VCinthe Classoom All

V deo i C fr i i on e enc ng n t C a s oom he l s r
Communications Technology across the Curriculum

Written by Tim Arnold, Steve Cayley and Mike Griffith Edited by Tim Arnold tjarnold@devon.gov.uk
Con en s t t
page
Acknowledgements Introduction Section A: Section B: Section C: Getting Started Preparation for a Video Conference and the Conference Itself Some Ways of using Video Conferencing in the Classroom including ten Devon school case studies in detail: Tipton Primary and Cockwood Primary Video conferencing in the Early Years classroom Branscombe Primary and Farway Primary Collaboration between two small schools Sidmouth Community College and Baylis Court School Geography and religious education South Molton Community College Video conferencing in English Montgomery Combined School, Exeter Link with Ecole Sanquer, Brittany Decoy and Wolborough Primaries / Knowles Hill School Cross-phase links The Newton Abbot Project Cross-phase liaison in science The Kings School, Ottery St Mary Post 16 courses using an external provider Sidmouth Community College Link with Public Record Office Religious education multipoint 'How far is Islam a religion of peace?' Section D: Section E: Section F: Making Contacts School Contacts List Organisations offering Video Conferencing Activities including two examples in detail: Public Record Office Reef HQ Section Section Section Section G: H: I: J: Video Conferencing Technology in more Detail Video Conference Equipment Manufacturers Glossary The Future
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VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM
Ac now e emen s k l dg t
Contributors:
Susan Anderson, NASA Johnson Space Centre, Texas, USA Jana Baxter, Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit, Pennsylvania, USA Mark Brimicombe, Devon Curriculum Services Jamie Byrom, Devon Curriculum Services Jenny Gage, MOTIVATE Maths Project, Cambridge Gary Hipple, Wandsworth Learning Centre, Wandsworth, London Kelli Lewis, Ocean Institute, California, USA Colin Manser, The Kings School, Ottery St. Mary, Devon Fred Nucifora, Reef HQ the Reef Education Centre, Australia Steve Parke, Devon Curriculum Service Martin Phillips, Devon Curriculum Services Barbara Sanders, DeMontfort University, Bedford Richard Selwyn, BECTa Phil Sewell, Global VideoCom Group Ltd. Philip Stanley-Berridge, The Public Record Office, London Geoff Tew, Devon Curriculum Services Ruth Trundley, Devon Curriculum Services Geoff Turrell, Athena EAZ, Birmingham Chris Wakely, Devon Curriculum Services Chris Wightman, Devon Curriculum Services
Devon schools taking part in the project:

Branscombe Primary School Cockwood Primary School Decoy Primary School, Newton Abbot Farway Primary School The King's School, Ottery St Mary Knowles Hill School, Newton Abbot Montgomery Combined School, Exeter Sidmouth Community College South Molton Community College Tipton St John Primary School West Down Primary School, Ilfracombe Wolborough Primary School, Newton Abbot
Other schools making contributions:

Applemore College, Southampton, Hampshire Arbour Vale School, Slough, Berkshire
Baylis Court School, Slough, Berkshire Chalvey Early Years Centre, Slough, Berkshire Cowes High School, Cowes, Isle of Wight Davenies School, Beaconfield, Buckinghamshire East Lyme School, Connecticut, USA Ecole Sanquer, Brest, France Godolphin Junior School, Slough, Berkshire Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital School, London Hato Paora College, Feilding, New Zealand Herschel Grammar School, Slough, Berkshire James Brindley School, Birmingham John Kelley Girls Technology College, Brent, London Kimbolton Upper School, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire Langleywood School, Slough, Berkshire Lawrence Sheriff School, Rugby, Leicestershire Lea Junior School, Slough, Berkshire Lent Rise Combined School, Burnham, Buckinghamshire Monkseaton Community High School, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear Montem Junior School, Slough, Berkshire Sawtry Community College, Sawtry, Cambridgeshire St Thomas More School, Blaydon, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Strabane Grammar School, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland Salt Grammar School, Bradford, West Yorshire Wexham School, Slough, Berkshire
Special thanks to:

All the teachers who made contributions to the project Global VideoCom Group Ltd. www.globalvc.co.uk which sponsored the project +44 (0)1753 442332 info@globalvc.co.uk Polycom www.polycom.com which provided eight video conferencing systems for project schools to use +44(0)1753 723000 enquiries@polycom.com Global Leap www.global-leap.com which has been a constant source of support +44 (0)7900 814 922 info@global-leap.com AV Magazine www.avinteractive.co.uk for use of their buyers' guide in Section H 0208 565 4223 peterl@qpp.co.uk Richard Selwyn at BECTa and Kevin Rennie at the DfES Simon, Roger and Karen at the Media Education Centre, Exeter Vera Anderson, Devon Curriculum Services publications co-ordinator
Global Leap is an organisation, based at Arbour Vale School in Slough and run by assistant headteacher Mike Griffith, which supports video conferencing in education. The name was chosen by Arbour Vale students for their 16-hour marathon global video conferencing event on February 29th 2000. The full story can be found on the Global Leap website.
Whereas we have made every effort to ensure that all the details in this book are correct at the time of publication, we cannot make any guarantees.
I t oduc i n r t on
The impact of technology on schools has been increasing year by year and shows little sign of slowing. As the various technologies have converged in a digital platform, the communication potential of ICT has expanded dramatically. School students of all ages are embracing the digital revolution in the games they play and the text messages they send to each others mobile phones. Harnessing the newest technology to support their learning in schools is a challenge to which schools must now rise. Video conferencing systems have been around for many years, but recent advances in technology now mean they are easy to use and have better quality picture and sound, so the video conferencing experience is much improved for all users. This book sets out to explore the wide range of practical video conferencing activities that are already being undertaken in classrooms across the country. As well as exploring curriculum applications of video conferencing, through detailed case studies, the book is a guide to getting started, explaining the technology in simple terms and giving hints and tips to ensure successful use. At a basic level we aim to answer the question what's in it for me? Imagine that you are a Key Stage 3 history teacher looking at England, 1066 - 1500. As part of a lesson on the Normans you link via video conference to the Public Record Office where actors take on the characters of a Norman and a Saxon and re-enact an encounter over taxation. Your pupils are able to question and challenge the characters and see artefacts, including a facsimile of the Domesday book. Or imagine that you are a Key Stage 2 science teacher. You are studying the topic 'The Earth and Beyond'. You link your class via video conference to NASA, where experts lead your pupils in a discussion on living in space and link to astronauts in the space station, who answer questions from your pupils. Or even imagine that you are a Year 6 pupil who wants to find out more about living in France and practise speaking French. Groups of children from a school in Exeter do just that every lunchtime when they link up with a primary school in Brittany. Video conferencing offers enormous potential for enriching children's learning in ways that cannot easily be achieved by other means. It can radically alter the way children interact with one another and with the world outside the classroom walls. This book is intended to help teachers exploit this powerful learning tool.
SECTION A:
Ge t ng ti Sat t r ed
IN THIS SECTION:
What Is Video Conferencing? What Do I Need to Get Started? Choosing a Video Conference System Application Sharing Multipoint Conferences Communications Links Running Costs Changing Systems The Right Environment
SECTION A
SECTION A
What Is Video Conferencing?

At its simplest, video conferencing is a tool which allows users to see and hear the person they are communicating with. Video conference calls are usually one-to-one or point-to-point calls using a direct link between participants. Calls can be made locally, nationally or across the world. Multi-way or multipoint conferences are also possible where more than two users take part in the call; these will be discussed later. To make a video conference call each user needs some form of video conferencing system and access to a suitable communications link. Video conferencing systems come in a variety of formats - some are computer based, some are dedicated units - but all have a number of common features: Camera Microphone Speakers TV or Monitor Methods of establishing a connection to remote users via on-screen options
The choice of system should depend on its intended use. Some systems are only suitable for person-to-person or small group use; others have the facilities to support use by whole classes. A communications link is required, over which a video conference is established. A video conference signal requires more capacity than a normal, voice-only phone line can provide. An alternative - ISDN - is generally used. Users with access to fast computer networks can, in some cases, use that network for video conferencing - this is generally referred to as IP video conferencing.
A video conference allows you to take part in live audio/video presentations in your classroom, and to collaborate through them. It is possible to video conference between two classrooms in the same town, or between two classrooms in different parts of the globe. The distance between each location is only restricted by the ability of each site to make the required connection.
Live video conferences differ from other multimedia resources, such as video recordings or television presentations, because they are interactive. You are meeting and talking face to face with someone else in real time, but in a different location. Successful video conferencing in the classroom requires the technology to take a backseat and allow you to concentrate on the content and delivery of your video conference event or lesson. Video conferencing is not big and scary or too complicated, technical and beyond your capabilities. It does not need to take up excessive amounts of time, once you have mastered the basic techniques associated with any new, unfamiliar resource. Video conferencing is exciting, stimulating, and easy to use with practice and confidence, and has the potential to totally involve pupils. It is perfectly within the possibilities and capabilities of what you can achieve in your classroom. The list of resources available to the teacher in the classroom is changing and becoming more sophisticated day by day. New technology and equipment are being developed all the time, extending our ability to communicate and collaborate with greater ease. However, it is ultimately the skill and ability of the teacher in harnessing the technology that will determine the success of video conferencing in the classroom. Mike Griffith, Global Leap
What Do I Need to Get Started?

Video Conferencing Systems
A video conferencing system must be able to fulfil the following tasks: Establish a link to another user Much as a telephone call is made by dialling another user, a video conference call is made either by dialling the other user's ISDN number or selecting the network address of the other user if the unit is on a network. Most systems will have an on-screen address book or directory in which numbers can be stored. Enable the user to hear and see the user at the far-end (in video conference terminology 'far-end' refers to the video conferencing system you are contacting and 'near-end' refers to your end). All video conferencing systems need speakers and a suitable screen (computer monitor or television/video monitor depending on the system).
SECTION A
SECTION A
Provide a means of controlling the sound This is a major issue. The quality of sound will have a significant impact on the usability of the system for teaching and learning. All units need a microphone and speaker. These may be built into the computer if using a computer-based system or built into the video conferencing system and monitor if using a dedicated system. If the microphone and speakers are in close proximity there is potential for sound to loop between the speakers and the microphone resulting in howling or acoustic feedback. Some units have methods of controlling sound such as echo cancellation and noise suppression systems. Others do not have sophisticated sound control and require the use of a headset for acceptable results.
Provide a means of controlling the video A camera is a standard feature on all video conferencing systems. Some are simple, cheap web cams, others are more complex with automatic focus and gain control. Some dedicated units include cameras that can be controlled (moved up and down, from side to side and zoomed in and out) using a remote control. Some can be voice activated where the camera will move to focus on the person talking. Some can be controlled from the far-end, enabling users at the far-end to choose what they want to see.
Most systems have the facility to attach video players and cameras. Generally, only PC-based systems have the facility to share computer applications easily.
Choosing a Video Conference System

It is possible to video conference with systems ranging in price from about 50 (in addition to the cost of a suitable computer) to those costing in excess of 15,000. The choice of system will depend on how it will be used and the budget available. Most units fit into one of three broad categories: Low cost, computer-based systems Desktop Systems Group Systems
These descriptions of the types of system available give an initial guide as to the most suitable type of system for a particular application. Budget will certainly be a significant factor but the purchase of inappropriate equipment can prove to be a false economy. The initial purchase of a simple web cam to use with an existing computer can give schools an initial experience of video conferencing and can highlight potential uses and limitations.
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Which communications link, ISDN or IP, to use is another important issue. This will be determined by who a school plans to link with, i.e. will links be with users connected via ISDN, IP or both?
LOW COST COMPUTER-BASED SYSTEMS

Description Most new computers, particularly multimedia systems, already have speakers and a microphone. By adding a low cost camera, such as a web-cam, it is possible to video conference across a network or the Internet. Uses Suitable only for personal one-to-one conferences where the quality of sound and picture is not critical. The quality of sound and picture will partly depend upon the power of the computer and the network being used for the link. Can be used across the Internet and broadband networks (See Communications Links below). Not suitable for use with groups or classes. Pros Application sharing is possible across some links Cons Low cost camera may reduce the quality of picture Use across the Internet can be problematic and unreliable The lack of echo cancellation means that the use of a headset is essential The PC has to cope with the processing of audio and video Cost Range In the region of 50 for a camera to add to an existing computer
DESKTOP SYSTEMS
Description A small unit, which includes the camera, is connected to a computer. The unit may include echo cancellation to control the sound and will usually incorporate the microphone and camera and may include the speakers. These units are primarily used for network-based conferencing. Uses Suitable for personal one-to-one conferences or small group use. The quality of sound and picture will partly depend upon the network being used for the link. Can be used across the Internet and broadband networks (See Communications Links below.)
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SECTION A
SECTION A
Pros Better quality sound and picture Does not require a headset The unit processes the audio and video leaving the computer fully available for application sharing Application sharing is possible across some links Cons Not suitable for whole class/large group use Cost Range In the region of 400 - 900 to add to an existing computer
ISDN VIDEOPHONE
Description The ISDN Videophone also falls into the category of desktop systems. As its name implies it is a telephone unit with a small built-in screen and camera. They can connect with other videophones or the more expensive dedicated units. Control of the sound is good, enabling hands-free calls to be made. Additional cameras and monitors can be attached. Uses Suitable mainly for individual use or groups of two or three. Works well for providing support and advice to video conference users. Good for one-to-one meetings. Can be used in multipoint conferences. Pros Small, compact, self-contained unit Easy to use Compatible with more expensive units Good sound control Cons Control over camera limited Only suitable for use with small groups Cost Range 800 - 1200
GROUP SYSTEMS
Description There is a range of self-contained units available in this category. Most sit on the top of a normal television and use the television for picture and sound. The unit may contain the microphone or have a table microphone attached. The camera is usually built in as part of the main unit. All functions, including camera movement, are usually controlled by a remote control or remote keyboard.
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Some units support the use of dual screens (one to show the near-end, a video being played or an image from a document camera and the other to show the far-end). Uses Suitable for all uses from one-to-one up to whole class use. Pros
Very good sound and picture quality (depending upon type of link used) Many peripherals, e.g. video players, document cameras, PCs can be plugged in Straightforward to use Can be used for both ISDN and network (IP) based links Can support multiple ISDN lines for better quality sound and pictures (see Communications Links below)
Cons Can be expensive Some models can be difficult to integrate with PC application sharing Cost Range From 2500 - 15,000 plus
Application Sharing
Desktop systems and some group systems may, in addition to video conferencing, support application sharing. This is a process whereby computer programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel can be opened and seen and used by both users. Changes made by one user will be seen by the other. This enables collaborative work on documents, drawings or data. PowerPoint presentations can also be shared with the far-end. Specific applications supporting collaborative work such as file sharing, chat and whiteboard programs are included with some software. For more details see Section G.
Multipoint Conferences
Multipoint Conferencing Units (MCUs) facilitate conferencing between more than two users. MCUs act as a central bridging device that can link a number of users into a single conference. An MCU is often referred to as a bridge. The style of the conference may dictate how many users it is sensible to link at any one time. For example, when a high degree of interaction between all the users is expected, it is usual to restrict the conference to three or four other users. Where one centre is simply presenting, then more could be linked. In practice, each centre will dial into the MCU and will be connected into the conference. There are two common methods for controlling who is on screen at any one time:
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SECTION A
SECTION A
Continuous Presence - where each centre is on all the screens all the time, usually displayed in a portion of the screen, e.g. four centres - each in a quarter of the screen. Voice Activated or Audio Follow - where the centre which is speaking at that time is shown full screen.
MCUs can be expensive pieces of equipment and the centre that hosts an MCU must have adequate incoming lines. With the reduction in the cost of MCUs and the increased availability of group systems that include multipoint capability, some larger organisations such as local authorities are purchasing their own systems. MCUs cost in the region of 10,000 - 20,000. Some video conference systems include an MCU as part of the system, which can be as little as 2,500. A number of companies offer multipoint conferencing as a service. This service is usually charged based on the number of systems connected and the duration of the call. Global Leap has a bridge facility which is available for schools to use. Contact www.global-leap.com for details.
Communications Links
A video conferencing system will use either an ISDN link or a network (IP) based link. Some of the more expensive systems can use either. A key issue is the capacity of the link, i.e. how much data can be transmitted over a specific period of time (known as bandwidth). Greater capacity will give better quality picture and sound.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)

ISDN is a dial up service but as its name implies is a digital service. ISDN can be supplied in a number of configurations; the most common used for video conferencing is the ISDN 2e service. This is a pair of ISDN lines, or channels, which are used together to provide the capacity needed for video conferencing. Being dial-up it is used in much the same way as a normal telephone line. It is simply a matter of dialling the number of the far-end; a direct link is then established for the duration of the call. Both users must have compatible ISDN lines installed and have ISDN compatible video conferencing equipment. Because a direct dedicated link is established between users for the duration of the call their systems can use the full capacity available. ISDN is implemented worldwide opening up the possibility of conferencing with users in different countries. ISDN is currently a reliable option for video conferencing. In the UK ISDN services are available from British Telecom and in some regions are also available from other suppliers such as cable companies.
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Because it is a dial-up service it is paid for according to the destination and the duration of the call. As described above, ISDN 2e is a pair of channels, incurring double line charges for each call. There is also a rental charge for the ISDN service. (For more details of charges see Running Costs below.) Some video conferencing systems support the use of multiple ISDN lines connected to the same unit to give better quality sound and picture. This will only work if both users have the same number of ISDN lines available. It also results in multiple call charges and line rental costs. In practice, a single ISDN 2e link produces acceptable results for most video conferencing applications. More details of ISDN are given in Section H.
IP Based Video Conferencing

IP based video conferencing is conferencing across computer networks. IP video conferencing is only possible across networks with sufficient capacity or bandwidth available for the conference. It is possible to video conference across the Internet but because there is no guarantee of capacity from one end of a link to the other the results can be unpredictable. Points of congestion will interrupt the continuous audio and video stream. This makes video conferencing across the Internet unsuitable for an educational situation where a teacher will rely on the conference as part of a lesson. The advent of broadband networks connecting schools is beginning to make local and regional IP based conferencing more of a possibility; this is because the network is effectively a private network linking the schools. Although the capacity of a network may be known, the number of users sending data across the network at a particular time may not. This can affect the performance of a video conferencing system. There are also a number of technical and performance issues that have to be addressed when video conferencing across networks and particularly between different regions. The Regional Broadband Consortia (RBCs), which manage the regional grids for learning, are trialling a variety of different approaches of providing video conferencing via broadband. For more information see the BECTa website www.becta.org.uk More details of IP video conferencing are given in Section G.
ISDN v IP
The choice of communications link will mainly depend upon who you plan to conference with. Most organisations that schools currently conference with are ISDN based, although many larger organisations are considering the use of IP based systems. IP has the advantage of being free of call charges. Over time there is likely to be an increasing move to IP based conferencing as the technical issues are resolved.
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SECTION A
SECTION A
Because the two systems are very different, a 'gateway' between the two is required to conference between ISDN and IP. This equipment would not normally be used in a school but would be part of a regional or national network. Schools purchasing equipment should consider the purchase of systems that will support both ISDN and IP based conferencing. Where schools are moving from ISDN for their Internet access to broadband access it is worth considering retaining the ISDN line for video conferencing with other ISDN based users.
Running Costs
There are a number of ongoing charges associated with video conferencing. These include support contracts for the video conferencing systems, ISDN connection and rental charges and multipoint access charges.
Support Contracts
Many companies offer support contracts on small group and dedicated video conferencing systems. These contracts can give access to technical support and offer system replacement if a fault develops. Choice of contract will depend on how important it is to have your system replaced quickly if it fails. A support contract can typically cost about 10% of the initial purchase price, per annum.
ISDN Costs
ISDN costs include a rental charge and ongoing call charges. Rental charges for ISDN 2e range from 60 - 90 per quarter depending upon the supplier and payment plan. A number of payment plans charge a higher rental but include inclusive call allowances. Multiple ISDN lines will incur multiple rental charges. Local or national video conference calls are charged at the standard telephone rate for each ISDN channel. A video conference using both channels of a standard ISDN 2e service will cost the equivalent of two standard calls. International video conference calls are sometimes charges on a different tariff to standard phone calls The number of lines your system uses multiplies this cost. A system that supports three ISDN 2e connections (six channels) will incur the equivalent of six calls if all the channels are used during a video conference. This would also incur three times the rental costs.
The cost of regular use of a video conference system can be calculated and built into an annual budget. Budgets will be easier to set after monitoring use for a year. As an example, Global Leap uses video conferencing several times a day to make a mixture of local, national and international calls. The average costs of calls are 200 per month. There are companies that offer reduced call charges whilst making calls via standard BT lines, resulting in up to 30-40 per cent discount on the costs of calls.
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Call costs vary from country to country and are not necessarily calculated according to distance. A call to Connecticut USA can be cheaper than a call to some European countries. Most video conferencing activity will also involve receiving calls. Costs can be shared with some partners, particularly where regular calls take place. In some instances, calls from location A to location B may be cheaper than vice versa, if location A has a lower call charge tariff.
IP Costs
Broadband connectivity is usually charged at an annual cost based on the capacity of the link. Initially this cost may be hidden by the various government initiatives that are currently putting broadband links to schools. Once the link is in place, there are usually no additional usage charges incurred for access to the network, including video conferencing. Schools should be aware that the use of video conferencing may put pressure on existing capacity, resulting in additional costs associated with increasing bandwidth.
Changing Systems
Some schools will already have video conferencing systems and some will be considering purchase. A key factor is the connectivity options available on a particular system. Some systems are designed for use solely on ISDN or IP. Others support both. Some ISDN systems support connection to just one ISDN line (two channels); others support multiple lines. The choice of system will clearly have an impact on upgrade options. Some existing systems may be upgradeable; others may not, incurring replacement costs. Some companies have a 'trade-in' programme in place to assist in this process.
The Right Environment

Although video conferencing equipment can be used in most environments, there are a number of factors that will enhance the experience for you and those at the far-end. The requirements of the environment are linked to the type of system you are using. For example, a PC-based system used with a headset can be used in all but the noisiest environments, but a dedicated system with a sensitive microphone will pick up every sound within a room. The following guidelines relate primarily to the use of dedicated systems with a class or group and they suggest the ideal environment. Many schools will not be able to take on board some of these points without dedicating a room to video conferencing, but other factors simply relate to how a room and participants are arranged.
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SECTION A
SECTION A
SOUND
It is considered that 85 per cent of the information disseminated in a video conference is delivered aurally, so getting the audio right is essential. Choose a room that is acoustically 'dead'. Ideally, it should be carpeted and have 'soft' wall covering such as hessian boards or curtains. A good test is to stand in the room and speak loudly. If you hear a reverberation or echo, the video conference system will too. The worst case scenario is to have glass walls as the sound reflects off them. Bear in mind, though, that people act as baffles; the more people in a room the better, and often a very reflective room will be perfectly useable with five to ten people in it. Switch off any heaters or air-conditioning systems that produce a 'hum'. These will be picked up by sensitive microphones, making it difficult to hear quiet voices. The air flow itself can also have a severe effect on audio input. A simple test is to place a tissue on the table by the microphone to see if it disturbed by airflow. If it is, the audio may be affected. The room should be as undisturbed as possible by external noise. A camera that is set to track voices and focus on the person talking can be 'fooled' by other noises. Multipoint conferences often rely on the voice of a contributor to switch to the person talking - again other noises in the room can 'fool' the system. Use of camera 'pre-set' buttons often helps in a 'formal' environment. The space should be laid out so that those taking part are equidistant from the microphone - ideally between three and five metres. Know how to MUTE your system. Muting switches off your microphone, which is particularly important when listening to contributions from the far-end. Use of the mute is especially important during multipoint conferences to avoid the audio control switching to your camera at the wrong time.
LIGHTING
It is not normally necessary to bring in specialist lighting. Most modern systems have the ability to adjust to local conditions with specific software controls. However, it is important to have some control over natural and artificial lighting. In practice, if a room is to be used regularly, it is better to cut out natural lighting and use artificial lighting, over which you have control. Lighting should fall on the faces of those taking part in the conference to give a good picture to the far-end. The key to good lighting is to have no shadows. Shadows effectively double the amount of movement the video conference system has to process and thus the video quality can be significantly reduced. A simple test is to place your hand about one foot from the top of the table surface where most participants will be. If you can see a significant shadow the lighting is too direct. To reduce this effect use as many diverse lights as possible. Diffusers can be placed over fluorescent lights. A lightcoloured table top, avoiding white, helps reflect light into the faces of the participants, increasing image quality.
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Don't sit in front of a window - this will produce good silhouettes but will mask the detail of faces. Avoid strong backlighting from windows or low lights behind those taking part. Turn off any computer screens that are in view.
BACKGROUND
Avoid cluttered backgrounds. A single-colour background, perhaps with a sign or logo to identify the school, is better than lots of pictures, work or posters. A plain pastel colour is best - a pale blue is a good colour to start with.
ARRANGEMENT OF THE ROOM

This will depend upon the type of conference and the number of people involved but the following guidelines will help: Ensure that all those taking part are in the camera shot. Ensure that those speaking can be clearly identified. If numbers involved are small, aim for a head and shoulders shot of the participants. If numbers are large, it may be necessary to move those contributing nearer to the camera and microphone for parts of the conference - however, aim to keep movement to a minimum. Ensure that all those taking part can see the screen. A large television is usually sufficient. The signal from the unit can be projected using a data projector, but this can sometimes result in a poor resolution picture, so experiment before use. The camera should be positioned close above or below the screen and presenters should look directly at the camera so it appears to those watching at the far-end that they are looking directly at them.
DRESS
Because video conferencing cannot reproduce fast movements or quickly changing areas it is better to wear plain clothing - avoiding stripes or chequered patterns. Some bold colours, particularly reds, do not work well.
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SECTION A
SECTION B
SECTION B:
P epar t on r ai f a V deo or i C f r e and on e enc t Con e enc he f r e Isl tef

IN THIS SECTION:
Knowing Your System Before a Conference During a Conference
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Knowing Your System

It is important that users feel comfortable using the video conferencing system. Look for training opportunities offered by vendors or your LEA. Arrange for training sessions in school for colleagues. Prepare a 'Quick Start' guide for colleagues who may have been unable to attend the training or who might need a reminder. Ensure that, if your system is disconnected and stored between use, users can reconnect it. Draw a diagram and label cables and connections. Check that batteries are in remote controls and that spare batteries are available. Take the time to practise by connecting to a 'friendly' far-end, or an automated remote site, to help you to develop the necessary basic skills and confidence that will help ensure your video conference is successful. Most vendors will act as a far-end or at least provide you with the number of a remote video conferencing system to dial. Global Leap also offers this service, by arrangement. See www.global-leap.com for details. Ensure that users can: Set up the system Plug in the ISDN, IP line Switch the system on! Make a call Control the camera Mute the sound when necessary Check the picture you are sending to the far-end using picture-in-picture Plug in a video cassette player or camcorder to play in pre-recorded video Plug in a camcorder to act as a second camera Plug in a video cassette recorder to record a video conference
As well as building technical skills, it is important for users to feel confident in front of a video conferencing system. Take the time to experiment so that users are comfortable in front of the camera. Let pupils get over the initial novelty of being in front of the camera and have the opportunity to ask all their questions about the technology and how it works!
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SECTION B
It is essential to plan ahead for a video conference. It can be difficult to arrange regular synchronous communications between classes in two or more schools, so the further ahead you are able to plan the better. This section deals with issues that need to be addressed before and during a video conference.
Before a Conference
SECTION B Making arrangements with your partner:
Decide on a date and time for the video conference. It may be difficult to find a mutually convenient time for the link. School timetables will be different, rooms and equipment may not be available when you want them. Engage support from your head teacher, senior management team, technician and other staff. Supportive and enthusiastic colleagues who value video conferencing in the classroom can help overcome some of these problems. Ensure all dates, times, mobile phone numbers, contact names and ISDN numbers are exchanged in good time and checked. Use e-mail to confirm arrangements in writing to avoid any errors. Remember that May 4th 2002 may be written as 4/5/02 or 5/4/02 depending upon where the date originated. Write the date in full. Acknowledge the receipt of the information as additional confirmation.
Important note about mobile phones: Do not rely on your video conference system being the only means of communication in your video conference classroom. It is good practice to ensure that both sites have access to a mobile telephone, or other 'fixed' telephone, in the room for those occasions when instant troubleshooting and diagnosis are necessary. Both sites need to know the number of the phone in the room at the other site. This is the one time when it is acceptable, even essential, for one identified person to have their mobile phone switched on during the video conference event. A phone at the other end of the corridor is not much help. If a minor technical problem should occur, which can be easily solved, it is very frustrating not to be able to contact the person at the other end to explain what has happened and advise what action can be taken. Much valuable time can be wasted as a result.
Check school holiday dates in other regions and countries. Across the UK holidays vary from region to region. Remember, in the southern hemisphere summer is between December and January. In France and Germany school exams begin in May, with the effect that lessons for some pupils do not resume until September. If you are working with a partner in a different time zone outside the UK: Check time differences - Across the USA there are three time zones (New York is EST, Houston is CDT, California is PST). Australian States also operate different time zones. If you work with GMT as your standard, colleagues can + or - to their particular region. GMT is a good standard but remember that BST is GMT+1. Find a website with time zones and a meeting planner to double check. www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ Remember, planning a conference for 2.00 pm in the UK will mean a presenter in California will have to conference at 6.00 am.
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Some schools in Europe often begin earlier and finish at lunchtime. Be prepared to hold lunchtime and twilight sessions or to change your timetable. Be flexible - meet at a convenient time for you on one occasion and an inconvenient time on another. You will find people can be exceptionally accommodating. At the Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, a colleague even arranged a sleepover event to enable them to take part in a video conference link to the UK. Check the age of the pupils and the size of the group you are linking with. In practice, perfect matches are rare and sometimes different age groups and abilities can work well together. If possible, meet your link teacher/colleague informally, over a video conference, before conferencing with the children/students. If you are working with an 'expert' from a museum or education centre, discuss in advance the age and level of the group you are going to working with and the form at you wish the lesson to take. Exchange any relevant materials and information in advance to facilitate the smooth running of the session. If your presenter has a list of questions in advance, the artefacts s/he shows are more likely to match the interests of the pupils. Exchange seating plans, pupil names, questions and other information that will help your conference run smoothly.
Preparing the Pupils/Students

A group of pupils will naturally be excited and curious about their first video conference. They will want to talk about how it works, experiment and ask questions. It is worth providing an opportunity for them to try out the technology informally prior to the event. Then the pupils will be ready to concentrate on the lesson content.
During a recent link to NASA and a presentation about globes, maps and the International Space Station, all the pupils really wanted to know was How does the link work? Where is NASA? What's the time difference? and various questions about cultural issues. The presenter answered all the questions in an informal and entertaining way; the children were happy and settled down to the more serious business of the conference.
Practise your group's presentation. You can look at it on an additional monitor or record it on a VCR to check that it can be seen and heard and to help work on stylistic improvements. It is also useful to practice your presentation with a 'sympathetic' far-end. Pupils soon become aware of the importance of how they look and sound and will swiftly develop the skills required for successful video conferencing.
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Preparing the Room and Equipment SECTION B

Video conferencing is about seeing and hearing. A poor picture can make communication difficult; without sound, your video conference cannot take place at all. It is therefore essential to test your connection before your conference begins. Check the type of system being used at the far-end and arrange an informal test. Technical difficulties can usually be sorted out and adjustments to the physical environment can also be addressed. If you are planning to use additional technology such as a camcorder, document camera or laptop, as part of the conference, practise using it beforehand. Give some thought to arrangements in the room. Plan where your contributors will sit so that movement does not disrupt the flow of the event. Your video conference partners will be more interested in seeing you than your furniture. Give some thought to camera shots that you will use during the conference. If you will not be controlling the camera yourself, brief the person who will be.
Interaction is the Name on the Game!

The beauty of video conferencing is that it is interactive. If your educational goals are only 'content', you might decide to use a video recording. Thousands of dollars have been spent producing video recordings on any subject you can imagine. Video conference providers cannot compete with this for sheer content and graphic interest. However, if you want your students to be actively engaged, asking questions and participating in the content, then video conferencing is the next best thing to being there! In order to maximise this interaction the teacher and provider really have to be a team and the student to teacher ratio has to be small. The more information I have from a teacher about their students knowledge and interests the better! The best programmes have resulted from small classes where the teacher has sent me a seating chart, a description of the work the students have been doing and some questions the students have on the topic being covered. Kelli Lewis - Ocean Institute, Dana Point, California, USA
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During a Conference
Take the time to introduce yourselves to the far-end. If the video or audio connection is poor at the start of your conference, it is better to say so early on in the event rather than politely struggle along getting increasingly frustrated. It may be that simple adjustments to lighting and microphone positions are the solution. This is why testing in the early stages is so important and worthwhile. Sometimes hanging up and redialling or rebooting the system will solve a poor connection. Correct etiquette cannot be over-emphasised. That which is considered good manners in the classroom is also good etiquette during a video conference. WHAT ARE THEY HEARING THE OTHER END? It is important to speak slowly, deliberately and clearly. Remember that strong regional accents may cause problems for far-end participants, so slow down. WHAT ARE THEY SEEING THE OTHER END? Use your camera controls to adjust the image you transmit during the video conference. Sitting at a table is often a conference choice, but don't sit too far from the camera. The people at the other end of the conference want to see who they're talking to, not a silhouetted solitary figure at the farthest end of a very long table. When in close up, ensure you are presenting head and shoulder shots - not the top of the head, chin, chest or the back of the head! When a discussion is taking place with a number of speakers, it is helpful to have a camcorder attached to the video conference system. The camera operator can use the camcorder for the close up shots of speakers and the fixed camera for the group shots, cutting between the two as necessary using the remote control. This cuts out the camera movement there would have to be if only the fixed camera was being used, and the consequent 'break-up' of sound this sometimes causes. But it does require someone who can operate a camera and knows how and when to switch between cameras. The whole purpose of video conferencing is to interact. If you want to interrupt or pose an additional question, take the opportunity to do so. Remember, when you are video conferencing, even when there are a number of other participants, you can be seen at any time! If possible, consider having a second monitor in the room beside the video conference monitor. The pupils can see themselves on the second monitor and be aware how they are presenting themselves.
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SECTION B
SECTION B
In one conference, a school forgot that they could be seen and, after their contribution, they took the time to break for lunch while another school was giving their presentation. This particular piece of bad manners reflected badly on the students taking part. While you are connected to the conference you should behave as if you are in the same room as your colleagues, even though you might be miles apart.
Pupils need to listen to any questions they might be asked. On one occasion, the question asked by the presenter was repeated by the teacher in the class, answered by a pupil and relayed by the teacher back to the presenter. This seemed a complete waste of valuable time. If the pupils had been trained to listen and respond directly to the far-end this could have been avoided. Remember this is interactive video conferencing. To help remote learners participate and feel included, relate directly to them by looking directly into the video camera. This will help all users feel included and not just passive viewers. Too much background movement, hand waving and fidgeting will only distract and cause the picture to blur. A quick demonstration or practice during an informal session can help keep movement to a minimum. Avoid talking over each other. Wait for a moment before responding. Always mute the microphone when you are not talking.
On one occasion involving four schools in a multipoint link, an 'open' mike ruined the conference as the camera repeatedly jumped to a noisy site. This situation was compounded by the constant feedback, which drowned out the sound of the presenter. Remember to make appropriate use of your mute button to avoid these problems and test your audio beforehand.
Maintain enthusiasm. It is important when video conferencing to ensure that all participants are engaged. Make regular use of interaction and perhaps break down a long conference into a number of short conferences with breaks. When you become fully involved in a discussion or presentation, you begin to feel the people you are talking to are with you in your classroom. If you subsequently meet them face to face, you will find you are quite comfortable and at ease because you have in fact already 'met' each other!
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With preparation and practice, video conferencing becomes a very exciting classroom resource. Without them, teachers can become frustrated and critical of yet another piece of technology.
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SECTION B
A lot of this may seem obvious, but most people involved in video conferencing will have a story about arriving for a conference unprepared, with the equipment still in the box, remote controls without batteries, pupils arriving late, wrong phone numbers and so on. So many of the problems people experience are due to simple human errors which could easily have been avoided.
SECTION C:
S Way o ome s f us ng V deo i i C fr i i on e enc ng n t C as r he l s oom

IN THIS SECTION:
PART ONE Introduction Case study grid Links between primary schools Links between secondary schools Links between UK schools and schools in Europe and the USA Links between primary and secondary schools Joint delivery of lessons/examination courses by two or more schools Delivery of examination courses by external providers Bringing experts, other than teachers, into the classroom Links with higher education Teacher to teacher Involving parents PART TWO Ten case studies in full
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Introduction
There is no doubt that video conferencing is a communication tool which offers extensive learning opportunities across the curriculum, from the Early Years to the sixth-form and beyond. There is a wide range of practical applications for the technology, and conferences can range from a simple five-minute 'point to point' link between two schools to a 'multipoint' session linking a number of schools and experts for a whole morning. In this section you will find examples of its use: case studies and summaries of case studies written by teachers from the Devon schools video conferencing project and by other teachers around the United Kingdom and further afield. The Devon teachers all worked on the project for six months. They were loaned video conferencing equipment and asked to explore its potential for supporting their teaching in some way during that period. With the exception of Knowles Hill School, Newton Abbot, and The King's School, Ottery St Mary, none of them had used video conferencing before. So often, the use of a particular technology in a school to support teaching depends on one teacher's expertise and enthusiasm and, if that teacher leaves, the work sometimes stops. What became very clear as this project progressed is that video conferencing can be used by any teacher with the minimum of technical expertise. In none of the Devon schools was the work restricted to the lead teacher. When we started work with video conferencing, it also became clear very quickly that there is a lot of work in this area going on in schools around the country so, when we came across examples, we invited schools outside Devon to contribute case studies to the project. Ten of the Devon case studies are included in full at the end of this section and all of the case studies are included on the BECTa website www.becta.org.uk, the Global Leap website www.global-leap.com and the Devon Curriculum Services website www.devon.gov.uk/dcs. A grid listing all the case studies and the curriculum areas they cover can be found on the next page. This is not, nor was it intended to be, a collection of case studies covering all areas of the curriculum and all possible uses of video conferencing. It is an insight into some of the ways video conferencing can be used to support teaching and learning in the classroom.
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English
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45.
Tipton & Cockwood Primaries - Video conferencing in the early years classroom Chalvey Early Years Centre, Slough - Early Years storytelling Branscombe and Farway KS1 - Collaboration between two small schools Branscombe and Farway KS2 - Collaboration between two small schools Lea Junior School, Slough - Narrative poetry writing West Down Primary - Link with Montem Junior, Slough Sidmouth Community College - Link with Baylis Court, Geography and RE South Molton Community College - Video conferencing in English East Lyme, USA - African-American history North East High School, Harbour Creek High School, USA - Coffee house poets Applemore College, Southampton - Link with South African high schools Halfway Primary School, Llanelli - Sioux City Project Langleywood School, link with Northern Labrador Montgomery Combined School, Exeter - Link with Ecole Sanquer, Brittany Monkseaton Community High School, Whitley Bay - Link with France Monkseaton Community High School, Whitley Bay - Link with Spain Knowles Hill School, Newton Abbot - Link with Sweden Cowes High School, Isle of Wight - Media Studies multipoint West Down Primary - Link with Year 7 at Ilfracombe College Decoy Primary School and Knowles Hill School, Newton Abbot - Cross phase links Newton Abbot - Using video conferencing to support cross phase liaison in science Monkseaton Community High School, Whitley Bay - Links with first schools Monkseaton Community High School, Whitley Bay - Links with middle schools West Down Primary - Science lesson from Ilfracombe College St Thomas Moore School, Blaydon, Newcastle - Distance manufacture (CAD/CAM) Sawtry Community College - The planning and delivery of science Athena EiCEAZ, Birmingham - Numeracy Hato Paora College, Feilding, New Zealand - Theory of music and keyboard skills Kings School Ottery - Post 16 courses using an external provider Lawrence Sheriff School - GCSE Latin using an external provider Lent Rise School, Burnham, Bucks - Link with Science Museum Davenies School, Beaconsfield - Science Museum DeMontfort University - Science Museum Sidmouth Community College - Link with Public Record Office Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital School - General Strabane Grammar School, Northern Ireland - Link with Liberty Science Centre Montgomery Combined School, Exeter - Link with Space Centre, Leicester North Axholme Comprehensive, North Lincolnshire - Link with Ocean Institute Montgomery Combined School, Exeter - Link with NASA Arbour Vale / Harris City Technology College - Link with Great Barrier Reef Kimbolton Upper School, Huntingdon - Link with poet, Peter Clarke Sidmouth Community College - Link with Robben Island Art and Design multipoint - Link with Peter Randall Page RE multipoint - Is Islam a religion of peace? John Kelley Girls Technology College, Brent - MOTIVATE
KS1 FC
KS1
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KS2
KS4 KS3-4 (US) KS1-2 KS2
KS5 Media
KS2
A2 Lang-Lit KS4
KS4
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Maths
Case Study Grid:
Design & Tech.
Citizen./PSHE
Art & Design
Geography
Science
History
Music
KS1 FC KS1 KS2 KS2 KS KS2 KS3 KS4 (US)
CPD CPD CPD
Other
MFL
RE
KS3 (US) KS3 KS1-2 KS3 KS3 KS5 KS4-5
KS1-2 KS3
KS5 KS2&3 KS2/5 KS2-3 KS2&4 KS3-4 KS2 KS2 KS1-4 Gr. 1
KS5 Key Skills, Leisure & Tourism KS2&3 Cross-phase links KS2&3 Cross-phase links CPD
KS5 External Tutors GCSE Latin KS2 KS2 KS2 KS3 KS2-3 KS2-3 KS4-5 KS4-5 KS3 KS3 KS2 KS3 KS2-3
KS4 KS2/4 KS3 KS3
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So, once you've got the equipment and arranged a suitable room, what can you do with it? A good way to start video conferencing is to link with another school, ideally one that you already know, and to plan a range of activities together. You can develop your skills and confidence at your own pace and take advantage of the many opportunities there will be for working together.
SECTION C
There is the potential for a variety of short and long-term projects spanning small-group to whole-school work. There is also scope for school management and professional development initiatives. The more cultural differences there are between the two schools, the more scope there is for generating richly diverse curriculum activities.
LINKS BETWEEN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

The first step for the teachers and children is to become familiar with the equipment and learn how to make best use of it. This comes quickly with experience and is absolutely essential for the success and sustainability of any video conferencing initiative. The simplest way of doing this is to set up a couple of informal sessions - although these will still need some structure. In the first session there will be the excitement of the children seeing themselves on television to contend with and then the excitement of seeing their partner school for the first time. After a 'settling down' period, they will need to be introduced or introduce themselves to one another and then conversation needs to develop, with encouragement and guidance from the teacher as necessary. Conversation can be structured loosely, as in the Tipton/Cockwood example, or more tightly as in the Biographical Buddies idea. Artefacts can be used to aid conversation, as in both these examples. The children can be given the task of finding things out about their partners or their partner school - Find out five things about their school that are the same as ours, Find out five things about their school that are different to ours, Is their classroom the same as ours? What about the playground? What books have your partners been reading? What television programmes do they like watching, What hobbies do they have? Have they any brothers and sisters? and so on. If the size of your group inhibits conversation, children can work in smaller groups. When they have finished their conversation with their partners, each group can report back to the rest of the class about what theyve discovered, while the next group are having their turn.
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In a second session, conversations in the first can be followed up. Favourite toys could be brought in and shared, extracts from favourite books could be read and shared, pictures from the books could be shown in close up, paintings and drawings could be shared, photographs of families, homes and holidays could be brought in and shared and extracts from favourite CDs could be played. As soon as the children are comfortable with the technology and getting used to this way of communicating, you can move on to a more formal link or series of links, built into specific projects or programmes of study.
Here are Some Examples:
1.
Background: Tipton Primary and Cockwood Primary in Devon explored the use of video conferencing to develop and strengthen existing links between the two schools. Both were particularly interested in developing its use with Reception and Year 1 children. These are details of their first three sessions. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 1. Speaking and listening/developing communication skills/using a range of ICT tools to communicate with each other. Content: 3 x 20 minutes sessions during a school morning. Part One - The children sat on the carpet in front of the television with their respective teachers. Introductions took place. They told each other their names and ages. They started to establish other points in common. Questions were asked about things we had, and children in both classes went to find reading-bags and PE kits to show to the camera. Contents of lunch-boxes were a source of interest and could have occupied most of the morning. Where things are was the next line of questioning, including the very important Where are your toilets? Part Two - After a short break for planning and setting-up, the two groups of children gave a conducted tour of their respective classrooms, using the camera control and zoom facility to show role-play areas, the shop, computers and the reading areas, all chosen by the children. Part Three - During playtime, both sets of children were filmed in their respective playgrounds with a camcorder. In this final session, each video was played back with a live commentary from the children, through the video conferencing system. This also allowed children to see the older children in each school. The session finished by experimenting with singing, using a song known by children in both schools. Variations: If you dont have a camcorder, you could use close-ups of photographs or drawings. The sharing lunch boxes idea could be extended to work on healthy eating, cost of food and so on.
Full Case Study on page 63
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ADDITIONAL TEACHING IDEA

Biographical Buddies Groups of three to six children in the linked schools are selected for two short conferences one or two weeks apart. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 1 or 2. Biographical writing/geography/local history/ developing communication skills Content: 2 x 20-minute sessions. Each child is invited to bring to school three very different objects that collectively say something specific about the child, e.g. a favourite toy, an article of clothing, and a book. Each child in the host school is paired with a buddy in the remote school and asked to show and tell about the objects they have brought in. Between the two conference dates, each child is asked to produce a short biographical piece of writing that describes the character of their buddy in the light of the object they have chosen. This piece of writing is then used as the basis for the second video conference link, in which the prepared piece is read out and discussed by the groups of buddies. Variations: Each child brings in three objects which say something about school or the area they live in, rather than themselves.
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2.
Background: Chalvey Early Years Centre, Slough arranged a series of six weekly links with Arbour Vale School for Early Years children. Curriculum Context: Foundation stage - storytelling. Content: 6 x 20-minute sessions. Each session started with introductions and then a teacher read a story to the two groups of children. While the story was being read, the book could be seen in close up by the other school. After the story, the storyteller asked questions, and children at both ends had a chance to answer them and discuss the book. Each session finished with all the children singing some songs selected by the children and led by a teacher with a guitar. Variations: The same story could be used two weeks running and during the second telling, the children could share pictures they had drawn to illustrate the story. The children could retell a story themelves or original stories could be used. Variations for Key Stage 1 or 2: Depending on the age and ability of the children, they could go on to discuss the plot and the characters. The beginning of a story could be used one week and the children could write their own endings and share them the following week. One group of children could write and tell the first part of a story and the other group could write and tell the second part the following week.
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3.
Background: Branscombe Primary and Farway Primary, two small schools in rural Devon, looked to extend and develop their collaborative work through the use of video conferencing. Curriculum Context 1: Key Stage 1 - Toys we like to play with Content: 8 x 30-minute sessions. The class was divided so that the Reception and Year 1 children were video conferencing for one session and the Year 2 children the other. This made group sizes of eight for the reception and Year 1 and six for the Year 2s. The children took it in turns to talk about the toy they had selected and became quite animated when it was their turn to talk, especially when it was about something that they had made from a construction kit. Variations: This session was the first in a series about toys. Others included toys people used to play with, toys that move and toys around the world. Curriculum Context 2: Key Stage 1 - Data handling Content: 1 x 30-minute session. The focus was data handling, so the two classes compared what the children had in their lunch boxes and counted up how many of each item the two classes had. They talked about healthy and unhealthy foods, compared the number of children having packed lunches to the number of children having school dinners and what effect the class sizes had on the numbers. The session finished with Farway telling the Branscombe children about the lunch boards which the children use every day to say whether they would like packed lunch or school dinners.
4.
Background: Branscombe Primary and Farway Primary, two small schools in rural Devon, looked to extend and develop their collaborative work through the use of video conferencing Curriculum Context 1: Key Stage 2 Humanities - Our Village. Content: 1 x 20-minute session. The children had previously researched the history of the school and written notes. They talked about their school today and compared and contrasted the two schools. They discussed peoples jobs within the school and the facilities they had, e.g. computers, their favourite lessons and extra-curricular activities. Curriculum Context 2: Key Stage 2 science
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Content: 12 x 20-minute sessions over six weeks. Groups of Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 children met twice a week for six weeks to present their work to each other and ask each other questions about the science lessons they had all been having about light.
Full Case Study on page 67 SECTION C
5.
Background: A BT Future Talk www.bt.com/futuretalk/ project for Lea Junior School, Slough working with Hawkes Farm School, East Sussex. Communication methods to be used were video conferencing alongside e-mail, message boarding, phone and fax. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 2 Literacy - narrative poetry writing. Content: 6 x 20-minute sessions during the term the project ran. Both groups started by studying The Oxford Book of Narrative Poems, looking at subjects, style and form. Next, communicating initially by e-mail, both groups came up with ideas for the story, and eventually a plot was agreed, with various amendments and additions. Video conferencing was used at various stages in the creative process for groups of about a dozen Year 6 children to confer about the poem. After collaborating on the opening, each group was allocated part of the story, which they wrote on their own. There was collaboration again on the ending, editing and redrafting.
Many computer-based video conference systems provide software-driven tools which provide numerous possibilities for interaction during video conference sessions. The tools can be great ice-breakers or can be used as a stimulus for highly structured activities that exploit video conference software and hardware tools. The tools available include: Virtual whiteboards, where each video conference participant can use the draw or write facility on a shared whiteboard. Shared applications, enabling the host computer to load any software application and share it with the remote site. Text chat facilities, picture capture and file transfer. In addition, most video conference systems have the facility to connect a second video source such as a video cassette recorder, a camcorder, document camera or an electronic microscope, which opens up all sorts of opportunities for children to make presentations to one another.

Squiggle This activity is suitable for very young children or as an ice-breaker for slightly older children. A class of children meet individually across a video conference link with another class of children. Before the video conference link is made, both parties need to check that they have a shared whiteboard facility and that it works across the link.
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Curriculum Context: Key Stage 1 or 2: Language development/drawing/ICT Content: Once the connection is made, pairs of children take it in turns to make a squiggle (a short series of random lines or shapes) on the virtual whiteboard. The partner at the remote site then proceeds to add to the drawing, turning it into a meaningful picture. While this is happening, the child at the host site guesses what it is that the other child is turning the squiggle into.

A Video Commentary Children share pre-prepared video footage, with live commentary, over a short video conference link between two classes. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 1 or 2: Presenting to different audiences/media education/drama. Content: Children in both schools film a short piece of video footage, which may initially simply be about their school - a video prospectus, perhaps. This pre-prepared footage is played to the other school via the video conferencing unit and the children provide live commentary, comment, or just an introduction. The children in the other school then reciprocate. Afterwards, the children can compare and contrast the two videos. One of the advantages of this exercise is that the video doesnt need to be edited. Children can select the bits they want to use, taking note of the counter numbers, and then fast forward through the unwanted sections. Variations: Different versions of the video about the school could be made for different audiences - one for parents, one for children, one for teachers and so on. Later collaborations could be more ambitious and include polished improvisations or scripted, costumed scenes relating to the theme being studied (e.g. Victorian school children, World War II refugees, characters from a childrens book). Geoff Turrell, Athena EiCEAZ
These are just a few examples of links between primary schools, all of which knew their partners before they started video conferencing together or, in the case of Lea Junior, were given the contact school as part of the BT Futuretalk project. The ability to video conference with teachers and children in other parts of the country lends itself to all sorts of opportunities. Finding a school to link with is often the most difficult part of the process. See Section D for more information about how to make contacts. In this next example, West Down found the link school from the Global Leap website.
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6.
Background: A link between West Down Primary School in Devon, a predominantly monocultural county, and Montem Junior School in Slough, which has a multicultural intake. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 2 religious education, Hinduism
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Content: 1 x 40-minute session. Children in the Devon school wanted to ask the Slough children about what it was like being a Hindu. After a discussion in class beforehand, 12 of theYear 6 children prepared questions which their teacher e-mailed to the teacher in Slough. As it was near Christmas, most of the Devon childrens questions concerned the similarities and differences between Christianity and Hinduism. When the children had asked their prepared questions, the Slough children read short prepared pieces about Hindu gods and showed pictures they had drawn of some of them and small statues of the gods they had brought in. At the end of the prepared parts of the session, other children joined in and there was the opportunity to ask questions more spontaneously. Variations: Links with schools in different parts of the country are rich in video conferencing opportunities: the chance to compare two schools, the schools immediate environments, the localities, regional accents, local traditions and cultures, different eating habits, family life, sport and leisure, local industries and so on.
LINKS BETWEEN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Links between two secondary schools can be more difficult to arrange because of timetable constraints. The likelihood of your Year 10 English group, for instance, having lessons at the same time as your partner schools is minimal. Nevertheless, with a little flexibility on the part of the teachers involved and the support of other colleagues and the senior management team, it is usually possible to arrange something, although you do have to be persistent! Another significant factor is where the video conferencing system is situated. In schools where it is in a dedicated video conferencing room or space, it is easier for groups of students to leave their class at fairly short notice and video conference on their own without disturbing anyone. In other schools, the class doing the video conferencing may have to swop rooms with the teacher whose room the equipment is in, which needs a little more notice.
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Here are four examples of video conferencing sessions linking students and teachers in two secondary schools:
7.
Curriculum Context: Key Stage 3 geography Content: 4 x 20/30-minute sessions. The aim was to give the students a better understanding of the two very different environments. Each of the Devon students selected a picture from the local area and annotated it, and these were sent by post to Slough along with an Ordinance Survey map. In the first session, the Devon students talked more about their pictures and the Slough students asked them questions. In the second session, there was more informal and spontaneous discussion between the two groups about where they lived. Before the third session, all the students devised and completed a questionnaire on local leisure facilities. In this session the Slough students presented their findings and the Devon students asked questions. In the fourth session the roles were reversed. Variations: Year 8 pupils in the two schools also linked for religious education, aiming to raise awareness of Islam and the Muslim way of life and of Christianity and the Christian way of life, and to compare and contrast the two. They made arrangements and exchanged e-mails before two video conferencing sessions in which they discussed their respective religions.
8.
Background: South Molton Community College and Sidmouth Community College in Devon established links between Year 10 groups. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 4 English - speech making and original writing. Content: 2 x 30-minute sessions. A Year 10 English group at South Molton Community College was working on the power of rhetoric and speech making and the students wanted to deliver their speeches to a new audience. Contact was established with Sidmouth Community College and arrangements made for two sessions. In session one, after the introductions, the South Molton students delivered their speeches. After each speech there was feedback from Sidmouth. At the end of the session there was an opportunity for informal discussion. In session two, the pupils read extracts from their coursework for original writing and responded to each others work.
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Background: Links between Year 7 and 8 pupils at Sidmouth Community College, a Devon comprehensive school, and Baylis Court Secondary School in Slough.
Variations: This model of students getting together, presenting work to one another and following up with feedback and discussion, is one that can be productively applied to all sorts of curriculum areas. With the increasing emphasis in the National Curriculum on awareness of different audiences, video conferencing can provide real audiences of all kinds. As well as linking with contemporaries in the UK, similar links can be made with students of different ages, with groups of adults, with students in different countries and in fact virtually any group of people which has access to video conferencing equipment.
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Background: East Lyme High is a suburban school in Connecticut, USA with a predominantly white and middle/upper class student body. Bridgeport Central is an urban school with a predominantly minority and middle/lower class student body in the same US state. The schools linked classes of 15-17 year old students in both schools and worked together from 7.00 - 7.45 am DAILY for a term, with the aim of helping both schools deal with the issue of diversity. Curriculum Context: African-American history. Content: 1 x 45-minute session daily for a term. The two groups of students physically met twice during the school year. The teachers spoke once a week to plan and prepare for the forthcoming week. Worksheets and assignments were faxed daily. There were several techniques employed in the teaching of the class. The main technique was discussion. Weekly, the classes discussed several topics surrounding the issue of African-Americans. They ranged from the issue of Slavery, the Underground Railroad, to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Primary sources were also used as a teaching technique. Students would read, analyse, and in many cases criticise the various sources. For each unit at least one video was shown that was used in a variety in ways from discussion to an in-class activity. Variations: Joint delivery of whole courses to two classes sharing teaching expertise and resources using video conferencing has been tried in the UK. It is difficult to organise, mainly because of timetable constraints. In this example in Connecticut, the only solution was to timetable the class to take place at 7.00 am each morning!
10.
Background: Students from North East High School and Harbor Creek High School, two rival high schools in Pennsylvania, USA, shared in an academic writing experience by taking part in a Coffee House Poets video conference. The two teachers involved have been neighbours for over 20 years and always talked of doing something to connect their creative writing classes between the two schools.
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Curriculum Context: English - collaborative poetry writing Content: 1 x 60-minute session. Teachers at the two schools planned activities for the lesson, making sure there were opportunities for each student to participate as a writer and responder. The lesson started with the two groups of students creating a circle poem. Each student added a word that connected with a previous word provided by a student from the opposite classroom. Once the poem was completed, each student had a time to share poetry written previously in class. Once the student had read the poem, students from the other school took some time to make written responses. After the video conference, students at the two schools worked together to produce an on-line publication of their work Variations: The Pennsylvania high schools are keen to repeat the exercise and to involve schools in the UK. There are many more ways that video conferencing could be used, in conjunction with e-mail and the telephone, to support collaborative writing projects.
UK SCHOOLS LINKING WITH SCHOOLS IN OTHER COUNTRIES

All the examples so far have involved schools in the UK and USA linking with neighbouring schools and schools further afield, but still in the same country. There are enormous benefits to be had from linking with schools in other countries, both from the cultural and linguistic points of view. The following are examples ranging from a one-off link between schools in Southampton and Cape Town, South Africa, to daily links between two schools in Exeter and Brest, France.
11.
Background: A link between students at Applemore College, a comprehensive school in Southampton, and students from a number of high schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 3 geography - part of the colleges Development Day exploring issues around the topics of development, trade, and sustainability. Content: 1 x 60-minute session. Ten students from each end presented two-minute talks on their area, each taking a slightly different theme. They used PowerPoint presentations on a whiteboard and shared these via NetMeeting and they also used a document camera for photographs. Questions had been prepared before hand and, via a chairman at each end, questions were asked and answered. The session ended with a more informal discussion between the two groups of students.
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Variations: This method of presentations followed by questions and discussion is a format which can be adapted for all sorts of purposes. Instead of using Powerpoint you could film video footage to illustrate the talks, connect the camcorder to the video conferencing system and play selected clips live into the video conference with the students talking over them. If you havent got a document camera to show pictures, you can either use the main camera for a close up of the picture or attach a second camera to the video conferencing system.
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Background: Halfway Primary School in Llanelli established links with Lincoln Elementary School in Sioux City, USA, four years ago. Since then they have been in regular video conference contact. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 1 and 2 - citizenship, humanities, numeracy and English are among the curriculum areas touched on by this project. The schools conference once a term and decide the subject matter three months in advance, so they can make arrangements and do the necessary preparation.
Content has included:

E-pals - 1 x 40 minutes. An introductory session during which all the children read short desciptions of themselves to their partners. Police to Police - 1 x 60 minutes. An American police officer was invited into Lincoln Elementary and a Welsh police officer into Halfway School to participate in a video conference. Sports Conference - 1 x 60 minutes. Before the conference, each school selected two or three sports. The children put together reports about their sports and invited professional players of the chosen sports to attend the video conference. Variations: If one school has a visitor, they can always share their visitor with their partner school via video conference (as long as the visitor doesnt object!). This is just as practical whether the schools are five miles or 5000 miles apart. Not only does it share the burden of finding and arranging suitable visitors, but it also opens up all sorts of possibilities and adds new dimensions to the potential for discussion. Christmas Conference - Gift Survey Analysis. 1 x 60 minutes. Before the conference, whole school surveys were undertaken to discover what the favourite gifts children wanted for Christmas were. In the conference, children from each class discussed the survey and the similarities between the Welsh and American lists. Demographic Conference - 1 x 90 minutes. Before the conference, both schools prepared a cultural exchange box containing items that represented their respective localities. These were mailed ready for the conference. During the conference, these items were taken out of the box and the children gave a report about each of them.
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Price Comparison Survey - 1 x 60 minutes. Before the conference, communicating by email, ten items were selected by the children, prices were researched and converted to sterling and dollars, respectively. During the conference, prices for each item were compared and the similarities and differences discussed.
Background: Students at Langleywood School in Slough was doing a geography project investigating the arctic. They wanted to link with a school in the area and found J.C. Erhardt Memorial School, Makkovik, Labrador, Canada, via the Internet. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 3 geography and citizenship Content: 1 x 60 minutes. The pupils in Slough gave PowerPoint presentations and talked about the Mars Confectionary factory and Windsor castle, their school day and their favourite activities. The pupils in Canada told them about their remote community and life in a region where the snow stays from October to June. Their presentations, which included Inuit artefacts and costumes, were followed by questions and discussion.
14 - 16.
Background: Montgomery Combined School in Exeter has had an exchange with Ecole Sanquer in Brittany for two years. When both schools acquired video conferencing equipment, pupils started to meet daily to converse in French and English. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 2 and 3 Modern Foreign Languages, daily conversation. Cultural links. Content: 1 x 20/30-minute session, daily. The sessions between four English and four French children each day took place during the last half hour of the lunch break. The French school had an extended break for lunch, so the time difference was not a problem. The children talked for about 20 minutes each session and asked questions to discover information such as: name, age, date of birth, family and pets, etc. The teacher present translated additional questions that the children wished to ask. Children were given a recording sheet to enter details of the interviewee, which also served as a useful prompt. Developments: Sharing class lessons, the virtual tour and Eurovision Karaoke

Variations: Monkseaton Community High School has a similar arrangement with a school in Spain for GCSE students and another with a Lycee in France linked to their AS/A2 programmes of study.
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13.
17.
Background: This project arose out of the existing links between Knowles Hill School, Devon and Bromangymnasiet, Sweden, and was developed to enhance sixth-form students knowledge of the culture and way of life of the partner country.
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Curriculum Context: Key Stage 5 citizenship, communication skills, aspects of PSHE and health and social care AVCE Advanced Level. Content: 1 x 30-minute session per week. Small groups of sixth-form students met weekly for half-hour discussions. There were 13 sessions in the term and they conversed on matters ranging from human rights to the World Cup! Examples of work prepared were subsequently exchanged, including videos, a box of goodies and PowerPoint presentations. There was also an exchange of Christmas cards and greetings.
18.
Background: Cowes High School joined a multipoint session set up by an Italian High School with another UK school and a school in Japan. Curriculum Context: AS media studies: new media technologies. Content: 1 x 60-minute multipoint session. Students prepared case studies on a range of technologies - mobiles, MP3, digital, IMAX, and Web based. In the session, each school gave a presentation to the other schools and answered questions from them.

Harvest This project lends itself to monthly conferences over an extended period of time between two schools situated in different countries. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 1 and 2: science and geography Growth/nutrition/health/climate Content: 1 x 30-minute session a month. Having linked and planned the project using e-mail, children in both schools plant a variety of indigenous vegetable seeds. They take photographs, record progress, and share this information via e-mail. Each month in the video conference the two classes report on the progress of their seedlings. They can share anecdotes about problems encountered, compare climates and growing conditions and share advice. A camcorder attached to the video conference system can be used to view the growing area live.
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Variations: After a pre-arranged period of time, each school harvests the vegetables and sends them to the twinned school (check with the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate in York www.defra.gov.uk or 01904 455191 - for details of how best to do this) along with some appropriate recipes. When the vegetables are received, the schools arrange a lengthier conference to cook and taste the vegetables and dishes created. Alternatively, instead of sending the vegetables, each school uses their own to cook with and then compares recipes and results during the final video conference.
LINKS BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

The move from primary to secondary school is a critical one for all pupils. Most secondary schools have a programme of meetings and visits in place for their September intake which normally start months beforehand. There are a number of useful video conferencing activities which can support and enhance the transition process.
19 - 20.
Background: A small group of Year 6 West Down Primary School pupils video conferenced with a group of Year 7 pupils from Ilfracombe Community College who had been at West Down the previous year. The conference took place once the primary school children had been allocated their secondary school places. Curriculum Context: Pastoral - transition Content: 1 x 60-minute session. There was no need for introductions as the children all knew each other. The session was an informal one with the Year 7 pupils saying a bit about their schools before the Year 6s started asking questions. The Year 7s had brought along things to show like their school diaries, books and text books. Variation: 1 x 30-minute session. A group of Year 6 pupils from Decoy Primary in Devon linked with a group of sixth-formers from Knowles Hill Comprehensive. They had prepared questions before the conference and e-mailed them to the school. The conference started with the sixth-formers introducing themselves and the school, before the Year 6s asked their questions.
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21.
Background: Devon County Council Science Adviser, Geoff Tew, has been looking at the potential of video conferencing to support progression in learning in science from Key Stage 2 to 3. He worked with Knowles Hill School, a technology college in Newton Abbot, and two of its feeder primaries, Decoy and Wolborough.
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Curriculum Context: KS2 and 3 science Content: The project set out to evaluate the potential impact of video conferencing in four areas: 1. Improving the support for primary science teaching. 2. Enhancing cross phase liaison between staff. 3. Evaluation of procedures for video conferencing between local schools. 4. Professional development of participating staff.
Full Report on page 92

There are also other opportunities for primary school pupils to link with older pupils at secondary schools, to the benefit of both.
22 - 23.
Background: Monkseaton Community High School in Whitley Bay offered French lessons to Year 3 and 4 pupils at local first schools. These were followed up with video conference links between the pupils and GCSE students at Monkseaton. The school also established links between the GCSE students and Year 8 pupils from their three feeder middle schools. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 2 and 4 MFL Content: Approximately 6 x 60-minute sessions with each first school. Year 3 or Year 4 pupils (depending on each schools preference) undertook a short introductory course in French as complete beginners, taught by a member of Monkseaton High School languages department. Pupils received five lessons, one per week, and covered personal ID (i.e. name/age/where you live/pets). Each lesson was followed by a series of video conferences. The aim of the video conferencing sessions was for the primary school pupils to exchange information on these subjects, in addition to some basic number work, with students from Years 10 and 11 at Monkseaton and, depending on availability, with a native speaker. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 3 and 4 MFL Content: 6 x 30-minute sessions with each school. Year 8 pupils in each of Monkseatons three feeder middle schools took part in a series of six video conferencing sessions (one per week) with students from Years 10 and 11 at Monkseaton High School. Each school had its own block of sessions, the aim of which was to exchange information in French on a pre-determined subject, reflecting work covered in class with their own Languages teacher. Topics included school, personal identification, hobbies and holidays.
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JOINT DELIVERY OF LESSONS OR EXAMINATION COURSES BY TWO OR MORE SCHOOLS

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There are a number of ways for a teacher in one school to deliver a lesson or series of lessons to another school: Pupils in School A can join a lesson in School B - so the teacher is teaching two groups simultaneously. Pupils in School A can access expertise and specialist equipment in School B. The teacher in School A can teach a lesson from a distance, exclusively for pupils in School B The two schools can pool expertise - e.g. the teacher in School A could teach part of a course to students in both schools and the teacher in School B could teach the other part. The two teachers could team-teach for part of the course, via video conferencing, sharing the expertise of the teachers and giving the students the opportunity to interact as well. The teacher in School A could teach up to three additional schools, linking via a bridge (MCU). Teachers in Schools B, C and D could also contribute to the teaching.
Here are five examples illustrating different models:
24.
Background: A science teacher at Ilfracombe Community College took a lesson with 30 Year 5 and 6 pupils at West Down Primary. Curriculum Context: KS2 science - rocks and soils Content: 1 x 60-minute session. The lesson was arranged at a time when the class would normally be having science, so the West Down science co-ordinator was there. The subject they had chosen was one which the science teacher could deliver in the video conferencing room (not in the laboratory) and one for which he had lots of artefacts to share. He taught the lesson as he would have done a Year 7 group, demonstrating points, asking questions and finishing with discussion.
25.
Background: Seven primary schools in the Newcastle area linked via video conference with St. Thomas More School in Blaydon, enabling the primary schools to gain access to Denford Computer-Aided Manufacturing machinery. This is one of several hundred similar projects set up by Denford since 1995.
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Curriculum Context: Key Stage 2 design and technology - CAD/CAM Content: 2 x 30-minute sessions for each primary school. The primary teacher taught the CAD skills and 30 pupils from each primary school designed their projects using Denford MillCam Designer software in their own schools. The designs were transferred to St Thomas Moore via video conferencing and pupils were also able to watch their projects being manufactured.
26.
Background: Sawtry Community College is a third phase technology college and part of its remit is to ensure strong links with the community, both locally and within national networks. The college is using video conferencing as a cost effective way to branch out into local, national and international communities with face to face communication. This project involves the delivery of science lesson content to hospital and special needs schools around the country. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 2 and 3 science Content: 1 x 60 minutes per session. The topic decided on was rates of reaction and the actual content was customised to suit each individual school. The teacher adapted the lesson to suit the nature of the delivery, using pre-set camera shots to make it easier to deliver and to make the most of the demonstrations. Variations: The teacher plans to use paper-based resources, delivered via e-mail, and PowerPoint in future sessions.
27.
Background: A primary liaison teacher with Athena EiCEAZ (Excellence in Cities Education Action Zone) in Birmingham taught a series of literacy and numeracy lessons to groups of borderline level 4 Year 6 children in five primary schools in the Harborne area. Some of these sessions were joined via video conference, by schools from other areas, to explore the potential of video conferencing for delivering such crucial input.
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Curriculum Context: KS2 numeracy Content: 1 x 60-minute session. A lesson on time and converting measures taught to two classes, one taking part in the session via video conference. Variations: The schools in Harbourne are each having video conferencing equipment installed, so next year the teacher will teach some of the lessons live, to get to know the children, and some by point to point and multipoint video conference sessions.
28.
Background: A music teacher at Hato Paora school in New Zealand teaches Theory of Music AND keyboard playing to groups of students at three other schools. Curriculum Context: Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music syllabus, grade 1. Content: Weekly 1 x 40 minutes session. The students had one lesson a week during term time. The course took between six months and a year to complete, depending on the ability and previous experience of the students.
DELIVERY OF EXAMINATION COURSES BY EXTERNAL PROVIDERS

There is a groundswell of movement today towards delivering some GCSE, AS and A2 examination courses via video conferencing. With some sixth-forms shrinking and comprehensive provision of minority exam courses increasingly difficult to achieve, groups of sixth-forms and colleges sharing their teaching expertise is a natural development: a teacher in one school delivering a course to pupils in another school or teachers in two schools sharing the teaching of two groups is something a number of schools are trying. At present, however, timetabling constraints are preventing this method of delivering courses from developing very fast, so a number of authorities are looking into co-ordinating sixth-form timetables across the county with a view to developing distance learning provision.
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29 - 30.
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In the meantime, over 150 schools in the UK and more than 2000 students are using the services of an external provider, a company called Moorhouse-Black, formerly 21st Advanced Options, www.mbdls.com. This company provides tutors for a growing number of courses: AS/A2 Accounting, Critical Thinking, Electronics, Film Studies, Government and Politics, Law, Psychology, Sociology, Dutch and, from September 2002, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and GCSE Latin. Two of the case studies, (29.) the Kings School, Ottery St Mary (Full Case Study on page 98), and (30.) Lawrence Sheriff School, Rugby, include details of their work with Moorhouse-Black.
The concept of distance learning has been practically demonstrated in the USA and UK over many years - the Open University being a prime example of its use and effectiveness. In the UK, distance learning has yet to create a major impact in the area of 5-18 education, although its use has increased over the last ten years. In the world of education, particularly post-16, an excellent and effective illustration of video conferencing can be demonstrated by Moorhouse-Black particularly in the delivery of subjects such as accounting, electronics, government and politics, law, psychology and sociology. It is this type of delivery that is particularly attractive to a county like Devon. The location of schools and colleges coupled with the size of sixth-forms makes the concept of video conferencing attractive, along with the wealth of skills and expertise that exist in the teaching staff of these schools. Video conferencing would offer the advantages of: a cost-effective means of maintaining and expanding AS/A2 level options a pooling and sharing of expertise for the good of our students flexible timetabling shorter contact time needed to complete courses groups of small numbers become viable students manage their own learning better students being better prepared for higher education
At the present time video conferencing, as a means of providing education, is being used effectively in the USA and Japan. Indeed if it does not already exist, then very soon the virtual school/college, where students receive their education from a wide variety of sources without going to school, will be a reality. Extracts from a discussion document about the place of video conferencing in Post-16 education. Colin Manser, Deputy Headteacher, The Kings School, Ottery St Mary.
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BRINGING EXPERTS, OTHER THAN TEACHERS, INTO THE CLASSROOM

As the number of schools with video conferencing capability increases, so too does the number of experts ready to share their particular expertise, specialisms and experience with schools. There are opportunities to bring visitors from all over the world into the classroom, one of the real strengths of video conferencing. Many museums, art galleries, zoos, environmental organisations, archives, government organisations, etc., mainly in the UK and America, are already offering schools the opportunity to take advantage of pre-prepared units of work, and some of them are also prepared to customise them to suit a schools individual requirements. There are some useful video conference directories available which list organisations willing to share expertise and offer virtual tours of specific locations. Many of these are free, but there is a charge for some of the services and, as demand increases, so in all likelihood will the charges. See Section F for more details.
Here are ten further examples of links with expert providers:
31.
Science Museum, London (1) Background: Lent Rise Primary School, Buckinghamshire, linked with the Science Museum, London. Curriculum Context: KS2 science - Earth, Sun and Moon Content: The school arranged a session with an astronomer/space expert at the Science Museum. The teachers planned the session with the museums education officer and discussed the sorts of questions that would be relevant. The two Key Stage 2 classes involved liaised on the preparation of questions and e-mailed them to the Science Museum. The session itself started with 15 minutes input from the astronomer, who then went on to answer the prepared questions. The session finished with the opportunity for spontaneous questions and discussion.
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32.
Science Museum, London (2) Background: Davenies Primary School, Buckinghamshire, was one of three schools taking part in a multipoint link with the Science Museum, London, organised by Global Leap.
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Curriculum Context: KS2 science - Earth, Sun and Moon Content: The session was to be a link with an actor in role as astronaut, Gene Cernan. Beforehand, the children found out as much as they could about Cernan and planned questions to ask. The session itself started with input from the astronaut and then the schools had the opportunity to ask questions.
33.
Science Museum, London (3) Background: As part of Barbara Sanders MA in Educational Studies at DeMontfort University, What is the Potential of Video Conferencing to Enhance Teaching and Learning in Schools? she carried out research in collaboration with Castle Lower School and Goldington Middle School, Bedford, Russell House Services, and the Science Museum. Curriculum Context: KS2 science and KS2 food technology Content: In the first session, a small group of Year 4 children conferenced with an actor playing Clarence Birdseye. In the second session, a group of Year 7 children linked with an actor playing Gene Cernan, as in the previous example. As part of its distance learning provision, the Science Museum also offers sessions based on the lives of Amy Johnson and Richard Arkwright. The actors playing the part of these historical characters bring them to life. In the case of Gene Cernan (example 2 and 3), the Apollo 16 astronaut and the last man to walk on the moon, it is not unusual for pupils to be convinced they have been working with the great man himself. The Public Record Office Education Department in London also uses drama as part of its video conferencing presentations. There is more detail about the PROs presentations at the end of Section F.
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34.
Public Record Office, London (1) Background: A link between Sidmouth Community College, Devon, and the Public Record Office in London, set up by the school. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 3 history - the Domesday Book Content: The history teacher discussed the session in advance with the PRO and the students prepared for the session by studying materials provided by the PRO to familiarise them with the roles they would be playing in the conference. The session itself was introduced by Philip Stanley-Berridge from the PRO; then there was a presentation by actors who played the parts of a village reeve and a Domesday commissioner. In the final part of the session Philip engaged the Sidmouth pupils in discussion about the Domesday Book. This discussion started as factual exchanges about what the book was made from, but developed into a fascinating session in which pupils asked questions which conveyed their emerging sense of just how special - and valuable - the Domesday Book is.
35.
Public Record Office, London (2) Background: Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital School link with the Public Records Office, set up by Global Leap. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 2 history - The Victorians Content: As part of the pupils preparation for the video conference their studies had included work on the historical context of the Victorian period in general. The Public Record Office turned its classroom into a Victorian sitting room for this video conference as pupils were transported back to the 19th Century and had the opportunity to meet and interview actors playing Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
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36.
Liberty Science Centre, New Jersey Background: A link between Strabane Grammar School, Northern Ireland, and the Liberty Science Centre, New Jersey, set up by the Western Education and Library Board.
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Curriculum Context, Session 1: Key Stage 4 geography and science Content: The schools arranged a virtual field trip to the Hudson River Estuary and an indoor interactive lesson on water erosion and marine life, customised to suit their requirements by the Centre. The virtual field trip was conducted by the American teacher and included a tour of the famous Manhattan skyline, with stops at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Next, Strabane pupils joined a group of American students to work on a model of the Hudson River Estuary. Together, the two groups made alterations to the model to test how erosion might be decreased. They also did experiments to gain a better understanding of marine life. Curriculum Context, Session 2: A Level geography Content: The school arranged a session on Forces that shape the Earth, again tailored to meet their requirements. Preparation involved researching recommended websites and filling in questionnaires and worksheets, which were then e-mailed back to the Centre. During the actual lesson, the Earthquake Simulator in the Liberty Science Centre was used. The teacher invited the pupils to build their own earthquake. Students had the opportunity to see an earthquake simulator, make inputs on the height of buildings, types of materials, strength and length of a quake and see the effect!
37.
Space Centre, Leicester Background: A link between Montgomery Combined School, Exeter and the National Space Centre, Leicester, set up by the school. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 3 science - The Solar System and Beyond Content: 1 x 60 minutes. The teacher at Montgomery contacted the Space Centre which agreed to set up a special video conference session for them. The first part of the session was a video of the Centre, made especially for them by the Centres Education Manager, with a live commentary from her. This was followed by a presentation about space travel, with some artefacts, involving the children by posing questions. The final part was a question and answer session.
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38.
The Ocean Institute, California Background: A link between North Axholme Comprehensive, North Lincolnshire, Brookfield School in Reading and The Ocean Institute, California, arranged by Global Leap. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 3 geography The Causes and Effects of Earthquakes Content: 1 x 60 minutes. The link to the Ocean Institute is a regular video conference organised by Global Leap and customised to support various geography programmes of study. On this occasion, it was used to reinforce the work on earthquakes that the two schools had been doing. The pupils were able to ask specific questions of the presenter, Kelli Lewis, about living on the San Andreas Fault. As part of her presentation, Kelli described her personal experiences during an earthquake and the precautions which have to be taken by children in schools to prepare them for an earthquake situation.
39.
NASA Johnson Space Station Background: Montgomery Combined School linked with NASA. The session was arranged via Global Leap and shared with another school. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 2 science - Space Content: 1 x 60 minutes. The children prepared questions in advance and sent them to NASA. The session started with a presentation by Rodney Rocha, a NASA scientist, which included video clips, photographs and diagrams. The final part of the session was taken up by answering the prepared questions from the children.
40.
Great Barrier Reef Background: Harris City Technology College and Arbour Vale School, Slough, linked with Reef HQ - the Reef Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Australia, arranged by Global Leap. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 3 geography
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Content: 1 x 60 minutes. Links to the Great Barrier Reef have to take into consideration the 12-hour time difference between Queensland and the United Kingdom. On this occasion the Reef Volunteers in Australia were part of an after-school club, which meant that a 9.00 am video conference suited the Australians early evening activity. The pupils in the UK had been sent work sheets to follow and had prepared a selection of questions to ask the students in Australia. In turn the students in Australia had prepared a variety of tanks containing different specimens, highlighting the different ecology of the reef. This was a video conference where students worked directly with their peers, explaining details and answering questions in great detail.
Video conferencing is the only method by which this type of visual, interactive collaboration can take place. Travelling thousands of miles to share a lesson has become a regular part of the curriculum for some students using video conferencing technology in the classroom. One word of caution when arranging a conference of this kind. Most of the providers have off the shelf presentations, which they adapt to suit whatever audience theyre presenting to. Occasionally the information the presenter has received may have gone astray or been misunderstood, so do make sure that your preparation is thorough. If theyre going off in the wrong direction or pitching it at the wrong level, stop them and point this is out. One of the benefits of video conferencing is that its interactive and you can do this. Its not a video!
For more details about the Science Museum, Public Record Office, Liberty Science Centre, Leicester Space Centre, NASA, the Ocean Institute, the Great Barrier Reef and other expert providers of video conferencing, see Section F on page xx.
Organising your own experts

You may want to organise your own video conference to support some work you are doing with your students. You might be studying a particular author, for instance, and want to link up either with the author him/herself or perhaps someone who has specialist knowledge of the author. Once youve made contact with the author or specialist, youll need to get him/her to an establishment with video conferencing equipment. There may be a school nearby or a university that would be prepared to help or you may be able to borrow some equipment and a venue with an ISDN line. Failing that, there are video conferencing companies in the UK that can
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organise a video conferencing room anywhere in the country and almost anywhere in the world. There will be a cost for this, but you might find you can persuade the company to support you for less than the going rate, as it is an educational project - also, there may be some publicity in it for them. For more detailed advice on how to go about organising this sort of conference, see Section D - Making Contacts .
Here are four examples:
41.
Background: An A level group at Kimbolton School was doing an A level unit on South African protest writing, part of which was the study of some poems by Cape Town poet, Peter Clarke. The Kimbolton teacher contacted Martin Phillips, editor of a UK anthology Crossings Three Cape Town Poets, which includes some of Clarkes poems. Martin arranged for Peter Clarke to go to the British Council Offices in Cape Town to conference with the students. Curriculum Context: OCR A2 English Language and Literature - Protest Writing from South Africa. Content: A 40-minute session with Peter Clarke, discussing his poetry.
42.
Background: A link between Sidmouth Community College and Robben Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela was held during the apartheid years. Devon Curriculum Services, Devon County Councils education advisory service, has strong links with the Robben Island Education Department. With the help of international video conferencing company Polycom, they have installed a system on Robben Island and are working with the islands education department to develop educational use of it. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 4 English - study of the play The Island. Content: 1 x 40-minute session. A conference with Lionel Davis, an ex-political prisoner who was incarcerated on the island with Nelson Mandela. The Sidmouth group had been studying the play The Island, written by Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, and were able to compare the play with real life in the prison, as experienced by Lionel Davis.
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43.
Background: Devon County Council Art and Design Adviser, Chris Wightman, organised a multipoint video conference for three Devon schools with internationally famous sculptor Peter Randall-Page. Peter went to the Media Education Centre in Exeter and the students joined him, via video conference, from their classrooms.
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Curriculum Context: Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 art and design Content: A GCSE group from South Molton Community College visited Peter Randall Pages Dartmoor studios for a day, interviewed him and did some videoing using a mini DV camcorder borrowed from the LEAs Media Education Centre. South Molton organised two video conferences, one with Year 6 pupils at Decoy Primary School and one with Year 10 students at Sidmouth Community College. In both these sessions they talked about the sculptor, showed extracts from the video and suggested some work they might do, inspired by Peter Randall Pages work. A month later, all three schools came together for a multipoint video conference with Peter himself. After a 15minute introductory session by the sculptor, they talked about his work and discussed their own work with him, using the camera to show close-ups of paintings and drawings.
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Background: Following the events of September 11th 2001, Devon County Council Religious Education Adviser, Mark Brimicombe, organised a multipoint video conference for four Devon schools called Is Islam a religion of peace?,aimed at raising awareness of Islam. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 3 religious education, citizenship. Content: Members of Devons Islamic community were invited to the South Devon Professional Centre, where they were joined by Mark Brimicombe and a Year 8 group from King Edward VI College. They were joined via video conference by Year 8 groups at Ilfracombe College, Sidmouth Community College and the Kings School, Ottery St Mary. Shabir and Causa Ahmed gave a 20-minute presentation about being Muslim, and they were joined by two teenage Muslims, students from local schools, to answer questions from the four schools. The session went off line for 90 minutes and the four groups of students all worked separately on presentations based on their thoughts and feelings about the morning. The four groups got together for a final session, when they each gave presentations - involving improvised drama, art and poetry - to the rest. Mark Brimicombe and the presentation team responded.
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There are many opportunities for using guests in video conferencing sessions. These could involve journalists, authors, poets, mathematicians, scientists, inventors, environmentalists, politicians, businessmen, radio and television presenters, sportsmen and women... the possibilities are endless. As well as contributing to curriculum activities, the opportunity to link to professionals via video conference also has implications for career advice. If you have a good contact who is prepared to come in to school to talk with the students about his chosen career, you could share the experience with a partner school and they could, in return, set up another guest. Another option would be for three or four schools to share the experience, via a bridge (MCU) and reduce the workload even further. If a particular guest is unable to come to school, there is the chance s/he may be able to join you for a video conference from a remote location as this would take much less time.
LINKS WITH HIGHER EDUCATION

Many schools have links with local universities and there is potential here too for developing mutually beneficial video conferencing links.
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Background: MOTIVATE is a project incorporating a series of video conferences, run by the Millennium Mathematics Project at Cambridge. The MOTIVATE project has been in existence for about four years, gradually expanding to cover the whole school age range (5-19). It was started to bring world-class mathematics to school students, particularly those in disadvantaged areas, in a way that they can understand and which will help them to carry on to do their own mathematical research at their own level. Curriculum Context: Key Stage 1- 5 maths Content: At an initial video conference, the speaker talks about an aspect of mathematics about which s/he feels enthusiastic, and which s/he thinks will also enthuse the students. Following this, the students work for about a month on projects from the MOTIVATE website, www.motivate.maths.org, then they present their work to the other schools and to the mathematician at a second video conference.
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TEACHER TO TEACHER
As well as supporting work going on in the classroom, video conferencing can support professional development. Teacher trainees in Devon schools used video conferencing to discuss their lessons, share ideas, plan work together and discuss resources. Teachers at Cockwood and Tipton St John Primary schools used video conferencing for informal staff discussions, joint staff meetings and joint INSET sessions. On one occasion, a guest speaker at Tipton delivered the session to Cockwood teachers as well, faxing the handouts to them as they were required.
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Video conferencing can be used to enable staff from one school to join training sessions with colleagues at different education centres. In Slough the number of teachers coming together for their EAZ training day was too many for one location. Three locations were used; each location hosted one keynote speaker, while the others received the presentation via video conference. Following each presentation, questions and answers were invited in the usual way. Of course, joining and making a contribution to in-service training is no longer confined to a local or regional event. In July 2001 I was a keynote speaker at the Annual conference of the Marine Teachers Association in Queensland. It would have been great to visit Queensland, but the video conference certainly provided an excellent alternative. There are other examples of conferences linking colleagues together for the duration of the conference without the inconvenience and cost of travel or, in the case of a school, supply cover. In the Hastings & St Leonards Education Action Zone, video conferencing was used as a solution to train School Meal Supervisors whose widespread locations and limited availability would have made a training programme involving personal travel an impractical option. Mike Griffith, Global Leap
Teachers in Exeter observed a maths lesson in a school in Barnstaple, 50 miles away, with a live commentary from the numeracy consultant. They then discussed the lesson with the children and the teacher. A primary adviser in Devon delivered a presentation on the Foundation Curriculum to teachers and governors in three venues simultaneously in a multipoint video conference. The session was followed by questions from all three venues and then discussion between all the centres. This session was delivered six times, saving the adviser visiting over 20 academic council meetings.
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Advisers for Devon Curriculum Services hold regular meetings between East Devon, South Devon and North Devon Centres, saving hours of travelling time. Some interviews for teaching posts are being carried out by video conference, particularly when a candidate is from another country. The cost of hiring video conference facilities is far less than the travelling expenses.
The Appointment of Teachers from Overseas

When Arbour Vale School in Slough needed additional staff but were unable to make any appointments after following the usual procedures, the school approached an agency that offered applicants from a variety of countries. They decided to interview three teachers from South Africa. The agency arranged for the application forms to be sent to Arbour Vale School, the school governors read these and a list of suitable candidates was drawn up in the usual way. The candidates were then interviewed by telephone to establish a shortlist of three to go forward for a final interview with the school governors. The three candidates were all from the Western Cape area of South Africa, so we identified a company called Dimension Data in Cape Town and decided to link at the higher speed of 384K to increase the quality of the connection. The candidates were given a time to attend the office of Dimension Data in Cape Town and the interviewing panel met at Arbour Vale School in Slough. The interview was conducted in the usual way and everyone was extremely impressed with the quality of the link. In fact, the governors could see little difference from having the candidate in the room with them at the school. The whole process was very successful and can be recommended as a method of interviewing candidates for appointments where distance is a factor. The cost of the whole process was in the region of 400. The three candidates were appointed and have now been working at Arbour Vale School for nearly two years.
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INVOLVING PARENTS
Monkseaton Community High School in Whitley Bay runs a video conferencing session for families as part of a series of five sessions which make up its Family e-Learning course. This is a community ICT initiative Monkseaton has devised and which it sells to other organisations.
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The aim of Family e-Learning is to bridge the gap between technology and the e-Learning opportunities available to families and how they access it in the most useful and meaningful way - i.e. how to make the most of the technology they have at home. It is not intended to be an exhaustive course but merely offers them starting points in key aspects of the latest technology. Whole families come once a week for five weeks and learn together about: the PC; the Internet; e-mail and e-commerce; television, video conferencing and working with text. For the video conferencing session, two rooms in the school are used, each fitted with video conferencing equipment. Some family members stay in one room, while the others go to the other room, and they talk to each other about anything they like! If conversation runs dry, they are provided with some suggested questions related to their experience of Family e Learning.
The ideas in this section are all intended to be starting points. The full potential of video conferencing can only be realised when these ideas are adapted, improved and embedded into the curriculum. Combined with effective use of other ICT tools, video conferencing has great potential for creative use.
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FINDING A SCHOOL OR EXPERT TO LINK WITH

Whatever your situation, there will come a time when you need to find someone to video conference with. For example:
A Year 10 English group at South Molton Community College in Devon wanted a Year 10 audience at another school for their speeches and also a group that was studying the same texts as them to discuss them with. Montgomery Combined School in Exeter wanted to talk to an expert about their science topic, The Solar System and Beyond. Kimbolton School in Huntingdon wanted to talk with a South African poet to support their A2 Language and Literature unit of work on the role of language in protest writing from South Africa. Langleywood School in Slough wanted to link with a school in the Arctic.
So how do you go about making contacts? Currently, there is no one definitive directory of schools with video conferencing capability or organizations which are video conferencing providers, but there are a number of useful starting points. A good place to start looking for your contacts for video conference projects is the Global Leap website www.global-leap.com: The Global Leap Directory of Schools lists over a hundred schools in the UK and around the world that have video conferencing equipment and are keen to use it. Some of these schools details are listed in Section E. There is also the opportunity for you to add your schools details and requirements to the directory AND to send a postcard to the website, on which you can promote your school (including a photograph), your project, creative idea or appeal for a video conferencing partner.
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Farway and Branscombe Primary Schools worked on a project about toys, during which their Key Stage 1 groups video conferenced together for a number of sessions on all aspects of the topic. For the final session of the project, they wanted to contact a distant school, ideally from a different country, to share their perspective on toys.
The Global Leap Directory of Providers offers links to a selection of video conference content providers around the world who deliver interactive lessons directly into the classroom. Some have off-the-shelf sessions ready to deliver, some are prepared to customise these sessions to suit your specific requirements and some may be interested in taking part in joint projects. Send an e-mail with your requests - theres nothing to lose! Many of these providers are in the USA but there are an increasing number of providers in the UK - Museums, art galleries, archives and education centres are starting to offer a video conferencing service, many of them for free, although it is likely this will change as the demand increases. Some of these providers details are listed in Section F.
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There are many other general lines of enquiry which may lead to video conference contacts: Your Local Education Authority may have advisory staff who can give you details of any relevant international links and projects. Many schools seek to form links with others in Europe by taking part in Comenius projects. European-funded initiatives involve schools in three or more countries linking to work on cross-curricular projects. These often involve real visits and are ideally suited to video conferencing. For more information, visit Comenius space, part of the European Schoolnet site providing a network for finding partners, examples of Comenius projects and a discussion area for schools involved in Comenius projects: www.eun.org/eun.org2/eun/index_comenius.cfm The EU funds a number of European Resource Centres around the UK. These will be able to help to find partner schools abroad. The European Resource Centre for the South West has a useful website for finding out about all sorts of international projects. Check the International projects and partnerships section of their website: www.glosinted.co.uk/european/links/partners.htm UK Online Centres www.dfes.gov.uk/ukonlinecentres, Excellence in Cities initiatives www.standards.dfee.gov.uk/excellence, local technology colleges and associated specialist schools through the TCT (Technology Colleges Trust) www.tctrust.org.uk are often involved in the development of curricular video conferencing. They have contacts in the UK, Europe and worldwide. Some commercial firms have established video conferencing links that are applicable, for example the Denford Remote Manufacturing Project: www.denford.co.uk/videoconferencing.htm
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Ten Regional Broadband Consortia are establishing Broadband services across geographically grouped LEAs, where local/regional video conferencing is being promoted. See the Building the Grid website http://buildingthegrid.becta.org.uk/index.php?locId=143#res94 International websites such as the Pacific Bell directory www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/vidconf/directory.html. This extensive website contains details of video conferencing providers, virtual field trips and 12 other international video conferencing directories including CU-Schools Classroom Conferencing listing for the Global Schoolhouse Foundation www.globalschoolhouse.org/cu/ There are some websites offering extensive details about video conferencing activities in a particular area. The British Columbia Ministry of Education, Canada, for instance www.videoconferencing.gov.bc.ca and the Department of Education,Victoria, Australia www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/lt/telemat/index.htm. BECTa has been a repository of school and college video conferencing details since 1997. The recently-updated directory is available on the ICT Advice site http://ictadvice.org.uk/ The BECTa Teachers Online Project website http://top.ngfl.gov.uk/ currently provides four case studies of schools that have experimented with video conferencing. You may find it useful to e-mail the project asking for schools to video conference with top@becta.org.uk The British Councils Windows on the World website www.wotw.org.uk/intro/index.html is a free, easy-to-use database for schools and colleges that wish to develop links with other institutions worldwide. Some of the schools listed have identified video conferencing as an aspiration. Some schools are also using the Internet as their platform for video conferencing. The site also contains some useful project funding information. Although its not directly linked with video conferencing, the United Nations Cyberbus website is a valuable source of information about activities around the world www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/ Twinning groups. Your town may be twinned with another town in Europe. These links might be a good starting point for finding video conference contacts.
You need to be proactive to find a suitable video conference link. It may require some detective work, but the rewards are worth the effort.
Using a general internet search to find contacts. Put in a search for yourtopic+videoconference+education. Pupils at Langleywood School in Slough found a remote Inuit school in Northern Canada this way. See their case study at www.becta.org.uk and www.global-leap.com for details.
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Additional funding to support your project might be available through organizations such as the British Council www.britishcouncil.org The British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN
Increasingly, museums and other educational centres are realising that they can reach schools and colleges through video conferencing. An expert who may not have the time to travel a hundred miles to talk to and meet with your class, might well have time for a 40-minute video conference. Some educational centres view their video conference provision as an important part of their marketing operation and a means of reaching a wider audience.
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Finally, if you manage to find a contact but they do not already have video conferencing equipment, they may be able to arrange to use someone elses video conferencing facility or to borrow some equipment. Working together, you could try a number of approaches: The LEA in your contact schools area should have details of schools with video conferencing capability. One of these schools might be prepared to let you use their system at the school, or even to lend it to you. Universities or higher education institutions usually have video conferencing facilities and may be prepared to make them available to your intended partner school. They may even want to join the project in some capacity. Video conference companies have access to rooms all over the world which they hire out to businesses by the hour. Identify and contact a video conferencing company near you and approach them with your request. You might find that they will support your project for a reduced charge, or even free of charge. They would benefit from any publicity the project received, so take that into consideration when you approach them and let them know that you have a plan in place to write press releases and involve the media where appropriate. Local businesses may have video conferencing facilities they would let you use. Use the local press to make an appeal. Global Leap www.global-leap.com can sometimes make special arrangements for the loan of equipment.
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Schoo l Con ac s t t
Video Conferencing Contacts:
Schools, education organisations and organisations with Education Departments
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UK - those who have contributed to case studies:

Martyn Ashmead Applemore College Southampton Hampshire 01703 848804 m.ashmead@applemore.hants.sch.uk Alison Beane Arbour Vale School Slough Berkshire 01753 525 291 office@arbourvale.slough.sch.uk Kevin Price Baylis Court School Slough, Berkshire 01753 531760 price@bayliscourt.slough.sch.uk Angela Crawford Branscombe Primary School Branscombe Devon 01297 680339 admin@branscombe.devon.sch.uk Kate Makinson Chalvey Early Years Centre, Slough Berkshire 01753 536293 chalvey.eyc@virgin.net Andy Blizzard Cowes High School Cowes Isle of Wight 01983 293491 ablizzard@coweshigh.org.uk
Jackie Kerr Davenies School Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire 01494 685400 jackie@davenies.bucks.sch.uk Carol Lessware Decoy Primary School, Newton Abbot Devon 01626 353282 admin@decoy-primary.devon.sch.uk Angela Potter Farway Primary School Farway Devon 01404 871239 admin@farway.devon.sch.uk Emma Bamforth Godolphin Junior School Slough Berkshire 01753 521481 emma.bamforth@orange.net John Sosna Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital School London 020 7813 8269 ict@greatormondstreetschool.camden.sch.uk Graham Wigginton Herschel Grammar School Slough Berkshire 01753 520950 gwigginton@aol.com Kevin Cook Ilfracombe College Ilfracombe Devon 01271 863427 admin@ilfracombecollege.devon.sch.uk
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Dave Hampton James Brindley School Diana, Princess of Wales Childrens Hospital, Birmingham West Midlands 0121 333 8792 office.school@bhamchildrens.wmids.nhs.uk Vicky Hartley John Kelley Girls Technology College Neasden, London 0208 452 4842 vh_it@yahoo.co.uk Nicky Hughes Kimbolton Upper School Huntingdon 01480 860505 n_hughes@kimbolton.biblio.net Colin Manser The Kings School Ottery St Mary Devon 01404 812982 cmanser@the-kings-osm.devon.sch.uk Katy Bennie/Mark Moffatt Knowles Hill School Newton Abbot Devon 01626 367335 mmoffatt@knowles-hill.devon.sch.uk kbennie@knowles-hill.devon.sch.uk Jane Devereux Langleywood School Comprehensive School 11-16 Slough Berkshire 01753 541549 office@langleywood.slough.sch.uk
Colin Parker Lawrence Sheriff School Rugby, Warwickshire 01788 542074 Lawrence.sheriff@school.ntl.com Helen McDonald Lea Junior School Slough Berkshire 01753 520018 leajunior@sloughschool.freeserve.co.uk Brenda Bigland Lent Rise Combined School Burnham Buckinghamshire 01628 66 2913 office@lentrise.bucks.sch.uk Tim Arnold Media Education Centre Devon Curriculum Services Exeter Devon 01392 426821 tjarnold@devon.gov.uk Kim Easton Monkseaton Community High School Whitley Bay Tyne and Wear 0191 200 8717 Kimeast602@aol.com Janice Holmes Montem Junior School Slough Berkshire 01753 528050 janiceholmesmjs@hotmail.com Jonathan Meyer/Trina Ferguson Montgomery Combined School Exeter, Devon 01392 273751 jontymeyer@aol.com
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Jenny Gage Motivate Maths Project Millennium Mathematics Project Centre for Mathematical Sciences University of Cambridge 01223 764106 jag55@cam.ac.uk Joan Hopkins North Axholme School Crowle North Lincolnshire 01724 710368 jhopkins@northaxholme.n-lincs.sch.uk Philip Stanley-Berridge The Public Record Office Kew Surrey 020 8876 3444 philip.stanley-berridge@pro.gov.uk Geoff Turrell St Peters CE Junior School Beacon School Birmingham West Midlands 0121 427 2127 gpturrell@hotmail.com Neil Makepeace St Thomas More School Blaydon Tyne and Wear 0191 499 0111 nmakepeace@stthomasmore.org.uk Milan Davidovic Salt Grammar School Bradford West Yorkshire 01274 415551 VC@saltsgrm.legend.yorks.com
Alan Stevens Sawtry Community College Sawtry Cambridgeshire 01487 830701 college@sawtrycc.org.uk Roger White Sidmouth Community College Sidmouth Devon 01395 514823 rogerwhite36@hotmail.com Kim Noseda/Bev Turner South Molton Community College South Molton Devon 01769 572129 enquiries@southmoltoncollege.devon.sch.uk Penny Burnside Tipton St John Primary School Tipton St John Sidmouth Devon 01404 812943 admin@tipton-stjohn.devon.sch.uk Gary Hipple Wandsworth Learning Centre London 0208 875 1699 gary.hipple@wandsworthclc.org Penny Brown West Down Primary School West Down Ilfracombe Devon 01271 863461 pbrown@wcombe.freeserve.co.uk
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Marie Martin Western Education and Library Board Omagh Northern Ireland 02882 411301 Marie_Martin@welbni.org Emma Thomas Wolborough Primary School Church of England Primary School Newton Abbot Devon 01626 202050 admin@wolborough-primary.devon.sch.uk
Susan Anderson/Sherri Jurls NASA Johnson Space Centre Houston Texas USA 001 281 244 7325 dislearn@ems.jsc.nasa.gov Kris Shelly Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit Edinboro Pennsylvania USA 001 814 734 5610 ext29 kris_shelley@iu5.org Kelli Lewis Ocean Institute Dana Point California USA 001 949 496 2274 Ext 313 klewis@ocean-institute.org Angela Colliver Reef HQ the Reef Education Centre Townsville Queensland Australia 0061 7 475 00850 a.colliver@gbrmpa.gov.au
Outside the UK those who have contributed to case studies:

Ted Hunt East Lyme School District East Lyme Connecticut USA 001 860 739 1492 skh617@aol.com Philippe Le Bian Ecole Primaire Sanquer Place Sanquer 29200 Brest France 00 33 (0) 298 443561 philippe.lebian@ac-rennes.fr Rosalyn Wiliamson Hato Paora College Fielding New Zealand 0064 63289 731 rosalyn.williamson@xtra.co.nz
Other schools and organisations in the UK

(taken from the Global Leap website www.global-leap.com) Cherie Dutton Bamford Primary School Rochdale Lancashire 01706 631496 head@bamford.rochdale.sch.uk
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Sara Seleck Beechwood School Slough Berkshire 01753 520473 office@beechwood.slough.sch.uk Sue Dean Bexley Centre of IT Excellence Erith Kent 020 8320 4123 sue_dean2000@yahoo.co.uk Italo Cafolla Castleview Primary School Slough Berkshire 01753 810615 icafolla@castleview.slough.sch.uk Martin Tibbets Cheslyn Hay Primary School Staffordshire 07710 589 583 mktibbetts@aol.com Stuart Brady Christ Church CE Primary School Birkenhead Cheshire 0151 652 1278 stuart@brady.freeserve.co.uk Sandy Morrison Claycots Primary School Slough Berkshire 01753 521215 office@claycots-junior.slough.sch.uk Seamus MacGibbon Colvestone Primary School. London 020 7254 1143 smacgibbon@hotmail.com
Paul Dadson Deanwood Primary Education Technology School Gillingham Kent 01634 231901 hunt004@medway.org.uk Sue Reading Dormers Wells Junior School Southall Middlesex 020 8571 1230 sj.reading@talk21.com Alan Tarpey EdIT Birmingham LEA 0121 303 8029 Alan_Tarpey@birmingham.gov.uk Paul Long Fairfax School Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands 0121 378 1288 paul.long@fairfax.bham.sch.uk Arina Hester Godolphin Infants School Slough Berkshire 01753 521888 office@gdolphin-inf.slough.sch.uk Catherine Malik Haberdashers Aske Hatcham College New Cross London 020 76529500 sc-malik@hahc.org.uk Ian Hobson Holmesdale Technology College Snodland, Kent 01634240416 headteacher@holmesdale.kent.sch.uk
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Paddy Hall Holy Trinity C of E Senior School Halifax West Yorkshire 01422 246244 staff.hallp@holytrinitysenior.calderdale.sch.uk Elizabeth Fry James Elliman Primary School Slough Berkshire 01753 810686 padieppe@currantbun.com James Martland Jersey College for Girls Jersey, Channel Islands 01534 516200 jcg@jcg.jersey.sch.uk Ken Walsh King Edward VII School Melton Mowbray Leicestershire 01664 851010 kwalsh@ke7.org.uk Seamus Oates Kingwood City Learning Centre Hammersmith and Fulham London 020 7386 5428 info@kingwoodclc.net Lesley Redfern Littledown School Slough Berkshire 01753 521734 office@littledown.slough.sch.uk Martin Ashburn Newcastle United Learning Centre Newcastle upon Tyne Tyneside 0191 201 8526 martin.ashburn@nufclearningcentre.co.uk
Kelly Marklew Newman College Birmingham West Midlands 0121 476 1181 k.marklew@newman.ac.uk Hugh Kelly North West Teachers Centre - WELB Londonderry Northern Ireland 0287 1861116 hkelly@tecomagh.org.uk Allan Ford Plymstock School Plymouth Devon 01752 402679 aford@plymstock.plym.sch.uk Florence Rostron Priory Primary School Slough Berkshire 01628 604767 office@priory01.globalnet.co.uk Annie Hamlaoui The Ramsgate School Ramsgate Kent 01843 593326 annie.hamlaoui@btopenworld.com Angela Cook St. Anthonys Primary School Bradford West Yorkshire 01274 592738 angela.cook@stanthonys.ngfl.ac.uk. Patty Cohen St Bernards Convent Slough, Berkshire 01753 527020 office@stbernards.slough.sch.uk
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Anne McNeil St Ethelberts Primary School Slough Berkshire 01753 522048 anneliz62@hotmail.com John Casey St Josephs School Slough Berkshire 01753 524713 jcasey59@hotmail.com Navroop Mehat St Marys Primary School Slough Berkshire 01753 534791 navroopmehat@hotmail.com Paul Butler St Wilfrids Catholic High School North Featherstone, West Yorkshire 01977 723565 pbu@stwilfrids.biblio.net Alan Davy Shipley CE Primary School West Yorkshire 01274 583900 alan.davy@shipley.ngfl.ac.uk Nick Dobbs Skelton Education and Local Learning Centre Skelton Cleveland 01287 659628 nickdobbs@hotmail.com Dr David Whitehouse Slough Grammar School Slough Berkshire 01753 522892 sysman@sloughgrammar.berks.sch.uk
Paul Wilkinson Thames Valley Infant Community School Slough, Berkshire 01753 551487 office@thamesvalley.slough.sch.uk Brita Little Triangle Nursery School Clapham London 020 7622 1393 itcoord@triangle-nursery.lambeth.sch.uk Trevor Buchan University of Kent Canterbury, Kent 01227 827292 tjb@ukc.ac.uk Hugh Nelson Wexham School Slough, Berkshire 01753 526797 HN@wexham-school.org.uk Phil Gundy Withymoor Primary School Brierley Hill West Midlands 01384818530 pgundy@withymoor.dudley.gov.uk
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Other schools and organisations outside the UK

(taken from the Global Leap website www.global-leap.com) Cesar Seidler Aloneiitzjak School and Youth village Aloneiitzjak Israel 00972 97665572 seidler@netvision.net.il
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Nadir Copur Bati College Istanbul Turkey 0090 2164327928 nadircopur@hotmail.com Colm Mealy Blackrock College Dublin Ireland 00353 12888681 colmmealy@hotmail.com Ruth Brown Cape May County Special Services School District Cape May Court House New Jersey USA 001 609 465 2720 Ext 3320 rbrown@special.capemayschools.com Barbara Simpson Grant Career Centre/Vocational High School Bethel Ohio USA 001 513 734 6222 Ext 169 simpson_b@hccanet.org Veronika Brock-Frilling Hauptschule Am Stoppenberg Essen Nordhrein-Westfalen Germany 0049 2018320070 hsstoppi@aol.com Marita Vainikainen/Veini Holopainen Kakela School Orimattila Finland 0035 8408400829 marita.vainikainen@edu.orimattila.fi
Paolo Badiali Liceo Scientifico Giotto Ulivi/Community High School Borgo San Lorenzo Toscana Italy 00 39 055 84 16 795 eurogiotto@giottoulivi.it Mme Swartzvager Lycee Professionnel Martin Bret Manosque Provence France 0033 492 70 78 40 tbserv@hotmail.com Clark Holzhauser Mid-Town Video Conference Centre Harris, Texas USA 001 713 403 5574 vconf@bartona.com Kay McCarthy Mother of Divine Grace Primary School Dublin Ireland 00353 1 8344000 mdgkids@eircom.net Libby Lawrie MSD of Wayne Township Schools Indianapolis Indiana USA 001 317 227 4681 elizabeth.lawrie@wayne.k12.in.us Alan Fairey Newburgh Enlarged School District New Windsor New York USA 001 845 567 4215 w_irizarry15@hotmail.com
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Claudia Baldwin North End Elementary School Saint Paul Minnesota USA 001 651 206 5029 claubal@aol.com Tom Parker Northwestern School District Albion, Pennsylvania USA 001 814 756.4116 TBPNWE@excite.com George Newman One Planet Education (OPEN) Boston, Massachusetts USA 001 617 338 7831 george_newman@oneplaneteducation.com Joe Jones Penns Grove Middle School Penns Grove Salem, New Jersey USA 001 856 299 0576 jjones@pennsgrove.k12.nj.us F Van Der Palen Pleincollege Bisschop Bekkers Eindhoven Netherlands 0031 402645035 fvdpalen@bbekkers.nl Lex Schraa ROC Dudok College Hilversum Netherlands 0031 35 6892000 l.schraa@dudokcollege.nl
Anne Moy Rosses Community School Dungloe Donegal Ireland 00353 75 21122 rcsdungloe.ias@eircom.net Tero Hakkarainen SampoNet/Education and Training Ilomantsi Finland 00358 500 175 064 teroha@kolumbus.fi Atsuko Shiwaku Sherrys Kids English School Ako City Hyogo Japan 0081 791 43 5629 sherry@memenet.or.jp Yoko Takagi Teleclass Takatsuki City Osaka Japan 0081 726 88 3415 yoko@jearn.jp Lisa Perez Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Centre/ Public High School Chicago Illinois USA 001 773 534 5100 lperez@vceducation.org
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A Se ec i o l t on f Org i a i an s t ons wh ch o f r i fe V deo i Con e enc ng fr i Ac i i i s tvte
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These providers have all been used successfully by some of our case study schools:
Science Museum, London

www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/education 020 7942 4750 Video conference lessons are available directly from the Science Museum and can be booked by contacting Sarah Leonard or going to the Science Museum website. Sarah Leonard writes, These lessons are suitable for students from Key Stage 2 to post 16. We have a range of sessions available including virtual object handling, practical workshops, drama characters and curator question time. In addition to these off the shelf lessons, the Science Museum works with Global Leap to offer a series of multipoint conferences during the year. These involve actors playing the part of historical characters and answering questions from pupils. Contact Sarah Leonard for further information s.leonard@nmsi.ac.uk
Public Record Office

www.pro.gov.uk/educationservice/ 020 8392 5330, extension 2020
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The PRO holds nearly 10 million original documents, relating to most major events and famous people from the last 1000 years of history. The Education Department has developed a programme of on-site history workshops for all key stages. Most workshops from their current programme can be delivered via video conferencing, or they can create a new video conferencing workshop to suit your schools particular needs. To view workshops for video conferencing currently on offer, see the section on the website for Key Stage 2 workshops, Key Stage 3 workshops and AS/A2 level workshop. See page 101 for a case study written by Philip Stanley-Berridge about the PRO video conferences. For further information contact Philip Stanley-Berridge: philip.stanley-berridge@pro.gov.uk.
The Ocean Institute

www.ocean-institute.org/edu-tech/index.html (949) 496-2274, extension 313 The Ocean Institute, a marine study centre in Southern California, provides a range of video conferences to suit all ages and will tailor conferences to meet your schools requirements. Kelli Lewis presents a regular selection of Ocean Institute programmes, including An octopus is amazing, Safari into the intertidal zone, The mysterious whale and Careers in marine science. The most popular session booked by schools in the UK is a lesson on earthquakes which includes the opportunity to speak with someone living on the San Andreas Fault. Contact Kelli Lewis, Department of Distance Learning, for more information klewis@oceaninstitute.org
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National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside

www.nmgm.org.uk 0151 478 4291 Biologist Steve Cross offers virtual trips to the Natural History Centre at Liverpool Museum and a variety of sessions on the Natural Sciences. The museum has a wide range of specimens, over 10,000 being available in the Centre from a total collection of well over one million. Topics include insects, birds, skeletons, fossils, minerals, rocks, wood, seeds and plants. At present there is no charge for this service. Contact Steve Cross to discuss possible video conferences and for more information steve.cross@nmgm.org.
Athena EAZ
www.athena.bham.org.uk 0121 4550216 Athena Education Action Zone is developing a number of video conferencing projects which schools can join. These include a programme of Literacy and Numeracy lessons delivered live to a class in Birmingham, with a number of classes around the UK joining in via video conference. Athena can also set up opportunities for teachers to observe lessons via video conferencing. They are currently developing an interactive soap opera! Contact Geoff Turrell at Athena@seaz.bham.org.uk
NASA
http://learningoutpost.jsc.nasa.gov/ The Johnson Space Centre at Houston in Texas, USA is one of the homes of the International Space Programme and is where American astronauts are trained. From the early 1960s to the present day NASA has been synonymous with the great space adventure. The distance-learning programme offers a genuine insight into the world of the International Space Station (ISS). A range of programmes is available through the website, including a virtual tour of the space station, and the teachers at NASA are also happy to adapt a lesson to meet your schools requirements. Contact Susan Anderson/ Sherri Jurls at dislearn@ems.jsc.nasa.gov
Reef HQ
www.reefhq.org.au/reefhq_edu/intro.html Reef HQ - the Reef Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority - provides a unique environment for experiencing and learning about the Great Barrier Reef. A Reef HQ Education programme allows you to see more than 5000 live reef creatures, watch reef
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creatures feeding and discover the latest reef research. Experience the reef from anywhere in the world with Reef-VIDEOLINQ. This programme combines the living reef experience at Reef HQ with state-of-the-art video conferencing technology, underwater communication and images to present a unique teaching experience. Curriculum-based programmes, supported by comprehensive teaching materials, provide students with detailed information on a variety of complex marine issues. Although there is a 12-hour time difference between the UK and Australia, the Reef HQ Education Centre regularly has sleepover events, so it is possible for to join student volunteers in Queensland at 9.00 am (9.00 pm there) and learn about the ecology of the reef. You can even make special arrangements to visit the reef during Queensland daylight hours. If youre prepared to get to school very early you can meet a diver and ask questions as he scuba dives on the reef. See page 138 for a case study written by Reef HQ about their video conferences. For information contact Fred Nucifora fredn@gbrmpa.gov.au.
Moorhouse Black
www.mbdls.com/index.html 01248 679025 Formerly 21st Advanced Options, Moorhouse-Black has pioneered technology-based distance learning since 1988 and has become the leading provider of interactive, video conferenced, education courses. It offers a wide range of A level/AS level and GCSE courses to more than 2000 students in 150 plus schools and colleges across the UK. It is currently offering: AS/A2 Accounting, Critical Thinking, Electronics, Film Studies, Government and Politics, Law, Psychology, Sociology, Dutch and, from September 2002, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and GCSE Latin. For more information contact courses@moorhouse-black.com.
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Liberty Science Centre, New Jersey

www.lsc.org/ 201 451 0006 x382 You can access the LSCs 250-plus hands-on exhibits and experiences via video conferenced Electronic Field Trips (EFTs). From their Environment, Health and Invention exhibit floors, they share exhibits such as exotic insects and reptiles, a video light microscope, real human lungs, an 80 torsional wave and fish tanks depicting the Hudson River estuary environments. Let LSCs dynamic instructors become your partners in the exploration of science concepts. Interacting with our exhibits and science experts, doing activities, your students will have a great experience learning. Just like when you come through our doors for a visit, you and your students will be actively learning by doing and experiencing the best at Liberty Science Centre. For more information, contact Amy Lefanto alefanto@lsc.org
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Space Centre, Leicester

www.spacecentre.co.uk 0870 6077223 The Education Department at the Space Centre is currently developing a programme of video conferencing experiences but, in the meantime, will consider requests for one-off video conference sessions. Contact Joy Houghton joyh@spacecentre.co.uk
Media Education Centre, Exeter

www.devon.gov.uk/dcs 01392 426821 The Media Education Centre, part of Devon LEAs education advisory service, can help to organize or support video conference links with schools in Devon and the South West. They can also arrange input via video conference into training and professional development days from Devon Curriculum Services primary, secondary and subject advisers. Contact Tim Arnold tjarnold@devon.gov.uk
www.global-leap.com +44 (0)7900 814 922 Global Leap is an educational video conferencing service based at Arbour Vale School, Slough, available to offer help and support to your school or college with video conferencing technology in the classroom. Global Leap also offers the opportunity to share the cost of an international video conference. The Global Leap bridge can link two or three schools together in one conference and, as a result, the cost of calls can be shared. Contact Mike Griffith info@global-leap.com
Atsuko Shiwaku, Japan

sherry@memenet.or.jp At the end of the Japanese school day Atsuko Shiwaku teaches English in her own home to students wishing to improve their language skills. Because of the time difference, the end of the school day in Japan is the beginning of our school day. This exciting link enables you to share the culture of Japan directly from Atsukos home. Information about the following organisations is taken directly from each providers website. Most of them are geared up for their own US State curriculum and may not have experience of working with UK schools. Note that there is sometimes a charge for video conference events. We cannot vouch for the quality of any of these providers.
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Global Leap
Museum of Tolerance, USA

www.wiesenthal.com/mot/youthedu/gap.cfm The Museum of Tolerance has a distance learning programme called Bridging the Gap, which connects disciplines, generations, communities, and experiences via video conferencing.
Bronx Zoo, USA

http://wcs.org/home/zoos/bronxzoo The WCS Education Department offers the keys to the animal kingdom... through programmes that help you discover the natural world and get involved in its protection.
Aquatic Research Institute, USA

www.arcec.org/Main/Main1.htm The Aquatic Research Institute is dedicated to increasing public awareness, knowledge and understanding of the aquatic environment through distance learning/video teleconferencing and out-reach programmes.
Buffalo Zoo, USA

www.buffalozoo.org The Buffalo Zoological Gardens is the USAs third oldest zoo. Located in 23.5 acres of beautiful Delaware Park, the Buffalo Zoo exhibits a diverse collection of wild and exotic animals, and more than 320 different species of plants. Animals on exhibit include the lowland gorilla troop, rhinoceros, hyenas, polar bears, and many more. Open year-round, the Zoo is a constant source of both education and entertainment for individuals and families throughout Western New York.
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California Science Centre, USA

www.casciencectr.org Explore the wonders of the world we live in, from the outer reaches of the universe to the hidden lives of the microscopic realm, through programmes designed for children, families, adults, schools and educators.
Center for Puppetry Arts, USA

www.puppet.org/index.htm Distance learning is a term used to describe the innovative K-12 programming offered via video conferencing. The Centre offers free, hands-on curriculum-based programmes to all schools in the distance learning network.
Challenger Learning Centre, USA

http://challenger.brownsburg.k12.in.us/distance_learning.html Brownsburg Challenger Learning offers distance learning to students across the nation. The distance events include topical workshops, virtual tours of the CLC, mission access workshops, and special events.
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Cincinnati Zoo, USA

www.cincyzoo.org/ The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden offers programmes via video conferencing that are designed to engage students in active learning and complement classroom study of a variety of biological and earth science topics. All programmes are delivered live by zoo educators.
Space Science Centre, USA

www.ccssc.org As a member of the Georgia Statewide Academic and Medical Systems network, (GSAMS), the Bellsouth distance learning classroom can connect to all major medical and university institutions within the State of Georgia, as well as many secondary schools, public and private museums, and other educational facilities. Using advanced, multi-base video conferencing technology, up to eight GSAMS sites can communicate simultaneously, providing a whole range of instructional services throughout the state.
Childrens Museum of Indianapolis, USA

www.childrensmuseum.org/teachers/schodist.htm The Childrens Museum has a series of programmes available to US schools on a first-come, first-served basis arranged by the Corporation for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC). Phone number 317-231-6525. It may be amenable to arranging video conferences for UK schools.
Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University, USA

www.cloweshall.org/education Clowes Memorial Hall, one of the Midwests premiere performing arts facilities, has a video conferencing programme connecting students in the classroom to artists and educators. The mission of the CMH Distance Learning Programme is to help educators meet state academic standards and curriculum goals through interactive sessions that link the arts with other core subject areas. The content of sessions varies yearly to offer students new and innovative programming that correlates with current Clowes Hall performances.
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, USA

www.colszoo.org/education/distance.html The Columbus Zoo broadcasts video conferencing programmes directly from animal exhibits and incorporates a variety of hands-on activities into every lesson. Each teacher will receive a teacher packet upon booking a programme. This packet will contain information and materials for each session, as well as ideas for pre- and post-visit activities.
Conner Prairie, USA

www.connerprairie.org/edu/dl.html Conner Prairies Teacher Institutes offer diverse and practical professional development to teachers. Creative, fun sessions focus on an interdisciplinary approach, immersing participants into history and providing practical ideas to take back to the classroom.
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Indianapolis Zoo, USA

www.indyzoo.com/education/distance_learning.asp One of the first zoos in America to offer two-way interactive video adventures, IZS connects with students across Indiana, throughout the United States, and around the world. Students learn about the world, the environment, and the wonderful range of creatures that share it during each of these video adventures, expanding their classroom walls beyond their community boundaries.
COSI Columbia Science, USA

www.cosi.org/programs/ee.htm COSI Columbus is among the countrys most highly-respected science centres. It provides video conference programmes that involve students in hands-on activities and demonstrations. Each programme includes hands-on materials for 30 students that will be used during the 40-60 minute show and materials for many additional hours of in-class activities.
The Elephant Sanctuary, USA

www.elephants.com Students can take an electronic field trip to the Sanctuary. Images and sound are transported live, allowing students to view an elephants daily life without causing any intrusion.
Ohio Historical Society, USA

www.ohiohistory.org/resource/teachers/dlearning/index.html The Ohio Historical Societys distance learning programming transports students through time to historic venues ranging from river boats to Civil War parlours to prehistoric mounds to safe houses on the Underground Railroad. Video streaming, remote cameras, blue-screen projections, and theatrical sets and costumes are among the innovative techniques used to make history come to life for students of all ages. Distance learning programmes are offered on a regular basis during the school season and by appointment at the Societys sites in Marietta and Lebanon. Advance reservations are required and may be made by contacting the Scheduling Office at 614-297- 2663.
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Victorias 3 Major Zoos, Australia

www.zoo.org.au Melbourne Zoo is the first zoo in Australia to offer this interactive video conference experience. Under the guidance of our Education Officers, students will be able to see live animals and ask questions about them and be challenged about conservation issues. Zoo Trek offers a truly interactive experience to schools anywhere in Australia and overseas. Contact Melbourne Zoo mz@zoo.org.au or 9285 9355 for further details.
Health Museum of Cleveland, USA

www.healthmuseum.org/education/distance/index.html Through interactive video conferencing and web-based activities, distance learning brings the best of The Health Museums programmes into your classroom. Connecting live from The Health Museum, these real-time learning experiences bring science to life using hands-on activities, applied maths concepts and exploratory discussions.
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Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA

www.lacma.org Los Angeles County Museum of Art offers students, teachers, and community members an opportunity to experience the museums collection of nearly 100,000 works of art spanning ancient times to the present. During each interactive video conference, participants will look at and discuss works of art representing a variety of artistic movements and styles, gaining insight into the social, political, and cultural reasons behind their creation.
Louisville Science Centre, USA

www.lsclouienet.org/programs.php3?page=distance.ext The Louisville Science Centre offers a variety of hour-long distance learning programmes. They are designed to support National Science Standards in science, mathematics and technology. Teacher preparation materials and supplies for hands-on activities are provided for each interactive link. For details, call the Distance Learning Coordinator at (800) 591-2203, ext. 6579 or send e-mail to dwood@louky.org
The Library of Congress, USA

www.loc.gov The Library preserves a collection of nearly 121 million items, more than two-thirds of which are in media other than books. These include the largest map, film and television collections in the world. In addition to its primary mission of serving the research needs of the U.S. Congress, the Library serves all Americans through its popular website and in its 22 reading rooms on Capitol Hill. They offer a series of video conference programmes including a tour round the library: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/educators/video/index.html
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, USA

www.seatrek.org/programs.htm Mote Marine Laboratory provides a selection of marine science sessions via video conference, including Sharks: Devouring the Myths, Sea Turtles: Amazing Reptiles of the Sea and Manatees: Gentle Giants of the Coasts.
The NASA Glenn Research Centre Learning Technologies Project, USA

www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/CoE/Coemain.html The NASA Glenn Research Centre Learning Technologies Project (LTP) offers video conferencing connections between teachers and students and NASA scientists, engineers, researchers, and education specialists.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, USA

www.naturalsciences.org/education/distance.html The museum has a programme of distance learning classes from their Windows on the World gallery in the new Museum. These include one-hour sessions on Dinosaurs, Migrate, Hibernate, Pupate and Animal signs.
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Smithsonian American Art Museum, USA

http://nmaa-ryder.si.edu The Smithsonian American Art Museum is the home of the largest collection of American art in the world. Its holdings - over 37,500 works - represent the most inclusive collection of American art of any general museum today, reflecting the nations ethnic, geographic, cultural, and religious diversity. You can take a Virtual Field Trip, from 30 minutes up to one hour, via online session or video conference, where museum docents will engage students in exploring the countrys history and culture through looking at important works of art from our collections. Virtual Field Trips can be tailored to meet curricular needs, or you can select one of the ten standard trips ranging in theme from Western Migration to the Modern Era. Targeted to specific grade levels, themes cross the curriculum and link to national education standards.
Museum of Television and Radio, USA

www.mtr.org The Museum of Television and Radio is a non-profit organization founded by William S. Paley in 1975 to collect and preserve television and radio programmes and to make these programmes available to the public. During each video conferencing session a Museum Educator focuses on a particular subject, using clips from the Museums collection as a basis for discussion. Sessions available include: Animation, The Fine Art of Persuasion: Television and Advertising, America through the Lens: The Art of the Television Documentary, The Civil Rights Movement on Television, The Race for Spaceand Surprise, Suspense and Twist Endings: A Look at Hitchcock on Television. Contact Cid Pearlman at 310.786.1099 or cpearlman@mtr.org
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Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA

www.philamuseum.org/education/distance.shtml The distance learning initiative of the Philadelphia Museum of Art uses video conferencing to enable virtual tours of the Museums collections. In this pioneering programme, real-time interactions with the Museums expert staff allow students and teachers to explore the fascinating world of art without ever leaving their classrooms. Introductory lessons include Learning to Look and Elements of Art, Principles of Design and there is also a programme of in depth lessons. Contact: Candace LeClaire, Distance Learning Coordinator, at (215) 6847584 or distancelearning@philamuseum.org
Wetlands Institute, USA

www.wetlandsinstitute.org/electronic_field_trips.htm The Wetlands Institute offers virtual trips to the Salt March through live, interactive presentations by the Institute staff. Each 30-minute programme includes a choice of topics: Wetlands, Adaptations, or the Wetlands Institute Terrapin Conservation Programme. Contact the Director of Education at the Institute education@wetlandsinstitute.org or 609-368-1211 for more information.
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EXAMPLE 1: Public Record Office Education Department

Background
The PRO is home to an amazing collection of historical documents relating to virtually all the major events and personalities, as well as the lives of ordinary people, from the last 1000 years of history. These are the original documents, produced at the time, by the people involved. Very few topics in British history are not covered by our collection of nearly 10 million documents, kept on over 100 miles of shelves. We have original sources in all formats: photographs, posters, maps, plans, artefacts and paper files. We hold famous items such as Domesday Book, Magna Carta, Shakespeares Will, the logbook of HMS Bounty, and Wilfred Owens service record.
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We aim to give students of all ages the genuine experience of what it means to investigate history through original sources. Our video conference and on-site workshops are designed to meet the requirements of the history National Curriculum throughout all key stages and conform to exam board specifications. They give pupils the opportunity to develop key skills as well as their awareness of archives and original sources. Our workshops also aim to develop pupils general knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of history by stimulating their imaginations and engaging their interest in the past. This sometimes includes using costumed interpreters but always involves original and fascinating sources that really do bring the past alive.
What we offer for video conferencing

We are currently developing a full programme of events for 2002/2003. Events planned so far include: What are original sources? An investigation into how to use original historical material. Battle Of the Somme Case Study An individual soldiers story. Day of Judgement A Domesday investigation. Cat and Mouse An investigation of Womens Suffrage. Tudor Imagery Who was Henry the VIII?
Teacher Training and Inset

We also provide training for student teachers and more experienced colleagues in the use of video conferencing and use of original sources in the teaching of history.
WORKSHOPS
The two workshops that we have focused on are Day of Judgement a Domesday investigation, and a special Victorian workshop for the Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital. The planning and format for each workshop are detailed below. The conclusions and ideas for future development for both workshops are given together at the end. Day of Judgement This workshop was originally designed as an on-site role-play. The basis of the workshop is as follows: the villagers of Mortlake have been gathered together to answer the questions of the Domesday Commissioner, sent by William the Conqueror, to find out details of the land, and what taxes are due from the village. Professional actors play the parts of the Commissioner and the Reeve of the village of Mortlake. The pupils are divided into groups playing the rest of the Commissioners or villagers. Some of them are assigned a particular role, with specific information they have to give as part of the story. The Reeve is trying to save the villagers (and himself!) some money by being a bit economical with the truth. The Commissioner has his suspicions and sets about trying to untangle the web of deceit. The workshop was offered to schools, with the option of receiving it via video conferencing. One school, Applemore College in Southampton, chose to take this option up. The teacher who booked the session, Martyn Ashmead, has made extensive use of this technology for around five years. Both his, and the pupils familiarity with working in this medium was evident during the workshop and helped to ensure it ran smoothly. It was particularly useful for us to work with such an experienced school at this early stage in our own use of the technology. We felt we learnt a great deal about how to manage and run a video conference workshop, and it certainly showed us the potential for video conferencing. The on-site workshop had to be adapted for the video conference session. A detailed information pack was sent to the school a few weeks beforehand. This contained the script for the teacher to read so he was aware of what would happen, as well as information for the pupils to research. The pupils were divided up into groups, as for the on-site workshop, but this time we asked the teacher to arrange the pupils in the room according to our plan. This meant we knew which group we would be speaking to on the day as soon as we started. Each group had been given something specific to investigate so initial questions could be targeted straight at the relevant group. This helped to break down any initial barriers or nerves about speaking via this medium - for both parties! In this case one of the groups had some secret information that only came out during the workshop, which helped to add to the performance.
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Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital Video conference workshops are crucial to the work of Great Ormond Street Hospital School. They provide a stimulating educational resource for children who, despite serious illness, are trying to continue formal education whilst undergoing medical treatment. Class structures tend to be of a very transient nature, and cover a wide range in age, ability and physical capability. Thus the workshop presented different challenges in its planning and application. Our workshops are usually based on primary sources within our own archive collection. This time we created an ongoing resource to be used for future video conference sessions and to provide the pupils with something particularly relevant. A source pack from original documents within the Great Ormond Street Hospital archive was produced. The pack contained high-quality copies of documents relating to the founding of the hospital, its later rebuilding during the 19th century, as well as healthcare and welfare issues of the time. Also included was a detailed set of questions relating to specific documents for the pupils to work through in preparation for the session. On the day of the video conference session, we set up a couple of informal test sessions in order to introduce the pupils to this medium. This had the advantage of ironing out technical hitches and familiarizing the children with a technology which many of them had never seen before. The value of preparatory sessions too far in advance would have been negligible, as children are discharged and new ones admitted. Initially, we just introduced ourselves to each other, chatted with the children and showed them documents, textiles and replica costume from the Victorian period via the document camera. It became clear that sessions would have to be very ad hoc due to children having to leave for medical treatment intermittently. However, the children responded extremely well to these sessions, gradually becoming more comfortable with looking into the camera and addressing us with questions rather than having to be prompted. The final session of the day involved professional actors, backdrops and lighting used in order to transport the pupils back in time. The children had been forewarned that they were going to experience something quite different, as they were going to meet a VIP from the past. Specific questions and documents in the resource pack had been selected for the pupils to concentrate on, which assisted the actors in directing the session. In this way the children were questioned by Prince Bertie who, with his charitable connections to the hospital, was interested in its progress. A surprise visit by his mother, Queen Victoria, ended the session with information about the 19th century royal family, linked to documents at the PRO. All in all, both children and staff really enjoyed the sessions and viewed video conferencing as a particularly valuable resource for pupils who would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience educational visits.
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CONCLUSIONS
Preparation In both workshops, the key element to making the most of video conferencing was detailed preparation work, prepared by us and completed by the school. This is essential to making the most of the interactive nature of the medium, rather than just using it to deliver a lecture. Test Runs Test runs, which can include a check to see if the preparatory work has been understood and completed, are vital to ensuring all runs smoothly on the day. Technical and practical issues such as sound balance, clarity of image as well as the layout of the class can all be checked. Delivery Although both examples used in the case study have involved the use of professional actors, subsequent experience of delivering workshops ourselves has raised some issues about which works best for this format. Professional actors usually have their script to work to and may not like deviating from this. If they do ask questions of pupils, they tend to be safe closed questions, which they know will help their script along the planned path. While there is some potential for interaction, this can be limited. The effect can end up being similar to watching a video performance, not making use of all that video conferencing can offer. Using teaching professionals to deliver the workshops make for quite a different experience. Pupils are encouraged to be interactive, to ask their own questions, give more open answers and engage in debate with the professional at our end and amongst themselves. This leads to a much better learning experience for the pupils. Reception Experience of making follow up visits to the same group has taught us that familiarity is a great help in this medium. Pupils seem much more relaxed and open with their questions and ideas when they know who they are talking to. We have also found that it makes for a better experience for the pupils if the teacher takes a back seat, letting us work directly with the pupils, rather than acting as intermediary, feeding our questions through themselves. Presentation While stressing the advantages of delivery in an informal manner, this depends heavily on a thorough and professional amount of planning, research and presentation. The presentation aspect is one we have developed from working with the actors. They required a theatrical backdrop to set the scene and we have continued to find this useful to focus attention on ourselves and what we are studying, rather than an indiscriminate room in view behind us.
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Learning A comment from a teacher summed up the benefits of video conferencing as a way of learning. The preparation his students had done and the unusual format of the delivery created such a sense of an event that the work covered as a result of the workshop would really stay with them. If teachers do take a back seat, and let those delivering the workshop interact directly with the pupils, they develop a very strong sense that they are taking responsibility for their own learning within the traditionally teacher-led classroom environment. It also enables the pupils to develop their ICT skill by giving them responsibility for operating the equipment.
The Future
The main advantage of video conferencing for the Education Department at the PRO, is that it enables us to provide workshops for students excluded by problems of a geographical distance or class size. We can now reach schools right across the country. We can also deliver to a whole year group, whereas our on-site workshops are usually limited to 35. There are clear advantages to video conferencing for schools. Pupils still get the opportunity to visit places and learn from experts there at a minimum disruption to their school day sessions can be delivered to coincide with their usual lesson time. Key skills using new technology are seamlessly integrated into their learning.
Finally
Video conferencing is essential to reach as wide an educational audience as possible, both in this country and abroad. The Education Department looks forward to the further development of video conferencing as a medium for delivering educational workshops. New schools and other educational providers seem to be coming on line all the time. The PRO Education Department is keen to encourage this growth, work with new partners and seeks to spread the word about this medium as much as possible. Philip Stanley-Berridge, Public Record Office
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EXAMPLE 2: Reef HQ, the Reef Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
AIMS OF VIDEO CONFERENCING SESSIONS
The primary aims of video conferencing from Reef HQ, the Reef Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, are: To share the uniqueness of the Great Barrier Reef with the community (on a national and international level); To encourage and stimulate understanding of the issues surrounding the Great Barrier Reef from social and environmental perspectives; To provide opportunities for students to share knowledge and interact with each other in a fun and educational setting; To assist students to develop the knowledge and skills, and the opportunity to develop attitudes, values and patterns of behaviour that will enable them to make effective contributions to the ecologically sustainable use of the Great Barrier Reef. To enable others to see more than 500 live reef creatures, watch them interacting and discover the latest reef research.
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CURRICULUM CONTEXT
Curriculum areas that embrace the study of the Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage Areas are Studies of Society and Environment, inclusive of geography, history and environmental studies and science. Educational elements include, but are not limited to, science (biology, biotechnology, physics and ecology), language, and technology. Video conferencing has been used across Australian schools (both primary and secondary) as an innovative tool to enhance environmental education. Special one-off international programs allow for extra-curricular environmental activities that students can then share with their peers. In short, Reef HQ has used video conferencing as part of its environmental and marine education across the curriculum.
PLANNING, RESEARCH AND PREPARATION

The Reef HQ Education Team are educators who support video conferencing by accessing upto-date information from local marine science centres such as: Reef HQ www.reefHQ.org.au/ Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) www.gbrmpa.gov.au/ The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) www.gbrmpa.gov.au/ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) www.env.qld.gov.au/ Queensland Fisheries www.dpi.qld.gov.au/home/default.html
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The information is presented to students in a flexible manner, taking into account the age and background of the student audience. In some instances, the Education Team work with the Reef HQ Student Volunteers (aged between 15-18) to encourage students to present to students in a one-off situation such as SeaWeek 2001, Global Leap 2000, Global PIE, Rivers to Reef Day 2001, or World Environment Day 2001. More formal programmes are delivered by the Reef HQ Education Team and focus specifically on managing the Great Barrier Reef or water quality and the food web on the living reef. The formal presentations currently on offer can be found at: www.videolinq.qld.edu.au/
DETAILS OF SESSIONS
Please note that additional programmes are planned post June 2002. Standard video conferencing sessions or modules include dry presenters plus a real-time SCUBA diver underwater, in the Coral Reef Exhibit, thus allowing the audience to ask questions directly of the diver. Currently these presentations are made to national and international audiences. The modules consist of a situation presented in the first video conference. Students and teachers are provided with clues and resource materials to research possible solutions, and students are then invited to present their solutions in the second video conference to Reef HQ staff that provides feedback. Special international sessions, such as participating in Dive into Earth Day or Global Leap 2000 allow for audience interaction and focus on students presenting to students about local and international marine and environmental issues. They also provide Reef HQ with an opportunity to raise awareness and understanding of the fragile nature of the Great Barrier Reef, its connectivity to the worlds oceans, its biodiversity and the pressures the reef and catchment areas are currently facing. It provides the international audience with personal perspectives and provides information relevant to guiding students behaviour towards best environmental practices.
TECHNICAL ISSUES
Usually the sessions run smoothly and pre-checks are essential to minimise possible hazards. Pre-checks also test the compatibility of each sites software, which we have found (at worst) can crash an entire bridge. We have found that it is beneficial to have a copy of all the possible help numbers nearby plus phone access, so if anything should go awry, there can be immediate action to troubleshoot and minimise down time. It is also essential that there are people on hand who are familiar with the equipment and able to troubleshoot potential problems before they magnify and jeopardise the session. The other consideration of note is timing. Timing can be a problem, especially when dealing with multiple time zones, class lesson times, etc. Usually these can be overcome with careful negotiation, but it can mean one or more sites are operating outside school hours. International bookings need to be made well in advance.
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EVALUATION OF LEARNING OUTCOMES

There have been a number of positive outcomes from these learning opportunities: Feedback from Reef HQ volunteers and local students after these events suggests that the students felt privileged and special to have taken part and it has made them aware of the connectivity throughout the planet. For example, what one country dumps in their oceans can (and does) end up in anothers; or human environmental impacts are common concerns throughout the different countries. The students are keen and enthusiastic to become involved in sharing possible solutions and working towards Best Environmental Practices. Students are able to interact with specialists in a variety of fields for a variety of topics. geography becomes a moot point and the students are able to access current information from the primary sources. They are also able to experience and develop knowledge, understanding and values of the Great Barrier Reef from anywhere in the world. Students are able to interact with peers from around the world. They are able to share experiences and knowledge and ultimately increase their understanding of society. They can talk face to face about what issues are important to them and offer suggestions for the future. Specifically, Reef HQ and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority are able to increase their audiences to share the message of Providing for the protection, wise use, understanding and enjoyment of the Great Barrier Reef in perpetuity through the care and development of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Positive attitudes have been forged after the video conferencing sessions. Students feel they have made a worthwhile contribution in sharing information about the planet and possible sustainable use of the environment. We have also found that after they have shared this information, the students are more reflective on their own behaviour and how they can do their bit and make a difference. Students develop knowledge, understanding and values about the Great Barrier Reef.
SECTION F
IDEAS FOR POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

Planning is underway for increased educational modules post June 2002. A delayed chat room would be great! After the session, students could post questions and the room could be open for a few weeks before being frozen. Perhaps even the session or just some highlights could be streamed onto the web. If funding could be sought to cover this, that would be great. Multi media is a popular tool for making education fun. Fred Nucifora, Reef HQ
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SECTION G:
V deo i Con e enc ng fr i T echno og i l y n Mor De a l e ti

This section develops the issues discussed in Section A. It gives more detailed information for the following areas:
Video Conferencing Systems Hardware, Software Optional Equipment Standards Bandwidth ISDN Conferencing IP Conferencing
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SECTION G
Video Conferencing Systems

HARDWARE
The following section includes additional notes relating to the main types of video conferencing system.
Low-cost, Computer-based Systems

Low-cost systems are based on standard computer hardware. This type of system needs a fullduplex sound card, a headset, a web-cam (usually connected via a USB port) and suitable software. If used with a group, multiple headsets can be used via a splitter unit, enabling more than one user to conference. PCs have had NetMeeting included with MS Windows for some years. The recently launched XP version of Windows is supplied with Windows Messenger as well as NetMeeting. Apple Mac computers can run a range of software. Some Mac packages, such as VideoLink Pro, are compliant with video conferencing standards, while others, such as CUseeMe, require the same software running on near and far-end systems. These systems are suitable for IP based video conferencing across local and wide area networks or via a dialup connection. It is not possible for such a system to call an ISDN based video conferencing system.
SECTION G
(Note: there is a distinction to be drawn between a dedicated or group-based video conferencing system which is connected to the ISDN network, communicating using H.320 conferencing protocols, and an IP based H.323system which uses ISDN to dial into a network). Applications and whiteboards can be shared whilst in a conference according to the facilities available within the software. The bandwidth available for the link may restrict or slow down application sharing. See Application and File Sharing for more details.
Desktop Systems
A number of manufacturers market units that can provide a better conferencing experience due to the use of better quality cameras and, in particular, better control over the audio. Many units plug into the computer via a USB interface; others have to be installed into the computer. The majority of systems support IP conferencing; a smaller number support ISDN based conferencing. These systems will use either Microsoft NetMeeting or proprietary software. Most systems of this type are standards compliant.
142
Group Systems
There is a very wide range of group systems available. Units in this category are often sold with a number of options, e.g. support for ISDN, IP or both, choice of the number of ISDN lines supported or choice of microphones. These choices can result in a wide variation in cost. When choosing a system the following should be considered: Number of ISDN lines supported IP bandwidth supported Type of microphone supported. For example, some include microphones within the base unit; others use remote/table-top microphones Range of connections for connecting peripherals such as document cameras, VCRs or laptops Quality of the audio and video compression systems Ability of the audio system to discriminate between voices and background sounds. Ability of the audio system to detect the location of the person speaking and move the camera to that person. Ability to give the user easy control of sources, e.g. cameras, laptops, VCR inputs etc. Easy to use user interface Support for multiple monitors to show near-end, far-end or source such as a laptop
Group systems, including the monitors, can be built into roll-about cabinets, or may simply be small set-top units that can be used in a number of locations. However, so-called, roll-about systems are often only used in a dedicated video conferencing room or studio.
Audio control on desktop and group systems Modern video conference systems use autogain control of the audio input in conjunction with the echo cancelling electronics to minimise the effect of big variations in sound level. In an interactive session it is far better to have all the participants, if they are all contributing to the meeting, to be sited at an equal distance from the microphone. The audio input will hear equal sound pressure levels and adjust the audio input level [and thus the audio the far-end hears] to a standard level to maintain the echo cancellation performance. If a speaker gets close to the microphone it wont matter how loud he speaks, the autogain control system will actually reduce the input audio level to the standard level. If another speaker, further away, now speaks, the system will not have time to adjust the input level for a short period and the second speaker appears to be very quiet. This is a very common problem for new users of video conferencing and is often characterised by the new user speaking at the microphone in an attempt to ensure the far end can hear correctly. It is also important to ensure there is reasonable distance between the microphone and the speakers. Usually this is three to five metres for group systems. This helps the echo canceller.
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SECTION G
SOFTWARE
Group systems will be controlled by software. This will have been designed for the unit and is specific to it. Updating of the software is often possible. The update is usually downloaded from a central server. Low-cost, computer-based systems will use conferencing and collaboration software available for the type of computer. A number of programs exist such as Microsoft NetMeeting, CUseeMe, VideoLink Pro and Microsoft Messenger. All programs can manage directories of users, initiate conferences, control sound and video as well as provide collaborative tools and application and file sharing. The hardware specification must meet the requirements of the software. Desktop systems will often be supplied with specific, proprietary software which matches the hardware. Some software is standards compliant, enabling users to conference with other standards compliant systems, e.g. a PC running NetMeeting can conference with a group system or a desktop system running proprietary software. It may not be possible to use some features on the lower cost systems and the video quality may be poorer but basic conferencing will be possible. Proprietary software will enable conferencing with other units as long as it is standards compliant. Some software packages support the use of Directory Servers and connection via Gatekeepers. Depending on the network you use, this may be an important feature. NetMeeting and many proprietary software packages support these services.
SECTION G
Windows Messenger, recently included with the Windows operating system, is part of a selfcontained service that requires users at either end to have a version of Messenger installed. Messenger relies on a service which can identify those you wish to contact and inform you if they are currently logged on to the service. It is possible to video and audio conference with contacts as well as share applications, chat and files. It is not possible to conference from Messenger to users on other systems or using other software. Other video conferencing software packages similarly require both near and far-ends to be using the same software.
Application and File Sharing

Application Sharing is described in Section A. It requires software that supports application sharing using the T.120 protocol such as Microsoft NetMeeting. If using a computer-based video conferencing system, application sharing can take place at the same time as the video conference, assuming there is enough bandwidth available. Group systems may require the use of a computer linked to the unit to support application sharing across the link.
144
Programs such as NetMeeting or CUseeMe include general applications such as Chat shared whiteboard. Chat opens a window at each end; users can then type messages to each other. Whiteboard in this context is a program that looks like a painting or graphics program. When run it is visible at both ends of the link; users from either end can draw or write on it (this should not be confused with an interactive whiteboard mentioned elsewhere in this document). These general applications are designed to support collaborative working and can operate with or without an audio or video conference taking place at the same time. The sharing of specific applications such as word-processing or spreadsheets is possible with some conferencing software. In practice, one user will open an application, e.g. a document in a word processor, and either user can take control and edit the document. File sharing enables users to send files to each other across the conference link.
Optional Equipment
Video Cassette Recorders (VCRs) and Camcorders
VCRs or camcorders can be connected to most group systems and some desktop systems. This gives the potential of showing video to the far-end, for example a video of work produced by pupils or video of the school environment. Camcorders can also be used as document cameras (see below) to show close-up views of objects or documents. Some systems have video/audio out sockets to enable video conferences to be recorded. It should be noted, however, that the picture quality will be similar to the actual conference - this may have been acceptable in a live conference but it may not be good enough to use as a recorded archive.
Document Cameras
Document cameras can be used on systems with a video input. The document camera consists of a flat platform with a camera mounted above. Objects and documents can be placed on the platform and focused on by the camera. A document camera will usually have lights mounted above the platform to light the object.
Linking Laptop or Desktop Computers

The connection of a laptop or desktop computer to a video conferencing system can enable presentations to be made to the far-end using presentation software. Files and applications can also be shared as described above. Group systems will often have a means of connecting a computer, either via a specific socket such as a monitor in socket or via a network connection.
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SECTION G
If the network connection is used, configuration may be necessary for the video conferencing unit to recognise the connected computer. Some video conferencing systems can be managed from a computer attached via a network through a Bowser interface. This is particularly useful if there are a number of systems across a site.
Use with Projectors

Most video conferencing systems can be connected to a data/video projector to give a large image. This can be useful when conferencing with large classes or groups. Enlarging the image with a projector can make it look poor, particularly if it is a low bandwidth video image. It may be better to reduce the size of the projected image or use a large TV/monitor. The audio from the video conferencing unit can be put through the speaker in a projector but these often have very small speakers and a low-powered amplifier. It may be necessary to consider using another form of amplification. A problem associated with projecting a large image is that it becomes difficult to place the nearend camera in a position close to the centre of the image. This is important because those watching the conference end up looking at the projected image and not the camera. This can be disconcerting for users at the far-end who may feel that those at the near-end are not giving the conference their full attention. This can also be a problem with users who are sitting close to large monitors.
Interactive Whiteboards SECTION G

Using a video conferencing unit in conjunction with an interactive whiteboard can add a new dimension to conferences. Although it is possible to project the video image onto the whiteboard, the combination of a TV/monitor for the video image and the use of the whiteboard for data and application sharing can enhance the potential of presentations and collaborative work. For example: A teacher can be teaching a lesson where s/he appears on the TV/monitor whilst showing a PowerPoint presentation that appears on the whiteboard. Two groups can be conferencing and using the whiteboard as a shared space that each group can use for making notes and drawing diagrams whilst seeing each other on the TV/monitor. Two classes can be working on a mathematical problem on a shared spreadsheet displayed and controlled on the interactive whiteboard whilst seeing each other on the TV/monitor.
146
Standards
Video conferencing systems rely on standards to enable them to link to each other, particularly if the systems or software are from different manufacturers. A range of standards exists and advice should be sought when purchasing a system to ensure compatibility. It may be useful to be able to recognise the main standards such as H.320 - ISDN based conferencing and H.323 - IP based conferencing. T.120 is the standard that enables application and data sharing. Others may be included such as H.281 - far-end camera control or H.243 - multipoint conferencing. Most systems will also adhere to a wide range of audio and video standards.
Bandwidth
Video and audio streams are very demanding of the capacity of the communications link. To overcome the potential constraints imposed by the link, methods of compression have been developed and refined. Video conferencing systems are built around CODECs (COmpressor DECompressor) that handle the compression. To enable different makes of video conferencing system to communicate with each other, standards have been developed, including the compression standards. Some manufacturers include features which will only work if communicating with systems of the same make, often resulting in better quality sound and vision. The capacity of a link is referred to as the bandwidth. This is generally measured in kilobits per second (kbs) or megabits per second (Mbs). This is a measure of the theoretical maximum throughput. A single ISDN 2e installation supplies 2 x 64kbs channels, enabling a video conference to utilise 128kbs of bandwidth. This is the minimum required for acceptable video conferencing. Even at 128kbs the pictures will take time to stabilise and fast movements will blur. Some group systems have the capacity for more than a single ISDN 2e line, giving better quality audio and video. If two, three or four ISDN 2e lines are available the system can run at 256, 384 or 512kbs respectively. To use this feature the system at the far-end also needs to have the same number of lines. This can be expensive as each line will incur a rental cost and a single conference may cost the equivalent of up to eight calls. IP based video conferencing potentially increases the bandwidth available but this may be constrained by other users sending data across the network at the same time. A user may have to select a lower bandwidth setting so as not conflict with other users. All video conferencing units will have a maximum data rate at which they can operate over IP. Protocols are being implemented to alleviate the problem of congestion on a network - see Quality of Service.
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SECTION G
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)

ISDN is a dial-up service. Once the link is established it is dedicated to that call and is unaffected by other users. This means that the quality of a video conference over ISDN is generally predictable. Currently, the majority of users of video conferencing in education use ISDN. There are two main options for the supply of ISDN in the UK: BRI - Basic Rate Interface or PRI Primary Rate Interface. BRI is supplied as ISDN 2e, which is 2 x 64kbs channels with an additional signal or control channel. Many schools have or have had BRI ISDN for Internet access prior to the installation of broadband. Most video conferencing units expect BRI ISDN. PRI is supplied with up to 30 x 64kbs channels in options starting with six channels. A number of schools and colleges use PRI ISDN for their phone system. Some of these phone installations can be configured to offer BRI ISDN by the addition of internal interface cards. This can be very expensive equipment and it is usually cheaper to get a PRI based video conferencing system and a PRI line with only six channels activated. Contact your phone system installer for details.
SECTION G
IP Video Conferencing
IP based video conferencing is theoretically possible across any IP enabled network, be it the Internet, a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN). There are many reasons why, in practice, video conferencing may not work including: the active baring of video conferencing protocols, the other traffic on the network or delays built up due to the signal having to pass through a large number of devices between users. IP video conferencing is possible across the Internet but because there is no guarantee of capacity or bandwidth from one end of a link to the other, the results can be unpredictable. The problem is mostly the delay or latency inherent in the way the Internet is structured. The Internet uses routing tables defined by the service providers that are optimised for data. Video and audio packets must arrive quickly and in sequence to deliver a video conference and the Internet has no way of doing this. This makes video conferencing across the Internet unsuitable for lessons where a teacher is working with a class and relying on the conference. Internet video conferencing may be suitable for one-to-one personal links. The advent of broadband networks between schools is beginning to make IP based conferencing more of a possibility. The greater capacity of a broadband network and the fact that many are privately managed networks can result in more predictable performance
148
although other traffic may still be a problem. The network within a school could also be a bottleneck for video conferences. There will be no guarantee of performance for video conferencing until Quality of Service protocols are implemented on networks (see below). A managed broadband network is not the same as broadband Internet. The problem of latencywith the Internet will still be present with broadband Internet access. The network LAN within a school can also be used for conferencing just within the site. Many schools are now linked to regional networks such as the regional Grids for Learning - this potentially enables conferencing between schools, to LEAs and other connected institutions such as libraries or ICT centres. On a regional network where firewalls are used, video conferencing protocols have to be enabled to allow conferencing. The network managers may also have implemented a directory service to enable conferences to be established within and outside the grids (see below). Calling between networks, e.g. from one regional network to another has to be enabled and supported by both networks. The capacity of the link between the networks also has to be considered. Security systems such as firewalls (security devices installed to protect a network) may restrict video conferencing. Some networks have established gatekeepers to control access, these enable users internal to a Grid or network to conference with external users without compromising the security of the network. Conferencing between networks can also be problematic due to the number of devices a call has to pass through, each potentially adding delay to the audio and video stream.
Quality of Service (QoS) SECTION G 149

A series of Quality of Service protocols has been established which can be implemented on a network so that certain applications such as video conferencing that require dedicated and predictable bandwidth can ensure the bandwidth is available for the duration of the conference. The bandwidth will not be affected by the activities of other users. Quality of Service may be implemented on a LAN or a regional network.
Establishing IP Based Video Conferences

Each device on a network has an address called an IP address (for example 211.104.141.10). At its simplest, a conference call may be established by calling the remote users IP address. Many computer-based systems will use software, such as Microsoft NetMeeting or CUseeMe, to establish the call. Other computer-based systems use proprietary software. Using the IP address works as long as you can find the address of the remote user; however, these addresses are often allocated to a system when it is switched on or connected. This means that a particular system may pick up a different address each time it is used. This is often the case with systems connected to the Internet. Addresses may also be unavailable for security reasons.
The solution is to use some form of directory. Many networks have directory servers for conferencing; there are also some global directories. Each system logs onto the directory server when it is started up. A list of those logged on can then be seen as a list of names. A conference is established by clicking on the name of the remote user; the system then takes care of addressing issues. Software such as Microsoft NetMeeting has an option to add directory server details. Access to an ILS or Internet Locator Service is required to use this facility. Some networks have set up a gatekeeper. Gatekeepers operate in a similar way to directory servers but can also allow conferences with external users without compromising the security of the network. The details for a particular network should be obtained from the network administrator. Services are available that handle directory functions and enable advanced scheduling of conferences, multipoint conferences and bridging between different systems such as IP and ISDN.
ISDN to IP Bridging
Because the two systems use different protocols a bridge between the two is required to conference between ISDN and IP. This equipment would normally be part of a regional or national network. Some companies provide bridging as a chargeable service. A limited number of video conferencing units can bridge within the unit.
SECTION G 150
SECTION H:
V deo i Con e enc ng fr i Equ pmen i t Manu ac e s f tur r

This section, compiled by AV Magazine in Spring 2002, lists video conferencing systems available from the main manufacturers. Although some details will change, it gives contacts for each manufacturer as well as an indication of the range of systems available. SECTION H
151
Model
Type
Standards supported
Display
Transmission rates
Built-in Price guide MCU (ex VAT)
AETHRA 01924 423331 www.liesegang.co.uk, www.aethra.com SDV-9200 Maia, Maia 384 Maia Top Desktop kit Portable all-in-one Portable all-in-one Portable all-in-one Group (set-top) Group (set-top) Group (rollabout) Group (rollabout) Group (rollabout) Includes H.320, H.323, H.261, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728 Includes H.320, H.261, H.263, H.243, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728 Includes H.320, H.261, H.263, H.243, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728 Includes H.320, H.261, H.263, H.243, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728 Includes H.320, H.261, H.263, H.243, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728 Includes H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263+, H.243, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728, G.723 Includes H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.243, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728, G.723 Includes H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.243, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728 Includes H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.243, H.221, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728 Operates via PC monitor Built-in 6in LCD monitor Built-in 12in LCD monitor Built-in 6in LCD monitor Single monitor Single/ dual monitor Single monitor Single/ dual monitor Dual monitor H.320: up to 128kbps/ H.323: up to 768kbps H.320: up to 384kbps (depending on model) H.320: up to 384kbps No No 795 (list) From 1,995 (list) 4,695 (list) 6,795 (list) POA
No
Voyager
H.320: up to 384kbps
No
Vega
No
Vega 2
H.320: up to 512kbps/ H.323: up to 768kbps H.320: up to 512kbps/ H.323: up to 768kbps H.320: up to 512kbps/ H.323: up to 768kbps H.320: up to 512kbps/ H.323: up to 768kbps
No
From 3,795 (list) 7,479 (list) POA
Nova
Yes
Pleiadi range Supernova
Yes
Yes
46,995 (list)
Aethra also markets a video codec and its MCU 8800 product for multi-point conferencing. AVISTAR 020 7246 8700 www.avistar.com Networked video system Desktop/ group Includes supports for H.320 and H.323 POA
Networked solutions providing claimed TV quality local conferencing and external conferencing. Extensive range of hardware and software to meet all clients needs. Turnkey solution services available. CABLETIME 01635 35111 www.cabletime.com
SECTION H
MediaStar set-top
Desktop/ compliance
Includes H.320, H.323 and T.120
Prices start from under 1,000 per user for Starter Pack
MediaStar is a dual-function video conferencing and multi-channel video distribution solution. Each MediaStar hub can cater for up to 64 users and up to 64,000 participants can be accommodated across a multiple configuration of hubs. A MediaStar Starter Pack is also available which provides desktop video conferencing and multi-channel digital transmission system for up to eight users. CANON 01483 776060 www.canon.co.uk CanoMedia Desktop Includes H.320, H.261, G.711, G.728 Via PC monitor H.320: 112-128kbps No POA
Canon also manufactures the VC-C4 Web cam which is designed for video conferencing, webcasting and monitoring applications. GENTNER +49 911 955159-0 www.gentner.com V-There 2000 V-There 2001 Group H.323, H.261, H.261 Annex D, H.263, H.281, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728, G.723.1, 802.11b H.320, H.323, H.261, H.261 Annex D, H.263, H.281, T.120, G.711, G.722. G.728, 802.11b H.323: up to 768kbps No US$5,495 (list) US$5,995 (list)
Group
H.320: up to 128kbps/ H.323: up to 768kbps
No
152
V-There 2200 VuLink 322 VuLink 326
Group
H.320, H.323, H.261, H.261 Annex D, H.263, H.281, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728, 802.11b H.320, H.323, H.261, H.261 Annex D, H.263, H.281, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.261 Annex D, H.263, H.281, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728
H.320: up to 384kbps/ H.323: up to 768kbps H.320: up to 128kbps/ H.323: up to 384kbps H.320: up to 384kbps/ H.323: up to 384kbps
No
US$7,495 (list) US$4,799 (list) US$6,299 (list)
Group
No
Group
No
IMAGECOM 01628 688720 www.imagecom.co.uk H.320 systems H.320, H.263, H.261, H.230, H.221, H.242, H.281, H.244, H.331, T.120, G.728, G.722, G.711 H.323, H.245, H.261, H.225, H.263, G.711, G.729, Q931, RAS H.320, H.263, H.261, H.230, H.221, H.242, H.244, H.331, T.120, G.728, G.711, G.722 56kbps to 2.048Mbps, up to 384kbps ISDN No 3,079 to 7,900 (end -user price - may vary with options) 3,307 (end-user price) From 4,843 (Expert), from 6,847 (Field), from 13,320 (Wireless). All prices end-user
H.323 systems Remote Video Expertise (RVE) systems
56kbps to 2.048Mbps
No
Up to 384kbps ISDN
No
ImageCom is also a supplier of codecs. MOTION MEDIA 01454 313444 www.motionmedia.co.uk mm225 mm120 Desktop videophone Group (set-top) H.320, H.324, H.261, H.263, H.281, Integral 5in T.120, G.711,G.722, G.728, G.723.1 LCD screen H.320, H.261, H.263, G.711, G.722, Via TV monitor G.728 No POA No POA
POLYCOM & PICTURETEL 00800 00334455 www.polycom.com ViewStation SP384 Group H.320, H.323, H.261 Annex D, H.263+, H.221, H.281, T.120, G.728, G.722, G.711, Polyspan Acoustic Plus 716 H.320, H.323, H.261 Annex D, H.263+, H.221, H.281, T.120, G.728, G.722, G.711, Polyspan Acoustic Plus 716 H.320, H.323, H.261 Annex D, H.263+, H.221, T.120, G.728, G.722, G.711, Polyspan Acoustic Plus 716 H.320, H.323, H.261 Annex D, H.263+, H.221, H.281, T.120, G.728, G.722, G.711, Polyspan Acoustic Plus 716 H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, G.711, G.722, G.728 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.281, H.243, H.221, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.723.1, G.728, PT716plus, PT724, Siren 14 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.221, H.281, H.243, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.723.1, G.728, PT716plus, PT724, Siren 14 Single monitor H.320: 64-384kbps/ H.323: 64-768kbps No Around 4,759
ViewStation 128
Group
Single monitor
H.320: 56-128kbps/ H.323: 56-768kbps
No
Around 3,179
ViewStation MP
Group
Dual monitor
H.320: 56-512kbps/ H.323: 64-768kbps
Yes
Around 9,499
ViewStation FX
Group
Dual monitor
H.320: up to 2Mbps/ H.323: up to 2Mbps
Yes
From 11,790
ViaVideo
Desktop
Plugs into PCs USB port Dual monitor
H.323: 64-384kbps
No
Around 400 From 8,950
IPower 900
Group
H.320: up to 512kbps/ H.323: up to 2Mbps
Yes
IPower 600
Group
Dual monitor
No
From 5,500
Also available from Polycom is the VS4000 video conferencing codec for custom installations. The product handles up to 2Mbps network speeds with built-in 10/100 Ethernet hub and PRI, V.35 and LAN options. VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM
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SECTION H
SAVILLE AUDIO VISUAL 01904 782782 www.saville-av.com System 2000 Videoconference ShowStar Videoconference Group H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.221, H.242, H.230, H.243, H.281, G.711, G.722, G.728, T.120 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.221, H.242, H.230, H.243, H.281, G.711, G.722, G.728, 50in or 42in plasma panel or LCD 64-384kbps (up to 768kbps option) Yes 18,000 to 22,000 complete 25,000 to 30,000 installed
Group
70in XGA 64-384kbps rear-projection (up to 768kbps display option) T.120
Yes
System 2000 is a mobile system in a cabinet/trolley and ShowStar is a fully integrated modular system (fully installed). They include Tandberg codec/camera systems plus video/PC/DVD/CD and voice reinforcement with single-touch controller. SMARTCOMM 01494 471912 www.smartcomm.co.uk ViewCall Station Group Includes H.320, H.323 Plasma panel Yes POA
SONY 01932 816290 www.sonyvideo conference.com PCS-1600P Set-top H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.221, H.281, H.243, H.231, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.728 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.221, H.281, H.243, H.231, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.728 As per customer requirement As per customer requirement H.320: up to 384kbps/ H.323: up to 1Mbps Available 3,995 as an option Yes 13,100
PCS-6000P
Group
TANDBERG 01784 492234 www.tandberg.net 8000 Group H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.263++, H.331, H.233, H.234, H.243, H.281, H.231, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.728 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.263++, H.331 H.233, H.234, H.243, H.281, H.231, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.728 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.263++, H.331, H.233, H.234, H.243, H.281, H.231, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.728 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.263++, H.221, H.281, H.231, H.243, H.233, H.234, H.331, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.728 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.281, H.231, H.243, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.728 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.263++, H.331, H.233, H.234, H.243, H.281, H.231, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.728 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.233, H.234, H.243, H.281, H.231, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.728 Two 50in widescreen plasma monitors Two 40in plasma monitors H.320: up to 2Mbps/ H.323: up to 3Mbps Yes 43,950
7000
Group
Yes
From 29,950
6000
Group
Two 32in/33in monitors
Yes
From 23,150
SECTION H
2500
Group
Single/dual monitor (29in/37in PAL) Integrated 12.1in LCD screen Via monitor (set-top unit has 802.11b wireless compliance) Via monitor
Yes
From 14,250
1000
Small group/ desktop Group (set-top)
No
From 4,250
880
Yes
From 6,650
500
Group (set-top)
No
From 3,950
VCON 01628 829555 www.vcon.com Escort Desktop H.323, H.261, H.263, H.281, H.243, T.120, G.728, G.711, G.722, G.723.1 Via PC monitor H.323: up to 1.5Mbps No POA
154
Cruiser Series (150, 384 & Executive models) ViGO Series (Standard, Professional & Executive models) Falcon IP Series (Models 1 & 3)
Desktop
H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.281, H.243, T.120, G.728, G.711, G.722, G.723.1
Via PC monitor
H.320: up to 128kbps (150), up to 384kbps (384 & Executive)/ H.323: up to 1.5Mbps (all models) H.323: up to 384kbps (Standard), up to 1.5Mbps (Professional & Executive) H.320: up to 128kbps (Model 1), up to 384kbps (Model 3)/ H.323: up to 512kbps (both models) H.320: up to 128kbps (Model 1), up to 384kbps (Model 3)/ H.323: up to 1.5Mbps (both models) H.320: up to 128kbps (Model 1), up to 384kbps (Model 3)/ H.323: up to 1.5Mbps (both models) H.320: up to 128kbps (Model 1), up to 384kbps (Model 3)/ H.323: up to 1.5Mbps (both models) H.320: up to 128kbps (Model 1), up to 384kbps (Model 3)/ H.323: up to 1.5Mbps (both models) H.320: up to 128kbps (Model 1), up to 384kbps (Model 3)/ H.323: up to 1.5Mbps (both models)
No
POA
Desktop USB appliance
H.323, H.261, H.263, T.120, G.711, G.728, G.722, G.723.1
Via laptop or PC monitor
No
POA
Group (set-top system)
H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.281, H.243, H.221, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728
Supports dual TV monitors
No
POA
MediaConnect Group 6000 Series (compact (Models 1 & 3) system)
H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.224, H.281, H.243, H.221, T.120, G.711, G.728, G.722, G.723.1
Model 1 supports TV + SVGA/ Model 3 supports dual TV + SVGA Model 1 supports TV + SVGA/ Model 3 supports dual TV + SVGA Model 1 supports TV + SVGA/ Model 3 supports dual TV + SVGA Model 1 supports TV + SVGA/ Model 3 supports dual TV + SVGA Model 1 supports TV + SVGA/ Model 3 supports dual TV + SVGA
No
POA
MediaConnect Group 6000 Pro Series(rollabout (Models 1 & 3) system)
H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.224, H.281, H.243, H.221, T.120, G.711, G.728, G.722, G.723.1
No
POA
H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.224, H.281, H.243, H.221, T.120, G.711, G.728, G.722, G.723.1
No
POA
MediaConnect Group 8000 Pro Series(rollabout (Models 1 & 3) system)
H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.224, H.281, H.243, H.221, T.120, G.711, G.728, G.722, G.723.1
No
POA
H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.224, H.281, H.243, H.221, T.120, G.711, G.728, G.722, G.723.1
Embedded MCU option
POA
Media Connect Group H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, 9000 Pro Series(rollabout H.224, H.281, H.243, H.221, (Models 1 & 3) system) 3)/ option G.723.1
Model 1 H.320: up to 128kbps supports TV (Model 1), up to T.120, G.711, G.728, G.722, Model 3 supports dual TV + SVGA H.323: up to 1.5Mbps (both models)
Embedded POA MCU + SVGA/ 384kbps (Model
VCON models also feature the companys Interactive Multicast technology which enables streaming video and interactive conferencing. Other conferencing products in the VCON portfolio include Media Xchange Manager (MXM), VCON Conference Bridge, and VCON Development Kit (VDK). VISEON 01491 414430 www.rsisystems.com MediaPro 384MP Desktop & group H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.281, H.221, H.230, H.242, H.243, H.224, T.120, G.728, G.711, G.722 H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.281, H.221, H.230, H.242, H.243, H.224, T.120, G.728, G.711, G.722 H.320: up to 384kbps Includes POA multipoint software No POA
MediaPro 384DP
Desktop & group
155
SECTION H
MediaPro 384LT
Portable
H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.281, H.221, H.230, H.242, H.243, H.224, T.120, G.728, G.711, G.722
Via laptop
No
POA
Viseon also markets the MediaPro 384 V.35 model. VIVITAR 01793 526211 www.vivitar.co.uk ViviCom Director 34 Group H.320, H.261, H.263, H.281, H.221, H.230, H.242, H.243, H.224, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728 34in monitor H.320: up to 384kbps Yes POA
ViviCom Director 29 Model ViviCom Executive 34 ViviCom Executive 29 VP-128 videophone
Group Type Group Group
H.320, H.261, H.263, H.281, 29in monitor H.221, H.230, H.242, H.243, T.120, H.224, G.711, G.722, G.728 Standards supported Display H.320, H.261, H.263, G.711, G.728 H.320, H.261, H.263, G.711, G.728 34in monitor 29in monitor Integral LCD screen
H.320: up to 384kbps Transmission rates H.320: up to 128kbps H.320: up to 128kbps H.320: up to 128kbps
Yes Built-in MCU No No No
POA Price guide (ex VAT) POA POA POA
Desktop H.320, H.321, H.242, H.243, H.261, H.263, G.711, G.728
VTEL +1 512 821 7000 www.vtel.com Galaxy SL Group (rollabout) Group (rollabout) Group (rollabout) Includes H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, T.120, G.722, G.711, G.728 Includes H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, T.120, G.722, G.711, G.728 Includes H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, T.120, G.722, G.711, G.728 Single/dual monitor Single/dual monitor Single/dual monitor 56-768kbps No POA
Galaxy RL
56-768kbps
No
POA
Galaxy XL
56-768kbps
No
POA
VTEL also offers the Galaxy PL, the Galaxy platform ready for integration into custom environments. ZYDACRON 0118 978 8220 www.zydacron.co.uk OnWAN/ Desktop Ensemble family kits comCenter Group Range includes H.320, H.323 and H.320/H.323-based models Includes H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728 Includes H.320, H.323, H.321, H.261, H.263, G.711, G.722, G.728 Includes H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, H.321, T.120, G.711, G.722, G.728 Includes H.320, H.323, H.261, H.263, T.120, G.711, G.728, G.722, G.723 via PC monitor Up to 384kbps ISDN & up to 768kbps IP (depending on model) 29in monitor Up to 384kbps No POA
SECTION H
No
POA
comStation
Group
Single/ dual monitor
56-512kbps ISDN & up to 768kbps IP
No
POA
comCenter 3000i comCenter Exec
Group
Self-contained Up to 512kbps ISDN rearpro system & up to 768kbps IP Dual monitor Up to 512kbps ISDN & up to 768kbps IP
No
POA
Group
No
POA
Zydacron is also a source of codecs and development kits. NOTES ON MAIN STANDARDS The H.320 standard is for ISDN conferencing and the H.323 standard is for TCP/IP-based conferencing over LANs, WANs and the Internet H.261 and H.263 are video codec standards H.221 defines frame transmission structure H.231 and H.243 refer to MCU compatibility and chair control H.281 governs local and remote camera control T.120 is the data conferencing standard G.711, G.722, G.723 and G,728 are audio standards
156
SECTION I:
G os ar l s y
All the definitions in this Glossary relate to the video conferencing context
157
SECTION I
A
Analogue
Analogue audio or video signals from microphones or cameras are represented by continuously changing values which represent the change in volume or frequency of sound or the changing scenes in a captured video. In contrast Digital audio or video is represented by discrete values, measured at set intervals, which represent the audio or video being captured.
B
Bandwidth
In general use - the data capacity of a link or service, measured in bits per second (bps), thousands of bits per second (kbps) or millions of bits per second (Mbps).
BRI ISDN
Basic Rate Interface ISDN - One of the options when renting an ISDN service. 3 digital signals over a single pair of copper wires: 2 (B) channels (64kbs each) for video and data and 1 signal (D) channel. See also PRI ISDN
Bridge
A bridge connects three or more conference sites so they can simultaneously communicate with each other. Audio and video bridges are available. Bridges are also called Multipoint Conferencing Units (MCU).
Broadband
Refers to the capacity of a communications circuit or link. DfES have defined broadband as a speed greater than 2 Mbps for connections to schools.
C
Camera presets SECTION I
Pre-defined camera angles that can be programmed into a video conferencing system and selected using a single button press. This enables those contributing to a discussion to be quickly focused on.
Codec
Compressor/Decompressor - a system of converting video and audio to digital format and compressing the signal prior to transmission and decompressing to the far-end. The information in a video transmission is squeezed into a fraction of its former bandwidth by a codec; the resulting compressed video can be transmitted more economically over a lower capacity link. Some information is sacrificed in the process, which may result in lower quality picture and sound. Normal PAL TV signals require around 270Mbps of digital bandwidth for absolute picture transmission. The coding process of any video conferencing system has to minimise this
158
using very high compression ratios to achieve any performance whatsoever. Compression ratios and predictive coding techniques used are delivering in excess of 1000:1 compression ratios so a lot of information is lost with video conferencing codecs.
Continuous Presence
A method of displaying far-end sites during a multipoint conference. Each system connected is displayed in a section of the screen so that all sites can be seen at the same time.
D
Desktop video conferencing
Video conferencing using a computer or videophone. Typically for one-to-one calls.
Document Camera
A camera used to show documents, pictures or 3D objects. It consists of a flat platform with a camera mounted above. Objects and documents can be placed on the platform and focused on by the camera. A document camera will usually have lights mounted above the platform to light the object.
Document Sharing
A feature supported by many desktop video conferencing systems that enables participants at both ends of a video conference to view and edit the same document.
E
Echo Cancellation/Suppression
In any situation where microphones and speakers are used for two-way communication there is the potential echo - e.g. hearing your own voice a short time after you have spoken (this is due to the microphone at the far-end picking up your voice and relaying it back to you). Echo cancellation eliminates the possibility of this happening and is important for easy communication.
Far-end
The distant video conferencing system to which you are linked.
Firewall
A means of analysing and controlling data passing between computer networks. Often used as a security device to prevent unauthorised access to a network, it can also control the type of traffic being transmitted and received. A firewall will have to be configured to enable video conferencing protocols to pass through.
159
SECTION I
FPS
Frames per second - TV in the UK [PAL] is displayed at 25 frames, or individual pictures, per second. Video conference systems can deliver up to 30fps and this is referred to as Full Motion Video. Speeds of less that 25 fps can result in jerky video motion. It is accepted that the eye generally considers 15 fps as full motion video. It should be noted that quality of video conference systems is often confused with frame rates. If the image is still, a video conference system will achieve the maximum frame rate of 30fps. However full motion may well reduce this on a cheap system to 2-5 fps. Quality should be measured as the ability to sustain at least 15fps under heavy motion. Some systems will reduce the resolution [QCIF] to maintain high frame rates, giving the impression of good motion handling but at the expense of poor perceived images.
G
Gatekeeper
A security device that controls audio and video conferences into and out of a network. It can restrict or allow users external to the network to conference with internal users.
Group Systems
Dedicated video conferencing units suitable for use with small or large groups of users.
H
H.221
The ITU-T standard relating to the communications protocol for video conferencing.
H.242
Part of the ITU-Ts H.320 family of video interoperability recommendations. This recommendation specifies the protocol for establishing an audio session and taking it down after the communication has terminated.
H.243 SECTION I
ITU-T recommendation setting the procedures for establishing communication between three or more video conferencing sites - multipoint conferencing.
H.261
The ITU-Ts recommendation that allows dissimilar video codes to interpret how a signal has been encoded and compressed and to decode and decompress that signal. The standard also identifies two picture formats: the Common Intermediate Format (CIF) and the Quarter Common Intermediate Format (QCIF). These two formats are compatible with all three television standards: NTSC, PAL, and SECAM. This is the video compression standard.
160
H.320
This is the umbrella communication standard and defines what basic video, audio and data standards are mandatory and optional.
H.323
An ITU-T standard developed to promote compatibility in video conference transmissions over IP networks. H.323 was originally promoted as a way to provide consistency in audio, video and data packet transmissions in the event that a local area network did not provide guaranteed service quality. This has a number of variations. Most manufacturers are operating to v3 standards but they have yet to be applied across the industry. See Quality of Service (QoS).
I
Interactive Whiteboard
Similar to a normal, wall-mounted, whiteboard but with a surface material that contains electronic sensors. A computer image is projected onto the board and the computer is then controlled from the board using either the finger or a special pen.
Internet
When spelt with a lower case i, it is a group of two or more networks connected together. Internet spelt with a capital I is the collection of all the interconnected networks in the world, and is often simply referred to as the net.
IP
Internet Protocol - standard for addressing devices and transmitting data between devices on a network.
IP Video Conferencing
Conferencing across local or wide area networks and between networks.
ISDN
Integrated Services Digital Network - digital dial-up telephone line allowing faster data transfer rates than existing analogue lines. Allows simultaneous transfer of voice, data and video information.
ITU-T
The International Telecommunications Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector, which establishes recommendations for standard protocols.
K
kbs
Kilobits per second - the transmission of digitised information over a network at a rate of 1,000 bits per second.
161
SECTION I
L
LAN
Local Area Network - a computer network linking workstations, file servers, printers, and other devices within a local area, such as an office or school site.
M
Mbps
Megabits per second - the transporting of digitised information over a network at a rate of one million bits in any given second.
MCU
Multipoint Control Unit - a bridging device that connects three or more conference sites so they can simultaneously communicate with each other. The MCU uses fast switching techniques to switch between the connected systems and mixes the audio (and sometimes the video in continuous presence mode) from all locations.
Mute
The ability to switch off the microphone on the video conferencing system so that those speaking at the far-end are not interrupted. It can also be used for privacy.
N
Near-end
The video conferencing system at your own site (see far-end).
NetMeeting
A software tool from Microsoft which manages audio and video conferencing on a PC. It supports the use of microphones and cameras and can access central directory servers and gatekeepers.
SECTION I
Network
Two or more computers linked together and able to share resources constitutes a network.
P
Peripherals
Devices such as document cameras, camcorders or VCRs that work with a system but are not integral to it.
162
PRI ISDN
Primary Rate Interface ISDN - provides up to 30 x 64kbs ISDN channels. These can be used as individual circuits, for applications such as phone lines, or used together to provide greater bandwidth for data communication. PRI ISDN can be rented in different quantities from 6 - 30 channels.
Protocol
Standards which enable devices such as computers or video conferencing units to communicate with each other.
Q
QoS
Quality of Service - a range of protocols which enable an audio or video stream to claim and protect required bandwidth for the duration of a conference.
R
Roll-about
A totally self-contained video conferencing system consisting of codec, monitor(s), audio system, network interfaces, etc. These systems can, in theory, be moved from room to room. In fact, they are not really portable because they include electronic equipment that does not benefit from a great deal of manhandling and are quite heavy.
Router
A device (or software package) that handles the connection between two or more networks. Routers concentrate on looking at the destination addresses of the data passing through them and deciding the onward route.
S
Streaming SECTION I 163
The delivery of audio and video live across the Internet. The audio and video streams are listened to or watched via a computer attached to the Internet. Video conferences can be streamed live, opening up the conference to many more participants who can view it, but would need to use e-mail or a different communications method to feed back responses.
T
T.120
A standard for sharing graphical information such as applications. Users can share and manipulate information, much as they would if they were in the same room though they are working over distance and using a computer platform.
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol - the two fundamental protocols which form the basis of the Internet and inter-network communication.
U
USB
Universal Serial Bus - a method of connecting peripherals such as cameras, printers, scanners and disk drives to computers. Faster than standard serial connections, USB connectors are now common on new computers.
V
Voice Activation
1) During a conference a camera may be voice activated. The camera automatically moves to focus on the person speaking. 2) During a multipoint conference, where just one site is displayed on the screen at any one time, the site where someone is speaking is the site which is on screen for all the other sites
VPN
Virtual Private Network - A network across a region that runs on facilities provided by a service provider. The network is secure from access by unauthorised users.
W
WAN
Wide Area Network - a communications network that services a geographic area larger than that served by a local area network or metropolitan area network.
Web-cam
A small, low-cost camera that can be connected directly to a computer, usually via the USB port.
SECTION I
Whiteboarding
A term used to describe the placement of shared documents on an on-screen shared notebook or whiteboard. A whiteboard will include tools for writing and drawing, enabling collaborative work to take place.
164
SECTION J:
The F ur ut e
165
SECTION J
After many years as a technology looking for an application, video conferencing is now established as a technology with the potential to combine with other ICT tools to transform teaching and learning.
But where next?

In one sense the technology is already mature - we can video conference today with people across the world. Any developments will only make this easier, give more flexibility and a better quality experience.
So what might we expect from the technology?

Anytime - anywhere conferencing The use of IP based conferencing will increase the number of systems available to students. It is not unreasonable to expect that every computer will have conferencing capability in the very near future. Broadband in the home will enable any of us to video conference in the same way that we use the phone. Mobile conferencing will enable us to conference while on the move using portable devices. The combination of video conferencing with video streaming technologies will enable many more people to take part in a conference by watching it live and feeding back responses via other media such as e-mail. Video streaming can also be used to archive recordings of conferences and make these available via the Internet, perhaps packaged with other teaching resources. Integration with other tools Scheduling and access management tools will be essential if the classroom is not to be swamped by video communications. In the short to medium-term, bandwidth resources will not be unlimited, so a school will need to control conferencing access to and from its site. Teachers will need to be able to tailor two-way and multipoint conferences to meet the needs of their teaching. Integrating video conferencing with content management tools, such as presentation software, video and audio editing, and interactive whiteboards, will significantly increase its potential as a communications medium.
SECTION J
Whatever the developments in the technology, it will be the way the teacher uses it in the classroom that will have the greatest impact.
166
Video conferencing will:

increase collaboration between schools provide home access to school, supporting homework and independent learning bring an increasing range of expertise directly into the classroom enable significant opportunities to exchange multicultural knowledge and develop as an invaluable means of learning languages provide a great means of enabling much closer and real-time links between education and industry provide more accessible teacher training and support assist in support of services purchased by schools, particularly those where technical support is a key component add an additional dimension to community use of schools resources
In short, video conferencing will become a regular part of teaching, used for a whole variety of formal and informal activities by teachers and students.
Details of developments in video conferencing as they happen will be included on the Becta website. It is also the intention that additional case studies and examples of good practice from schools and colleges will continually be added to the site.
If you use video conferencing in your school, we would be interested to hear from you, especially if you are working in curriculum areas we have not yet touched on. Please send details of your work to Becta - there are details of how to go about this and a template to use on Becta website www.becta.org.uk and the Global Leap website www.global-leap.com
167
SECTION J
168

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V deo i C fr i i on e enc ng n t C a s oom he l s r

Communications Technology across the Curriculum

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

Devon schools taking part in the project:

Other schools making contributions:

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

Special thanks to:

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

What Is Video Conferencing?

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

What Do I Need to Get Started?

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

Choosing a Video Conference System

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

LOW COST COMPUTER-BASED SYSTEMS

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

IP Based Video Conferencing

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

The Right Environment

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

ARRANGEMENT OF THE ROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

P epar t on r ai f a V deo or i C f r e and on e enc t Con e enc he f r e Isl tef

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

Knowing Your System

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

Preparing the Pupils/Students

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

Preparing the Room and Equipment SECTION B

Interaction is the Name on the Game!

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

S Way o ome s f us ng V deo i i C fr i i on e enc ng n t C as r he l s oom

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

KS4 KS3-4 (US) KS1-2 KS2

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

Case Study Grid:

Design & Tech.

Art & Design

KS1 FC KS1 KS2 KS2 KS KS2 KS3 KS4 (US)

CPD CPD CPD

KS3 (US) KS3 KS1-2 KS3 KS3 KS5 KS4-5

KS4 KS2/4 KS3 KS3

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

LINKS BETWEEN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

Here are Some Examples:

Full Case Study on page 63

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM

ADDITIONAL TEACHING IDEA

VIDEO CONFERENCING IN THE CLASSROOM