Vyew

Vyew is an online collaboration and web conferencing service hosted totally online with no download necessary. (Okay, yes...the spelling. C'mon people, we're trying to teach kids how to spell and then you go and do this! Despite the spelling, it's a great site.) You can host live conferences (teleconferencing and video) along with screen sharing (live stream or desktop screen shots). You can post various forms of media: PowerPoint, Word, Excel, PDF, audio, video and images. Below is a screen shot of the "dashboard" (what you see when you first login and where you control content.) Click on it to see a larger version.

Here's a list of some of the features:

URL to Access - Send out or post a URL to the meeting room - no need for email addresses (especially helpful with students)

No download - no installation so students who don't have install rights can still access the meeting

Set Access Level - The room creator (you!) can set the access level: Viewer (can only view), Reviewer (can make notes), Collaborator (draw, make notes, insert content), Moderator (full access, delete, etc.)

Upload a variety of media types

Screen Sharing - live streaming or screen shot

Draw / Annotate - can markup a document, image, presentation, etc.

Sticky Notes - post comments via sticky note

Webcam - can broadcast using your webcam

VOIP (Voice Over IP) - teleconferencing using a headset and microphone

Sync / Unsync Mode - when turned on, prevents users from navigating to other pages during a presentation. When turned off allows members to navigate as they wish after the presentation/meeting (Teachers: it will keep students focused!)

Vyew has one of the nicest interfaces (the way it looks and navigates) I've ever seen! It would be a great way to have a meeting in a room without a projector or an online meeting with members/students in other locations. I recommend taking 5 minutes to go through the tutorial (9 pages...one of the first links on your dashboard). It's fast, easy and I predict you will be impressed! This is a SIMPLE, full featured Web 2.0 tool...one I recommend having in your arsenal of "cumulus" favorites...(yes, yet another reference to cloud computing!)