Educational Videoconferencing Opportunities

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Educational Videoconferencing Opportunities

• Ruth Litman-Block
• Martha Bogart

1460 Craig Rd. St. Louis, MO 63146 314-872-8282
http//csd.org
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What Is Videoconferencing?

• Two-way voice and video connection
• Done over ISDN (phone) lines or IP (Internet)
  lines
• ISDN H.320
• IP H.323
• 6 ISDN lines cost of 6 long distance lines
• Bandwidth dedicated to only one videoconference
  at a time

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What Is Videoconferencing?

• IP lines no cost, other than Internet access
• Bandwidth dedicated to more than one
  videoconference need large bandwidth
• Some content providers do not have IP capability
  many do

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How Does It Work?

• Types of systems
• Polycom
• Tandberg
• Simple to operate
• Remote control
• Touch screen
• Similar to dialing phone number

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Why Videoconference?

• Increases student engagement and motivation
• Uses researched based instructional strategies
• Cooperative Learning (Kagan)
• Classroom Instruction that Works (Marzano)
• Uses constructivist pedagogy and inquiry-based
  learning
• Increases student achievement
• Wainhouse study
• http//www.wrplatinum.com/BekijkSamenvatting.asp?I
  nhoudsnummer906
• BECTA study (8)
• http//www.becta.org.uk/research/research.cfm?sect
  ion1id546

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Uses of Videoconferencing

• Enrich curriculum
• Deliver staff development and classes
• Conduct administrative meetings
• Perform parent and community outreach
• Develop business partnerships
• Make global connections

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Examples of Uses

• Students can take classes not offered at their
  school, such as advanced honors or foreign
  language courses
• Classes can communicate first-hand with experts
  in many fields to enhance understanding of a
  subject they are studying
• Students can meet with tutors for enrichment or
  personal attention

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Examples of Uses

• Schools can offer classes during off-hours and to
  students who cannot attend traditional classes
• Teachers can team-teach with remote teachers,
  sharing subject matter expertise or a unique
  approach to a topic
• A librarian could offer an introduction to
  library services and a library tour for local
  schools

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Actual Videoconferences

• This site has lots of info about videoconferences
  and video clips of them
• http//www.remc11.k12.mi.us/dl/fave/index.html

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Where to Find Content Providers

• SBC Knowledge Network Explorer
• http//www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/vidconf/directory.
  html
• Two Way Interactive Connections in Education
  (TWICE)
• http//www.twice.cc/fieldtrips.html
• Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration
  (CILC)
• http//www.cilc.org
• Vanderbilt Virtual School
• http//www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool/
• IDSolutions
• http//www.ideasdirectory.com/

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Search CILC for Content
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Search by Content Provider or Keyword
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This site has many field trips and is searchable.
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Internet Sites About Videoconferencing

• CSD maintains a list of interesting sites about
  videoconferencing
• http//www.ikeepbookmarks.com/CSD
• Click on Videoconferencing Links
• Available all the time
• Anyone can access
• Only one URL to remember
• CSDs New Links to New Learning site
• http//csd.org/newlinks/newlinks.htm

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Content Providers

• Most have websites
• Most provide lesson plans,supplemental materials,
  and handouts
• Some good ones
• Liberty Science Center www.lsc.org
• Mote Marine Laboratory Seatrek www.seatrek.org
• Museum of TV Radio www.mtr.org/welcome.htm
• Johnson Space Center learningoutpost.jsc.nasa.g
  ov
• Cincinnati Zoo www.cincyzoo.org/Education/index.h
  tm

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How to Design a Virtual Field Trip

• Pick a lesson you have taught many times
• Look at your objectives
• Figure out where to take your students that would
  enhance the lesson
• Pick several dates and times
• Contact content provider and reserve time
• Or contact CSD to do this for you
• Contact your tech support person and reserve time
  in the videoconferencing room

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How to Design a Virtual Field Trip

• Go to website of provider and download lessons
  and/or handouts
• CSD can do this for you
• Prepare students
• Go over protocol
• Have students sign behavior contract
• Create tent name tags
• Get parental permission to videotape
• Debrief and evaluate the video conference

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How to Design a Collaborative Project

• Begin with a curricular goal
• Evaluate available resources
• Review existing projects
• Contact the remote site project
  coordinator/teacher
• Plan the project or your participation in it
• Implement the plan
• Evaluate and plan for the future

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Curricular GoalsQuestions to Ask Yourself

• Exactly what do you want your students and those
  they are linking with to learn?
• How does videoconferencing particularly enhance
  their learning and understanding?
• What classroom preparation will you need to do
  with students in advance so that they get maximum
  learning benefits from the videoconference?
• During the actual videoconference, what specific
  learning activities will students involved be
  doing?
• After the conference, what follow up activities
  will you do with students to reinforce their
  understanding?

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Resources for Collaborative Projects

• TWICE maintains a page with many links to
  projects
• http//www.twice.cc/projects.html
• CILC Collaboration Center (request a
  collaboration site for a project)
• http//www.cilc.org/collaboration_center.aspx
• Global Leap (in UK)
• http//www.global-leap.com/
• Face to Face (free public directory of
  videoconference sites around the world)
• http//www.ftf-tokyo.com/

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Types of Collaborative Projects

• Poetry slam
• Debate/Argument
• Dialogs on social issues/concerns
• Read to each other
• Performances
• Collaborative writing
• Sharing cultures/traditions
• Joint problem solving
• Joint data collection and analysis
• Interviewing

• Examination/analysis of public policy
• Sharing of research/science projects
• Joint service projects
• Older students teaching younger
• Geography guessing game
• Sharing of local history
• Quiz shows
• Foreign language practice

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Plan the Project

• Figure out the timeline
• Determine the number of sites (who, where, etc.)
• Think through all the details
• Determine what technology resources you will need
  and how to get them
• Assign project tasks to students
• Design a scoring guide

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Evaluate the Project

• Is it worthwhile to do this project again?
• What should be changed?
• Did the project meet the curricular goals for the
  students?
• Did the participants in the project do their
  parts?
• What other project ideas might come from this
  experience?

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Happy Traveling!

• CSD is ready to help in any way
• A wealth of opportunities await you and your
  students
• Take a risk and jump into videoconferencingthe
  waters fine!