Recently I have become more and more interested in the idea of distance education through video-conferencing. I have heard of schools beginning to do this but I really feel like its an idea that should be expanded upon and carried out in more and more schools. Having the capabilities for K-12 students to be able to connect to other schools around the world is amazing. From the comfort and convenience of your own classroom you can collaborate with a classroom of students anywhere in the world from China to Australia, to the classroom in the next school district. Being able to deliver classroom content and instruction while collaboratively working with another class of students in real-time can open up a new realm of possibilities for learning. Not only can it provide an interactive learning experience, but it can provide us with the opportunity to access outside sources for information. If we are conducting a lesson on Chinese cultures we can tap into a lesson with a Chinese classroom.
I think there is so much that can be done in the education field with the use of video conferencing technology and I think we have yet to even begin to tap into it. I'm sure getting a program like this started won't be easy and it will take some extra time on the teachers part to incorporate this into their lessons, but it's just like anything else...you do it once and you can continue to build upon it year after year. I think the extra work it would require is well worth the benefits the students would receive. I do understand this will take money from the districts for equipment and setups, I think its a worthwhile project...do you? Do the pros outweigh the cons? This is definitely a technology for schools to begin to consider...is it worthwhile? I don't know, but I definitely see it as an interesting tool that can be seen as attractive to students. And once again, isn't that what we want? To attract them to learning?
A fourth grade class at the school I am currently placed at set up a video conference with a tour guide from Ellis Island. As one of the tech people, I walked in and out just to make sure everything was working correctly and the connection wasn't going in and out. It was amazing! The students were all engaged and loved the virtual field trip. They had questions planned to ask the tour guide and held an interview session at the end of the presentation. I would definitely want to explore more into using video conferencing in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteHas any one else ever been on a virtual field trip? I think thats the way schools are going because of budget cuts and such.
I have also drawn interest into the field of video conferencing lately. There is so much potential in that field. I had taken an undergraduate course at Pace that was done through video conferencing. It was a logic course. The professor would be in the NYC campus while the Pleasantville students would watch and listen on big-screen TV's. Each room had cameras and microphones so each room can communicate with each other. It was a weird transition to get used to but I didn't have much of a problem with it. Now, there is so much free software out there for video conferencing that makes it even more possible!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was student teaching at Pleasantville last Spring, there were a few 8th grade students that could not get permission to go on a field trip to a museum. They had setup a virtual field trip for those students, but I did not get to see it unfortunately as I had 7th and 8th grade.
I have had some experience with videoconferencing and think it is a great tool but like any other technology it is important to make sure that the content or the trip is worthwhile. For example there are some museums that offer virtual field trips but are little more than a lecturer who then takes questions at the end of the program. Videoconferencing should be an engaging interactive experience. One fantastic example of a sucessful "trip" was when my colleague, a Spanish teacher, gave her middle school students a lesson in Flamenco dancing. Remote instructors gave demonstrations and then involved the students in clapping and counting in Spanish to the beat as the dancing continued. The students learned about the culture, language and physically participated in the activity.
ReplyDeleteI also video-conferenced one with a group of students in Senegal with my French student but unfortunately the connections and time difference made it challenging.