Ustream.Tv

__**Intro to Ustream**__ [|Ustream.Tv] is an interactive web streaming program that lets users broadcast video across the web. The only things needed to start up are a webcam and an internet connection, and you are all set. This site first started as a way for soldiers that were overseas to communicate with their family back home, using something other than the usual methods of communication. [|Ustream] offers users to host their own events, which will help them to promote their own shows and set up conversations with people across the world. The user is able to do many other things also, like customize their profile, set up schedules for when they will broadcast shows, and identify which shows are their favorites.

__**Classroom Benefits**__ [|Ustream] can benefit teachers in the [|classroom] in various ways. It is obvious that it can be used for long distance education, helping teachers stream their lessons to students that may be in different areas of the world. Students can also post replies to the lessons, use the video feature to have a conversation with the teacher for help, or converse with other students about the lesson. The teacher can also archive the lessons, so that they are easily accessible to students that may have missed a lesson. The lessons that teachers post may also attract users outside of the class, so that is a good way for the teacher to get a message out there to the world. A final constructive way that Ustream can be used in the classroom would be for a class to set up some sort of collaborative learning environment with a class in another state, or even in a different country. They could share the things that they learn while taking the course with others, and learn new things from the other class that they collaborate with.

__**Cons and Outro**__ Aside from all of the great things that I have said about [|Ustream], there are some cons about it. The site requires a connection that is steady, and this can be hard for students or soldiers in remote locations. Also, if a user doesn't own a webcam, then they will be limited to things like the chat and IM features, which dampens the full effect of the site. One other downside is the streaming videos that people upload can be made private, so that calls up the scenario that someone may send explicit videos over the site. Other than these few downsides, [|Ustream] is a great site that is both educational and fun if it is used in the right ways and I would recommend it to anyone who has the right technology and knowledge to utilize it and make it worth wile. For more information, check [|this] out.

__**Ustream Tutorial media type="youtube" key="38Svsgc0xqs" height="340" width="560"**__

__**Links for Teachers http://www.ourschool.ca/category/ustream http://www.ed421.com/?p=436 http://www.scribd.com/doc/9004340/7-Cosas-de-Ustream**__