Educators Unveil Teleconferencing Capabilities Nov. 6

WACO, Texas - Teleconferencing is the wave of the future in education as students are communicating via links across town and throughout the world.
Baylor University will host a demonstration of the latest in teleconferencing networking from 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, in Room 139 of Draper Academic Building. Baylor's School of Education will connect to teleconferencing stations at Hillcrest Professional Development School in Waco Independent School District, Harker Heights Elementary School in Killeen Independent School District, the Center for Occupational Research and Development and Hong Kong.
Students and teachers will demonstrate Baylor's IDEASnet (Interactive Distance Education Access Systems network) by engaging in two-and-three-way conversations through the video network.
At 3 p.m., Baylor President Robert B. Sloan Jr will communicate with his son who is a student at Hillcrest. Also, students from two different schools will demonstrate how they have been sharing ideas and information on the elections throughout this school year.
Most universities involved in teleconferencing use a network for distance learning to teach on the college level. Baylor has developed a network to include distance learning for K-12 students, according to Dr. Doug Rogers, associate professor of curriculum and instruction and director of the Center for Educational Technology.
"Baylor's teleconferencing network is a multi-vendor, multi-partner project that allows much more flexibility than single vendor networks," Rogers said. "We have taken advantage of the learning process that others have gone through and will have a multi-vendor, multi-partner network that is more accessible to people."
"Through teleconferencing, students are introduced to the knowledge, skills and attitude of other students as well as the working world," Rogers said. "In the the School of Education, Baylor wants to take teleconferencing one step further to make sure teachers of the future are preparing for jobs of the future. They need to know what skills are needed and how to use those skills."
For more information, contact Rogers at (817) 755-3113.