Learning Technology Index
Discover Tools
Category Search :: Synchronous Sessions
What is it?
Synchronous session software or services allow you to hold a session with participants in real time. This software can be referred to as video conferencing, web conferencing or virtual classroom technology. This software usually has the ability for audio/video sharing, sharing of content, text chat, and a number of other features.
| Name | What is it? |
|---|---|
| Online Rooms | Online Rooms is a virtual classroom application built into Brightspace that allows for real time collaboration between attendees. |
| Webex | The Webex platforms provide a rich audio/video synchronous experience. Features such as application sharing, file sharing, polling, text chat, and granular permissions allow you to customize your synchronous session to match your learning objectives. |
| Zoom* | Zoom is a web conferencing tool. |
| Microsoft Teams instant messenger | Microsoft Teams is a proprietary business communication platform developed by Microsoft as part of the Microsoft 365 family of products. |
| Slack* | Slack is a live chat messenger used by many businesses and universities for communication purposes. Slack offers many conventional instant messaging features, including persistent chat rooms (channels) organized by topic, private groups, and direct messaging. |
| Miro* | Miro is a free online whiteboard platform that allows instructors and their students to collaborate during classes. |
| Jamboard* No longer available in 2025 | The Jamboard application will go into view-only mode on October 1, 2024. You’ll no longer be able to create new or edit existing Jams on any platform, including the web, iOS, and Android platforms. During this time you can continue to back up your Jam files. What you need to know September 1, 2024 - Jamboard is removed from Google Meet on web and mobile platforms. October 1, 2024 Jamboard goes into view-only mode. Automatic PDF conversion begins. December 31, 2024 Last day to migrate your Jams to a supported partner application. After this day, we will begin the final shutdown process and Jams will be deleted. |
| Discord* | Discord is a communication platform designed for online communities, including educators and their students. It allows users to create servers, which are like virtual classrooms or discussion boards, where they can chat via text, voice, and video. |
| Mastodon* | Mastodon is a free, decentralized, open-source, and self-hosted social networking service. It offers microblogging features, which are run by members with their own code of conduct, terms of service, privacy policy, privacy options, and content moderation policies. So, any Mastodon member can start up a network of their own by regulating it according to their needs and values. |
| FigJam* | FigJam is an online whiteboard tool that helps team members collaborate for group projects, brainstorm ideas, design workflow, and plan. It is not a physical smart board but a cloud-based online whiteboard that can be installed as an app on computers (both macOS and Windows) and mobile (iOS and Android). This technology can be used on the website directly, too. It is a cloud-based app that enables real-time visual collaboration between users. |
| Kahoot!* | Kahoot introduces itself as a game-based learning platform that makes learning any subject fun, in any language, on any device, for all ages. They have four categories for professionals, teachers, students, and family and friends. Our focus in this document is the teachers section, and most specifically instructors (educators). |
| Lucidspark* | Lucidspark is a cloud-based, virtual whiteboard where a team can showcase its best ideas. Whether working remotely or in person, brainstorm and work together in real-time. |
| Asana* | Asana is a web and mobile platform for work management, aiding teams in organizing, tracking, and managing their tasks and projects. Asana offers features such as project creation, task assignment, deadline setting, communication tools, reporting, file attachments, calendars, and goal tracking. It has received positive reviews for its user-friendly design and productivity-enhancing capabilities. Asana also provides an open API for third-party integrations and has expanded its offerings with features like Asana Partners for cross-platform integration and capabilities focused on generative artificial intelligence. |
| NaturalReader* | NaturalReader is a versatile text-to-speech software developed by NaturalSoft Limited. It converts written text into spoken words using natural-sounding voices. Available as both a desktop application and a mobile app, NaturalReader supports various text formats, including PDFs, Word documents, web pages, and eBooks. It also features OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, allowing it to read text from images and scanned documents. |
| Padlet* | Padlet is an online collaborative tool that allows users to create virtual boards for sharing and organizing multimedia content such as text, images, videos, and links in real time. |
* An asterisk indicates a third-party tool that is not supported by the university. For information on using third-party tools, please click here. To view the complete list of technologies supported by CITL, visit our Technology Resources page.