What is Teleconferencing?
Teleconferencing is the real-time exchange of information between people that are not in the same physical place through a telecommunications system, such as the Internet. Schools are now using this technology to teach live lessons. With the appropriate pieces of hardware, an class of eighth graders at Montgomery Middle School was able to watch a live feed of an instructor with the NASA Distance Learning Program as he taught the students a science lesson from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The NASA Distance Learning Program is just one of the many programs that have started to use teleconferencing to spark interest into their field of study in schoolchildren.


IT Systems
Internet
The Internet provides the connectivity between the two environments, which transfers the data from one location to the other and vice versa. The ideal Internet connection for video conferencing is T1, which provides more bandwidth for faster real-time feed.

Personal and Public Communications
The live lessons taught using teleconferencing require both the instructors at the NASA Distance Learning Program and the school teachers at Montgomery Middle School to have the necessary pieces of hardware and software applications to hold a teleconference. Both sides must have an input device, such as a camera or webcam, a computer with Internet connection, and either a computer or a television screen to display the videos. Teleconferencing also for the real-time exchange of information from both sides.

Tutorials, training, and wizards
In schools, teleconferencing can be used to teach not only students, but also other members of the faculty and staff. Teleconferences can be held from a school in the United States to a school in France to teach students about the cultures and customs of other countries. They can also be used between the faculty and staff of schools to maintain consistency in their teaching standards.




Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:

• Broadens a student's knowledge to concepts outside of the ordinary classroom
• Sparks early interest into future field of study in schoolchildren
• More variety in the topics available to teach at school
• Example: Science--robotics, aerospace, etc.
• Allows risky experiments to be done outside of school environment
• Connects classrooms globally
• Real-time visual data exchange
  

Disadvantages:

• Cost of hardware/software
• Up-front cost and Maintenance
  
• Time Difference
  
• Example: 12+ hour-difference between China and the US

Social/Ethical Issues
Authenticity
Teleconferencing would actually decrease the issue with authenticity. Since both sides would have real-time feeds of each other, neither side would have to question if the person they are communicating with is who they think it is.

Equality of Access
Teleconferencing is not available to everybody, since not every school may have the funds to purchase or to set up teleconferences, so there is not really equality of access.

Globalization and Cultural Diversity
As long as the two locations have the necessary pieces of hardware and software, they will be able to hold teleconferences with each other and share ideas at real-time. Schools from all around the globe can hold teleconferences with each other, which can lead to the students from different countries learning about the cultures and customs of another country, helping to increase cultural diversity.




Sources
Article: "Reality TV"
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/somerset/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1222576007326640.xml&coll=1

Other:
http://communication.howstuffworks.com/teleconferencing.htm
http://www.allisp.info/t1/index.php
http://www.iswest.com/T1/index.php

Images:
http://www.nepean.med.usyd.edu.au/images/content/videoConferencing.jpg
http://clg.coventry.gov.uk/ccm/cms-service/stream/image/?image_id=15000202