What Are Virtual Meetings?

Virtual meetings are real-time online interactions that take place over the Internet using features such as audio and video, chat tools, and application sharing. They are effective in both professional business environments, as well as in education. They provide an opportunity for people that are just down the hall, or on the other side of the world to meet “face-to-face” and discuss the issues at hand. It saves the time and money required for travel, and meetings can take place from the comfort of your own computer. On the other hand, scheduling international meeting times can be a problem, due to the differences in time zones. And there is always the chance of technical problems getting in the way. But this is an option for meeting with people, an option where you can meet online with virtually anyone, anywhere.

Virtual Meetings in Education

Virtual meetings have many uses in education. They can be used for things, such as:

• online classes and distance education programs
• class projects, such as collaborating on global research projects or having group project meetings, conducting science experiments, or having online debates
• one-on-one tutoring
• help desk support for things such as troubleshooting student computer problems
• teachers can have virtual office hours, or evening homework drop-in sessions
• teachers can conduct weekly team meetings or statewide meetings online
• having group sessions for instructors and staff in remote satellite locations enable them to meet, pursue professional development, and create instructional material together

For more information:

http://connect.educause.edu/Library/ELI/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAbout/39388 -- This site provides an abstract for the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) article, "7 Things You Should Know About Virtual Meetings," as well as a link to the Adobe PDF full article. The article includes information about (1) what virtual meetings are, (2) who is doing it, (3) how it works, (4) why it is significant, (5) what the downsides are, (6) where it is going, and (7) what the implications are for teaching and learning.

http://www.elluminate.com/index.jsp -- Elluminate, Inc. provides real-time virtual classroom software for online meeting and training. Features include 2-way voice, whiteboards, chat, and live online tutoring services.

http://www.wimba.com/products/wimbaclassroom -- Wimba, Inc. is another company that offers services for virtual classrooms. Some features include audio, video, white boards, chat area, and MP3 downloads.

http://www.marratech.com/ -- Marratech provides video web conferencing that can be used for things such as distance learning projects. This site doesn't seem to offer as many services as Elluminate and Wimba.

Virtual Meetings for Business

Virtual meetings for business purposes are similar to having business meetings in person, only you do not have to spend the time or money to do all the traveling. You can:

• Hold online staff meetings
• give sales presentations from your computer
• meet and collaborate across the globe
• deliver online training courses
• communicate inexpensively in real-time using personal computers

For more information:

https://www.gotomeeting.com/?Portal=gotomeeting.com -- Go To Meeting provides web conferencing for online meetings.

Tips For Having Virtual Meetings

http://www.vista.uk.com/whatwedo/largegroups/virtualmeetings.php -- This site lists "10 Tips for Virtual Meetings which feel like the 'Real Thing'".

http://www.exforsys.com/career-center/business-communication/the-new-concept-of-virtual-meeting.html -- This site gives tips and describes techniques for effective virtual meetings.

http://www.cio.com/article/184550/Running_an_Effective_Teleconference_or_Virtual_Meeting -- This article has several tips for having an effective teleconference or virtual meeting.

http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/30conf.htm -- This article has some general information and definitions about virtual meetings and online conferencing.