RCET: Research Center for Educational Technology

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Desktop Videoconferencing (DVC)

Desktop videoconferencing is a form of online learning, but distinct enough from formal online learning that we report it here as a separate research area.  In addition, projects in this area are focused on proof-of-concept and design issues rather than formal research.

The School-Community Resource Exchange Network

Funded by a grant awarded through the Ohio Learning Network’s Learning Communities Initiative, this project will connect K-12 classrooms with local history museums, science centers, and other historical and cultural institutions by assisting K-12 educators in utilizing mobile technologies to access the rich curricular resources available through these organizations. Action research investigations will conducted in the participating classrooms to assess the impact of mobile technologies on teaching and learning.  The current project builds on ongoing work with local organizations including the Kent State University Museum, Akron Zoo, Maps Aviation Museum, National Inventors Hall of Fame, Cleveland Clinic, and University Circle Interactive to bring their expertise to our AT&T classroom, as well as classrooms throughout northeast Ohio.

DVC Cell Phone Project

RCET staff has been investigating new and unique ways of using video-conferencing for learning with mobile phones. This project is still in its infant stage, but is already showing us the potential that this mobile technology has for expanding teaching and learning.

McNeal, T., & van ‘t Hooft, M. (2006). Anywhere, anytime: Using mobile phones for learning. Journal for the Research Center for Educational Technology.

McNeal, T., & van ‘t Hooft, M. (under review). Anywhere, anytime: Using mobile phones for learning. Session proposal submitted to the 2007 annual National Educational Computing Conference (ISTE).

McNeal, T., & van ‘t Hooft, M. A. H. (July, 2006). Student reporters: Using video cell phones as an educational tool. Presentation at the 27th National Educational Computing  Conference, San Diego, CA.

DVC Stream Quality Monitoring Project

In this project, classrooms throughout Ohio take water samples from the steams in their area and share the results with each other and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources over Internet videoconferencing systems located in their classrooms or buildings. 

McNeal, T., & Kearns, L. (2005). Using video streaming: Setting up a cheap system for distributing information to teachers and students. Learning and Leading with Technology, 32 (6), 16-19.

McNeal, T. (February, 2005). DVC Stream Quality Project. Columbus, OH: SchoolNet.

Deaf Education Videoconferencing Project

For over five years the Deaf Education Videoconferencing Project, under the direction of Dr. Harold Johnson, has been one of the most successful IP videoconferencing programs. The Deaf Education Videoconferencing Project has connected over 65 sites with Polycom ViaVideos and five sites with Polycom ViewStations. Hearing and deaf/hard of hearing individuals use the Polycom equipment to sign and/or speak through video to share their knowledge with pre-service deaf education teachers.  We are also utilizing iVisit for Internet videoconferencing.  IVisit is an entry-level videoconferencing system which is cross platform. We are assembling a team of people to act as tech support for our many new members just beginning to use Ivisit. The DVC project is responsible for helping  users in the set-up and testing of their videoconferencing systems, investigating new system, creating tutorials for videoconferencing usage and creating surveys to check on the results of the it’s use.

Virtual Field Experience

Pre-service teachers in most schools of education are expected to observe classroom teaching and learning and reflect their experiences.  One of the problems with most field experience programs is that there is no common experience for instructors and education students to discuss, and so there is no way for instructors to help students learn to attend to relevant interactions between observed students and teachers.  This projects addresses that deficiency by connecting our AT&T classroom and eight classrooms around the state to observation rooms in the Kent State University School of Education via interactive video.  Instructors and students can not only view classroom lessons together, they can interact with the teachers facilitating them after they are completed concerning.