Video conferencing

The government is encouraging schools to expand pupils’ horizons beyond the classroom but the logistics of organising educational visits can be restrictive. Video conferencing is becoming an acceptable alternative, offering an opportunity to contact schools and experts throughout the world. Children are very tuned in to modern technology and the chance of seeing sights worldwide and quizzing experts excites them.

Until now video conferencing has suffered a lot of bad press due to stories of poor-quality pictures and unintelligible sound making conversation impossible. Increases in the speed of broadband and advances in technology have meant that anyone with broadband connection and a web-cam can video conference free of charge via MSN or Skype. Such simple systems are low priced but offer limited capability. More specialist equipment is increasingly being used.

‘The use of video conferencing within education, in and of itself, is not new – but what I’ve found in the past, is that its use has been occasional and sporadic; once the novelty wears off the equipment gathers dust and rarely sees the light of day,’ comments Steve Goodman, head of ICT strategy for children, young people and families at Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council. ‘In years gone by they’ve tended to deliver a watching experience a bit like the Thunderbirds TV show – all jerky movements and delayed audio.  This is no longer the case. The advent of newer systems has changed this; now Codian’s high-definition video conferencing solutions together with new HD endpoints from LifeSize, means that we are able to deliver, to every classroom, a quality that is similar to what most pupils see at home on TV. This will make video conferencing an integral component of our educational strategy. We’ve done this because the latest video conferencing technology is high-definition, visually compelling and a great way to interact with all pupils – right from the day they start school through to the day they leave.’

Not surprisingly, schools nationwide are signing up to one of the many initiatives being set up. For example the London Grid for Learning is working in partnership with the Department for Children Schools and Families to roll out the National Digital Infrastructure across the city.  This gives access to resources, services and applications through LGL to every school in London.

Installation costs are decreasing as more and more schools get involved. A simple web-cam can cost as little as £15 but most schools are opting for specialist video conferencing equipment costing between £1,500 and £5,000. Higher-priced models will have extra connectivity, allowing ISDN and IP, as well as attaching visualisers, movie cameras and video/DVD recorders. Setting up a scheme is not difficult. Many local councils are organising county-wide video-conferencing projects while schools going it alone can turn to specialist firms such as XMA. These firms are able to conduct pre-site surveys to discuss exact requirements, work out cost effective solutions, and provide installation and aftercare support. Teachers also need to be fully trained in using the systems in order to get maximum benefit out of the installation of video-conferencing networks.

For technophobic teachers, video conferencing is being made as simple as possible. ‘All our primary schools will have their own HD endpoints,’ comments Steve Goodman. ‘We are making access super simple. We’re doing this by developing a special “pilot’s style” case carrier, that will be on wheels. This will enable the video-conferencing endpoint to be easily moved from classroom to classroom. There will also be colour-coordinated plugs and sockets so that it is easily set up by teachers.  Thereafter, images will be displayed on the electronic whiteboards that virtually every classroom already has in place.’

Operating costs mainly focus on payment of ISDN charges for using digital phone lines. Museums and other institutions require schools to pay all ISDN charges. These charges can mount up quickly, especially if making overseas calls. If your line does not have ISDN2 capability it may mean that a special line will have to be installed and this would attract further expenses. Some schools may be able to use IP via a computer network. This is cheaper and depending on broadband provider, it can mean better picture quality. Reliability of IP connections is improving.

Bringing lessons alive
So how can video conferencing make a difference to ordinary lessons? It helps bring subjects alive, bring in expertise from far afield as well as enabling children to link up with children elsewhere in the world to share customs and experiences. It can link schools or projects for presentations, shows and other joint activities. There are opportunities to provide children with specialist teaching in minority subjects. A further advantage is that video conferencing can provide distance learning facilities enabling schools to connect with children in remote areas, or those unable to attend school through disability or long-term illness.

‘We will be able to beam via the internet and across our network specialist teachers, perhaps in phonics and languages. We will also be able to connect children to special events and locations, for instance the National Space Centre offers a video-conferencing service – a virtual field trip. Our aim is to make learning fun with video interaction from the start,’ enthuses Steve Goodman.

Video conferencing has already been put to good use enabling schools across London to collaborate with each other, and also with schools as far away as China and the USA. One of the schools involved is Northwood Primary School, an Excellence Cluster School, which has seven teachers all of whom use video-conferencing technology regularly. Pupils have interacted with experts at the National Maritime Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and the War Rooms at the Imperial War Museum. Such activities have enabled the children to visit places of interest more frequently than they could have done on normal school trips. Headteacher Rosie Medhurst outlines what they have been doing. ‘The virtual visits to London’s galleries and museums are easy to set up and incredibly beneficial to our pupils. Teachers can connect at a time convenient to them, at no cost, and the pupils benefit from the undivided attention of an expert at the venue. We also combine the virtual sessions with actual visits and find it very rewarding to share the children’s excitement when recognising things they have previously seen over video conference.’

Video conferencing has enabled Northwood children to build relationships with children across the world. ‘We have links with primary schools across the USA. American children have taught our pupils about their US tradition of Thanksgiving and our pupils have taught them all about our Christmas and sung them Christmas carols. They have learned at first hand the martial art of Tai Chi from a school in Hong Kong. The children’s enthusiasm and dedication has been phenomenal, with the Chinese pupils and their parents even coming into school in the evenings to allow for the time difference. To provide these classes for the children with a Tai Chi professional would have been impractical and costly, but through technology we can offer our pupils this wonderful experience.’

There are specialist opportunities too. Deaf children across London have been able to communicate with each other via video conferencing. This has helped deaf children make friends in other areas, and realise they are part of a wider community. In March 2007, pupils from Sellincourt Primary School’s hearing impaired unit in Wandsworth took part in the London Grid for Learning’s Storytelling video conference. During this presentation, the children acted out the story of Red Riding Hood using speech, sign supported English with British Sign Language interpretation, and shared this with other primary schools across London. Tim Stirrup, development manager at the London Grid for Learning commented: ‘Pupils were able to communicate their questions and concerns about the future to their peers and deaf adults that have been in their position.’ Teachers were quick to recognise the advantages it provided. Sarah McLay, deputy headteacher Blanche Neville School said: ‘It is important for deaf pupils that they have a wide peer group to develop their own self-esteem and identity as a deaf person. This new technology contributes to breaking down communication barriers. Where previously we would have had to travel to meet other deaf children, we can now stay in the classroom and flick a switch!’ Rosemary Hunt of Coopers’ Lane School, Lewisham agrees: ‘It helped the children realise that there is a wider deaf community that they had an opportunity to meet. Our children in a small unit get to see very few other deaf children, so benefited from this sort of communication to meet with others.’

Another unusual use provided a way of easing the transition from primary to secondary school. Oaks Park High School in Ilford has hosted special live video-conferencing sessions with around 50 Year 6 pupils from William Torbitt Primary School. During the sessions, children from Oaks Park discussed what life was like at school, how to negotiate the school site, tutor groups and sports. Jeff Hawthorne, assistant headteacher at Oaks Park commented: ‘This live link gives pupils the opportunity to ask questions of their peers and will help them feel relaxed about starting a new school. This also helps us develop strong links with other schools in the local area.’

For small schools, video conferencing provides an invaluable tool enabling teachers to take advantage of much wider facilities than they could normally utilise. Milburn County Primary School, Cumbria has just 32 pupils on its roll and is located in a remote, rural location. This makes visits to museums hard to organise, and bringing in special activities can be costly. Consequently, it has sought other methods of keeping the school viable.  Milburn works with other small schools in the region to provide a wide range of video-conferencing facilities. Most recently it has linked with three other schools to enjoy a discussion with children’s author Alan Garner and to take part in a maths project run by Cambridge University.

Video conferencing can help in teacher training. Oldham is already making plans for its use in this way. ‘We will use video conferencing to enable teachers to view lessons remotely and this has several benefits, one being that the classroom won’t be disrupted; it also allows for an open discussion between teachers to be held immediately after the lesson. We’ve also purchased Codian’s IP VCA so that we can replay lessons for teacher training and stream specific lessons and events directly into classrooms. This offers a significant time and cost saving feature,’ says Steve Goodman.

Angela Youngman is a teacher and freelance writer.