So you think you want to try videoconferencing...

This section offers our advice for schools AND museums on starting to use video conferencing as a teaching medium.

Why videoconference?

The responses to our evaluation of the videoconferencing from teachers, pupils and museums staff was overwhelmingly positive.

General advice

Technical issues

This is not to say that everything went smoothly throughout the project! There were a number of technical and practical issues that made things challenging.
On a technical level we had problems with link quality. A good unbroken link is essential if the session is to run smoothly. We found we achieved the best connection dialling point to point, but did experience variation in quality which was possibly due to the amount of traffic on our respective networks. The very best session we had was first lesson, between 8.30 and 9.30 before most users were logged on to our networks.
Poor network quality will have a negative effect on delivery particularly when looking at small objects or images. We also experienced loss of connection which is very disruptive. Our experiences taught us it is important to try a test link immediately prior to the conference and also to have discussed what to do in the event of a loss of connection, including who will redial the call.  It is essential to have mobile telephone numbers so you can contact the far end directly in case of problems.

With Biddenham Upper School the problems were more profound as we found that their area network, administered by Bedfordshire County Council, did not have the bandwidth  available at that time for schools to do videoconferencing. This was not a hurdle we could overcome and so Biddenham was unable to take part in the conferences.

Timetabling issues

Scheduling the sessions was also more of a challenge than we have anticipated. We required sufficient notice to book re-enactors but the schools worked to shorter timescales. The teachers broadly knew when they would be teaching a unit in a term but could not pinpoint the date on which they would be ready for the conference until nearer the time. Also with Icknield there were ten classes and five teachers, so some were lessons timetabled simultaneously.  All this meant that the plait sessions were delivered over a period of two weeks and not all the classes were able to do the WWII conference.

Timetabling issues did not end with the finalisation of the schedule. In working this way with schools one is more exposed to the day to day changes that affect the management of a school. For example, one conference was lost because the Headteacher had called an emergency Year 9 assembly.

The role of the teacher

The number of teachers we were dealing with also presented a challenge. Although we had met all the history team, only two were able to make our briefing session. This led to different levels of preparation between the classes.

We also had a situation where one of the conferences was led by a supply teacher. The school's initial reaction had been to cancel the conference as the supply cover had no experience of vidoeconferencing at all. However, such was the disappointment of the class who had heard about the sessions from friends in other classes, it was decided to go ahead. Fortunately Jo Tulla, the VC Co-ordinator, was able to take on some of the teacher's role, but it underlined the importance of the teacher's role in directing the school end of the conference.

The teacher's role is essentially that of chairperson. It is difficult to pick out individuals from a class viewed on screen, unless they have a particularly obvious characteristic and, of course, we don't know names. This makes taking questions or handling discussion, both key elements of our sessions, very difficult. Therefore while the museum person directs questions to the class the teacher will select who answers or comments.

Museum staff also rely on teachers to maintain order during the conference, as the distance introduced by the technology makes it impossible for museum staff to do so. Also during role play elements the teacher must maintain their role, to reinforce the conceit for  pupils.   Preparation is essential so that the teacher is aware of this role - therefore a meeting or at very least a telephone discussion before the conference is strongly recommended.

Advice to schools

• Network

Schools interested in the potential of videoconferencing need first to check that they have the network capacity to hold conferences. The first step is to speak to your school network manager and then, if necessary, the council network manager.

• Equipment

The initial investment in the equipment is sizeable however in some counties it is possible to borrow equipment from the ICT advisor, as in Hertfordshire, or the LA may have an E-Learning Centre for schools as Luton does.

• Location

The simplest venue is the classroom as the conference can be projected onto an interactive whiteboard, however external noise and light can be an issue so test it first. At Icknield the conferences were held in a small theatre style room dedicated to videoconferences. This removed the problems of extraneous light and noise but the seat layout meant that group discussion and note taking was more difficult.

• Talk to providers

A growing number of institutions are offering content via videoconference in history and other subjects. Talk to the provider about what they are offering, establish why videoconference is the best way of accessing this content for you. Once you have this information integrate it into your programme of study and learning objectives.

Advice to museums

At the outset of the project the museum staff involved had no previous experience of videoconference. In this clip they reflect on what they have learnt and share their experience of developing content for a museum videoconference.

Eleanor Payne, Learning Officer, Museums Luton. Eleanor offers her encouragement to museums to start videoconferencing.