Integrating Videoconferencing into the Classroom: A Perspective from Northern Ireland

Abstract

This chapter will focus largely on the author’s experiences in promoting the creative use of videoconferencing in schools in Northern Ireland over the past ten years. It will also describe certain groundbreaking projects that educators in other parts of the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland have undertaken in this field. Although, until recently, there has been little in the way of a systemic approach in Northern Ireland to the introduction and integration of videoconferencing into K-12 classrooms, there have been some striking examples of good practice. The examples chosen demonstrate the potential of videoconferencing to be inclusive of different needs and learning styles and to extend and enrich the learning experiences available in the classroom. They are intended to show how videoconferencing can have a powerful effect on learning and teaching and to give more educators the motivation and confidence to explore and develop this user-friendly valuable education resource.