LA Distance Learning Conference

I've just returned from the first conference sponsored by a new organization, the Louisiana Distance Learning Association (linked from posting title). This conference helped to verify that we did make the right decision in waiting for the technology to catch up with the ideas, and I'm now convinced that it's time to invest in video conferencing equipment.

Districts generally first turn to video-conferencing to connect a teacher to a class for distance learning. It is also used for district-level meetings, which would be helpful in our parish because of the distances we must travel. However, the application I'm most interested in using is one that connects classrooms in St. Mary Parish to professionals around the world for Virtual Field Trips.

Connecting with the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration, for example, provides teachers with access to hundreds of free or low-cost field trip opportunities. In these activities, arrangements are made to connect at a certain time/date. Once the teacher log-ins for the class, a professional in London or Paris or Chicago or even at the Tunica Museum in Marksville takes over as instructor. CILC screens all of these activities, rating them to assist in our selection. Professionals are trained to deliver only a certain amount of "teacher talk," deferring quickly to hands-on activities for students plus Q&A as needed. In some cases, the teacher receives a packet of support materials in advance of the field trip.

If you are interested, join (it's free!) to begin receiving newsletters and to fully access the extensive library of field trips. For my part, I'll begin investigating the purchase of video-conferencing equipment using ARRA stimulus funds from EETT (Title 2, Section D), which we should be receiving shortly. This project seems to meet all of the ARRA requirements!

Let me know what you think?