Disseminate is an online platform for conducting video-based seminar discussions. It provides an environnment for multi-modal, real-time communication that can be used both in online courses and to supplement traditional classroom discussions. Disseminate was created with ease of use in mind at all times and is optimized to reduce the bandwidth needed for online video communication while emphasizing visual community among participants. Although it does require a broadband internet connection, even the slowest DSL connection should be able to handle the 18 KB per second data rate required by the software as the average DSL connection gets about 70 KB per second.
Disseminate was written using Macromedia Flash and the Flash Communication Server (FCS). The picture on the left is from a test conducted in a course at Columbia University with the cooperation of the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning.