Alliance Française The Hague has updated its virtual classroom tool. You can now take advantage of new features such as live sharing of YouTube videos or even the creation of subgroups for increased management of large groups.

This release completes the development of the new HTML5 client. BigBlueButton 2.2 supports real-time sharing of audio/video/screen using the browser’s (recommend FireFox and Chrome) built-in web real-time communication (WebRTC) libraries.

This means there is no Flash, no Java, no downloads, no app to install. Compared with the previous version, the new BigBlueButton 2.2 client is a third in download size and launches twice as fast. It also runs on iPhones and iPads (iOS 12.2+) and Android devices (6.0+). Both Safari Mobile (iOS) and Google Chrome (Android) support WebRTC out-of-the-box (no mobile app to install).

Major features in this release include:

• Platform – A new HTML5 that is a third in download size, launches twice as fast, and is easier to use.
• Features – The HTML5 client imaplements all the core features you would expect in a commercial web conferencing system – real-time sharing of audio, video, slides, and screen – with tools to engage your remote users: public/private chat, emojis, shared notes, multi-user whiteboard, polling, and breakout rooms.
• Increased engagement – The presenter can now share YouTube videos live in the session.