Recently a high school physics teacher friend was able to utilize teleconferencing to set up a live feed with researchers at CERN. News of a "groundbreaking" result had turned out to be incorrect due to measurements. The class was able to talk with these scientists at the large hadron collider to discuss the value of rigorous testing in science. Interestingly, the scientists said that this small high school in Milford, CT was the only school to contact the research facility in Switzerland. I think this speaks to educators under-using this tool.
We designed an online course for learning Arabic Language that incorporated Skype like teleconferencing for the instructor to listen to the students speaking. Not only can she hear them, but she can see how they are pronouncing the words.
Kirsten,
What a fantastic opportunity for your friend and his/her class of students! I am sure many educators would be intimidated, contacting researchers at CERN- kudos to your friend for reaching out!
Theresa Schmitt
Using teleconferencing would take place instead of costly field trips and the headache of scheduling a face-to-face meeting. Also, using it to meet with several professionals, who are already working in their field, all in one day is possible.
It would save time and money.
It would be a way to get your students to listen
to another educator with another method of teaching a particular grammar or essay concept.
Teleconferencing is a great opportunity for people to lecture and exchange ideas across distances. Students who are primarily just online students could benefit from occassionally seeing their instructor, and students who attend classes in person can benefit from having access to a number of guest speakers who would not otherwise be able to share with them, due to distance or time restrictions.
Being that I teach online, I already do teleconferencing twice a week for students. The nice thing about it is that they can be anywhere and attend the lecture. Some have to be home with children and others actually attend during their lunch breaks from work on their computers or Ipads. Convenience is the number one benefit in my view.
The idea of "Open Skype Time" is really good. I have students who want extra help in solving problems, and with this I can be available to them from home.
Teleconferencing is an excellent way to bring face-to-face for faculty Professional Development opportunities. It is possible to communicate with well-respected educators from all over the world to present and share ideas and problem solve right on the spot. A word of advice, however, is to make sure to "test" the equipment well in advance of the meeting. I am sure we all know to do this.......
With "open Skype" time as office hours are you just live on skype for that scheduled period and students can opt in at their leisure or is it one on one as they make appointments with you?
I think the obvious is being able to access a variety of "experts" without the need fo travel. I have seen students really open to this and appreciate the "expertise" given to them
I believe teleconferencing is an invaluable tool and resource. I have yet to capitalize on it, but will soon.
Having the ability to bring another instructor into the classroom with more, similar, and or different approaches to similar topics, can drive home reality in the workplace and create a learning advantage.
by using teleconferencing - drive times / computing to class can be cut down but still allow instructor and student interactions.
I teach massage therapy and think livestream would be a good thing for me. I could teach the hands on portion in class and then use livestream to help students remember the strokes when practicing at home. When learning massage strokes you sometimes forget exactly how the stoke is and this method would allow the students to see it again at home.
Rebecca:
What a great point!!! This videoconferencing has great potential to aid with instruction by bringing in all sorts of new perspectives into the classroom both on ground and virtual. I still believe that nothing takes the place of a face to face meeting, but when time and money are considerations, this is a great substitute.
Skype "office hours" interest me, since I do not have a private office in which to meet face to face with students.
Susan,
Many K-12 schools utilize Skype when a student is hospitalized for an extended amount of time or undergoing treatment that prevents them from attending class. It is a great way to keep the student engaged with his or her classmates and not fall too far behind in their studies.
Here is a touching story I came across about a young girl with cancer who would Skype in to class while undergoing treatment:
http://www.childrenscancer.org/main/kids_stories/lauras_story_surviving_osteosarcoma/
Theresa Schmitt
I think it gives a one on one type thing that the student feels that they're getting more with the teacher or instructor it can also be easy for busy schedules cause it can be done from a remote locations even if your out
Hello,
Teleconferencing gives the students a direct use of real world tools when they are interacting directly with a professional in their field.
I think this is very beneficial to ithe classroom. I do not have the opportunity to teleconference within my classroom. I know that a lot of corporations use it to have meeting with multiple people all over the country. No need to travel.
Within a classroom, just like in corporations, you can interview a senator or politician without leaving the classroom.
