Storyboard

Introduction

The topic of discussion in this presentation is interactive videoconferencing (IV).  Interactive Videoconferencing is an effective tool that may be used in distance education settings. This system can be integrated into the distance education program with minimal adaptation to the curriculum and course and is designed to support two-way video and audio communication between multiple locations (Gottschalk, 2006). IV is an effective tool to be incorporated into the K-12 curriculum.  It is an effective means to continue educational services delivered to students who can not be in the traditional face 2 face (f2f) setting.  It can also be implemented within the traditional setting as an enhancement tool.  Student who participate within the IV setting have assess to other students and curriculums. This allows for greater opportunities of collaboration.

Significance of Interactive Videoconferencing      

There are multiple reasons for using interactive videoconferencing.  These reasons include but are not limited to the following:

·         Addressing individual differences

·         Improved learning

·         Equity

·         Increased access to opportunity

·         Preparation for the Future (K-12 Videoconferencing, 2002).

Fourth Wave and Interactive Videoconferencing

Traditional learning environments are no longer effective for preparing students for a world of  interactive communication and high speed technology.   Educators must come up with new ways to incorporate the best practices of the past into a world of connectivity.  This incorporation starts on an elementary level and will become a permanent skill to be mastered.

Rationale

Students must begin early to prepare for a world of technology and communication. The intention behind this presentation is to inform the viewer of the importance of implementing interactive videoconferencing within the public school K-12 curriculum.  Collaboration, technology integration and increasing the access to opportunity is the rationale behind incorporating IV.  IV provides learning opportunities to non-traditional groups, including those in geographically remote areas or those unable to gain access to learning due to time and location rigidities inherent within traditional tertiary education courses or family commitments (Canning, 1999). 

The Team

·         The Originating Teacher

·         Technical Support Person

·         Curriculum Planner/ Coordinator

·         Clerical Support

·         Principal/Assistant Principal/Technology Administration

Conclusion

Interactive videoconferencing will benefit students in K-12 for the reason that it addresses individual differences, it improves learning, it promotes equity and lessons the gap of the disadvantaged, it increases opportunity for student and instructor and it prepares students for the future.

References:

Canning, R. (1999). The use of videoconferencing for continuing personal and professional development in Higher Education: a small–group study. Journal of Further and Higher Education , 117-130.

Gottschalk, T. H. (2006, May 14). Distance Education at a Glance Home. Retrieved December 18, 2011, from Engineering Outreach Home: http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/eo/dist10.html

K-12 Videoconferencing. (2002). Retrieved January 15, 2012, from Distance Education at a Glance: http://www.netc.org/digitalbridges/uses/

Module III Principles of Distance Education

In this module, you watched two video programs in which George Siemens discussed strategies for assessing collaborative learning communities in the online environment, and for creating and maintaining successful online learning communities. Both instructors and learners must take responsibility for achieving this goal. Occasionally, you may run across a student who does not like to work in groups or collaborate with peers. He or she may even request to work on a project alone rather than in a cooperative group.

When impending assessments of participation within a collaborative learning community, George Siemans states, one of the most significant challenges is finding the correct tools of assessment.  He gives definition to collaboration and teamwork in curricular activities, calling it participative pedagogy.  With that being said, one must give notice to the differences in assessing individuals for mastering skills learned in the traditional learning environment and then shifting to assessing groups of individuals collaborating in an environment of connected through cyberspace.  Question then becomes how should participation in a collaborative learning community be assessed?  Students can assess their peers, as well as, self assessment.  Additional assessments can be seen in online communities, such as blogs and wiki sites.  One must be cognitive of student’s individual contributions; this is a critical part of the assessment process. The contributions of the individual are a critical determining factor of weight given to the individual’s assessment. The varying levels of skill and knowledge students bring to a course affect the instructor’s "fair and equitable assessment" of learning. Instructors must become aware of what skills are being implemented in a project and by whom.  It is also important to determine what the necessary skills are and how these skills impact the project.  Weight than can be given to this based on the importance of the skills contributed.

If a student does not want to network or collaborate in a learning community for an online course, the other members have no choice but to proceed forward and achieve the objectives of the course.  The role of the instructor is to confer with the student and discuss whether or not the working independently was/is an option and what are the ramifications regarding the individuals’ assessment for choosing to work independently (Palloff and Pratt, 2005).


References:
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Interactive Video Conferencing

As the connectivity, affordability, and functionality of desktop and small room video conferencing systems have improved, so has the accessibility to integrating video conferencing into multimedia classrooms.  This allows guest speakers for classes, interactive collaborative projects between students, and experimentation with new applications of video technology into the curriculum. Emerging telecommunications technologies, the importance of standards-based network design, and the development of a suitable network infrastructure are all critical in an effective implementation strategy for video conferencing for innovative teaching and learning applications (Logan, 1998).

There are hosts of on line tools for interactive online video conferencing, including but not limited to the following:

• ·         FuzeBox.Com
• ·         GoToMeeting.Com
• ·         Cisco.Com
• ·         Yugm.Com
• ·         DimDim.Com
• ·         WebConference.Com
• ·         GlobalCrossing.Com

      Reference:

Logan, T. (1998, November 02). Ideas. Retrieved January 08, 2012, from IDEASnet Home Page:       http://www.baylor.edu/~IDEAS/