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Armidale students meet US counterparts via UNE video link

May 11, 2006

KelliherMacdon.thumb.JPGState-of-the-art communication technology at The University of New England has enabled Year 8 students from PLC Armidale to become the first Australian participants in an annual videoconference link between students in the United States and about a dozen other countries.

The 17 PLC English students spent an hour at UNE today in “face-to-face” discussion with students at Passaic Valley High School in New Jersey, USA. The special topic (chosen by the PLC students) was “Images of Youth” – the portrayal of young people in the media. They also spent some time exchanging information on each other’s lives, interests, and environments.

“It was fascinating the way stereotypes about both countries were overturned,” said Mrs Debra Kelliher, PLC’s Head of School, who accompanied the girls to UNE. “Seeing a big, culturally diverse school such as Passaic Valley High near New York has expanded our students’ horizons. They will develop into global citizens, and through this technology they are already able to communicate globally. Their generation is being described as that of ‘digital natives’, and it’s important to use teaching tools that are meaningful to them.”

This is the fourth year that the American school has organised the “Around the World” videoconference, in which its students talk – in succession, over a 24-hour period – to students at schools on all six continents. This year the countries involved were Argentina, Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India, Israel, Japan, Mozambique, Russia, Singapore and Spain. A neighbouring university in New Jersey – Mont Clair University – has provided the school with the software to enable it to set up an Internet “blackboard” on which students from all the participating countries can engage in written dialogue with each other. This will continue for another month.

Ian Truswell, Manager of UNELink Videoconferencing, said the American school had contacted him at UNE in search of an Australian participant in the project, and he had recommended PLC. (UNE has been advising the school on the future acquisition of its own videoconferencing system.) “UNE has one of the best – and best known – videoconferencing networks among Australian universities,” Mr Truswell said,” so they were hoping we could find a school close to us.”

Mrs Kelliher explained that the PLC students had been investigating the portrayal of young people in the media as part of their English studies. “This was a great opportunity to explore youth culture in an immediate way,” she said. “So much of our culture seems to be influenced by the United States. In today’s discussion they penetrated through to asking questions about values, and some deep learning occurred.”

While the video link was under way, education lecturers and students at UNE were observing to learn more about the technology’s potential. “It will help us look at the different ways in which we can use the technology with our own students,” said Dr Robyn Smyth, a UNE Lecturer in Higher Education.

The videoconferencing facility at UNE is in constant use by University staff – for everything from job interviews to international conferences. It also links the University’s network of regional Access Centres to the Armidale campus. Members of the wider New England community have been involved in UNE-based video links in a variety of educational contexts. UNELink has thus proved to be an educational resource for the entire region.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here, taken during today's video link, shows Mrs Debra Kelliher, Head of School at PLC, with Professor Ian Macdonald, Director of UNE's Teaching and Learning Centre.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at May 11, 2006 04:03 PM