Use of Videoconference tools for online mode of learning

 Video conferencing increases productivity, saves time, lowers travel costs, and promotes overall collaboration. The advantage of video conferencing is that it allows you to take advantage of all of these advantages without having to travel for face-to-face communication on a regular basis.

Web conferencing has a number of advantages, including the ability to save time, resources, and money by allowing you and your clients or customers to meet online rather than leaving the office. It's also good for the environment because it reduces the need for travel.

Video conferencing can also be used to create flipped classrooms, support teachers, and provide students with a more individualized learning experience.

Video conferencing can give the classroom a whole new dimension. It allows teachers to connect with other classes, introduce international guest lecturers, and bring live events to their students (rather than take the students to those events).

Video conferencing is ideal for the classroom because it allows teachers to bring the rest of the world into their lessons, resulting in more engaging, interconnected learning experiences. If you aren't already using video to support learning, you will be soon. Global online collaboration is predicted to be one of the most significant trends in educational technology today.

Video conferencing tools

• GoToMeeting
• RingCentral Video
• Microsoft Teams
• Google Meet
• Zoom Meetings
• ClickMeeting
• U Meeting
• Google Hangouts
• Dialpad Meetings
• TrueConf Online
• Skype
• FreeConference
• Lifesize Go
• Slack Video Calls
• BigBlueButton etc. 

Teachers who previously only taught in person in the classroom now find themselves seeking ways to make their lectures and lessons capture and keep their students' attention as schools at all levels move to online-only instruction in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Instructors can use a variety of technologies, from pre-recording or livestreaming their lessons to interactive video conferencing software. There are several potential educational benefits of video conferencing, which are discussed below.

BENEFITS OF VIDEO CONFERENCING IN EDUCATION 

In addition to the convenience online learning offers, instructors and students alike can benefit in multiple ways from classroom video conferencing:

• Content sharing: Rather than simply emailing files to students or posting them on a classroom portal online, video conferencing gives teachers and students the ability to share documents and files in real time.
• Connect participants: Social distancing, and distance learning, can lead to feelings of isolation. Video conferencing applications facilitate interaction by bringing people together. This tool can also connect participants from all over the world, making it possible to engage local students as well as international students.
• Recording functionality: Another benefit of video conferencing is that it allows participants to record the lecture or lesson for future reference. While this feature isn’t used much when video conferencing is used in primary grades instruction, it can be beneficial for high school and college students who are using online learning tools. This gives students another means to help with studying and exam preparation.
• Engage others: In addition to uniting students and teachers, video conferencing may be employed to bring in guest lecturers and other subject matter experts. Whether an expert is physically located in the same town or is halfway across the globe, video conferencing can bring everyone to the same (virtual) table.
• Interaction and collaboration: Perhaps the biggest benefit of video conferencing in education is the fact that it encourages interaction and collaboration between students and teachers. In turn, this could make students more motivated and engaged in their learning experience. 

APPLICATIONS FOR VIDEO CONFERENCING IN EDUCATION

There are several possible purposes for classroom video conferencing: 

• Lectures: Teachers can give lectures remotely to the entire class while sharing reference documents on-screen.
• Small group learning: Another popular use of video conferencing in the classroom is small group discussion sessions. Video conferencing can be a great way for students working on group assignments or projects for class to connect face to face, remotely.
• Conferences and meetings: Video conferencing tools are also a great option for connecting students and teachers one on one for advising sessions, or as a way of holding “office hours” to answer students’ questions remotely.

Advantages of video conferencing in education. Advantages Of Video Conferencing In Education | MacCormac College. (2020, May 16). https://www.maccormac.edu/blog/advantages-video-conferencing-education. 

Content sharing: Rather than simply emailing files to students or posting them on a classroom portal online, video conferencing gives teachers and students the ability to share documents and files in real time. Connect participants: Social distancing, and distance learning, can lead to feelings of isolation.

One of the benefits of video conferencing in education is that it facilitates out-of-class learning. Video conferencing can be used by our teachers to teach their students. Students and teachers can form study groups to learn from one another from the comfort of their own homes.

Advantages of Video Conferencing in Education：

1. Allows Different Schools to Connect and Collaborate Easily

Collaboration between or among schools allows for a healthy interaction that can boost overall performance. Unlike in the past where a school had to physically sent its teachers to other schools to learn new teaching and management techniques,interaction today is made easier through video conferencing. Nowadays,schools can organize teaching training,academic conferences and online education webinars and deliver them via live audio and video streaming.

All a school needs to do is adopt a robust video conferencing system that can allow participants to enjoy a high-definition live streaming. With that,teachers can fully interact with attendees on the other side,chat with them and share useful tools and information to teaching. This form of interaction not only saves on time but also conserves money resources that could have been used by teachers to go back and forth between schools.

2. Facilitates Virtual Field Trips

In the event where a school has minimal budget or its travel plans seem impractical,video conferencing can be the best alternative to go for. Only a few representatives can be sent on the field to bring live coverage. That way,students can be able to look at exhibits in real-time from museums or learn about company operations live from the comfort of their classrooms. That minimizes on time and money resources that would have otherwise been incurred in the actual trip while still providing practical solutions to learning.

3. Makes Out-Of-Class Learning More Convenient and Easier

With video conferencing,students can enjoy out-of-class learning from the comfort of their homes. Teachers can organize and schedule for classes and invite students to attend at any time and from wherever they may be. Students will only need to have HD cameras and stable internet connection to start learning from out of class. Teachers and students can even create study groups to enjoy unlimited interaction and learning from home.

4. Enables Students to Record Lessons for Later Review

One of the greatest advantages of video conferencing in education is that it allows participants to record and save lessons and meetings. This can be a relief to students who miss class due to absenteeism or those who would simply want to review the lessons later. With video conferencing software,teachers can hold staff meetings at any time and have everyone attend from anywhere. The meetings can also be recorded to help those who were unable to attend live session catch up with the agenda. That saves on time and travel expenses,especially for teachers who are committed elsewhere.

5. Makes Scheduling of Parents/Teacher Meetings Convenient

Video conferencing eliminates time and district barriers,making it possible for people to hold meetings at anytime and from anywhere. When a school adopts video conferencing in holding parent/teacher conferences,it minimizes scheduling conflicts on both parties. Schools can always use video conferencing tools like ezTalks Meetings to engage parents in the parent/teacher conferences and meetings.

Disadvantages of Video Conferencing in Education：

1. Eliminates the Aspect of Personal Interaction

One of the main disadvantages of video conferencing in education is that it lacks the aspect of personal interaction. As much as live streaming of lessons or meetings might be effective,participants might miss out on important facial expressions and body language. That may happen when one experiences a stuttering video or a pixilated image from the live presentation due to bad equipment or internet connection. Such things can limit learning and lead to wastage of resources like time and internet data subscription.

2. Costs More to Acquire and Set up A Video Conferencing System

A school may think it's saving on travel or operational expenses by purchasing a video conferencing system but the cost of acquiring related equipment and software might turn out to be enormous. The need for extra training to use video conference system’s special program can lead even more costs. Paying for data connection and carrying out regular maintenance may also mean added operational costs.

3. Bound to Experience Technical Problems

The smooth transmission of a live lesson or meeting may sometimes be affected by technical difficulties of the video conference system. That may be caused by hardware,software or network failure. Such circumstances require the help of technical support team to intervene and in their absence,it might be difficult to continue enjoying a live presentation. Even when there’s a way to fix the problem,it will take some time to be reconnected,unlike when you’re attending the actual class or meeting.

4. Limits the Number of Users Engaging At the Same Time

Different video conferencing systems are designed with a certain limit of the number of participants they can accommodate in one sitting. While some allow for 25 to 50 participants to engage in video conferencing at the same time,others can accommodate up to 500 participants and more. Even so,you may need to get high quality speakers and microphones to be able to attend to a large group of class members. You also need to invest in quality video as it uses more bandwidth than audio. That presents more challenges to video conferencing compared to when you have to meet or teach people in a physical or actual class setting.

Conclusion

These are some of the advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing in education that any school or concerned stakeholders must look at. The benefits of this form of technology are great while challenges that come with it cannot be ignored all the same. Hence adopting the use video conferencing systems in education require careful though and planning if success is to be realized. But despite the many financial and resource challenges presented by video conferencing,it still provides a convenient way to connect teachers,students,parents and other stakeholders.

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