Group projects can be effective even if meeting face-to-face isn’t an option using Join.me and Skype. Skype doesn’t allow screen sharing with more than 2 people at a time. Due to Skype’s limitation I needed another solution to share my screen with multiple people. I stumbled upon Join.me while reading my daily tech blogs. Join.me apparently allows up to 250 people to view your screen.
Join.me is an extremely simple tool to use, doesn’t even require an account. In order to get started visit Join.me, if you’re the host then click the button next to share. If you haven’t used Join.me previously you’ll be prompted to download a small program which allows you to share your screen. After launching the application it will give you a conference number to give to the group members. If you’re a group member wanting to join a session, simply visit Join.me and type the conference number your group member gave you and click button. Other neat features Join.me offers is people can request control of hosts computer and a text chat. Join.me doesn’t allow communication through voice, this is where Skype comes in. Below is the Join.me interface after launching the application.
Due to Join.me limitation Join.me and Skype need to be used collectively. Skype is used for voice and Join.me is used to share the screen. It’s almost the same if you’re in person. I found this to be extremely effective if meeting face-to-face isn’t an option.