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Tips for teaching via video conferencing

video conferences in the classroom can make a big difference when it comes to education, and teachers still they are looking for new ways to harness this technology to make learning more engaging, more personal, and ultimately more fun.

From making it easier for students to access remote situations to injecting more creativity into the typical school trip, there are many different ways to incorporate video conferencing into your lesson plan.

We've compiled some tips and best practices for video conferencing education:

Logistics for before the first class.

Familiarizing yourself with the equipment will allow you to think of the best ways to use it.

Run a test session with the location(s) that will connect to your classroom to make sure the remote sites have the correct settings. The most common setup issues involve lighting issues (too dark, washed out, glare) and microphone placement.

Collect contact information for technicians at the remote location, in case something goes wrong. Have the tech contact provide training for your remote students on how to use the equipment.

Classroom protocols and community building

Let your students know the protocol for asking questions. Do you want to be interrupted while speaking (with a question or a raised hand) or will you allow some time for questions?

Give remote students questions to ask in class to start a discussion or to periodically lead the class in discussion of a particular reading or case study.

Allow remote students to mute their microphones and have their own course-related discussion. This can help the remote student group form a supportive community.
Do your best to give remote participants an opportunity to present their views.

Small group discussion activities with a debriefing time encourage students everywhere to discuss a topic and express their thoughts. They also give students a break from passively watching a presentation.

We share with you some benefits of the video call in the classroom:

1. Connection for collaboration

One of the easiest ways to take advantage of video conferencing in the classroom is to collaborate with other teachers in new ways. Getting people in the room is always a challenge, but video conferencing makes it easier than ever to host an academic conference, teacher training, or webinar with other schools.

2. Video conferences can reach students in remote areas

Getting to school is not as easy for some students as it is for others. Video conferencing in the classroom or from the classroom means no matter the obstacles, they can still get access to the education they deserve. Because almost every phone and laptop already has a camera, it's relatively easy to figure out how to get these students into the classroom, even if they have to stay home.

3. Register your classes

Most video conferencing programs offer the option of recording. That means it's pretty easy to create a digital file of your classes. Your students can go back and review lectures after the fact, and anyone who needs to miss a class can catch up without having to review notes.

4. Bring experts into the classroom

One of the coolest things about video conferencing in the classroom is the ability to bring experts into meetings. Did you know that you can connect your classroom with an “astronaut” through Microsoft Teams</ strong>, for example?

There are many ways you can take advantage of this feature, but the best advice is to use your creativity and don't be afraid to ask a great question.

5. More time one on one

One of the biggest challenges in education today is devoting enough time to one-on-one tutoring with students.

It's a numbers game: Average class sizes are increasing, and that's making it harder than ever to have meaningful interactions with individual students.

Video conferencing is one possible solution, making it easy to have face-to-face time with each student without taking time out of the school day.

6. Take a virtual school trip

One of the best ways to use video conferencing in the classroom is to give students access to things they may never have seen before. When it comes to school trips, you can work with organizations to gain access to things that would never have been possible in the past.

Whether it's an interview with a doctor, it's important to realize that the possibilities are endless. While it can be difficult to organize an actual field trip, using class time to take a virtual field trip to an engaging location can boost lessons at home and have a big impact on students.

At Newtech we have the necessary platforms and licenses to be able to carry out all these tips in the best way. In addition, we can advise you with experts, taking your experience and that of your students to a higher level.

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