TEACHER'S AIDS
If this sounds like an awful lot to manage while also teaching a class, Avacaster also supports multiple administrators. Typically, a TA or student could be designated as an administrator to handle tasks like cueing slides or pushing out a quiz. Remember, since the Administrator runs in a browser like everything else, any extra admins can be anywhere-just like the teacher. A separate admin chat area is included on the Administrator screen to facilitate remote coordination.
But in most cases, teachers seem perfectly capable of administering their own classes. This is by design. Chris Boznos, Avacast's VP of Business Development, puts it this way: "No matter how impressive a distance learning product is, there's no value in it if the teachers don't want to use it or can't figure out how to use it even if they want to! We've given them something that's more than easy-it's actually fun to use."
Leanne Stapleton is the Technology and Curriculum Coordinator at 21st Century Cyber School, and knows a thing or two about teaching and computers. She taught secondary math for six years, adult computer classes for another three, and is working toward a Master's in Instructional Technology. Stapleton reports that Avacaster is easy enough for all of their teachers to go it alone. "I begin training each instructor by assisting them in their presentations and gradually, with each session, add responsibilities until they are going solo." At Choctaw Nation, one person, Lillie Roberts, teaches all of the online classes.
For those who do have assistance, and can delegate all admin tasks, Avacaster also includes a Host screen that basically operates like a Teleprompter. Admins can triage questions and feed them to the teacher's Host screen, where they appear one-at-a-time in a large window across the top of the screen. Below that are smaller areas for monitoring the chat area and slides or poll results.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
