentations and other files with participants in a synchronous or asynchronous working environment. The product’s tag line is “Continuous meeting rooms for real-time and anytime visual collaboration.” Unlike WebEx or GoToMeeting, this product works straight from the web-browser, so no client-side software installation is required. This makes it compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems, as long as you have the most current version of Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome.
http://vyew.com
Beneficial Features as an Assessment Tool
In its 2013 review of webinar-services, Top Ten Reviews (www.toptenreviews.com) ranked the paid version of Vyew 12th out of 13 products. It reviews are based on four categories: features, audio/video, ease of use, and help & support.
“Vyew is an inexpensive webinar services provider with superior academic options but mediocre functionality. Its product is sufficient for some uses but may not include enough tools for large presentations, sales demonstrations or online seminar series. Usability roadblocks compound this problem. We recommend Vyew to small businesses or schools but caution presenters to practice using the application before holding any live meetings.”
However, for the free version of this product, I think it is a viable option for small classroom applications.
Technology that supports collaboration is an essential tool for on-line learning. Peer interaction is vital to creating an effective learning community. Vyew is an online collaboration tool that has applications for business and education. It is used for sharing desktops, documents, presentations and other files with participants in a synchronous or asynchronous working environment. The product’s tag line is “Continuous meeting rooms for real-time and anytime visual collaboration.” Unlike WebEx or GoToMeeting, this product works straight from the web-browser, so no client-side software installation is required. This makes it compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems, as long as you have the most current version of Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome.
http://vyew.com
Beneficial Features as an Assessment Tool
- Free unlimited use with up to 10 people
- Web-based
- Conferencing features include white-boarding, video conferences, screen sharing and voice-over-IP
- Work created in collaboration “rooms” are always saved and always accessible
- Allows for collaboration and continuous feedback
- Instructors can monitor student interactions
- Tutorials on how to use the interface
- Banner Ads with free version
- In order to screen share, hosts need to have Java installed and all participants must have Flash Player
- Doesn’t allow for users to create profiles
- Doesn’t provide applications for smartphones or tablet devices
- Strong, reliable internet connections are necessary for all the features such as audio and screen sharing to work reliably - some students may be at a disadvantage due to the “technology divide”
- Opportunities to practice using all the features before requiring it for a “high stakes” assignment
- Security of information concerns similar to any on-line work environment
In its 2013 review of webinar-services, Top Ten Reviews (www.toptenreviews.com) ranked the paid version of Vyew 12th out of 13 products. It reviews are based on four categories: features, audio/video, ease of use, and help & support.
“Vyew is an inexpensive webinar services provider with superior academic options but mediocre functionality. Its product is sufficient for some uses but may not include enough tools for large presentations, sales demonstrations or online seminar series. Usability roadblocks compound this problem. We recommend Vyew to small businesses or schools but caution presenters to practice using the application before holding any live meetings.”
However, for the free version of this product, I think it is a viable option for small classroom applications.
Educational Application: Environment Science
For one of the modules in an on-line course in environmental science, students in small groups create a Vyew account to share information about factors that impact water quality in their communities. First students individually gather information and data on factors that impact water quality. Next students will use Vyew to orally discuss their findings and then using the on-line collaboration tools create a single presentation to share with the larger group.
Example Learning Objectives
For one of the modules in an on-line course in environmental science, students in small groups create a Vyew account to share information about factors that impact water quality in their communities. First students individually gather information and data on factors that impact water quality. Next students will use Vyew to orally discuss their findings and then using the on-line collaboration tools create a single presentation to share with the larger group.
Example Learning Objectives
- Using survey information students will group factors that impact water quality into specific categories with 90% accuracy.
- Using two visual features (example: video, graph, animation, illustrations, etc.) students will summarize the results of their survey that meet all the criteria on a rubric.