What is a Videoconference?

A "videoconference" is a teleconference that allows participants to see each other thanks to the use of cameras and screens which permit the transmission of images. It is a good venue for short activities such as virtual meetings. Communication is done as if the participants were together in the same room. The risks are different if the conference is just transmitted or if it is saved for later publication on Internet. In the latter case, images of people as well as other identifying information would be published, and participants must consent to the archiving and later publication of the conference.

In education, most videoconferecing is done in a closed setting. The participants make an appointment, are informed of the date and time of the virtual meeting, of the name of the server to be used, of the space that is reserved for their exclusive use and the password required to access it. Each participant appears in a video window, identified by a nickname. The participants also have a shared window for chatting as well as other sharing tools. The session is not usually saved. This type of videoconference is open to a limited number of people.

Characteristics

| Point-to-point videoconference | Multipoint videoconference for educational use (teaching, conference, etc.)

Point-to-point Videoconference

Many applications available on the market make it possible to hold a videoconference with participants in two separate locations. A point-to-point videoconference can be compared to a telephone conversation between two people, but with a video image. In most cases, a window appears that can be used for chatting (Writing messages n real-time). In general, the chat session can be saved but no video record of the session is kept.

Multipoint Videoconferences for Educational Use (teaching, conferences, etc.)

Multipoint videoconferencing is not yet widespread and is mostly used by a teacher to give a course to students or groups of students who are in different locations. The students would be able to see each other on a screen. The group would remain closed, and no unauthorized person would be allowed to participate in this videoconference course. The course may be recorded. This type of application could become more common with improved technology.