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Virtual
Field Trips through Video Conferencing
By Lynne M. Pachnowski
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Instructions)
Subject: Videoconferencing
Audience: Teachers, teacher educators, tech coordinators
Grade Level: K–12 (Ages 5–18)
Technology: Internet/Web
Standards: NETS•T II–III (Standards).
Supplement: Bringing Authentic K–12 Classrooms and Teachers to
a University Classroom through Videoconferencing By Kellah M. Edens(PDF,
60 KB, download time - 5 sec). Videoconferencing technology allowed preservice
teachers to observe and interact with K–12 students without leaving the
university campus. Download the supplement: Bringing
Authentic K–12 Classrooms and Teachers to a University Classroom through
Videoconferencing (PDF
PDF Instructions) .
Videoconferencing is increasingly used as a tool to
replace physical
field trips as schools obtain videoconferencing technology
available
for use by an entire class. Many traditional field trip
resource
locations such as museums, zoos, and historical sites are
creating
video-conferencing sessions for the K–12 audience,
and locations
that have not been typical field trip sites, such as
universities
and hospitals, are also getting in on the act.
Furthermore, some
traditional field trip locations use a video-conference to
prepare
students for the actual field trip. Schools are
increasingly finding
that virtual field trips are cost effective and reduce
issues involved
with actual field trips, such as student transportation
safety and
time issues. This article discusses how a video-conference
might
work for you, how to find a videoconference field trip
provider,
what features to look for in an experience, costs, how to
prepare
a class, and so on.
What It Is Like
It is 10:40 a.m., and you typically have your class of 24
students
studying art at this time. However, today, you walk your
class over
to the videoconferencing equipment in your building. On
the screen,
you can see a woman with a headset microphone on her head.
She says,
“Wow, I can see lots of bright students ready to
learn about
French Impressionism today!” Your students whisper,
“Can
she see us?” Before you can answer, she responds,
“Yes,
I can see you, and I can hear you, too!” The woman on
the screen
refers to you by name and tells you to let her know when
you think
the class is ready to begin. Once your students are
settled and
you give her the sign to begin, the woman on the screen
leads the
next 40 minutes.
She frequently asks questions, and you find yourself
helping students
negotiate the classroom microphone. She refers to the
activity sheets
the students completed before the lesson, and you whisper
to the
students to get them out. By the end of the class session,
students
realize their time is short, and they stumble over each
other to
get their questions in while you act as moderator. At the
end of
the session, the woman says that unfortunately our time is
up and
waves goodbye to your students. Your students wave goodbye
to her
instinctively without even questioning whether she can see
them
wave—they know she can.
How It Works
Increasingly, schools and districts are obtaining
videoconferencing
technology to broaden their curriculum and communication
options.
Some schools are setting aside classrooms for renovation
into videoconferencing-based
classrooms. At the very least, these classrooms are being
equipped
with a monitor for viewing the off-site partners, a camera
for sending
the view of the students in the classroom, and microphones
for sending
the voices of the students in the classroom. Often, the
classroom
is also equipped with a second monitor for viewing the
classroom
image that is being sent so that camera angles can be
readjusted
if necessary. Typically, the classroom is also equipped
with a computer
and/or document camera for sending media to off-site
partners.
Instead of equipping an entire room, some districts are
simply purchasing
the monitor, camera, and microphone to equip a cart that
can be
transported and stored. In either case, the room or the
cart is
wired appropriately to send and receive video and audio
data. The
network is designed to send data either using ISDN lines,
T1 lines,
or, in rare locations, fiber-optic lines. Also, as
broadband computer
technology develops, the possibility of videoconferencing
on desktop
computers will become a viable option. In this case, when
attached
to a projector, your classroom computer may become your
videoconferencing
equipment. However, not all regions of the United States
are ready
for this level of desktop-to-desktop videoconferenc-ing.
Technology
personnel within a district can communicate with the
technology
personnel of a potential video- conferencing partner to
determine
how to make the highest quality or most cost-effective
connection
between sites.
Videoconferencing
Providers
When a school obtains the equipment necessary to do
videoconferencing,
typically, a teacher’s first question is, “Where
can I
find providers?” In the past few years, several
databases have
emerged that contain information for teachers on finding
“virtual
field trips” through content providers.
One of the most comprehensive databases is the Pacific
Bell Knowledge
Network Explorer Videoconferencing for Learning Web site.
(Editor’s
note: For this and other URLs, see the Resources
section at
the end of the article.) The Adventures section of this
site contains
a list of providers and contacts. The Pacific Bell Web
site also
provides good tips for your videoconference experience. In
addition,
Pacific Bell hosts an electronic mailing list for schools
who might
be interested in finding a collaborator. Information about
the mailing
list can be found at the Collaboration Collage page of the
Web site
by choosing Collaboration. This list can be a resource for
schools
who have videoconferencing technology and who may be
looking for
other schools to share in curriculum-based projects.
What to Expect
When you find a potential virtual field trip provider,
consider
determining the following information from the source:
What is the length of the video-conference and day/time
restriction?
Can the day and time be adjusted to fit the
teacher’s/school’s
schedule, or is the day and time predetermined by the
content provider?
Some content providers prefer to have multiple schools
participate
in one event (this is called “multi-point”), so
they will
restrict the days and times of the presentation. Other
providers
conduct their presentations one-on-one with a particular
class (this
is called “point-to-point”). Therefore,
scheduling may
be more flexible for point-to-point events.
What is the cost to the school for the presentation?
Costs
could range from presentations being free to, on average,
costing
$75–$200. An actual field trip for 25 students to,
say, a zoo
100 miles away would cost more than $600 (approximately
$100 for
admission fee, $425 for bus mileage, and $130 for the
driver’s
fee), not to mention the four hours of lost instruction
time that
the students are in transit.
Some presentations may cost more if the presenter is in
high demand.
You may need to also determine if there is any cost to
your school
or district for the connection for the event and how it
can be paid.
Most schools pay a monthly fee for a videoconferencing
line. However,
some systems require a cost per minute, particularly if
you are
connecting to an overseas partner.
What is the provider’s policy should the event
fail to connect?
Will they reimburse your cost? If the connection fails
in the
middle of a videoconference, will the content provider
reschedule
the event for another day with no additional cost to you?
Does the
cause of the failure need to be from the content
provider’s
end for a free rescheduling?
How much interactivity will be available to students?
The
amount of inter-activity should be indirectly related to
the number
of sites involved. For instance, if the event involves
your class
viewing a surgeon performing open-heart surgery, and 15
schools
are participating, then the opportunity for your students
to ask
questions may be limited. In this situation, however, your
students
can benefit from the questions that students at the other
sites
generate (and the subsequent answers). So, multi-point
conferences
have their benefits. In a point-to-point conference,
however, students
have the individual attention of the presenter and may
have more
opportunity to ask questions throughout the conference.
Before scheduling a videoconference, whether multi-point
or point-to-point,
ask about the amount of interactivity, because you cannot
always
be sure that a point-to-point conference will be more
interactive
and a multi-point will be more lecture-based, without
understanding
the skills and objectives of the presenter.
Are any hands-on materials available to students for
use before,
during, or after the videoconference? Some content
providers
who have created established, frequently offered
videoconference
programs have found it helpful to create supplemental
materials
for students. Some providers, such as the Cincinnati Zoo,
provide
preconference activity sheets as PDF files for the
students in order
for them to attend the video-conference with some
preexisting knowledge.
Pre- and postconference activities help make the
videoconfer-ence
a more complete learning experience that can be integrated
into
an existing unit of study rather than a one-time event
that does
not relate to what the students are already studying.
Other providers,
such as the Columbus Zoo, will ship a kit of material for
students
to use during the videoconference. The hands-on materials
help keep
students focused on the task at hand and provide a
kinesthetic aspect
to the visual and auditory experience.
Does the videoconference address content that meets
local, state,
and national content standards? Many content providers
have
learned that although some videoconference topics may
sound interesting,
many teachers are so time-constrained by “covering
material”
that if the conference topic does not supplement their
curriculum,
they simply cannot afford to try it. Therefore, many
content providers
are becoming adept at communicating with educators
regarding the
types of benchmarks and standards that need to be
addressed in the
curriculum, creating conferences that address them, and
then noting
them in the marketing. NASA’s Glenn Learning
Technologies Project
is one example of a content provider that indicates which
National
Science Teachers Association standards are addressed in
each of
its videoconferences. If none are indicated, ask if the
content
provider is aware of which standards the conference may
address.
If the content provider is unable to discuss these, ask
what concepts
are being taught in the videoconference.
Additional Tips for
Videoconference Success
Although virtual field trips can be an exciting way to
enhance
a curriculum, all teachers who intend to incorporate this
technology
into their teaching need to understand that it is still
relatively
new. It can be very disheartening for a teacher as well as
for students
when a class is prepared to experience a video-conference
and then
there are glitches in the planning or in the actual
technical connection.
To minimize the possibility of disappointment, plan well
and prepare
for possible technical problems.
Get confirmation phone numbers. Once you find a
content provider
and make arrangements to participate in a videoconference,
be certain
that the technical support personnel in your building or
district
have the event on their calendar, too. Although e-mail
addresses
from the content providers are helpful for exchanging
information,
obtain phone numbers for those who will be at the location
of the
source of the presentation on that day. If possible,
obtain a cell
phone number of someone who will be at the presentation or
the number
of a phone in the presentation room so that you or the
technical
support person can communicate with your provider should
audio be
a problem.
Schedule the connection with “padded” time.
If
it will not cost much time or money, try having the
connection for
the event begin about one-half hour before the time you
actually
plan to have your class begin the videoconference. This
time can
be used by the technical support personnel to test audio
levels,
ensure any slides or other visuals can be seen, and for
general
troubleshooting. If the connection is good early on, it
can be left
idle until you and the content provider are ready to
begin. Also,
consider having the connection end about five minutes
after your
actual scheduled time. This way, your students won’t
be cut
off in the middle of a last-minute question, and they
won’t
leave the classroom with the feeling that the off-site
presenter
has “disappeared.”
Have a test connection. Again, if it will not cost
much time
or money, consider having your technical support personnel
and the
content provider make a test connection to work out the
bugs before
your event. Sometimes, when setting up a videoconference
between
two sites, problems will occur that can be worked out if
the technical
personnel have the time to make necessary adjustments. If,
however,
your technical support personnel have completed several
successful
connections and your event is similar to others that have
happened
previously, a test connection may not be necessary.
Prepare your class. If your class has never
participated
in a videoconference before, consider preparing them for
the experience.
When you bring a class into a videoconference-equipped
room for
the first time, often the first 10 minutes of off-site
presentation
is wasted because the students are so enamored with the
equipment
in the room and the way things work. Therefore, it would
be beneficial
to spend some time with your class orienting them to the
experience.
Be sure to show and explain to the class each piece of
equipment
involved in the videoconference, especially which
microphones they
will be using and which monitors they will be looking at.
Discuss
issues involving proper videoconferencing etiquette, such
as not
waving at the camera, rubbing a microphone (creating an
off-site
sound), or speaking before the person off-site is
finished. Finally,
explain to the class your expectations for the event,
whether it
is that they simply better understand certain ideas or
even whether
some of the content mentioned will be seen on a future
test. Time
spent preparing your class in the videoconferenc-ing
setting, either
a few days or a few minutes before the event, will help
make the
experience more worthwhile for both students and
presenters.
Have a back-up plan. Be sure to have a class
activity ready
in case technical difficulties prevent you from having or
completing
your videoconference. However, should this occur,
don’t let
it deter you from trying to reschedule.
Bringing videoconferencing technology into schools has
opened up
new opportunities for curriculum enrichment. Teachers can
bring
excellent “guest speakers” and take their
classes to places
they have never been without leaving their school
buildings. As
time goes on, schools will recognize the cost benefits and
learning
benefits of bringing this resource into their buildings
and into
their curriculum.
Resources
Articles
Barshinger, T., & Ray, A. (1998, August). From
volcanoes
to virtual tours: Bringing museums to students through
videoconferencing
technology. In Distance Learning ’98: Proceedings of
the Annual
Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning (pp.
41–48).
Madison: University of Wisconsin.
Simmons, B., Havice, B., & Isbell, C. (1999).
Electronic
field trip: Incorporating desk-top videoconferencing in
the elementary
school classroom. Technology and Children, 3(4),
3–5.
Web sites
Cincinnati Zoo: www.cincyzoo.org/education
(Choose Distance Learning, then Accompanying Curriculum
Material).
Columbus Zoo: www.columbuszoo.org/education/distance.html
Pacific Bell Knowledge Network Explorer: www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/vidconf/
(Choose Adventures for teleconference providers)
NASA’s Glenn Learning Technologies Project: www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/CoE/appendix_a.htm
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Dr. Lynne Pachnowski
(LMP@uakron.edu) is an
associate professor of education at the University
of Akron
(UA), Ohio. She received her master’s degree
from John
Carroll University and her doctorate from Boston
College.
Dr. Pachnowski recently served three years as the
coordinator
of distance education at UA. Her article in
Cause/Effect (22[3])
describes some of the challenges she faced bringing
college
courses to schools through videoconferencing
technology. |
Copyright © 2002, ISTE (International Society for Technology
in Education).
All rights reserved.
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