So as part of my course I am supposed to log into OULive a collaborative discussion space that allows students and staff to have live chats. Great I thought! I bought myself a USB Headset clicked on the link and it downloaded a .jlnp (a Java Network Launch Protocol) file, double clicked on it and Chrome does not Support this file type. So off I went digging for more information.
OU Live is essential Blackboard Collaborate a Java Based system that often required a launcher app. Chrome OS does not and is very unlikely to support Java in the future as it is pushing for the full adoption of the HTML 5 standard and other open standards.
So unfortunately for me I will have to use my Mac to drop in to the OU Live chat. It's a shame really as I wanted see if I could use open systems to undertake the course.
From an educational and open context what are my options. I could use the chat facility on Moodle, If students all had an Android tablet or the Chrome Web browser or Chrome OS on a chromebook or chromebox then Google Hangouts would be a possibility. It supports up to 9 people at a time and I would anticipate that 9 people talking would be more that enough for a group and would definitely need coordinating. Having chrome as a web browser usually means that you have a google ID/mail account as does having an Android phone/tablet so this may be a possibility.
Skype is multi-platform (except chrome OS) and works on Windows, Mac and Linux environments without too many problems.
If an institution is locked into a Mac or iOS platform then iMessage is a real strong alternative but it requires an Apple ID.
Facebook may and the video messaging may also be a viable solution.
I will log into my OU Live session next week and report back.
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