Videoconferencing Communities: Documenting Online User Interactions

Abstract

Online communities have expanded to include a complex array of technologies that allow us to integrate multiple modes of interaction among participants. One such method of interaction is videoconferencing. As part of a multi-year national program, the authors developed and investigated multiple methods by which videoconferencing could be used to expand PK-12 educational communities such that students at geographically distanced sites have opportunities to interact with external resources. The authors identified four major types of videoconferencing communities and common patterns within each that help to support effective use of the process. The chapter examines the nature and structure of these videoconferencing communities, provides examples of successful use, summarizes key user variables that impact the process, and makes recommendations for methods that should be used when studying videoconferencing communities.