Desktop Sharing and Web Conferencing

Desktop Sharing

What is Desktop Sharing?

Would you like to easily let students show their work on the main projector and explain it to the class? Do you want to monitor students’ progress by watching all their laptop computer screens at once? EdTech supports Desktop Sharing on all their laptop computers that allows faculty to watch thumbnails of students’ computer screens, take control of student computers and project them on the wall, and pass files to student machines.

What are examples of successful desktop sharing sessions?

  1. Team learning and small group sessions like those in Radiology and Practice of Medicine give student groups unique cases to work on, then call on student computers so groups can present findings to the class.
  2. In library resource searching sessions, students perform web searches and faculty compare students’ findings by flipping through their screens.
  3. Computer software courses use remote desktop to view student screens and make certain no one is falling behind.

How do I use Desktop Sharing?

Educational Technology has over 100 dual-boot Macbook Pro laptop computers that are available for reservation for your session. To reserve laptops for your session, email medscheduler@lists.stanford.edu or call 650 723-6952. Specify how many computers you would like and what time you want them set up and removed. After you make a reservation, you will be contacted by Educational Technology staff who can help you learn how to use desktop sharing for your sessions.

Web Conferencing

Find the right technology for the job:

Objective Solution
Broadcast your presentation to many users in different locations Solution: Webcast

The benefits of webcasting are to broadcast an event either live or on demand to many viewers across campus or around the world. Participants do not need expensive hardware to view the webcast; they only need a standard desktop computer with a network connection. Webcasting is typically a one-way technology that does not allow participants to communicate with the presenter(s), and usually requires a dedicated streaming solution such as MediaSite.
Allow users to access your presentation at a later time Solution: Video On Demand (Downloadable Video)

This scenario is similar to a webcast, except video is recorded and published to a website for later viewing. Examples of downloadable video-on-demand services include MediaDropbox, MediaSite, and Kaltura.
Interact with other people accross the world, quickly and easily Solution: Videoconferencing

Videoconferencing allows distant parties to achieve real-time interactive visual communication. This could be a private point-to-point conversation between two people or a multi-point conversation with colleagues in multiple locations anywhere in the world. With the rapid progress of technology and networking, videoconferencing has expanded beyond audio and video and includes the transmission of documents, computer-displayed information, and whiteboards.

The key benefits of videoconferencing are reduced travel time, rapid dissemination of ideas and information, and the ability to collaborate freely with colleagues at other Medical Schools. The technology also benefits students in the classroom as they are able to interact with experts in remote locations.

EdTech rooms may support videoconferencing by default, or may require the setup of a portable videoconferencing cart. Contact the EdTech scheduling office for details.
Collaborate on work with people across the world, quickly and easily Solution: Online Meetings and Collaboration

Online meetings allow you to hold a virtual conference but also to do real-time collaborative authoring and shared demonstrations. EdTech does not support these systems but can provide assistance understanding your best options (WebEx, MedMeeting (Acrobat Connect), Marratech, iChat, etc).