Frequently Asked Questions

Will using videoconferencing save a district money?

It can, depending on its use. Using the technology can reduce travel costs to face-to-face meetings, and may save on hiring certified staff if used for teaching the same courses to multiple sites. But, because the technology is expensive both to buy and operate, many experienced users say it is better not to get into this as a way to save money. Instead think of this technology as a way to provide something:

How does a school get started in using this technology?

Assuming you have the technology in place, begin small and simple. Think of an educational need that is not being met, consider how videoconferencing might fit, look at your district technology plan and determine if VC is addressed there, and then contact someone who has experience in designing and delivering classes with this technology.

Go to our Teacher's Guide and read more about this.

How are others using this technology?

We have identified a wide range of uses: traditional course delivery of math and art classes, collaborative classroom projects in science and social studies, consulting with doctors for individual educational programs, support for deaf students, and more.

What is the most common starting point?

It depends on individual needs, but most schools seem to begin by using the technology for familiar, practical things:

Where can I go for help if I want to get started?

Depending on your state, you may be able to get information from your regional or county educational service agency or state department of education. We have created a list of local, regional, and state contacts for you to consult.

What are some of the common mistakes beginners make that I should avoid?

Be sure to give enough thought and time to planning and designing the project. Another essential to success is providing appropriate and timely training and support to the users--especially the teachers--of the systems.

View our tapes and go to our section on planning.

What is the history of the use of videoconferencing in education? Is there background information I should know?

A New Old Technology

Videoconferencing technology has been around for decades. But videoconferencing technology that is user friendly, reliable, relatively inexpensive, and suitable for meeting a variety of educational needs is only now coming into use.

Mention videoconferencing to someone who remembers it from the '60s, '70s, or '80s and you'll hear about hiring professional camera operators, renting videoconferencing rooms (studios, really), and bouncing signals off satellites. You'll also hear about garbled sound, jerky pictures, frequent interruptions, and limits on what kind of information could be shared.

Now, however, advances in digital technology are putting low-cost, computer-based videoconferencing systems within reach of schools and individuals. Students living in remote areas can participate in classes hundreds of miles away, work on projects with students in other states, and send files back and forth in real time. Teachers can take college classes without traveling to distant campuses, collaborate with peers within districts or across states, and provide student-based learning that's as effective as it is interesting. Administrators at a single location can meet with parents at schools throughout the district, meet with faculty and staff one-on-one or in groups at multiple sites with minimal disruption to schedules, and provide cost-effective, one-time, in-service training to entire school districts.

Business and other private sector use of interactive videoconferencing is securely in place, with a variety of hardware systems being used. State and national franchises of law firms, architects, and others find videoconferencing an efficient way to connect and save on time and travel expenses. Telemedicine systems to span rural distances have been in place for several years. Using videoconferencing and other sophisticated technology, medical practitioners and experts of all sorts can come together with patients far from large centers to accurately diagnose and address medical and other problems.

Using Videoconferencing in Education

The educational uses of videoconferencing are of three broad, often overlapping types: instruction, communication, and collaboration.

1. Instruction. Distance learning is perhaps the best known instructional use of videoconferencing. Many colleges offer courses to students off campus, but high schools, middle schools, and even elementary schools are increasingly providing distance learning, especially in states with large rural populations. Distance learning also allows students who are unable to attend class because of sickness or injury to participate. Many districts allow home-schoolers to participate in classes through videoconferencing. Districts can share a teacher via videoconferencing to teach a class with insufficient enrollment in any one school (as, for example, a class in classic Greek or Latin, an AP prep class, or classes in law enforcement or health occupations taught by a community professional).

For some educators, the use of videoconferencing represents the only time students will be able to participate in an experience similar to a field trip. Experts, people with special talents and varied work experiences from the community, can become an ongoing resource for appropriate and authentic instruction at all grade levels. Writers can conduct mini-conferences and read from their publications, and then be available for questions. Groups of elementary students can participate from afar in joint ventures and resource utilization experiences. Cross-age, grade, and cultural groups can become mentors to each other, where one group, often the older one, mentors the younger students. These cross "groups" tend to diminish whatever barriers there were to understanding, and foster a tolerance for others through distance connections not otherwise available.

2. Communication. Perhaps, as with email, the best thing going for videoconferencing is a more personal opportunity for contact with another human being who may have a VERY different background and environment. One-to-one conversations and sharing may represent the best beginning for this technology, regardless of age, grade level, or job assignment. Students love to communicate with other students using this technology. Teachers and other professional educators will find it helpful in meeting the increasing needs for relevant, authentic instructional content. The opportunity for two 4th grade teachers miles apart to discover similar teaching needs, frustrations, successes, and interests cannot be underestimated. This will be increasingly true as videoconferencing becomes easier to use and part of an everyday professional life.

3. Collaboration. Professional educators tend to have "common" instructional interests and requirements, whether in Alaska, Oregon, or North Carolina. Sharing those common needs and concerns and working for common solutions will help educators of all levels develop better student-centered content and instructional processes. Too often we have done our jobs in isolation. The chance to use videoconferencing technology to break down those barriers to find collaborative solutions to the problems surrounding exit exams, benchmarks, authentic assessment, school safety, school improvement, and similar professional issues is increasingly important. Staff development to cover whole districts, regions, and states is also another time and travel-saving opportunity for videoconferencing technology.

This Web site presents a variety of examples of K-12 videoconferencing and offers some useful resources for planning. Additionally, teachers will find some VC Session Plan forms and some suggestions for beginning to teach using this technology.

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