This newspaper article describes ways in which videoconferencing technology is being used in UK schools, allowing children to attend ‘virtual’ field trips.  Skim through the text quickly and decide which of these places listed below were places schools ‘visited’ using videoconferencing.

School trips - where shall we go today?

Not so long ago a school field trip was a walk through the nearest park or, if you were very lucky, a day trip to the zoo.  Nowadays, some schools in the UK visit such exotic places as the Canadian arctic, the Great Barrier Reef, and Japan – and all in the space of a week.  What’s going on?  In a word, videoconferencing.  These, you see, are virtual field trips, made possible by technology.

Videoconferencing systems vary in the technology they use and the cost, but the basic idea is always the same:  it’s like making a phone call but using a camera and a screen instead of a telephone.  The cheapest systems start at about £700 with a video phone, television and camcorder.  It is possible, though, to spend thousands of pounds if you use state-of -the art equipment and broadband satellite connections.  Most schools can only afford a basic system, but even this can be a remarkable resource full of possibilities.

Once such possibility is to allow children to ‘visit’ places almost anywhere in the world.  These virtual field trips, however, involve more than simply bringing live video pictures into the classroom.  Children don’t just watch – they take part.  

In a live link up with NASA, for example, children were able to speak to a real astronaut.  On another occasion the link was with a diver swimming around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.  As she swam, she answered children’s questions about the fish and plant life they could see on the screen.  One class has even had a live chat with Tony Blair.  They were gathered around the TV monitor at school while the then Prime Minister was enjoying a cup of tea at Downing Street.

Events like these are an exciting way for children to learn about science and politics by speaking to people directly involved.  The children also get to develop important communication skills by expressing themselves, speaking clearly and thinking about the sort of questions they want to ask.

Videoconferencing also provides opportunities for children to team up with other children around the globe.  Meeting people from other countries is a wonderful experience for any child.  As well as improving their language skills, it helps them appreciate other cultures.   In the past, only a few lucky children were able to experience this by travelling abroad on school exchange programmes – spending a few weeks in France or Germany, for example.  Videoconferencing makes it possible for many more children to come into contact with cultures.

Some UK schoolchildren, for example, have met up with classmates in California and Japan, learning what it’s like to live in an earthquake zone.  Others have chatted with Inuit children from Canada.  One class regularly meets with children from Finland.  Videoconferencing makes foreign cultures ‘real’ in a way not possible through books.  And the fact that children can see each other on screen helps them to build real relationships – make friends even - despite the huge distances between them.

A teacher who read this article is interested in using the system in her school and has made some notes.  Complete her notes with word or phrases from the text.

Check your understanding. Decide if these statements are true or false according to the information in the text.