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Video teleconferencing or VTC is a technology that allows the simultaneous transmission of sound and pictures. Although well established in business and higher education it is only just beginning to impact on schools.
There are many providers now both in the UK and worldwide, who offer educational content in a VTC format. Examples include galleries, museums, theatres and religious groups. The geographical isolation of many SCE schools coupled with the high mobility of both staff and pupils makes VTC of particular relevance. Many SCE schools already have VTC capability and eventually all schools will be supplied with kit.
A pilot project is currently under way in which contacts are being made between children in different SCE schools and classes. Early evidence has shown this to be invaluable in learning speaking, listening and presentational skills. It is hoped that an important future use of VTC could be to ameliorate some of the anxieties associated with children moving schools wihin SCE. Contacts could be made between the child/children and their new class/teacher and existing friendships maintained after the child had moved. For children who need to board at secondary school early contacts between parents, children and houseparent's may also smooth the transition.
SCE have recently launched an exciting new project to develop the use of the SCE Grid for Learning. In addition to using the GfL as an administrative tool for teachers and SCE staff, a number of schools are working on producing Virtual Learning Environments for their classes to work in, on a range of topics across the curriculum.
The pupils have enjoyed being able to access electronic resources in the classroom, in the school computer suite and at home to aid and enhance their learning. In addition, they have been contributing to forums, sharing ideas and web links, casting votes and benefiting from the collaborative nature of this learning platform.
We have been particularly pleased with the success of this project as it has created a new opportunity for parents and the wider family to take an active role in their child's education. It is hoped that it will even be possible for parents on tour to be able to log in to the Grid and share comments with their child about their work and lend a hand from afar!
Above: Sample pages from VLEs in use across the Key Stages in SCE schools
Below: FS2 children at Tower School enjoying a VTC with pupils at St. David's School in Ramstein.
