July 7, 2007 - Video Conferencing - The problem with videoconferencing is not the technology, cost or user skill. The problem is people’s perceptions. I am sure that the fear of replacement still plays a part of people not using the technology. I also think that people are afraid to experiment, fail and revise their thinking. Danny made a great point when he talked about the need for all stakeholders sharing the responsibility and working together to have the technology work. Teachers do not always play well with others. Perhaps it’s the fear again of being exposed as being less than perfect. The technology is not about the teacher; it’s about the student. When does this technology work best? Simply answered, when teachers and other stakeholder set aside their fears and allow the technology to enhance and provide rather than replace.
On a different note, the growth of videoconferencing is necessary to reach rural students or bring the experts to you. Having the ability to bring people into a classroom from a distance is brilliant. Consider the "Gore" possibilities as well. Rather than use the energy to bring the expert across the distance, we can use the videoconferencing to bring the expert to the student without having to use a single gram of fossil fuel. Not greenhouse gases, no time restraints and no pollution concerns. Environmentally conscious reasons to use videoconferencing.
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