Video conferencing
Video conferencing has been used successfully by a number of schools, but is costly and needs careful planning.
Difficulties are sometimes experienced getting the two schools' systems to communicate, but once technical difficulties have been overcome, the immediacy of contact is effective in building motivation.
Japan is 9 hours ahead of GMT, so timing also needs thought. The most practical formula is UK students being in school, with equipment set up and ready to start by 9am and Japanese students staying behind until 6pm (5pm BST). The content of the video-conference will depend on the aims of your particular link, but planning is needed to ensure that the video conference doesn't become an end in itself. Much will depend on your objectives: is the video-conference intended as a showcase for each school to present dance or drama? Is language practice the aim? Will one group of students be teaching something to the other? Or discuss findings from a joint investigation?
Involve students in planning the online session, encouraging them to plan their valuable online time and consider how they can ensure that objectives will be met.
As a cheaper, and simpler, alternative to video-conferencing, some schools in Japan are beginning to experiment with Yahoo video messaging. It has been found to be useful in a domestic context, but so far has not been tested on a UK-Japan link.
If you have questions about setting up a school link, please contact Katherine Donaghy. We also welcome your comments or suggestions concerning these guidelines,
so please email us with them.
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