New Models for Online Academic Presentation
The concept of a webinar, or web conference, is not foreign for most academics and practitioners these days. In the early childhood realm it seems like the frequency and range of these online presentations is constantly increasing. But considering travel and professional development budgets have been in free-fall it is not too hard to figure out why. Webinars offer presenters the chance to reach audiences that they might not be able to reach and eliminate the need for travel.
The two biggest names in web conferencing are webex and gotomeeting. These services can essentially mimic certain elements of traditional presentations and meetings including the ability to share documents and powerpoint slides while allowing the attendees to see the presenter and ask questions. Their downfall is the price.
In comparison to the total overall cost of travel and meeting spaces for the presenter and attendees a service like webex doesn’t seem so bad. In reality, this expense starts to add up quickly, especially if you present often. Luckily, with a little “outside the box” thinking this cost can be brought down considerably.
The Not-so-live Presentation
Have you ever attended a webinar only to hear a speaker, or speakers, talk for an hour then not allow any significant time for questions? These are the times that webinars make very little sense. What is the point of using an interactive format when there is no planned interaction? You are basically paying expensive webinar fees to provide a presentation to a limited audience (only those invited to attend) during a limited time period (scheduled time window).
The first consideration you should make is whether or not live interaction is imperative. There are a range of sites that will host recorded presentations free of charge. Most often you are also given the opportunity to allow viewer comments, essentially changing the format of interaction, while opening up to a wider audience. Here are a couple of examples.
Slidecast
A slidecast is basically a power point presentation with audio. All you need is a power point presentation and an mp3 voice recording. Slideshare allows you to synchronize the two and then will host the resulting presentation slidecast for free. (Slideshare is also a good place to post your traditional powerpoint presentations for sharing with colleagues since ppts often easily clog email inboxes).
Video
Another option is to simply record your presentation using a video camera then post it online. Then you can send the link to potential viewers or embed the video on your website. There are a number of free online video hosting options, the most popular of which being youtube. Keep in mind that free sites do have some limitations, youtube for example caps out at 10 minutes and 2 gigs. One similar site, vimeo, allows uploaded videos of any length but has a more restrictive size limitation of 500 mb. An example of this model can be seen at TED.com.
The Cheaper Live Presentation
Ok, there are definitely times when live interaction is important but that doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank. Here are a couple of options
Free Webcast Services
Believe it or not there are free webinar services out there but as always there is usually some kind of catch. Most often a service is offered for free but only up to a certain number of users. DimDim, an open-source web conference service offers free web conferencing for up to 20 users. This service is fully functional and allows you to record the meeting. All you need is a webcam and a microphone and you’re ready to go.
Streaming
Video streaming is like live broadcasting and presents the perfect opportunity to provide a live presentation for a much less expensive price tag. Ustream.tv allows you to broadcast for free and even record your presentation. Unlike a traditional webcast a streaming broadcast is not as focused on interaction but does allow some back and forth through the use of live chat.
These are only a few of the ways the internet is increasing the capacity for inexpensive presentations. There are many more services today than there was 5 years ago and as time moves forward I am sure this trend will continue.
