Warmup 2/9/12 Education

• Video Conferencing
• A teacher can use video conferencing for distance learning.  In this system, the teacher can teach without actually being in the room.  Instead, they use a video conferencing system to talk through the screen or a projector, giving the same content from far away.  Taken to another level, the class can be taught entirely over this type of system, with the students at home using their computers and contributing to the discussion.  Examples of these systems are distance learning and online university courses.
• Advantages:
• Costs less b/c teacher does not actually have to be there
• Cheaper for teacher b/c they do not have to move to the location where they are teaching
• Access to specialists from other places around the globe
• Students do not have to be in central location to learn; can be at home or in other parts of country and still participate
• May be cheaper for students
• Students in regions with bad schools can still get a good education
• Disadvantages
• Boring for many
• Impersonal
• Teacher has no way to maintain order in classroom
• No ability for hands-on learning
• Social and Ethical Issues
• Privacy: Some people might not want to use a video camera in their home connected to people in other places
• People and Machines: Some people either would not understand the technology or have a dislike of the system for one reason or another
• Globalization: Lessons can be accessed by anyone, anywhere
• Equality of Access: Anyone with a computer and internet can use this, but that cuts both ways.  Some people do not have those resources.