Video-conferencing might seem like an intimidating technology, requiring expensive equipment and special technical expertise from teachers. In fact, a wide range of video-conferencing products is now available, ranging from low-cost webcams for personal use to sophisticated professional video-conferencing suites costing several thousand pounds.
At the most basic level, you can set up a simple two-way video-conferencing system using just two PCs equipped with webcams. A webcam – web camera – is a small video camera that can be connected to any computer equipped with a USB connection. In fact, some computers, such as Apple’s iMacs and MacBooks, have built-in webcams.
Choosing the right webcam
The two main webcam manufacturers are Logitech and Creative Labs, and they range in price from £25 to £100. The cheapest webcams generally have limited resolution and image quality, and we’d recommend that you buy one with a resolution of at least 640x480 pixels. More expensive webcams have a resolution of 1280x1024, which will give you a good-quality, full-screen image.
The Internet connection
However, it’s important to remember that sending a high-quality video signal across the Internet requires a fast Internet or ISDN connection. We’d recommend a connection speed of at least 128 kilobits per second – there’s no point spending money on webcams if a slow Internet connection means that you end up with a poor-quality image.
Video-conferencing software
Most webcams include basic video-conferencing software that will allow you to create a simple two-way conference session. There are also several free programs, such as the popular MSN Messenger, that can be used for video-conferencing. Many pupils will already be familiar with this software, so very little training or technical knowledge is required.
This sort of set-up will be perfectly adequate for allowing individual pupils or teachers to talk to each other over the Internet, or for small groups of pupils who can gather around the computer in the classroom.
Additional features come with higher-quality equipment. Two useful options are the ability to set up a conferencing session between multiple users, or to transmit additional data, such as diagrams or presentations. The iChat software included with Apple computers is capable of creating a four-way video conference, which could be very useful for teacher meetings. If you don’t use Macs then you may need to invest in additional software, such as PVX from video-conferencing specialists, Polycom.
The PVX software costs £100 per copy, but it does allow you to display documents such as presentation slides in a separate window alongside the main video image. This could be useful in a classroom situation or for teacher meetings. The disadvantage of using this sort of software is that you’re still primarily limited to simple person-to-person communication. And, of course, as you try to include more people in the conferencing system you will need more PCs, more webcams and more copies of the conferencing software.
Standalone systems
You’ll quickly reach a point where the cost of a PC-based video-conferencing system starts to become prohibitive. At this point, specialist video-conferencing systems start to make more sense in terms of both cost and practicality. These are self-contained units that don’t require any additional PC equipment or software, and which allow large-scale video-conferencing sessions that can involve entire classrooms interacting with each other and their teachers.
A good entry-level option is Polycom’s VSX 5000, which starts at about £2,500. This is a high-quality video camera with built-in networking features, which means that you don’t need a separate PC to control it (although you do have the option of connecting a PC or laptop if you want to include presentations or other documents as part of the video-conferencing session). The VSX 5000 can be connected to an existing TV or computer monitor, and will be suitable for most classroom situations.
Polycom also produces a more sophisticated system called the VSX 7000s. This is more expensive, with prices starting at around £4,500, but it’s a completely self-contained system that includes the video camera and two flat-screen monitors for viewing multiple participants. The system is suitable for class sizes of up to 40 pupils, so it’s a good option for distance teaching, and also allows other teachers to sit in on video-conferencing sessions as part of their own training.
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