Lit Review: Videoconferencing exposes students to new worlds

Lit Review: This is a post in a series focusing on the research studies on videoconferencing.

WMHO. (2002). Videoconferencing exposes students to new worlds. T.H.E. (Technological Horizons in Education) Journal, 29(8).

Author: Ward Melville Heritage Organization (or THE Journal staff? it isn’t clear)
Title of article:
Videoconferencing exposes students to new worlds.
Publication year: 2002
Database source: T.H.E. Journal
Name of journal: T.H.E. Journal
My Codes:
VCContentProviders

Main Point: Videoconferencing allows a non-profit science organization to protect the salt marsh wetlands and still educate students about it. It allows WHMO to reach more students than would be possible with onsite visits.

Limitations:
This isn’t a research article and does not include a theoretical framework or any research data or references to other work. Well, page 3 says,”research has shown” the benefits of VC, but no references are provided. A few sentences describe teachers’ feedback from the sessions.

Notes:
The article describes how WMHO transformed an on-site field trip to a 45-60 minute engaging interactive curriculum-based program for videoconferencing. The program includes a learning kit with lesson plans, worksheets, activities, and a CD-ROM with additional resources. The article describes the visuals shown, including some innovative cameras that allow for visuals right from the water’s edge.

The article describes the reach of the programs – locally in the tri-state area and to several other states as well and mentions 12,000 students served.

Relevance:
While not a research article, this article does describe one aspect of curriculum videoconferencing – the content provider experience.

0 replies on “Lit Review: Videoconferencing exposes students to new worlds”

  1. Thank you for pointing out this article. It reminded me of when I was a junior high school student in New Jersey, not so long ago. Every year the eighth grade would be bused out to the northern part of the state for an overnight field trip in the Appalachian wilderness. (Believe it or not, some parts of Jersey are still wild!) There, we learned about wetland conservation, ecology, the history of the area’s Native Americans, etc.

    I wonder if they still do that trip every year. As this article demonstrates, videoconferencing allows today’s students to have much of the experience without setting foot outside the classroom.

    One thing I’m curious about but didn’t see mentioned in the article, though, was who provided WMHO with the wireless-camera-equipped eyeglasses. I can’t imagine who would make something like that. My firm works with a company called LifeSize, which I’d highly recommend for their videoconferencing. I don’t know if they make equipment like that, though.

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