Here’s an interesting thought. One of my local high school teachers won a free field trip from me at a workshop in February. Just recently her media specialist asked me if the money can be saved for next year. She commented that teachers love videoconferences when they can show up and participate, but if the videoconference requires preparation, it’s “like pulling teeth.”

So why is that?

The high school curriculum is very, very tight with so much to cover. It’s tough for teachers to find ways to integrate quality videoconference experiences. They have to choose activities that are the most efficient and time effective for covering curriculum. It’s very difficult to integrate time consuming creative constructivist lessons.

So what can we do about it? I think we need to develop more activities and projects that really tightly fit the curriculum. That cover required curriculum in an appropriate, engaging way. And whenever possible, make sure they are available to be scheduled during the class period. You can only pull kids from class so many times before the other teachers start to hate videoconferencing.

Does this vibe with your experience too?