Comments on: Telepresence – is this the future for presentations and maybe education too? http://jennylu.wordpress.com/2008/06/15/telepresence-is-this-the-future-for-presentations-and-maybe-education-too/ A teacher learning about the web and sharing it with others Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:50:51 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: polaine http://jennylu.wordpress.com/2008/06/15/telepresence-is-this-the-future-for-presentations-and-maybe-education-too/#comment-635 polaine Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:59:50 +0000 http://jennylu.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-635 On the one hand this is exciting technologically, but on the other I think it misses a lot of the point. It's already possible to collaborate and education online (see the Omnium Project - http://www.omnium.net.au - that I'm involved in). Whilst I think it would be great for people to stop jetting around the world for 15 minute presentations at academic conferences to audiences comprising a handful of people, once you look past the Cisco 'holograph' system's technological Wow! factor, it's clear that it is predicated on a one-to-many lecture-style of teaching, which often isn't terrible effective as a teaching approach. It's a broadcast model based on a way of thinking about teaching that feels now very out of date - the prof imparting their knowledge to the masses. It's as far away from a wiki as you could get. On the one hand this is exciting technologically, but on the other I think it misses a lot of the point. It’s already possible to collaborate and education online (see the Omnium Project – http://www.omnium.net.au – that I’m involved in).

Whilst I think it would be great for people to stop jetting around the world for 15 minute presentations at academic conferences to audiences comprising a handful of people, once you look past the Cisco ‘holograph’ system’s technological Wow! factor, it’s clear that it is predicated on a one-to-many lecture-style of teaching, which often isn’t terrible effective as a teaching approach. It’s a broadcast model based on a way of thinking about teaching that feels now very out of date – the prof imparting their knowledge to the masses. It’s as far away from a wiki as you could get.

]]> By: Simon Power http://jennylu.wordpress.com/2008/06/15/telepresence-is-this-the-future-for-presentations-and-maybe-education-too/#comment-634 Simon Power Sun, 15 Jun 2008 06:48:05 +0000 http://jennylu.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-634 Wow Jenny! Great to be reading your blog without having to slow down my computer and tunnel out behind the great firewall in China! Back home in sunny Ballarat. Imagine having you teach my class in China....or having our Chinese Liaison officer talk about the cultural revolution to your kids as she did to ours. It doesn't get any more authentic and engaging than that! Wow Jenny! Great to be reading your blog without having to slow down my computer and tunnel out behind the great firewall in China! Back home in sunny Ballarat.
Imagine having you teach my class in China….or having our Chinese Liaison officer talk about the cultural revolution to your kids as she did to ours. It doesn’t get any more authentic and engaging than that!

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