Moving at the Speed of Creativity by Wesley Fryer

The present and future of classroom videoconferencing

Alan Greenberg of Wainhouse Research released a 17 page PDF report in July 2006 titled, “Taking the Wraps off Videoconferencing in the U.S. Classroom: A State-by-State Analysis.” The study set out to answer two basic questions, “What is the extent of [videoconferencing] adoption in any particular state,” and “How many schools and classrooms are likely to be enabled for professional-quality videoconferencing on a national and state-by-state basis?” According to the executive summary:

Wainhouse Research believes that close to 23,000 public, primary and secondary school classrooms or administrative offices have been equipped with videoconferencing as of early 2006. Correlating this number to the more than 92,000 public schools in the U.S. suggests that about 25% of U.S. schools have adopted videoconferencing… This means that videoconferencing, in terms of the aggregate number of classrooms in the U.S., has achieved about a 1% penetration rate.

Individual state rates of videoconferencing penetration are much higher in some cases, however. Leading states including California, Texas, New York, Ohio and Oklahoma (which I was particularly interested to note) have an estimated penetration rate of 40-60%. Alaska is 60-80%, and Hawaii is 80-100%.

This research is very useful for educators interested in promoting more interactive conversations in classrooms, especially via digital means. Videoconferencing continues to get more accessible as free solutions like Skype offer cross-platform audio, video and text-chat interactivity potential, but traditional videoconferencing units still offer comparative benefits in terms of quality, security, and functionality. (For example, computer screen sharing and other peripheral use during videoconferencing: document camera, VCR, DVD, etc, are still easier with H.323 hardware.) Commercial solutions like Macromedia Breeze support desktop videoconferencing and interactive whiteboard sharing, but licensing prices are steep– and I am not aware of an open source, online interactive whiteboard solution that can be used in conjunction with a program like Skype. If you know of something like this, please comment here– I’d love to learn about it.

The report identifies 3 consecutive waves of educational videoconferencing use in the US. These are:

  1. Using videoconferencing in K-12 to access remote resources.
  2. The shift to IP technologies and an explosion of content providers delivering rich resources to the classroom. (“cresting now”)
  3. Increased student collaborative projects and even student creation and delivery of content. (starting now)

I hope the concluding sentence of the executive summary proves to be true in the future, but I don’t think this is guaranteed. Many teachers and administrators “remain set in their pedagogical ways.” The report predicts:

Ultimately, the promise of student-driven, collaborative, problem-solving activities will begin to mirror and perhaps even surpass the use of video in the global workplace.

If that vision comes to pass, it will be because teachers, administrators, parents and other leaders recognize the need to authentically engage students instead of merely preparing them for tests. We need more Schlechty Center Standard-Bearer school districts!

I would like to see a research report about how many classrooms across the US and the globe are using desktop software like Skype or iChat to interactively collaborate with other students geographically distant from them. My suspicion is that the number is quite low, around or less than the 1% estimated to be equipped with traditional videoconferencing units. I’d like to see some actual research data on this, however. Of the 1% of classrooms with access to traditional H.320 or H.323 videoconferencing units, I’d also like to see statistics on how much these are being ACTUALLY USED. My perception is that in some cases (not sure how many) units are sitting unused in closets. Access is an issue, but the more important one is UTILIZATION. Unfortunately this report just addresses access.

The following prediction from page 11 of the report is rather depressing:

Wainhouse Research believes that should gas prices remain in the $3.00 per gallon range, an increasing number of school districts will begin to seek alternatives to traditional local field trips and itinerant teacher solutions.

We need more face-to-face (F2F) field trips in K-12 education today, not fewer! We also should do more virtual interactive projects, but in my opinion– these should not be at the expense of F2F field trips! See Ron Berger’s Edutopia article “School Culture Must Extend Beyond School Walls” for more on this.

Starting on page 12, the Wainhouse Research report articulates a vision of “The Coming Third Wave for Videoconferencing in the Classroom.” That section concludes:

But with the continued proliferation of classroom endpoints, the adoption of adjacent technologies (web conferencing, groupware, and low-end, PC-based videoconferencing e.g. Apple iChat, Skype video, and the like), and continued enthusiasm on the part of the educational champions of video in the classroom, the next wave could prove to be the “tipping point” for videoconferencing in K-12.

Unfortunately, the report seems to ignore the impact of high stakes testing and accountability pressures on schools, administrators, teachers and students. I think many teachers still perceive a virtual field trip to be a “frivolous extra” they don’t have time for, at least until all the mandatory state tests are finished in April or May, because they have to cover the curriculum. This common reality is not mentioned or referenced in this report, and I think it is a major shortcoming. Unless we see widespread pedagogic change in schools, I don’t think the “third wave for videoconferencing” will become a reality. Instructional changes preceding or made in conjunction with more technology immersion / ubiquitous access are not just essential… they are mandatory if school communities will experience sustained innovations in educational reform.

The willingness for educational pioneers to take instructional risks is also key to the unfolding of this predication of a “3rd wave” for classroom interactive videoconferencing, and this is addressed in the report’s conclusion. The author writes:

Perhaps the biggest challenge is the individual educator who may be neither attuned nor open to the concept of going outside the classroom walls to support constructivist learning models. A certain amount of openness to the uncontrollable, unpredictable nature of technology and human interactions across distance is a prerequisite for excitement about videoconferencing in the classroom.

This assertion is right on target! The need to “empower the pioneers” remains!

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On this day..


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