When we first purchased Webex, pre-Covid, we had arguments that we are a K12 district and all meetings and interactions would be in-person. Most staff didn't have computers with microphones, speakers or cameras. We also had other services, like MS Teams, that were being used to share files and post chats. We expected a multi-year adoption of Webex with most staff not opting in for it's use.
Because of Covid, computers peripherals were added to enable video conferencing and Webex was selected as the primary video conference app for all instructional classes by leadership. We also enabled the EducationConnector with our LMS. Some staff still use MS Teams for meetings but they are a minority. MS Teams and Webex are used equally for chats, sharing documents, etc. This depends on the department/user and what they are comfortable with.
We are returning to in-person learning but staff will continue to use Webex for meetings and instruction. We hope with the improved integration of phone services into Webex, to phase out Jabber. This should also help with adoption of the other Webex services.
Problems we have are usually tied back to the old equipment or low device resources due to other applications. Connectivity can also be an issue and instructions on how to move audio to a phone seem to be problematic for many staff. As they use the app more and new devices are issued, we hope many of these issues are resolved.
Our biggest problem right now is all 3-8 grade students have low-end Chromebooks that don't have resources available to install the Webex app and support the other instructional apps needed by teachers. Because of this some functionality is limited. Most crucial of these is the whiteboard. If possible, adding whiteboard functionality for users when joining using the web browser would help our teachers immensely.
Thanks for asking for feedback. Hope this was helpful.
When we first purchased Webex, pre-Covid, we had arguments that we are a K12 district and all meetings and interactions would be in-person. Most staff didn't have computers with microphones, speakers or cameras. We also had other services, like MS Teams, that were being used to share files and post chats. We expected a multi-year adoption of Webex with most staff not opting in for it's use.
Because of Covid, computers peripherals were added to enable video conferencing and Webex was selected as the primary video conference app for all instructional classes by leadership. We also enabled the EducationConnector with our LMS. Some staff still use MS Teams for meetings but they are a minority. MS Teams and Webex are used equally for chats, sharing documents, etc. This depends on the department/user and what they are comfortable with.
We are returning to in-person learning but staff will continue to use Webex for meetings and instruction. We hope with the improved integration of phone services into Webex, to phase out Jabber. This should also help with adoption of the other Webex services.
Problems we have are usually tied back to the old equipment or low device resources due to other applications. Connectivity can also be an issue and instructions on how to move audio to a phone seem to be problematic for many staff. As they use the app more and new devices are issued, we hope many of these issues are resolved.
Our biggest problem right now is all 3-8 grade students have low-end Chromebooks that don't have resources available to install the Webex app and support the other instructional apps needed by teachers. Because of this some functionality is limited. Most crucial of these is the whiteboard. If possible, adding whiteboard functionality for users when joining using the web browser would help our teachers immensely.
Thanks for asking for feedback. Hope this was helpful.
