Promising Practices for

Videoconferencing
Dr. Sharon Friesen and Dr. Jennifer Lock
April 26, 2007
 What are we doing with
digital technology in schools?

How is it being used to support

teaching and learning?
 Percentage of Students Using a Computer
at Least a Few Times Each Week
United Kingdom1 Canada
Thailand Iceland
Japan Sweden

Percentage of Russian Federation Liechtenstein

students reporting Turkey Australia

they use Mexico Korea
computers “Almost
every day” or “A Latvia Denmark

few times each Serbia Belgium

week”:
Tunisia United States
At home
Greece Germany
At school
Uruguay Switzerland

Poland Austria

Ireland New Zealand

Slovak Republic Finland
Hungary Portugal
Czech Republic Italy

Source: OECD (2005) Are students ready for a technology-rich world? What PISA studies tell us, Figure 3.2, p.37.
 Videoconference
“Part of a $4-5 billion dollar real-time collaboration
market that includes audio, video, and web conferencing
products and services” (Tandberg, n.d., p. 1).

World trends for adopting visual communication

– Rise of global collaboration
– Outsourcing and off-shoring
– In-forming (Tandberg, n.d, p. 3).

http://www.tandberg.com/collateral/Video_Communications_Information_Backgrounder.pdf
 What is Happening?
China
– Cutting edge of Visual IP Communications
and becoming one of the world’s largest
markets of Visual IP Communication
equipment.

– Becoming a driver for new trends of Visual IP

Communications.
(Austin-Li & Davis, 2004)
Trends in VC Applications
Education

Telemedicine

Manufacturing

Banking and Financial Services

Telejustice
Videoconferencing in Education
 India: Bridging Distance
Increased interaction between schools and
universities across the globe.

Learning becomes more of an international

experience.

Broadening conventional education.

(http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20070416/technology02.shtml)
 New Zealand
Mäuori Education

– Videoconference provides a sense of

oneness between students and teachers.

(Anderson, 2005, 176)

 Learning About
International Negotiations
– Curtin University, Australia

– Commerce and business students in Singapore

Polytechnic

– Practice international negotiations based on

hypothetical joint venture with People’s Republic of
China.

– Lessons learned: cross-cultural communication,

patience, gaining understanding and building trust.

(Latchem, 2005, p. 182)

 Geographically Remote
Ireland
– Online learning and videoconferencing

– Videoconferencing utilized to include literacy, science,

music, math problem solving, visual arts and learning
support.

– Example of an opportunity for one-to-one learning.

(FitzPatrick & Conway, 2005, p. 76)

 Professional Growth,
Change over Time that…
helps teachers design and implement inquiry-based teaching and
learning experiences for students,

improves students’ performance and the quality of their learning

experiences through more responsive pedagogy,

creates a supportive environment for changes in teachers’ thinking

and practice,

provides teachers with the knowledge, tools and support necessary to

integrate teaching, learning and technology,

develops teacher and student fluency with technology through a

culture of use rather than through a direct focus on technology
training, and

creates a professional learning community.

 Learning
From Outside Expertise Sustained
Learning
conversation
From Each Other
Guest
Teacher

Classroom visits

Sustained Ongoing Videoconferencing

Professional for
Development
Professional Growth
Planning and Implementing
Collaborative
Projects

Subject Matter
Expert Team Teaching
 Learning
From Outside Expertise Sustained
Learning
conversation
From Each Other
Guest
Teacher

Classroom visits

Sustained Ongoing
Professional Videoconferencing
Development Is good for
Planning and Implementing
Collaborative
Projects

Subject Matter
Expert Team Teaching
 Items to Consider
“Need to match instructional strategies with the
unique capabilities provided by
videoconferencing technology” (Greenberg, 2004, p. 20).

Design for interactive and collaborative learning.

Explore means of enhancing blended learning

environments.

Need for more empirical research.

Where Are We Currently with
Videoconferencing in Alberta?