Screenleap by Gabe Fadel

Overview:

Screenleap is a program that allows users to share their screens with each other over the internet. It can be used for a variety of different purposes. It can be used for presentations by sharing a screen onto a larger display like a smartboard. It could be used for collaboration or teaching by having students view each others or the teacher’s screens. It could also be used for technical support, a user could share their screen with the support person and they could view the problem directly.

How to use:

Each user downloads the software on their computer and creates an account. To share the screen, you simply press the button on the website that says “Share your screen now”. This will then take you to the download page where the software will begin downloading. Once downloaded, run the software and you should get a nine digit code to give to the people you want to share your screen with. To view someone else’s screen simply go to the screenleap website and enter the respective code at the top of the page and click “View screen share”. No download or account is required to view someone else’s screen, only to share your own screen,

Criticisms and Alternatives:

Screenleap is a fairly simple but sturdy program that achieves the basics of screen sharing for a few people. The first issue is the pricing. the free version only allows for 1-2 hours of screen sharing per day with only up to eight people viewing at a time, any more than that requires a paid version. In terms of collaboration Screenleap lets you view another person’s screen but not have any control over their computer. A viable alternative to Screenleap that provides that functionality is Teamviewer. Teamviewer allows users to share screens and allow for the viewer to have control over the computer. This makes it much more useful for collaboration and even more so for tech support. Overall Screenleap is basic screensharing software that is easy to set up. easy to use, but with limited functionality.