Videoconferencing Technology - Reaching Out To Learners All Over The World.

NOTE - I would like to do either an electronic poster session or a presentation that demonstrates the use of various blended VC technologies at OSU. Videoconferencing Technology - Reaching Out To Learners All Over The World. Videoconferencing (VC) technology has had an increasing role in education. With demand for online education and increasing costs for travel and other resources, the technology has been growing in education. VC technology is also taking center stage in language education since language learning, especially critical languages, is becoming significant to the success of business and organizations all over the world. The Foreign Language Center (FLC) of the Ohio State University (OSU) coordinates the teaching and learning of foreign languages at OSU. One of the principal tasks of the FLC is to enhance the use of technology in the language classroom so that learners can benefit from the use of modern devices and software. Besides facilitating several technologies like audio, video, multimedia, web, language labs, the FLC also manages two videoconference centers - The Kermit Hall Videoconference Center (KHVC) and the Foreign Language Videoconference Center (FLVC). The Kermit Hall Videoconference Center with state-of-the-art Polycom HD technology is the larger room with up to 25 participants. For the past several years, fourth-quarter OSU Spanish students and their fourth-year counterparts at New Albany have studied Spanish language and culture together via this videoconferencing facility. OSU students are currently taking a course in Uzbek offered by Indiana University. There are several other language courses like Tibetan, Mongolian, Czech, etc that are administered by the Committee of Institutional Cooperation (CIC) - a cooperation of several Big Ten universities, University of Chicago and more - that are housed in this facility. By sharing resources and technology, these languages have been more accessible to learners all over the country and even abroad In the spring of 2006, Professor Danielle Marx-Scouras hosted a videoconference between her advanced-level French students and a group of advanced-level French students at the University of Damascus. Both groups read the work L'Hôte by Albert Camus in advance of the conference, and then discussed it during the videoconference while being monitored by their professors. Professor Marx-Scouras was able to do a follow up to this course in 2009 and hosted renown French musicians Moussu T over videoconference for a musical performance and information session with the learners. This session was first of its kind and a landmark event in language education. It is now possible to use several other technologies in collaboration with the VC technology. Faculty have been recording the VC session and using them as resources on other classes and sharing them with other faculty even via streaming sites. The use of video and other media including online video sites like YouTube have played a significant role in these videoconferencing sessions. Students in Professor Any Horowitz class shoot, narrate, and edit short videos in their Living Jerusalem class and share these with participants in other nations. The students collaborate with students in the Middle East and discuss issues concerning Jerusalem, one of the few classes in the world that work together in this fashion. Students also collaborate with each other and the instructors via a web-based blog. The smaller FLC Videoconference Center uses Polycom PVX technology and other webcam based technologies like Skype. The room can host up to 8 participants. This room is used for conferences between faculty at various campuses to discuss syllabus and teaching methodologies. These ‘face-to-face' meetings go a long way to design the classes and to organize the syllabus. The room is also used for dissertation defenses between campuses and colleges saving the faculty and the students' time and money and the aggravation of travelling during these critical assessments. A recent use for the technology room is also something cutting edge since the instructors are experimenting using webcam technology like Skype in communication with students during their 15 minutes intense language learning during the Individualizes Instruction (II) sessions. Other technologies that are being incorporated into VC are the course management system to share videos and files and the use of wiki for collaboration. The ability to simulcast these files and online sites gives the learners first-hand experience of working with virtual groups. Group work is essential to successful transition to the workplace and the curriculum design has made this a component of these classes. Learners are also able to view television programs from all over the world in various languages. These programs are captured (via capture technology) and shown to learners at various sites as well. The FLC has been working hard to incorporate the latest VC technology to the language learning at the OSU and beyond. Members of the FLC team research the use of these technologies and work with various teams within the university and with external organizations in order to enhance the VC technology for these learners. Within the last 12 months, the VC technology at the FLC videoconferencing facilities have had major upgrades to fit the needs of the changing technology and the needs of the learners. The understanding that various new technologies that blend with videoconferencing is the key philosophy that drives one of the chief goals of the FLC. References Foreign Language Center - http://flc.osu.edu/ World Media and Culture Center - http://wmcc.osu.edu/index.htm Committee on Institutional Cooperation - http://www.cic.net/Home.aspx Sujan Manandhar Technology Integration Specialist Foreign Language Center 160 Hagerty Hall Ohio State University manandhar.1@osu.edu PHN - 614-247-2048 BLOG - http://edutechman.blogspot.com/