Elluminate Launches Free Web Conferencing Tool
3/21/2007—E-learning technology provider Elluminate has rolled out the final release of its new, free Web conferencing system, vRoom. The company has also announced version 2.0 of its Blackboard Building Block extension for Elluminate Live!, a distance learning tool.
Elluminate's vRoom is a collaboration tool supporting up to three simultaneous users, including the moderator. It incorporates "most" of the technology of Elluminate Live!, according to the company, but is available for use free of charge. vRoom is essentially a virtual office, providing features like video and audio conferencing, instant messaging, application and desktop sharing, and interactive whiteboard capabilities.
vRoom is available now for free and supports Mac OS X, Windows, and other operating systems. Upgrades to vRoom are also available, including five seats for $1,800 per year and 10 seats for $3,300 per year. Enterprise licenses are also available.
Elluminate has also released version 2.0 of its extension (Blackboard Building Block) for Elluminate Live! collaboration suite. The Building Block allows Live! to integrate with the Blackboard Academic Suite 6 or higher, including Blackboard Learning System, Blackboard Community System, and Blackboard Content System. With the extension, Live! sessions can be created for classroom delivery; pre-recorded materials can be made available for students; virtual rooms can be set up for remote classroom experiences; virtual offices can be shared with all courses; and guest speakers can be invited to attend and speak during sessions.
Blackboard integration with Live! is included with the license, which runs $67 per seat per month, with volume and contract discounts available.
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About the author: Dave Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's educational technology online publications and electronic newsletters. He can be reached at dnagel@1105media.com.
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