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Navigate 1 - Commercial vs. Open Source Virtual Classrooms

When it comes to synchronous learning, I personally prefer commercial software verses open source. Open source software usually comes with features that are catered to the learning environment. They are easy to use, and they add value to the learning community itself. Also, many commercial software can be verified as research based so it has been proven to be beneficial and improve the learning experience in some way. Plus, commercial software has many gadgets that I, as a tech geek, enjoy to use during instruction. In contrast, the open source software is drastically cheaper—free, which can be a great asset to teachers who are not given the opportunity to have resources available to them. Also most open source software is very basic which allows younger users to be more open to using them every day during instruction. Essentially open source software would be ideal for schools or teachers who want all students to have accessibility to the need materials for the class without ruining the budget. 

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