Key Drivers for Video Conferencing in Education
The adoption of videoconferencing is growing rapidly within primary, secondary and further education establishments as teachers and students alike discover its teaching and learning potential.
Content Providers
National institutions such as museums, the national archives and more recently higher educational establishments such as universities, provide content directly into classrooms via videoconferencing. Effectively a school trip without the travel, content providers can enhance the delivery of a whole range of subjects by accessing greater expert tuition in a more time and cost efficient manner. Typical subjects that benefit are Humanity, History, Geography and the Sciences however the scope of its use is unlimited.
JANET is the UK’s education and research network linking content providers to content seekers. Well worth a look.
Transitional Stage Education
The transition from primary into secondary education can be a trying time for teachers, students and their parents. Via a videoconferencing link, year six children can meet with teachers and pupils of prospective high schools in order to increase their confidence and reassure them of their next place of study.
This type of usage is applicable across all key transitional stages. For example, KS4 pupils can discuss with tutors which AS levels they wish to study via videoconferencing and A level students can ‘virtually visit’ potential universities before they actually visit, to gauge if the university is for them.
Strengthening of International Links
Most schools now have international links with schools in Europe and beyond. Organising trips to foreign schools can be a challenge and put a strain on school resources – while videoconferencing will never replicate the cultural benefits of actually being there, pupils and teachers alike can link up in between visits to keep the momentum going and strengthen ties.
Sister Schools Communication
Many schools in the UK have sister establishments in the same region but are nevertheless a journey away. Videoconferencing will maintain communication between sites in a face-to-face capacity that would otherwise be impossible without physically being there.
Special Education Needs (SEN)
Videoconferencing is actively used in SEN and is very much specific to each individual case. A particularly successful scenario is when videoconferencing is used to steadily integrate pupils who are ‘borderline ready’ for mainstream education into the classroom, without initially being physically there. This helps by increasing the pupils’ understanding of a classroom environment prior to actually formally attending the class. It also enables other pupils in the class to continue their education without disruption of a new pupil that may command much of the teacher’s time in the initial period.
Continual Professional Development (CPD) / Best Policy Practices
Due to staff shortages and increased workloads, many teaching staff and educational workers struggle to get time to train as part of their CPD. Videoconferencing has been used to allow CPD to take place without staff having to leave the site. This effectively means that travel time incurred by attending such events is eradicated and the strain it puts on staff resources is in the most part, are removed. Staff meetings can also be conducted over videoconferencing for such things as sharing Best Policy Practices which again, reduce travel and allow such events to take place with increasing regularity.
Modern Foreign Language (MFL Teaching)
Advanced skills teachers are increasingly hard to find in MFL and can put massive monetary strain on teaching budgets. Videoconferencing is frequently used to allow teachers and pupils anywhere in the world to come together and have regular lessons where budgets may not permit the full time employment of an AST in the school.
