Can you introduce your company and the specific solution you offer to your clients?
[BigBlueButton]: Blindside Networks are the creators of BigBlueButton, the world’s only open-source virtual classroom. Unlike a video conferencing system, which leads to passive learning, BigBlueButton offers built-in activities for active learning and live analytics to ensure every student learns.
If you have attended a MoodleMoot before, could you share your impressions of previous events?
[BigBlueButton]: Yes, our luggage has Moodle stickers all over it from attending over a dozen Moodle conferences in the past years. :-). Of all the educational conferences we’ve attended, the Moodle conferences have the strongest community with global representation.
What are you most looking forward to at MoodleMoot Global 2024?
[BigBlueButton]: We are looking forward to reuniting with many of the customers and members of the Moodle community who are using BigBlueButton within Moodle.
We are also looking forward to another awesome Moodle Party!
How long has your company been working with Moodle?
[BigBlueButton]: We started working with Moodle in 2010 with Moodle 1.x.
Is there any recent work or project from your company that you would like to highlight?
[BigBlueButton]: On the technical side, we’ve been building support for sub-plugins in the BigBlueButton plugin for Moodle. This means that others can extend and deepen BigBlueButton’s integration with Moodle without modifying the core plugin. Furthermore, similar to creating a sub-plugin for the Quiz module, If you create a sub-plugin for BigBlueButton’s integration, that sub-plugin will work in subsequent updates of Moodle.
We’re also finishing a new version of BigBlueButton that will have infinite whiteboard, more scalability, and plug-in architecture to make it easy to extend BigBlueButton.
An example of using the plug-in architecture in BigBlueButton is the incorporation of H5P into the client. We’ll be demonstrating how you can take an existing H5P activity from Moodle and launch it in BigBlueButton with a single click (saving time), have students engage with the H5P activity within BigBlueButton (active learning), and have the engagement generate live analytics for educators so they can see who is struggling in the moment (feedback).
The analytics are key to ensuring there is “no back of the classroom” with BigBlueButton.
Overall, the combination of sub-plugins in Moodle to extend Moodle, and plugins in BigBlueButton to extend BigBlueButton will be a powerful combination for Moodle sites, Moodle Partners, and anyone wanting to create deeper integrations with BigBlueButton and Moodle.
Are there any additional insights or upcoming trends in e-learning that you would like to discuss?
[BigBlueButton]: The mantra for BigBlueButton is more time for active learning and feedback. This is the opposite of passive learning (which isn’t very effective).
We see the trend of virtual classrooms moving away from a web-cam focused approach (which is promoted by the traditional video conferencing systems). Seriously, if video was all you need, then why did all the virtual classes taught during Covid turn out so poorly?
Just as Moodle is firmly rooted in pedagogy, we see the trend of virtual classes embracing a more pedagogical-centric view of the class. The virtual classroom should understand the goal of the class is not to meet, it is to learn. That’s the goal we’ve been pursuing with BigBlueButton.
How can people contact you for more information if they would like to know more about your company and services?
[BigBlueButton]: You can reach us at our website at https://blindsidenetworks.com/.