Flash+Meeting

=Flash Meeting= []

Flash Meeting is not an actual Web 2.0 site, but a portal to several options that are Web 2.0 tools. **//This site provides access to space for online meetings to take place//**. There are four choices for the interested educator. I picked the 4th one, [|e2bn], to evaluate because it advertised itself as a server for schools and educators to use. Some of the other sites apparently charge for the service.




 [|Demo] This fully featured Demo allows you to try out FlashMeeting for a limited time period.

[|Help] Help, advice and 'troubleshooting' tips are listed here.

[|Helpful hints for starting a meeting]

**Swot Analysis**
 **Strengths ** 
 * The opportunity for online exchange is very powerful in both classroom work and the professional development field. Whether it is to meet with other professionals, or just link up classrooms around the world, the site offers to transform your computer into a true web 2.0 portal.
 * It appears easy to use.
 * The site is simple without advertising or other distractions that can appear with web 2.0 tools.

   My school participated in a project that teamed up with two other schools, one in Europe and another in the eastern hemisphere. Science teachers got their classrooms together in a very structured way to talk about ocean life in their respective areas. The staging area for our school was at the local university. Using a tool like Flash meeting allows an event like this to take place at k-12 schools.
 * Weaknesses**
 *  I can’t think of any! I have not used the site, so there may very well be issues of streaming or connecting.
 * A user does need to have the Flash version 8, which could preclude the use of some older computers.
 * Opportunities**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Endless! What I find so appealing about getting students to use and feel comfortable with this tool is that it will become widely used in the business world, if not already. Communicating with web 2.0 tools such as this also make work available at a later date for others to use. Think about how useful this would be in teacher education.
 * Threats**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> There are many issues with using such a public venue. For one thing, children will be recorded if this is used in the classroom.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are other privacy and intellectual property rights issues.
 * Ideas for the classroom**