Videoconferencing for Project Based
Learning By Janine Lim
Imagine your students sharing their own performance poetry with another class in upstate New York and receiving authentic
feedback from students who are also performing poetry. What if your students could discuss MacBeth with students in Wales in the United Kingdom? Imagine your middle school language arts students writing and sharing skits about the misconceptions about our respective countries with students in Costa Rica and Guatemala. What if your students could compete real-time with 5 other classrooms around the country on a geography game for Michigan geogra- phy, U.S. geography, or world geography? Imagine your fourth graders interviewing Laurie Keller, the author of Scrambled States of America to learn about the writing process, illustrat- ing a book, and making a book! What if your 2nd
graders could
design a puppet show to demonstrate their understanding of light and shadow, and share the puppet show with a class in Torfaen, Wales? These examples, and many more are how teach- ers in the Berrien RESA service area use videoconferencing to extend the impact of project-based learning. An authentic audi- ence motivates students to increase the quality of their projects! You can read more examples at
http://vcoutonalim.org/category/ collaborations/. Berrien RESA’s schools participate in an aver- age of 12 videoconferences a year; with some schools connecting over 40-50 times a year for engaging project-based learning expe- riences.
So how do you bring videoconferencing to your classroom or school? In this article we’ll example three potential methods: Skype and two methods of standards-based videoconferencing: a videoconferencing cart or desktop videoconferencing.
Skype Skype is easy to use communication software that can be down- loaded for free from
www.skype.com. It includes the ability to
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chat, make voice calls, and make video calls. You can also share your desktop (think PowerPoint or other visuals) during a video call. For a fee, you can “Skype Out” to call regular phone num- bers; or “Skype In” to receive phone calls to a regular phone number. Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of using Skype.
Advantages • Cost is low. A $10-$150 webcam and projector are all you need for optimum classroom use. • Allows easy access to videoconferencing right in the class- room. • You can easily share your desktop and any computer visuals in a video call. • You can switch USB video sources during the call by end-
Winter 2010/11 | MACULJOURNAL
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