In case your idea of a classroom belongs to the traditional trains of thought, you have to take a long and hard look at Charles County Public Schools in Southern Maryland. In the year 2010, the district introduced Cisco telepresence, deploying three entirely equipped rooms to better serve the community’s pupils and teachers. All of a sudden, the classrooms have lost their four walls and associated physical boundaries, and previous geographical and scholastic teaching limitations have ceased to confine the scope and breadth of learning.
With the use of Cisco telepresence , the district can now bring in educators for vital subjects in which current teachers may not have specific proficiency. For example, Kaplan instructors based in New York City will provide advanced placement (AP) statistics classes via two high school Cisco telepresence classrooms. Furthermore, a partnership with Duke University will be able to bring AP maths and physics to the Maryland schools, and Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment will be able to take students on virtual field trips to learn marine biology.
The district also expects to utilize a Cisco telepresence room in a managerial building for instructor education. As the College of Education at Towson University is situated nearly two hours away, teachers require more choices for localized, first-rate expert development. The Cisco telepresence deployment has the potential to bring Towson professors virtually to Charles County—and no one needs to drive to get there and make this happen.
Not only does Cisco telepresence enlarge Charles County schools’ course offerings, but it can also expand students’ learning. In numerous Minnesota schools, Cisco telepresence brings historical figures to life. In an academic program with the Minnesota History Center, primary and middle school pupils engage via the use of interactive video with imitated travelers and inventers. The historical figures take the pupils inside their worlds, sharing their stories and instructing the pupils via pretend activities including portaging canoes and gathering rice.
I don’t know what you think, but for me, speaking with a virtual pioneer sounds more inspiring than just simply reading about him and his exploits in a textbook. It’s just one of the revolutions which Cisco telepresence brings to the education sector – and makes it so exciting!
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