BigBlueButton Workshop

BigBlueButton (BBB) is a free and open-source online teaching platform. It can be freely installed on an institution's server. However, schools will find it difficult to self-host. Hosting service providers are Chiguru and BigBlueButton, who provide limited services free of cost and a fuller range of services (such as recording of the sessions) against payment.

Objectives

 * 1) To become familiar with an online teaching platform
 * 2) To interact with students and other teachers on the platform
 * 3) To use specific features for online teaching

Basic familiarity
A simple user manual on BBB is available in English and in Kannada

Creating a BBB account for your school
Teachers need to be create an account on BBB hosting providers like Chiguru or on Bigbluebutton website, click here to know the steps to create your account.

Creating BBB class rooms for each class+section(+group)
Once your account has created, login to the account and create a class wise rooms link to share it with students to join the classes when you are running.

To create rooms for each classes, click on "create a room" give the room name (eaxample: class 9 - maths) and share the room link with students. click here to know the steps to create class room link.

Interact with students and others on the platform
Form teams of two teachers, every teacher teaching on the platform will need a second teacher for support. This is necessary as watching students, encouraging participation, responding to student queries on chat, requires a second teacher to support

Recording of the sessions
The free BBB service does not provide for recording of sessions, but if the school requires this, they can get commercial providers for this service.