A friend of mine wants to start a Virtual Classroom for poor children and adults in remote rural areas of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
He hopes to achieve this by starting a Web Site where the “Students” can log in and Video Conference with volunteer Teachers from UK and USA who will Teach them Online.
To facilitate the poor villagers getting Online, we have had a lot of Multi National Companies willing to donate their old computers which will be given to these people in the remote villages as gifts. The Goverrnments there have also agreed to give them free Internet Broadband Access.
The first question is : Does my friend need to maintain a server on his side to have his Web Site in?
Second : Does he need to pay for VOIP for these people to Video Conference with him and his Volunteer Tutors?
Third : What’s the kind of hardware he needs to get and why?
Your kind assistance will be deeply appreciated!
As sala’mu alei’kum, ya azizi,
First of all may I wish your friend and you all the very best in your noble work?
Now, regarding the Web Site, your friend will only need to get himself someone who’s Web Hosting to give him the Space and build in it. Nothing more is, actually, required. While buying the Web Space, he can choose the type of Web Site that best suits his needs by negotiating with the Hosting Service.
All that he needs to maintain is a computer with which he accesses the Site and has his volunteers and students also access it.
Hope that helps.
Ma sala’mah, ya azizi!