THE WINSTON CHURCHILL MEMORIAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA Report by - BEN NEWSOME - 2013 Churchill Fellow The Northern Districts Education Centre (Sydney) Churchill Fellowship to investigate best practice in science education via video conferencing - Canada, USA I understand that the Churchill Trust may publish this Report, either in hard copy or on the internet or both, and consent to such publication. I indemnify the Churchill Trust against any loss, costs or damages it may suffer arising out of any claim or proceedings made against the Trust in respect of or arising out of the publication of any Report submitted to the Trust and which the Trust places on a website for access over the internet. I also warrant that my Final Report is original and does not infringe the copyright of any person, or contain anything which is, or the incorporation of which into the Final Report is, actionable for defamation, a breach of any privacy law or obligation, breach of confidence, contempt of court, passing-off or contravention of any other private right or of any law. Signed Dated Winston Churchill Fellowship Report Ben Newsome 1 Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................ 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 5 PROGRAMME ............................................................................................................................................................... 6 MAIN BODY .................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Transforming Lives & Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 8 What makes great STEM VC content? ................................................................................................................... 12 Video conferencing teaching practices used ..................................................................................................... 14 Video conference devices & delivery ..................................................................................................................... 14 H.323 Video conference systems ....................................................................................................................... 14 Web Conferencing Solutions .............................................................................................................................. 15 Green screen (aka Chroma Key) ......................................................................................................................... 16 Document cameras ............................................................................................................................................ 18 Use of camera presets during teaching ............................................................................................................. 20 Supporting remote school sites ......................................................................................................................... 22 Room Configuration ............................................................................................................................................... 24 Distance learning rooms incorporating an A/V mixing station .......................................................................... 24 Smaller distance learning rooms ........................................................................................................................ 26 Between room VC .............................................................................................................................................. 27 Moveable VC units ............................................................................................................................................. 28 Video conference robots .................................................................................................................................... 29 Special case – VC Exhibits................................................................................................................................... 29 Individual STEM VC lessons discussed ................................................................................................................... 30 Collaborative programs .......................................................................................................................................... 35 Case Study: School District Support of VC ............................................................................................................. 38 Accessing video conferencing content .................................................................................................................. 40 Costs of virtual excursions ................................................................................................................................. 42 Challenges for STEM VC ......................................................................................................................................... 43 Challenges for VC content providers ................................................................................................................. 43 Challenges for schools and other remote sites .................................................................................................. 45 Future directions of VC content providers ............................................................................................................. 46 Future predictions of VC delivery .......................................................................................................................... 47 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................ 48 Provider snapshots ..................................................................................................................................................... 50 Aquarium of the Pacific ...................................................................................................................................... 50 Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology ............................................................................................................ 50 Alaska Zoo .......................................................................................................................................................... 51 Alaska SeaLife Center ......................................................................................................................................... 51 Minnesota Historical Society.............................................................................................................................. 52 Nina Mason Pulliam Ecolab at Marian University .............................................................................................. 52 Cleveland Museum of Natural History ............................................................................................................... 52 East Central Ohio Education Services Center ..................................................................................................... 53 Winston Churchill Fellowship Report Ben Newsome 2 Cleveland Museum of Art .................................................................................................................................. 53 Monroe #1 BOCES .............................................................................................................................................. 53 Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum ...................................................................................................... 54 International Spy Museum ................................................................................................................................. 54 New York Hall of Science .................................................................................................................................... 55 Intrepid Sea Air Space Complex ......................................................................................................................... 55 Mote Marine Laboratory.................................................................................................................................... 56 Centre for Puppetry Arts .................................................................................................................................... 56 Mariners Museum .............................................................................................................................................. 57 Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum ........................................................................................................................... 57 Royal Botanic Gardens Ontario .......................................................................................................................... 57 HEC TV ................................................................................................................................................................ 58 Minnesota Zoo 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