Using interactive video conferencing in schools

Technology is able to connect people all over the world and thanks to interactive video conferencing programs schools are able to talk to one another in completely different countries. No longer will you have just a "pen pal" anymore you will actually end up with a virtual message from them and you are able to make friends clear on the other side of the planet. Thanks to technology students are truly able to see the rest of the world and to be able to connect with other cultures and to see actual places that they are studying and learning about.

There are so many amazing advantages to what video conferencing is providing to schools. Here are a just a few of the many advancements interactive video conferencing is able to provide:

1. Additional course offerings. For students that have been able to excel at their current grade the video conferencing can help to provide them with advanced learning. They can use the program to learn outside of their day to day classroom learning in order to shadow college professionals and many other things. It is a great way to add more learning methods and programs to your child's education if they are not being challenged enough.


2. Home schooling help. For the parents that prefer to home school their children the interactive video conferencing can help them to acquire additional information from remote locations and to even have online lessons. They will be able to connect to classes and lectures in other places in the world and it provides a unique approach to learning and really can help to enhance the at-home learning experience.


3. Learning aid for students with disabilities. There are many students that are disabled and they are unable to attend the classroom all the time. Using an interactive video conference program they will be able to learn the material as their classmates learn it since they can set up their computer at home and watch the teacher give instruction and other things. It is a great way for disabled students to still be able to participate in the schooling atmosphere even if they cannot be there on a daily basis.


4. Make-up homework help. When a student misses a class it is common for their teachers to create a packet of the information that was taught that day and it is given to the student as makeup homework. The interactive video conferencing tool can allow sick students to watch the lecture that was given and retain a lot of the information the way it was taught versus trying to read it from a book.


5. Helping rural areas to receive schooling. There are some remote areas in many countries and students aren't able to learn and their parents don't always do what they must in order to teach their children. Australia is one rural location that has implemented the use of interactive video conferencing and they have been able to bring learning and education to many students that otherwise would not get a chance to learn.


6. Virtual field trip. Think how great it would be to teach your students about Italy, England, Africa, and other places and to actually take them there? If you can imagine it, you can do it! The interactive video conferencing tool will enable you to take students on a virtual field trip where they can see the Pantheon and other amazing sites across the world.

These are just a few of the many advancements that interactive video conferencing is bringing to the classroom. It is also benefiting the relationship between teachers and parents as well since they can keep in contact better and will both work together to help the students learn.