The webinars

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The use of webinars for educational purposes has increased manifold in the last few years. This is, of course, due to specific reasons.

For a course to be successful, it needs two main components:

• proper time allocation
• and the construction of a space in which all the necessary elements for a quality training are available.

Their perfect combination can be found in web-based seminar technology.

Web-based seminars, also referred to as webinars, are lectures, workshops or meetings that are conducted online, in real time, recorded and can be replayed at any time and from any location.

The use of webinars for educational purposes has increased manifold in the last few years. This is, of course, due to specific reasons. As leading ones we can point out:

• The increase in the number of people willing to take part in a training;
• the financial and technical hurdles facing anyone deciding to rent a room in which to hold their training;
• the boom of online training.

Why use webinars during your trainings?

Your trainees use different types of digital technology on a daily basis. Therefore, you shouldn't worry about introducing a webinar delivery system into your training.

Benefits related to the teaching process

Webinars are conducted online and this functionality allows for a multitude of possibilities:

• Simultaneous training of a large group of people.
• A rich set of tools such as images, video, web and audio to be used in the presentations and discussions you organize.
• Facilitate communication between you and your trainees.
• Facilitate group and individual activities.

Benefits related to their general use in education

• Simultaneous communication with all participants, regardless of their location.
• Controlled access.
• Ability to conduct conferences, briefings, and other types of similar events that would otherwise require resources and time.
• Increase interactivity and engagement with the learning material.
• Better learning of the learning material.
• Ease of use.
• Ability to display on different types of devices - desktop and mobile.
• An additional skill to add to your resume.
• Due to the fact that they reduce the need to travel, webinars can safely be defined as an "eco tool".

Functionality of webinar delivery systems

Different webinar delivery systems offer different functionalities, but the following are common to most of them:

• Ability to record the entire session, including the calls, or just a video recording of the training.
• Ability to show pre-recorded video.
• Screen sharing option.
• Communication tools - chat, audio, hand raise - these can be used to ask questions, get quick feedback, add comments and send private messages.
• Broadcast live, via webcam.

Educational institutions can benefit from webinar technology, providing their faculty and students with the best learning and knowledge sharing opportunities. Webinars could not only simulate traditional classrooms but also provide a higher quality experience.

Sources: http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/guide/webinars-in-education

http://blog.clickmeeting.com/use-webinars-education