Instructional Videoconferencing Session Plan
This is a Short Course in the effective use of videoconferencing for instruction.
Almost anyone can purchase and setup a desktop or room-size videoconferencing system and make it work. It takes an enthusiastic and knowledgeable professional educator, however, to use that same equipment in a way that delivers instructional material to a group of students that is interesting, educational, and engaging.
Lesson plans give some help in developing the focus for instruction. This Session Plan Form asks for more of the professional educator, in that there are TIME and SEQUENCE needs, as well as a need to consider just exactly WHAT will occur at the far end of a good videoconference learning experience.
Additionally, If you are planning to deliver instruction through videoconferencing technology, you will want to consider.
- The use of a fax line and email, and
- The use of a Web connection, Internet information and other contact resources.
Working these resources for students into a Video Session requires more than a Lesson Plan. With the Session plan, you need to ask and answer these questions:
- What do you want the students to learn?
- What is the camera seeing of you?
- What are you saying and showing? (at each moment...planned and scripted?)
- What are the students at the far (receiving) end(s) seeing?
- What do you want students to do as a result of what they have seen and heard?
- Will students work alone?...Together in small groups?...In a large group, facilitated by the facilitating teacher?
This is a lesson plan with a tightly constrained time plan.
Do you remember what you did in the regular classroom when the material for the lesson/unit spilled over into the next class session? What will you do when you have only "virtual" control of students at the receiving sites?
Just what is your plan for the instruction? What will you expect of the students...of the facilitating teacher? Spell it all out. Take the extra preparation time that you will need to consider the entire instructional scheme.
Coordinating the whole experience will be the biggest challenge - lots of people and equipment to bring together and work smoothly together.
Do you have clearly-stated Goals & Objectives
And have you described and requested the tools required to teach the class:
- Document Camera
- Cameras
- White Board
- Computer
- Video (VCR) machine
- Monitor
- Fax Machine
- Other...AND
Have you...
- Planned the activity by time and activity sequence?
- Written a planned script for the session?
- Informed the facilitating teacher of what you want them to do?
- Told students what you want them to do?
- Gotten all of the educational "props" (handouts, computer presentation materials, visual helps, etc.) together?...and at the receiving site(s)...ahead of time?
- Practice delivering what you want to teach...and done it at least once before a camera?
- Completed the Session Plan Form?
Examples: Excerpts from - Teacher's Guide to K-12 Videoconferencing
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