Emojis, Camera Layouts, Timers and More!
The BigBlueButton project is pleased to announce the release of BigBlueButton 2.7 with features designed to improve student engagement, including but not limited to:
Visual Grid Layout for Cameras
Group discussions are a key part of learning. There is a new Grid Layout that lets you see all your users in the session (up to 25 at a time with pagination). Users not sharing a webcam will appear with their initials or avatar.
When choosing Grid Layout you can also push the layout down to all users so they have the same layout.
Emoji Reactions Bar For Easier Student Engagement
Encouraging student engagement in BigBlueButton just got easier! The Emoji Reaction Bar aims to make it easier for students to respond with emojis and engage during class.
Your Camera As Content
Especially helpful in hybrid learning environments, the new Share camera as content allows educators to display their camera as a full-sized presentation on the BigBlueButton Whiteboard. Now teachers can draw students’ attention to a specific physical area.
Timer and Stopwatch
The long-requested feature to display a count-down timer or a count-up stopwatch is now available! The Timer and Stopwatch are displayed to all participants and there is an audio notification when the timer elapses. Teachers can use it for engaging activities or tests in classes that require counting up or down, such as math and spelling games.
Bonus Features
The 2.7 Release doesn’t stop there! More new features for your virtual classroom, include:
- Keep your screen turned on while using BigBlueButton on Mobile (see Settings)
- Disable viewing your own video stream to reduce video fatigue, showing that your video is still enabled, but you will not see your own video on BigBlueButton (click the drop-down on your webcam).
For more details watch the full BigBlueButton 2.7 Overview below and visit our knowledge base.
Try It Out!
You can try out this latest release by visiting our demo server.
Commercially Supported Open Source
BigBlueButton project is backed by a group of companies ensuring its success. If you’re looking for customization, support, or hosting, reach out to any of these companies.
