Today in class, we had the opportunity to be inside a video conference room where we explored the different pedagogical methods to access learning. Video conferencing is a necessity for those students who are immobile or physically incapable of making it to a class. It is also a great learning tool for those students who don’t have access to university classes because they live in rural environments. The cameras of the room are very smart and zoom into the speaker so the viewers can directly see the speaker. The conference room provides a real life experience to the viewer who can access all the information from the comfort of their home.
We had a chance to see an actual robot type camera called Beam which has humanistic features. It has sensors all around so it is able to move around classrooms and buildings with the help of a human remotely controlling it. It is very accessible and provides high definition live video capture to the viewers. I can definitely see it being used in homes where students aren’t able to make it to class. Instead of the district hiring a private teacher to come into the student’s home, this provides the same service. This significantly reduces the cost since private teachers which are expensive and now one teacher can teach multiple students in their homes with the help of these robots. As time goes on, technology is increasing and we need to take advantage of it to enhance pedagogy to students.