In today’s connected classroom, live streaming can be an integral part of a modern education. It’s never been so easy to communicate and interact with other people and events in real time, and this can contribute to the education system in a very beneficial way.
Before diving in, we should note that live streaming in schools isn’t all that new of a concept. Distance learning has been around for decades. It began as a way for students to receive schooling via the mail and has advanced so that students can now learn remotely via online courses. In its early days, one major limitation of online education was that technology was very expensive and cumbersome. When video was added to the curriculum, it required schools to invest in proprietary equipment and sometimes specialized communications services with expensive recurring fees.
Nowadays, almost every laptop or tablet is capable of live streaming or viewing someone else’s stream, and almost every student or teacher has a smartphone in their pocket. All of this readily available technology is here for classrooms to take advantage of, and it doesn’t require additional investments like in generations past.
Let’s explore some ways live streaming can be utilized in modern classrooms.
Learn Anywhere with Remote Classes
One of the most common ways to use live streaming in the classroom is to hold a remote class, where the teacher isn’t in the same location as all (or any) of their students.
While it’s easy to use Skype, Google Hangouts, or even YouTube or Facebook Live to broadcast live video, teachers typically opt for more specialized tools, such as Scriyb.
Scriyb is a live streaming platform specifically designed for education. It allows teachers to broadcast not only themselves, but any presentation or document on their computer. It also allows students to chat, interact, and more. When the class is over, the entire session is available for students to re-watch at anytime.
Cisco and Webex are making similarly impressive strides in delivering classroom curriculum to students around the world via live video.
Imagine, you want to take French but your high school only has a Spanish teacher. By using this technology, you can now join a French class taught by a teacher in another county.
This same remote classroom technology can help students who can’t make it to school, as well. As much as everyone loved to take a sick day from school, some unfortunate kids get stuck with an illness that keeps them out for weeks. Using today’s live streaming technology, that student can now “attend” school, from home.
Watch History Happen – Live!
Society now has the ability to live stream just about anything, and we do. For students in a classroom this can mean witnessing history as it happens. Rather than just discussing current events, they can pull them up and watch live.
A science class can watch a space shuttle launch or check in on April the Giraffe. A history class can pull up live video of Supreme Court hearings or learn what a stump speech is as one is being delivered.
Invite & Interact with Special Guests
There are schools in nearly every small town in the country, and some of them are very remote. The chances of a subject matter expert coming to visit these rural classes as a guest are usually very slim. By using live streaming technology, however, students in multiple classrooms can see and interact in real time with anyone.
Live streaming allows students to engage with some of the most interesting speakers in the world, as well as some from out of this world. Check out these students who got to chat with astronauts on the International Space Station!
Streaming Announcements & Assemblies
The phrase “everyone go to the gymnasium for a special announcement” never has to be heard again. Thanks to live streaming, the school principal needs only to “go live” and address the entire school in person.
The same goes for the morning announcements or the school news programs. Previously this required a specialized PA and closed circuit TV system to reach every classroom. Now, these daily announcements can be live streamed and viewed on classroom computers, tablets, or projectors.
Graduation Ceremonies Broadcast in Real Time
Schools are also embracing live streaming as a way to allow their cities and communities access to special events, with many institutions now broadcast everything from award assemblies to graduation ceremonies. This allows family members who couldn’t otherwise attend feel like they are there for the special moment. School graduations are frequently sold-out events with limited seating. By live streaming the event, anyone who wants to watch can do so from virtually anywhere in the world.
Live streaming has become one of the best ways to help the average student connect to all kinds of things happening in the world at that moment, right from their desk. It’s exciting to see where technology will take education next! Check out how Switchboard Live helps Villinova University extend reach and engage with fans in real time!
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