BigBlueButton: The Best Virtual Classroom Software for Distance Education
How to Download and Use BigBlueButton for Online Learning
BigBlueButton is an open source web conferencing system designed for online learning. It provides real-time sharing of audio, video, slides, chat, and screen. It also has features such as whiteboard annotation, breakout rooms, shared notes, polling, and recording. BigBlueButton enables teachers and students to interact and collaborate in a virtual classroom environment.
If you are looking for a web conferencing solution that is tailored for online education, you might want to download BigBlueButton and install it on your own server. This way, you can have full control over your data and configuration, and customize it to suit your organization's needs. You can also integrate BigBlueButton with your existing learning management system (LMS) or website using plugins or APIs.
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How to Install BigBlueButton on a Dedicated Ubuntu Server
Before you install BigBlueButton, you need to have a dedicated Ubuntu 20.04 64-bit server with no prior software installed. You also need to have a hostname (such as bbb.example.com) for setting up a SSL certificate, which is required for accessing the webcam and microphone via WebRTC. You also need to make sure that your server meets the minimum requirements for memory, CPU cores, disk space, bandwidth, and ports.
To install BigBlueButton, you need to run a script that will download and configure all the necessary components for you. The script will also check your server's configuration and give you feedback on any issues or errors. To run the script, you need to enter the following command in your terminal:
wget -qO- bash -s -- -v bionic-230
This will install the latest version of BigBlueButton (2.3) on Ubuntu 20.04 (bionic). You can also specify other options such as hostname, email address, turn server, greenlight (a web-based front-end for BigBlueButton), etc. For more details on the installation options, see .
After the script finishes, you can check the status of your server with bbb-conf --check. This will show you information such as your IP address, hostname, SSL certificate, firewall settings, etc. You can also use bbb-conf --status to check that all the BigBlueButton processes are running.
How to Integrate BigBlueButton with WordPress
If you have a WordPress website and want to use BigBlueButton for hosting online meetings or classes, you can easily integrate it with a plugin called . This plugin allows you to create and manage meetings from your WordPress dashboard. You can also invite users to join your meetings by sending them a link or embedding a shortcode on your website.
To use this plugin, you need to have a working BigBlueButton server with an API URL and a secret key. You can find these values by running bbb-conf --secret on your server. You also need to install and activate the plugin on your WordPress website.
Once you have installed the plugin, go to Settings => BigBlueButton and enter your API URL and secret key in the corresponding fields. You can also adjust other settings such as meeting duration, welcome message, recording options, etc.
After saving the settings, go to BigBlueButton => Meetings and click on Add New. You can then enter the details of your meeting such as title, description, date, time, password, etc. You can also enable or disable features such as webcam, microphone, chat, whiteboard, etc. Once you have created your meeting, you can see it in the list of meetings and edit or delete it as needed.
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To invite users to join your meeting, you can either copy and paste the join URL from the meeting details page or use the shortcode [bigbluebutton token="meeting-slug"] on any page or post of your website. The shortcode will display a button that users can click to join the meeting. You can also customize the button text and style with additional parameters.
Conclusion
BigBlueButton is a powerful and flexible web conferencing system that can enhance your online learning experience. By downloading and installing BigBlueButton on your own server, you can have more control and customization over your web conferencing solution. You can also integrate BigBlueButton with your WordPress website using a plugin that allows you to create and manage meetings from your dashboard.
If you are looking for alternatives or additional resources for BigBlueButton, you can check out some of the following links:
- : A comprehensive list of frequently asked questions about BigBlueButton. FAQs
What are the minimum server requirements for BigBlueButton?
The minimum server requirements for BigBlueButton are:
- Ubuntu 20.04 64-bit - 4 GB of memory with swap enabled - 4 CPU cores - 25 GB of free disk space - 250 Mbps bandwidth - A hostname (such as bbb.example.com) for setting up a SSL certificate Is BigBlueButton free and open source?
Yes, BigBlueButton is free and open source software licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). You can download, install, modify, and distribute it without any restrictions. You can also contribute to its development by reporting issues, submitting patches, or joining the community.
How can I customize BigBlueButton to suit my needs?
There are several ways to customize BigBlueButton to suit your needs. You can change the settings and preferences of your server using bbb-conf. You can also modify the user interface and branding of BigBlueButton by editing the HTML5 client files. You can also use APIs or plugins to integrate BigBlueButton with other applications or platforms.
What are some of the learning management systems that support BigBlueButton?
Some of the learning management systems that support BigBlueButton integration are:
- Moodle - Canvas - Sakai - Schoology - WordPress How can I access BigBlueButton from my mobile device?
You can access BigBlueButton from your mobile device using a web browser that supports WebRTC, such as Chrome or Safari. You can also use the official for Android or iOS devices. The app allows you to join meetings, share audio and video, chat with other participants, view slides and whiteboard, etc.