Videoconferencing+Resources


 * Videoconferencing Resources**

__Reasons for use__

 * Break down the 4 walls of your classroom and bring the world **IN.**
 * Real-world websites, museums, places, and people bring authenticity to your curriculum.
 * Teaching social studies, geography, maps, culture, history, places in novels.
 * Engage your students in meaningful content without having to leave the school.

__Ease of use__

 * Easy: search, find and implement a tour already created. There are literally HUNDREDS (if not thousands!) to choose from.
 * Moderate - Difficult: create your own tours, lesson plans, and implementation in a variety of ways.

**TOOLS to USE**

Bringing experts into your classroom via video conferencing can be an excellent enhancement to your students' learning experiences. Video conferencing can also be used to connect classrooms in a 21st century version of penpal exchanges. [|Skype] is the most common tool for making these connections and for good reason [|Skype] is the most popular video conferencing application. It's easy to use and free for most uses. The only drawback to [|Skype] is that you and the person you want to talk with must have [|Skype]. [|Present.io] is one of the many excellent services created by the folks at [|Drop.io]. [|Present.io] allows users to set up a free webinar or video conference with just two clicks. Just like with Drop.io there is no registration required to use the service and there is no software to install. To use [|Present.io] simply create a drop and share the drop's unique url (and optional password) with whomever you would like to participate in the conference. When you're ready to start your conference click "start presentation." If you create the conference you are the administrator and have full access to show the other participants files, links, photos, and any other media you're using on your computer. [|Wetoku] is a free service for quickly conducting, recording, and sharing video interviews using your webcam. To conduct an interview just log-in to your account, click "start new interview," and send the invitation link to whomever you want to interview. [|Wetoku] records the videos from both participants in the interview. When you embed the recording, the videos of both participants appear side by side (see a [|sample from RWW here]). [|Vokle] is a free service for hosting and recording live web conferences. Using [|Vokle] you can host a live conference in which participants can chat with text while you broadcast yourself. You can also broadcast a conversation of yourself and another person who has their webcam enabled. The text chat room can be used to organize a line-up of people who would like to broadcast themselves to the other chat participants.

=Take a virtual field trip= [|Edutopia]- The George Lucas Foundation []

Links from Linda Nitsche's Electronic Field Trip Presentation at PETE & C
 * Great Sites for Finding eField Trips**


 * 1. [|eFieldtrips.org] - Science and Social Studies topics**
 * 2. [|NW Wisconsin IU] - Over 170 Sites**
 * 3. [|SBC] - The "Yellow Pages" of Videoconferencing!**
 * 4. [|Tramline] - Across all curriculum areas – Science focus**
 * 5. [|Videoconferencing Links]– List of Videoconferencing Directories**
 * 6. [|TWICE] – List of content providers**
 * 7. VC Content Providers 52 pages of video content providers: museums, gardens, planetariums, history centers, government sites, US agencies, and other providers from other countries**
 * 8. MAGPI**

About MAGPI
MAGPI (the Mid-Atlantic Gigapop in Philadelphia for Internet2) is a regional high-speed network and aggregation point providing access to robust advanced network infrastructure and Next Generation networking services for institutions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. MAGPI is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and it is part of the University of Pennsylvania’s Information Systems and Computing central IT organization. MAGPI is managed and operated by staff of ISC’s Networking & Telecommunications Department, including our 24/7 Network Operations Center (NOC). MAGPI is an Internet2 Research & Education Network Member and a Connector for the research and education community.

Mission
Our mission is to deliver regional infrastructure in a cost-effective manner and promote applications for the region's research and education communities through high performance network technology.