IntroductionTechnologies used in training and education are a popular topic of discussion around the world. There are two main views on methods of delivering educational content: some focus on asynchronous delivery for accessibility of information anytime, anywhere through the use of collaborative tools, while others focus on real-time interaction with the instructor, students, and content during class. thanks to synchronous delivery. This benchmarking will examine Elluminate, a synchronous application, and compare it to Sakai, an asynchronous application. The comparative analysis will further examine general aspects, technology components, instructional concepts, systems strengths and limitations that affect students and instructors for both technologies. This analysis would be useful to a student who wants to learn how to explore web-based technologies and compare systems. General Aspects Purpose of Systems The idea of ​​including technology in the classroom suggests that learning and teaching are enhanced through the use of a variety of tools. In distance education, there are two types of technologies that achieve this goal: synchronous and asynchronous. Horton (2006) defines synchronous as “all people involved in an activity must complete their tasks at the same time” (p. 363) while Moore and Kearsley (2005) define asynchronous as “not at the same time and therefore a communication with a delay. which allows participants to respond at a time different from when the message was sent” (p. 328). With a hands-on approach, I explored Elluminate, a synchronous application and Sakai, an asynchronous application, to evaluate the capabilities of both applications and how best to use them to support the distance learning initiative..... . middle of paper .... ...proportional analysis of technologies before course design begins. Whether the selected application is synchronous or asynchronous, the user must consider the effects on instructional design, students, instructors, learning communities, and the organization.Referenceshttp://www.Elluminate.com. (2011). Products. Retrieved March 1, 20111. Horton, W. (2006). Online learning by design. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer. McGreal, R. and Elliott, M. (2004). Online learning technologies (e-Learning). In Anderson, T. and Elloumi, F. (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning. (pp. 115-135). Retrieved March 3, 2011 from http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/ch5.htmlMoore, MG and Kearsley, G. (2005). Distance education: a systemic vision. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. (Second Edition) http://Sakaiproject.org. (2011) Retrieved March 2, 20111.