MegaconferenceDec 10, 2002

Videoconferencing in K-12 Education: Moving it from a Promise to Successful Future Practice

Amela Sadagic, PhDamela@advanced.org

Agenda

1. Why and when should I use technology in learning?

2. ITF project basics and rationale

3. Mini Videoconference cook-book

4. Projects you can do

5. Q & A

1 Why and when should I use technology in learning?

1. It enables more effective learning than traditional methods

2. It helps energize and excite students about learning

3. It is the only way – there may not be any traditional method that teaches new skill or provides new learning experience

1 Why and when should I use technology in learning?

Corollaries:• The use of technology does NOT

exclude traditional methods, NOR it replaces teachers

• Recognize the situation when using technology may be better over traditional method, AND opposite

• Technology is only a tool, NOT the goal

2 ITF project basics and rationale

• students in the center or the process – they are the owners of all phases of that process

• role of teachers:• teachers as facilitators not

instructors• provide them time and space to learn

along with students where they are not expected to be technology experts

2 ITF project basics and rationale

Students’ task:• imagine and partly prototype learning

system or application that employs advanced digital technologies including rich media, large public data resources, broadband or wireless networking

• work in small teams (2-6 students)

2 ITF project basics and rationale

• Participants: student groups from 6 high schools (HI, MI, MI, NJ, TX, VA)

• Project year: • 1st part: build knowledge base,

inspire, energize • 2nd part: facilitate work of student

teams• We built project material and

suggested school activities

2 ITF project basics and rationale

Activities:• multipoint videoconferencing sessions: expert

presentations given by Dr. Andrew Glassner, Jaron Lanier, Dr. Carrie Heeter

• local working sessions and workshops• off-line student forums• field trips• point-to-point videoconferencing sessions• school discussions: ethic dilemmas in computer science,

enduring knowledge• dialog with ITF staff• dialog with researchers• creation of web presentations

2 ITF project basics and rationale

Materials:• List of selected web resources• Glossary• Fascinating Stories• Showcase Pages• Video Postcards• General reference desk: content

organization, writing, citing• Ethic issues in computer science, internet /

web ethics, copyrights, plagiarism

3 Mini Videoconference cook-book

3.1 Is it a good medium?

3.2 Our goal

3.3 Multipoint session

3.4 Point-to-point sessions

3.5 Our lessons

3.1 Is it a good medium?Drawbacks:

• lack of social cues we are used to in the real world, no transparency of social interactions,

• network parameters (low frame rate, high latency and packed loss) may make it impossible to be used for normal human communication

Advantages:• it has a power of (near) real-time images, • it connects remote collaborators in the same audio

and visual context, and it enables events that otherwise would never be possible

3.2 Our goal

Multipoint videoconference session:• importance of get-together events• creates sense of larger community• enables dialog with leading scientists• use it to inspire, motivate and energize

Point-to-point videoconference session:• enable more intimate setting for project

discussions and consultations

3.3 Multipoint sessionNote: videoconferencing session is not a replica of

face-to-face meeting!• medium is different – different communication cues

and rules. Your expectations should be different too.• everyone has to learn basic “grammar”: learn to

mute / un-mute the mike, look at the camera not the screen / display

• you will need session moderator• you will need MCU - multipoint connection unit• firewall – big issue in schools!• …and have lots of patience for connection

problems!

3.3 Multipoint session: A recipe

1. Make sure you are ready to record the session (analog / digital)

2. If possible use projector to get life-size imagery

3. Connect 20-30 min before• have time for informal chat among the

people before the “formal” session begins

4. Run text chat to troubleshoot and have a background channel during entire session

5. Introduce the audience and show all participants to the people who will be speaking

6. Manage Q&A queue in chat

3.4 Point-to-point session

More intimate sessions:• school-to-school• us-to-schools• us-to-student teams• us-to-teachers

But students may be more open

and confident if they ask questions

in text chat !

3.5 Our lessons

• students were running a “shop” – they were in charge of cameras and chat sessions! Let them do it making sure more than one person does it.

• students loved possibility to talk to the scientist – for some this was the greatest thing in the project,

• use videoconferencing to your advantage – recognize what it can do but also what it cannot do,

• do not use videoconferencing when it gets in the way of the task and the goal you want to achieve.

4 Projects you can do

Video-quiz (a.k.a. quiz-you-quiz-me): 1. select N web sites as basic resource,

2. ask each student team to define questions they will ask other teams (answers should be easy to find in those N web sites !),

3. make point-to-point connection between the two teams: they have to see and hear each other,

4. teams ask each other questions and judge each other’s responses interchangeably,

5. quarterfinals -> semifinals -> big finale + celebration with everyone in multipoint feast

4 Projects you can do

Share-a-class: 1. Connect two classrooms via video link.

• connecting high tech schools with low tech schools, schools in cities with schools in remote places

2. Each classroom prepares ½ of the lesson they all agreed in advance, and presents it to everyone.• possibility to hear different views

3. Share responsibilities - no superior/inferior or active/passive party. • active student involvement should be included

Q & A