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Anna Foreman Personalised Learning Consultant looks the use of Video conferencing in the classroom.
There are many exciting uses of VC in schools that will help bring the curriculum to life. Whilst attending a recent VC conference I was able to see just how some of these exciting opportunities are being developed and enjoyed in schools!
· The Natural History Museum (NHM) offers schools the opportunity to VC with them on a range of subjects and themes;
- Mary Anning: introduces herself and talks about her life growing up in Lyme Regis. Mary explains what fossils are and how the evidence from fossils can give clues about an animal's appearance and habitat.
- Circadian Sam: uses props and puppets to discover more about different animals. How does the bat find its way in the dark? Why can an owl fly so silently? How do bees tell each other where to find the best nectar? She asks the children lots of questions, and they compare the animals with themselves.
These conferences are pitched at different levels/key stages and educational support. Information is available from the NHM Learning Coordinator Sarah Hone - s.hone@nhm.ac.uk
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/education/activities/school-activities/Videoconference.html
·
The National Space Centre
is able to provide VC in order to answer those ‘big questions’ children have.
Your school can link up to the Space Centre and meet
your commander, who can help you to perform a simulated space mission.
They also offer opportunities for children to find out about the planets, life
in space and many other space subjects.
http://www.spacecentre.co.uk/education/outreach/
Herne Bay Junior School, Kent LA took part in ‘e-mission: Operation Montserrat’
which was set up by the National Space Centre through the use of VC. The pupils
became the Emergency Response Team, recreating the events of 4 September 1996,
on the island of Montserrat.
· Collaborative Technologies in Languages Initiative was introduced at the VC conference by Steve Cayley, Adviser for eLearning, Devon Curriculum Services who has been working with the project. The project showed how pupils and teachers are using VC to learn about each other’s country, culture and impressively, sharing their languages through a variety of means including photographs and digital video. The main purpose of the project was to improve foreign language teaching and pupils’ learning in the primary classroom. Children that took part in the project felt more confident in learning a new language because they didn’t mind making mistakes in front of strangers.
There are several schools in Oxfordshire that are already up and running with VC and using it to bring learning alive.
· Increase in engagement and motivation
· Provides a range of opportunities for speaking and listening
· Development of social and communication skills
· Increase in confidence and self esteem
· Real communication - a real audience
· Raising of academic achievement
· Acquisition of new knowledge and understanding: access to experts/expertise around the world
· Impact on cultural awareness
There are many more exciting educational service providers that can offer a range of curriculum support through the use of VC. If you would like support with Video Conferencing in your school you can contact Anna Foreman, ICT Team, Cricket Road 01865 428034 or e-mail anna.foreman@oxfordshire.gov.uk to arrange a Traded Service.
· National Portrait Gallery, London
· National Archive (formerly PRO), London
· Maritime Museum, London
· Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
· Ocean Institute, San Francisco
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·
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
·
NASA, Houston, Texas
·
Cabinet War Rooms, London
Beth Rolf, ICT coordinator at Rush Common School, shares some of her experiences in using Video Conferencing in the classroom.
2004-2005:
Q. So you want to videoconference?
Yes. It sounded exciting and an interesting way to promote the use of ICT within the school.
Down it went on the ICT development plan!
That year my brief at BETT was to investigate videoconferencing equipment. Soon after came the opportunity to take part in a pilot scheme within the LA. Equipment was purchased and set up. Plans were made to set up links with a nearby school. For technical reasons that never happened and by the time they were resolved other issues had arisen and the proposed link was no longer feasible.
2005-2006:
Q. So, do you want to videoconference?
Yes, I did but the thought of it was rather daunting and it seemed a lot of effort with no obvious gain. We toyed with the idea of teaching a modern foreign language remotely, but it proved easier to go to the other school and teach directly.
Until I could provide an answer to the question, “Why videoconference?” nothing would happen. Eventually, at the 2006 ICT conference Cathy Flynn led a video-conferencing session with the National Records Office, on the Victorians. Now that sounded useful! Thus the journey began again. In July we ‘practised’ by linking with children at Sunningwell School. That was a stressful experience but at least we were able to communicate.
2006-2007
In Term 1 2006 we ‘practised’ again with Dave Headey and registered with JANET. This went smoothly so we booked 2 sessions for our Year 5 children with the National Archives on ‘Victorian Child Criminals’. The first session was doomed, but the second session went well and the children enjoyed it immensely. They were able to study documents they would otherwise have been able to see only by going up to the National Archives in London. (Video-conferencing is a lot cheaper and marginally less hassle.) The lesson was led by a member of the Education Department. The only job the class teacher had to do was select children to answer questions and distribute copies of a photograph by Luke Fildes showing people waiting to be admitted to a workhouse and the prison records for Henry Munday, a 13 year old child criminal.
Was it worthwhile? I asked the children that question and the response was a resounding yes! I have now booked sessions for the two Year 4 classes and am planning to book sessions with the Natural History Museum for our Year 2 children on either ‘Circadian Sam’ or ‘Dino Dan’. In March 2007 our English coordinator is also hoping to link with a school in the USA on a reading project.
Having waited for over 2 ½ years to find a good enough reason to videoconference, the opportunities are now appearing thick and fast. Although the process was lengthy, Dave Headey from ICT Services was a tower of strength, offering support and advice at every stage. Hopefully the technical hiccups are now behind us. Although they seemed massive at the time, in retrospect, they were no greater than the initial problems I encountered when interactive whiteboards were first introduced.
So, should you video-conference? Definitely, yes! Be prepared for teething problems, but remember why we’re in the job…. for the children. They will love it and will find it more interesting than listening to your voice all the time.
Beth Rolf – Rush Common Primary School, Abingdon
