Have you ever had to present your work in front of the class, just using written explanations? It is not an easy task. You have to be able to describe something while preventing yawning and falling asleep on the part of your audience. I mean, you can do this with things like templates, but if you need something original, perhaps something more suited for teaching purposes, you need to master some web conferencing tools.
A webcam is the most important part of any web conferencing tool. Even if you have absolutely zero experience, you can use a webcam to your advantage in the classroom. For example, if you’re an English teacher, you might want to have students read poems, plays or short stories aloud while using their webcams.
Skype
Who should use it?
The free version of Skype works well for small teams with less than 10 total members. It is a good tool if you need a simple way to video chat from your computer, phone, or tablet and tend to have smaller group meetings or 1-1 conversation. Skype also offers a tool called Skype in the Classroom specifically designed for online education.
Top Free Features:
- Up to 10 people on video calls
- HD video calling
- Screen sharing
- Video call recording
- Interactive video chats
- Location sharing
Skype is my favourite tool for video conferencing. It allows for group video calling where users from anywhere in the world can get together and share, celebrate and collaborate.
uMeeting – Best for webinars
Flexible video interaction lets you take notes or send a message without disruption.
U Meeting has two different video software and virtual meeting software solutions, one with a focus on online meetings and the other with a focus on public webinars. “Invitation only” meetings allow hosts to control the list of participants who have access to certain confidential meetings.
U Meeting scores well in the UX section of the evaluation criteria, not only because the tool looks good but also because they have many interface “enhancement” options; they offer vanity options like AI-powered background blur, optimized lighting, and AR-powered touch-up tools.
Integrations were not mentioned on the U Meeting website, nor listed online by a third party.
The freemium version of the software has a maximum time of 30 minutes per meeting, making it less than ideal for important corporate discussions. However, this could be a good test run if you treat it more as you would a free trial for video conference software.
U Meeting starts at $29.99/user/month and offers a free version of the software.Visit Website
- freemium version
- From $13.50/host/month
Cisco Webex – Best for real-time attendee personal profiles
Launch a video call by having the meeting call you or vice versa through your web or PC.
Cisco Webex has a range of solutions for a quick audio conference call or a full-fledged video conference with multiple locations or offices. This tool offers conference calls, screen sharing, support and storage, and an unlimited number of meetings no matter the plan you choose.
The quality of the live video and audio components is good and the bandwidth of the software is relatively low so you can avoid sputtering on a good internet connection. Integrations with Outlook and Gmail make adding web meetings to those respective calendars painless.
Integrations include Outlook, Google Drive, Github, Office 365, Salesforce, and Gmail.
Connecting through a browser was a challenge; mostly, the software will invasively prompt you to download the extension or entire application. This is fine if it’s your conference software of choice but they lost some marks in Usability because it can be hard to onboard new callers.
Cisco Webex starts at $13.50/host/month and has a freemium version of the software.Visit Website
- 14 days free trial
- From $10/month
Join.me – Best for screen share capabilities
Start or join a toll-free meeting with audio, recording, scheduling, and remote control features.
Join.me offers video bubbles (floating visual images of you and the people you are meeting), local conference numbers in the U.S. and 50+ countries, optional toll-free numbers, and audio controls for meeting hosts such as Active Speaker, Individual Mute, and Roll Call.
Join.me scored well in the Usability segment of the evaluation criteria because it is quick and intuitive to get set-up and their free trial lets you make an account and host a meeting immediately. Swapping between presenters is easy, even for non-tech-savvy users.
Integrations include Outlook and Google Calendar, Trello, Slack, G Suite, HipChat, HubSpot, Highspot, Salesforce, Octiv, DocSend, Yesware, and more through either Zapier or their developer API.
A few cons to note: there was some lag noticed during video calls, perhaps more so than other items on this list. Additionally, the “video bubbles” that are pegged as a feature might be cumbersome for those who want larger images or are used to square frames.
Join.me starts at $10/month and has a free 14-day trial.Visit Website
- 14 days free trial
- From $49/month
Ryver – Best for third-party integrations.
Teleconferencing facilities that include unlimited calls and chat with a paid plan.
Ryver was launched in 2014 as a platform for teams to communicate, manage tasks, and automate business processes. Features include video conferencing, forums, teams, chat software, news streaming, task management, and a 256-bit RSA encryption.
Ryver integrates with 1000’s of other apps using existing plugins or APIs/webhooks, and they inform users of their options upfront. Thus, they scored very well in the Integrations section of the evaluation criteria section.
Integrations include Google Sheets and Google Forms, Gmail, a Chrome Plugin, Slack, Twitter, Asana, Dropbox, Bot Kit, HubSpot, and many more through Zapier.
Logging into the mobile app is a slow process, not to mention the semi-frequent errors that can potentially boot users back out. A minor critique would be the need to improve mobile functionality in today’s day and age.
Ryver starts at $49/month and has a free 14-day trial.Visit Website
- freemium version
- From $16/user/month
BigBlueButton
BigBlueButton enables universities and colleges to deliver a high-quality learning experience to remote students.
Free Video Conferencing Tools for Remote Teaching
February 27, 2019 by ProfK 13 CommentsFacebookTwitterPinterestShare
Updated May 2020
Overview
After I moved to Florida, I taught my graphic design class at Lasell College remotely for the first time. It took a lot of discussion, thought, and research into videoconferencing tools. During the previous year, I completed Lasell’s professional development course on online teaching and got my certification. Teaching online doesn’t involve regular face-to-face interactions that adhere to a traditional schedule. Students can do the classwork on their own time, from any location.
Teaching remotely has a different structure from online teaching. The experience is a simulation of the live classroom, as if I were actually in the room with the students. What I was embarking on was entirely new for our department and school.
I needed to find a free tool that would enable me and my students to talk with each other and share our screens during “real-time”. I started exploring videoconferencing tools that I’ve used for client meetings, then researched and experimented with other options provided by our school or recommended to me. Below is my list of viable tools.
Tools
Join.Me
I use Join.Me for client meetings quite frequently, and it works really well. Due to the limitations in number of participants (3) for the free program, we didn’t use it for our class.
Cost:
Free to $10/month to $20/month to $30/month
Number of Participants:
3 (free); up to 250 (paid)
Platforms:
Download app to: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Chromebook
Restrictions:
Unlimited number & length of meetings
No time limits
Unlimited toll & internet calls including international conference lines
Features:
Videoconferencing, screen-sharing, chat, take control of other participants’ desktops (only during 14-day Pro trial), internet calling, file transfer, and other tools.
Zoom
I have used Zoom for client meetings and webinars, and like it very much. Due to the 40-minute limit on group meetings, we didn’t use it for our class.
Cost:
Free to $14.99/month to $19.99/month to $49/month
Number of Participants:
100 (free); up to 1,000 (paid)
Platforms:
Download app to: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android. Cloud-based conference room solutions.
Restrictions:
40 minutes limit on group meetings. Unlimited 1 to 1 meetings. Unlimited number of meetings.
Features:
Videoconferencing, web conferencing, screen-sharing, group collaboration, chat, and additional tools.
Skype
Everyone uses Skype, right? It has a ton of features and the familiarity factor was appealing. I wasn’t very pleased with the speed and video quality, though, so we didn’t use it.
Cost:
Free (Skype to Skype); mobile or landline calls from Skype require Skype Credit or a subscription.
Number of Participants:
50
Platforms:
Download app to: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Xbox, Alexa
Restrictions:
No time limits
Features:
Video conferencing, audio call, screen-sharing, call recording, messaging, file sharing.
Skype for Business
Lasell’s communication system (Microsoft Office 365) is integrated with Skype for Business. All faculty and students thus have free access to the program. Still, it was not usable for us, because we had problems with the sound. No matter what settings I configured, I couldn’t get the audio to work on my Mac. I could hear my PC colleagues, but they couldn’t hear me.
Cost:
Free (with Microsoft Office 365 purchase)
Number of Participants:
10 to 250 depending on the license you purchase
Platforms:
Download app to: PC, Mac
Restrictions:
No time limits
Features:
Videoconferencing, screen-sharing
Free Conference Call
I had used this application many times for conference calls and didn’t realize it had a video component until I did my research. It met all of the parameters needed for my class, so we used it. There was a small learning curve at the beginning, with an easy overall set-up. The program worked well, but we did experience delays in the audio and some occasional hangups with the video. Make sure you have plenty of bandwidth to handle the upload.
Cost:
Free
Number of Participants:
Up to 1000 participants
Platforms:
Web and download app to: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Chromebook
Restrictions:
Up to 6 hours for each call
Features:
Videoconferencing, screen sharing, presenter switching (enables them to share their screen), chat, drawing tools, remote control, recording with playback.
Google Hangouts
A student recommended this tool. It is a great option that is accessed entirely online. Users do not need to download any software. There’s a small learning curve when starting out, but easy to use overall. A few weeks into the semester, we switched to Google Hangouts and stayed with it. Considered the “consumer’s” videoconferencing tool, now that Google Meet is available for free to everyone (see below).
Cost:
Free to all
Number of Participants:
Hangout Chat = 150
Hangout Video Call = 25
Hangouts On Air = 10 +unlimited viewers
Platforms:
Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Chromebook
Restrictions:
No time restrictions.
Features:
Hangouts is one of the apps in Google’s suite of tools, so users with a Google account have immediate access. Those without Google accounts can also be invited to Hangouts by the host. Videoconferencing, screen-sharing, chat, take control of other participants’ desktops, deep integration with other Google apps (like file import). Quality of video and sound varies from high-end to very good, depending on bandwidth and time of day.
Google Meet
Google Meet was originally a premium version of Google Hangouts included in the G-Suite package. Recently, it was re-engineered as a free product available to everyone. It is considered the “professional” videoconferencing tool. Meet supports more participants than Hangouts, and has a few additional features: a live caption, tiled layout, recording, international dial-in, noise reduction, and low light mode.
Cost:
Free to all.
Number of Participants:
Video Call = 250
Livestreaming = 100,000 viewers
Platforms:
Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Chromebook
Restrictions:
No time restrictions.
Features:
Meet is an app in Google’s suite of tools, so users with a Google account have immediate access from their Gmail. Those without Google accounts can go to https://meet.google.com/. Videoconferencing, live caption, recording, international dial-in, noise reduction, low light mode, screen-sharing, chat, easy exchange of presenter mode, deep integration with other Google apps (like Google calendar). Robust security and encryption. Quality of video and sound varies from high-end to very good, depending on bandwidth and time of day.
GoToMeeting
A colleague recommended this tool. It didn’t have the necessary features for us and only offered a free trial.
Cost:
Free trial to $14/month to $29/month to $39/month
Number of Participants:
50 (free trial)
Platforms:
Online access from Desktop and Mobile devices.
Restrictions:
40 minutes, unlimited number of meetings
Features:
Video and audio meetings, screen sharing, chat, dial in conference line, business messaging
WebEx Meetings
My brother recommended this tool. They only offered a free trial at the time, so it wasn’t an option for us. But, now there is a free, personal option that looks terrific. It’s a great tool that you should check out.
Cost:
Free to $29.95 per host/month
Number of Participants:
100 (free); 200 (paid)
Platforms:
Web (free version); Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Blackberry (pro paid version)
Restrictions:
Meet as long as you want (up from 40 min. limit). Unlimited number of meetings.
Features:
Videoconferencing, desktop-sharing, application and file sharing, whiteboarding, remote control of other computers on the call, collaborative document management, call-in for audio. Must register for an account in order to use it.
Join.me
The free version of Join.me allows you to hold an unlimited number of meetings with up to 10 participants per meeting (one organizer plus 9 viewers) using up to five video streams. You can chat with participants, transfer files, join the audio part of any meeting by internet (VoIP), and allow participants to control your computer.
MeetingBurner
Host up to 10 webinar attendees for free with no ads; forever! Instantly share your screen with anybody. It works with iPhones, iPads, and Android Phones. You’ll also get analytics for your meetings so that you can see how your guests interact with your content.
Mikogo
100% free for one user and 3 participants per session, Mikogo allows for having online meetings, giving a presentation, or providing remote support. Sign up today and see how simple online meetings can be!
WebHuddle
Meetings can be conducted either in conjunction with an enterprise’s existing teleconferencing service, or utilizing WebHuddle’s optional voice over IP.
Zoho Meeting
100% free for one host and one participant, Zoho Meeting allows for unlimited meetings and duration, desktop sharing, multi platform support, instant and schedule meetings, and instant messaging. Get started with online meetings, and start sharing your desktop to anyone, anywhere, at any time.
Zoom
Zoom is free for unlimited number meetings up to 50 participants (duration of 40 minutes per meeting), video conferencing, web conferencing, and group collaboration. The free version also offers security, user management, and online support.
Conclusion
There are numerous tools for video conferencing and school districts and teachers can use these tools to connect with colleagues and parents. These tools, such as Google Hangouts, Skype, and Blackboard Collaborate, allow students and teachers to share information and ideas. Some of these tools also include polls, chat rooms, and power points.