Do I want the desktop version or the streaming version?

This article is for instructors using the PRIME For Life desktop application.

Both versions deliver the same program. The choice comes down to the internet connection in the room where you teach.

Choose streaming if you have a strong, reliable internet connection in the classroom. It runs in a browser, so there is nothing to install and nothing to keep updated on the teaching computer.

Choose the downloaded desktop application if you want the fastest, most dependable playback, or if the room's internet is weak, shared or unpredictable. Once your syllabus is loaded, the downloaded application does not need an internet connection to run the program.

If the classroom connection is anything less than dependable, the downloaded version is the safer choice, because a dropped connection mid-session does not interrupt the program.

If you are not sure which fits your setup, contact support and talk the options through before your next class.

Short answers by situation

• Going through New Instructor Training (NITO): use the streaming app.
• Preparing for, or presenting, your own class: use the downloaded app.

Streaming the app. It runs from the Instructor Dashboard website, and you can choose your syllabus, navigate the scenes, read the e-manual and add notes. It is quick to reach with nothing to install, and it runs on any device with a modern web browser, including tablets, phones and Chromebooks. Against that, it needs a steady, high-speed internet connection or scenes buffer mid-playback, so relying on it in a classroom with no internet, or with slow and unreliable internet, is a high-risk choice. In presentation mode there is also no separate Instructor Window, so it will not show your notes while you present.

Downloading the app. The downloadable app, sometimes called the computer app, is the full-featured version and the better choice for presenting in a classroom. After installation and setup it does not need internet to run the presentation, and it gives you dual windows: an Instructor Window with your notes, and a separate presentation window with the scenes for the room. Against that, it requires a Windows or Apple computer -- it will not run on a Chromebook, iPad, Android tablet or phone -- installation and setup take time and some technical comfort, and security software on the computer or on the office network can interfere. Internet is still required for everything other than presenting: logging in, content updates, changing syllabus, watching the show me and coach me videos, taking notes, and the monthly license renewal.

A reasonable pattern. Install the downloaded app for classroom delivery, and keep the streaming app as your fallback for the day something goes wrong with the install.