Elearning - February/March 2008 - (Page 31) lion industry by next year. That estimate may be on the low side. Web conferencing is already allowing more employees to work and learn from home. A CEO of a large U.S. corporation estimates that Web conferencing already saves more than $40 million per year on travel and accommodations alone. Whether it’s joining an online training session, initiating an online brainstorming session, or reviewing a meeting, “distance” learning has never been easier. As companies become even more dispersed with outsourced partners, telecommuting employees and networks of remote branch offices, Internet conferences will further take the place of in-person training sessions. “Web conferencing is much more than ‘plumbing,’” says A.G. Lambert, Saba’s vice president of product marketing. “It’s not just the high-speed access, it’s what’s enabled by the high-speed access.” THE CURRENT PICTURE Web conferencing has evolved considerably over the past couple of years from a specialized application to support a virtual classroom or online marketing, to something that’s a “birthright application” and an organizational way of working. More than 80 vendors provide Web conferencing software and many pricing options, including pay-as-you-go, subscription-based services and even a few free services. In the near future, as the vendor marketplace shakes itself out, prices can only go down. Web conferencing is effective for sales training or to make presentations to large, dispersed groups. It also may offer Webbased chat, tools that can annotate presentations, streaming audio and video, and other options. Other Web conferencing functions include desktop sharing, document sharing and electronic collaboration. The reality is that the cost of doing business on a global scale requires an affordable, reliable, innovative communication technology that works on standard networks, yet has the ability to reach out to anyone in the world. One conferencing system, however, is not likely to serve equally well for all training needs. For instance, if the primary application is to introduce new products and systems to the field, perhaps a one-tomany service is more appropriate. If the important use is to maintain standards of practice for educated professionals, then a multi-point conferencing and collaboration environment might be better. “Among the issues that ought to be considered are security and privacy, expandability and open versus proprietary systems,” says Dr. Frank A. Greenagel, managing director of Guided Learning Systems. “For many organizations, those are not pressing issues, but the use of Web confer- encing and collaboration systems is certain to grow, and some of the pain of transitioning from an early conferencing system to a more sophisticated one will be mitigated if these issues are discussed at an early stage.” But today, reliability and the affordability remain problematic. Some feature-rich applications require high-level processors and a broadband connection. In the future, there is no doubt that such hardware and connectivity will be more readily available at lower prices. AS A TEACHING TOOL Brian Friedlander of the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, N.J. is finding new ways to employ limited Web conferencing in the classroom. “With it, you can quickly assemble an adhoc video conference to bring other experts into the classroom,” notes Friedlander. “It can also enable instructors to keep in touch and supervise students in the field. But keeping the technology simple is key, so instructors won’t need to use IT staffers to put video conferences together.” Yet, Web conferencing as a teaching tool is not a panacea. “It is a one-sided communication,” says Frank Gartland, vice president of product and technology for iLinc. “Virtual classrooms have to be more collaborative. Somehow, every 10 minutes, you need to reach out Elearning! February/March 2008 31
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