A Comparison and Evaluation of the Web 2.0 tools Chatterous, MeBeam, and Sync.in and their implications

for educators.

As prepared by Born Team #2 …Rebecca CerilliBrenda Dhayer

Bill HaasJake Ludwig

An example from text chat showing bold, underline, italics, strikethrough.

Time Slider tool allows you to see what has been posted and when the last saved note took place

Sync. in Advantages

*color highlights the author*all changes can be saved/undo easily*talk chat is saved forever *launch notes from the desktop*track team activity*keeps work organized*talk about different areas easily*can bring in word doc by copy/paste*teachers/students could edit beside the author*good for writing assignments, study guide, class

reports*can change colors of group if needed*force everyone to participate

Sync.in Disadvantages

• No audio• No video• Can’t copy/paste images• Can delete someone’s posts• Text chat can be anywhere on page• Choppy• Hard to follow the sequence• Difficult for younger ages to manage• Can’t put into a word document• Doesn’t appear to be a moderator or teacher

Educational Implications

• Collaboration outside of classroom for all that have group name or link

• Easily track participants• Can monitor and contribute in addition to

students (can be accessed by group)• Works easily for word documents and writing

functions but has limitations, does not go beyond text

MeBeam Advantages and Disadvantages

* Our research found MeBeam to be non-functional* Team members attempts to create accounts were not

responded to with confirming e-mails. Attempted contacts with site administrators did not receive a reply

* The tool was designed to provide web conferencing capability that did not require downloaded components and was easy to use

* Evaluation of the tool was impossible and internet research regarding it found no activity later than August, 2010 on an associated blog

* Similarly, educational implications could not be adequately determined, but other similar programs are available

WHAT IS CHATTEROUS?

• Ongoing chat groups that can be revisited.• Users Create Chat Rooms or “Groups” on

Chatterous• Can be password protected or open to all• Allows users to access chats through

alternate methods.• Free Sign Up at www.chatterous.com

Chatterous Benefits

• Sign up Not Required• Can access from outside sources 1. Google Talk 2. Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail3. Cell Phone4. Web (www.chatterous .com) 5. Instant Messenger• Can Subscribe to chat groups and view from RSS

aggregator

Chatterous Disadvantages

• No Audio based live chat

• No Video based live interaction

Educational Implications

• Effective means for internet “chat” among students in remote locations or distance learning applications

• Could be used to develop collaborative projects, create and share class notes, and assemble group records

• Created chat rooms can be embedded on other websites

References

Chatterous (2008). Screen captured images. Retrieved November 30, 2010 from http://www.chatterous.com/

MeBeam (2010). Screen captured images. Retrieved on November 30, 2010 from http://www.mebeam.com/

Sync.in (2010). Screen captured images. Retrieved on November 30, 2010 from http://sync.in/