"Getting Started:
Video Conferencing It's Easy, Free, and Powerful"
The K12 Online Conference is a great tool for teachers to use and become educated about new technology. The reason it is so great is because all of the sessions are podcast online. Therefore, anyone can listen to them at anytime.
The session I listened to was "Getting Started:Video Conferencing It's Easy, Free, and Powerful." I was able to learn a lot about video conferencing and the many different ways it can be used in a classroom.
One of the ways it can be used is by Inclusion. A student who is sick or cannot attend school can be included in the class by video conferencing. One program that can be used for inclusion is Skype. This is a program that is easy to use and does not require a lot of equipment.
Another way to use video conferences is by sharing an expert. A classroom who is able to book an expert can share their expert with another class. When it comes to video conferencing, students from both classes are able to ask the expert questions and have their questions answered right away.
One class uses video conferencing to share an experience. The class was working on oral language skills. So, the teacher was able to record his/her students and play it back to them. This allowed the students to be able to hear themselves. Then were able to hear how fluent they were and how many times they said "um."
Lastly, I learned that video conferences can be used for collaboration. A classroom of students are able to be matched up with another classroom of students, anywhere in the world, and create a story together. Both students are given the same picture, and then they are to write a story together. The students are able to use web cams so they can see the student they are working with. Also, with video conferencing they are able to talk to each other. This is a great way to get students to collaborate.
All in all, the K12 Online Conference is very helpful for teachers and the session on video conferencing shows how much can be learned from just one short 13 minuet session.
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2 comments:
Inclusion, sharing experts, sharing experiences, and collaboration... these reasons for using video conferencing are useful for all ages and grade levels.
Emily, I doubt that I will actually use skype in my classroom someday. I am not going to rule it out by any means, but I don't think that it will fit into my curriculum, especially if I am in a social studies class room. I think that I will incorporate technology in different ways.
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