University of Education Lahore (okara campus)

Teleconference Applications

TELECONFERENCEA teleconference or teleseminar is the live exchange and mass articulation of information among several persons and machines remote from one another but linked by a telecommunications system

Terms such as audio conferencing, telephone conferencing and phone conferencing are also sometimes used to refer to teleconferencing.

Popular software for personal use includes Skype, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger

Meetings are an important part of the job in Extension. This is because face-to-face (FTF) interaction is the traditional standard on which we base our communication with clientele groups, advisory boards, and Extension colleagues. However, FTF meetings may be an inefficient and costly way to conduct business, particularly when participants must travel a great distance. Over the past few years, travel-related costs (lodging, airfare, meals), have increased at a rate frequently greater than that of inflation.1 Travel budgets, on the other hand, have often remained static or decreased. An alternative meeting format called teleconferencing may be a solution

Teleconferencing was first introduced in the 1960's with American Telephone and Telegraph's Picturephone.

Internet teleconferencingInternet teleconferencing includes internet telephone conferencing, videoconferencing, web conferencing, and Augmented Reality conferencing.Internet telephony involves conducting a teleconference over the Internet or a Wide Area Network. One key technology in this area is Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP).

Software and service providers

•MeetingZone•Microsoft Office Live Meeting•my Global Conference•Polycom•PowWowNow•Premiere Global Services•Skype•Voxeet•WebEx•ooVoo

•ACT Conferencing•Adobe Acrobat Connect•CO2 Neutral Conferencing•Elluminate•Glance•GoToMeeting•InterCall•IOCOM•LifeSize

TELECONFERENCEA teleconference is a telephone meeting among two or more participants involving technology more sophisticated than a simple two-way phone connection. At its simplest, a teleconference can be an audio conference with one or both ends of the conference sharing a speaker phoneA teleconference is a business meeting or educational session conducted among participants in different locations using telecommunications equipment.

All types of teleconferencing require interactive communication. Long-distance meetings via teleconference save time and money, and the practice eliminates the need to travel for a face-to-face meeting, thereby greatly reducing a company's carbon footprint

Types of Teleconferencing

Audio Teleconferencing

Audiographic Teleconferencing

Web Teleconferencing

Video Teleconferencing

Audio TeleconferencingAudio teleconferencing is voice only; it is also known as conference calling. This kind of communication can be done on a casual basis through individual phone services, known as three-way calling, or by using services designed for the purpose.

Audio graphic TeleconferencingAudio graphic teleconferencing is also known as electronic white boarding, according to The Free Dictionary. Both an audio and a data connection are necessary. This type of teleconferencing was often used for distance learning and meetings that only require narrowband communications. It was designed primarily as a student-instructor mechanism, with color imaging, digital video and telephone communications and endeavored to create a realistic virtual classroom.

Web TeleconferencingWeb conferencing involves various levels of audio-video and graphics communication from computer to computer. It can be as simple as instant messaging or more complex as evidenced by online courses or online Web meetings. In these situations, the conference or class takes place in real time and participants view a presentation and hear information simultaneously. Applications such as spreadsheets can be simultaneously shared as well. This type of teleconferencing allows for instant communication with the moderator or presenter. Questions and comments can be typed by participants while the presentation continues uninterrupted.

Video TeleconferencingVideo conferencing originally entailed closed-circuit television systems consisting of a camera and monitor at each end of the communication platform. With the dawn of the Internet and advances in video compression technology, video conferencing can take place anywhere there's an available Wi-Fi connection. Privacy in online video conferencing necessitates security, which involves encryption. The more sophisticated video conference platforms take place over virtual private networks (VPNs) set up by firms specializing in video conferencing or by a large corporation as part of its overall corporate network.

One of the major advantages of teleconferencing is its potential to reduce the cost of group meetings. Savings come primarily from reduced travel costs. In fact, teleconferencing can reduce national business travel-associated costs by about 30% annually

Advantages

People (including outside guest speakers) who wouldn't normally attend a distant FTF meeting can participate.

Follow-up to earlier meetings can be done with relative ease and little expense. Socializing is minimal compared to an FTF meeting; therefore, meetings are shorter

and more oriented to the primary purpose of the meeting

Some routine meetings are more effective since one can audioconference from any location equipped with a telephone. Communication between the home office and field staffs is maximized. Severe climate and/or unreliable transportation may necessitate teleconferencing. Participants are generally better prepared than for FTF meetings. It's particularly satisfactory for simple problem solving, information exchange, and procedural tasks. Group members participate more equally in wellmoderated teleconferences than in an FTF meeting.

While teleconferencing is characterized by many advantages, it does have disadvantages: Technical failures with equipment, including connections that aren't made.Unsatisfactory for complex interpersonal communication, such as negotiation or bargaining.Impersonal, less easy to create an atmosphere of group rapport.Lack of participant familiarity with the equipment, the medium itself, and meeting skills.Acoustical problems within the teleconferencing rooms.Difficulty in determining participant speaking order; frequently one person monopolizes the meeting.Greater participant preparation and preparation time needed.Informal, one-to-one, social interaction not possible

Disadvantages

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleconferencehttp://www.webopedia.com/TERM/T/teleconference.htmlhttp://www.seminarslides.com/ppt/SEMINAR-ON-TELECONFERENCINGhttp://www.ehow.com/list_7458647_types-teleconferencing.html#ixzz2hCGGcVlFhttp://www.ehow.com/list_7458647_types-teleconferencing.html#ixzz2hCGco0bz