When you hear the words “video conferencing,” what pops into your head? Corporate boardrooms? Long tables with lots of chairs? CEOs huddled together discussing plans for the next quarter? Now, try replacing that image with a classroom filled with middle school children in the city or a small, private class in the middle of a jungle.
Believe it or not, the ways in which video conferencing can be used to enhance education are plenty and very advantageous! It’s an educational tool that not only creates more student engagement, but it also makes history, geography and any other class all that more interesting. But as a teacher, how exactly can you use video conferencing to its full potential? Here are 5 ways to use this technology in the classroom.
5. Connecting with Experts
Video conferencing technology allows you to meet face-to-face, or in this case, face-to-faces, instantly. Imagine the class’ delight when they get to meet someone or ask an expert in the field a question about something they are learning about in real time. The possibility to collaborate with museums, charities, content providers and learning centres are endless with this type of technology.
4. Extra Incredible Field Trips
Field trips are fun for everyone because it’s a chance to get out and explore, and with video conferencing, you can be even more adventurous! Think about it. With your standard field trip, you can only cover so much distance. There’s transportation to consider, forms to sign, plus snacks and making sure everyone has a buddy. With video conferencing, you can be transported to far off, exotic locations. Instead of learning about volcanoes in a textbook, you can interact live with an instructor from a learning centre in Hawaii and get live lava flow reports. No one is going to want to miss that lesson!
3. Collaboration and Participation On A Global Scale
Using video conferencing bridges the gap between distances. Where classes from the same school might have collaborated on a project, now classes from schools across the country (or continent!) can join forces to work on activities. This allows for fresh views and new ideas that maybe wouldn’t spark amongst students who grew up with each other. Furthermore, this facilitates a more relevant approach when tackling a topic or subject, creating a broader, more diverse collective. With more worldviews and observations, the end result offers a far deeper information exchange.
2. Previously Unavailable Courses Are Now Available
Schools far outside the city can especially benefit from video conferencing. Due to a lack of teachers in remote areas, certain courses aren’t offered or the quality is lacking. Distance learning is a perfect solution and reduces commute time for teachers having to put in long hours on the road. And what about exotic “previously unavailable” course content? Every school wants to give their students access to new places and cutting-edge procedures. Maybe you dissected a fetal pig, but have you ever seen a live knee replacement surgery? You can with video conferencing.
1. Teachers Need To Be Taught Too
As a teacher, the learning never stops, and with video conferencing, the whole process becomes expedited. Hours of professional development are standard in order to gain the proper certification, and rather than having to go to a physical location, video conferencing offers a convenient alternative for schools to prepare their teachers to meet these requirements from wherever they are on the planet!
FreeConference.com Empowers Teachers To Do What They Love, Only Better And With More Excitement!
There is no shortage of ways that video conferencing adds dimension and engagement to a lesson. With FreeConference.com, any teacher anywhere can implement this technology to hold meetings on demand, around the world without spending a cent. And with the screen sharing feature, facetime with multiple students and teachers (or maybe parrots and elephants!) is a reality, and will only continue to push the boundaries of interactive learning.
If you want to enrich the education of your students or help other teachers get up and running with their educational development, create a free account today and experience free teleconferencing, download-free video, screen sharing, web conferencing and more.
