Utilizing Technology for FCS Education: Selecting Appropriate Interactive Webinar Software

The purpose of this research was to identify commonly used interactive webinar software platforms and to conduct a testing session on best practices related to an interactive webinar. The study employed the Adobe Connect and the Maestro Conference platforms. The 15 participants experienced five best practices: pre-work, polling, breakout room, audio/video, and whiteboard. Results indicate that participants appreciated opportunities to be actively engaged with webinar software. They enjoyed learning about webinar features and their interactive components. They valued all five best practices, and they were able to understand the differences between the two software platforms used in the study. They gained an appreciation for how interactive webinars can have a deeper impact on learners than a simpler presentation can (e.g., PowerPoint, lecture, and call-in number), and they realized the importance of judiciously choosing a software platform.