I know, it has been an inordinate amount of time since I last made a blog post. I planned on giving you some elaborate detailed reason as to why, but my life isn't that exciting. Each week I'd have my plan mapped out and blogging was on there... but wasn't reached. The good news is that I have been exploring the vast world of freeware tools and have some more to share. In this post I wanted to draw attention to a source that both excites and scares me at the same time. Have you ever been working with a student or a peer and tried to walk them through a process and dreamed of a day when you could just access their computer and do it for them, remotely? Ok, maybe you don't sit around and ponder these dilemmas, but someone did, and out of that came join.me. Join.me lets you share your computer with anyone you choose. There is a free and pro version. I've only experienced the free version and was enticed and frightened at the same time. I was frightened because when when you give control or accept control of someone else's computer you literally have control of it all. You can access their files, you can use their web browser, you can change or alter content, etc... I would argue the upside to this freeware tool outweighs the negative; besides, it isn't so bad when you let someone totally control your computer and you can't do anything about it. Of course I say this sarcastically, but I would assume that you would only accept the invitation to share through join.me if you know the person, which should go without saying. Once you get past that little nuance you are all set to begin sharing. The benefit this freeware tool brings is that there isn't a file to download and you aren't bombarded with spam once you create an account, but you are able to genuinely collaborate with another person, in a one on one setting, and assist them in working through an issue. The couple of times I have used it I was amazed at how well it aided in solving what was otherwise a complex problem. I envision a student contacting their stats or accounting instructor with a dilemma, one that might easily be resolved with a face-to-face meeting (I know, easy in the same sentence as stats and accounting typically doesn't appear). If the two are miles apart the next best thing to do is share the computer of the person in need. You are able to communicate and share files through join.me as well. I had it up and running in less than two minutes, it was simple as reading and clicking.This tool is just another way to break through distant barriers in education and collaborate to solve a problem. Click here to go to the website.
join.me
