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Videoconferencing in the Preschool Classroom

By Karen Cox | Affiliate Disclosure | Filed Under: Tech for Teachers

Here are 3 ways to use video chat as a teaching tool in the preschool classroom.

Video Chat in the Preschool Classroom

Today I’m hosting Chapter 5 of Teaching in the Digital Age for the Summer Book Study.

Teaching in the Digital Age, by Brian Puerling
Chapter 5: Expanding the Classroom with Videoconferencing and Webcams

The classroom is a concept rather than a space within walls.
– Brian Puerling

This chapter reminded me that we have so much technology available that doesn’t always get used in the classroom. I have never done videoconferencing in the classroom, but this chapter showed me many ways it can benefit children.

Connect with experts. In most situations, an expert, such as a firefighter, dentist, or police officer could come to the classroom to talk to the children in person. A videoconference would work well for an expert who is not able to come because of distance or scheduling, or because they need to be within their work environment to explain something to the children. An example of this might be a beekeeper talking to the children about how a bee makes honey, or a farmer talking to city children about where milk comes from, or an interview with a pilot for children who do not live near an airport.

Connect with children or classrooms around the world.  If you had a current student or former student in a military family who moved to another country, that child could teach the other children about their life there. You might have a student who moves during the middle of the year, and the children could keep in touch with their classmate this way. If you teach in a Christian program, it might be possible to connect with a missionary your church sponsors in another country and visit with the children who live there through videoconference.

Connect with family members who live far away. I have a friend who Skypes with her grandchildren across several states, and I’m sure she would love to read a book to her grandchild’s class through a videoconference. In some instances, a child might have a parent who lives in another state. You could also connect with a parent who is traveling or lives away for a parent-teacher conference.

It’s fun to imagine the possibilities. Have you ever tried videoconferencing in the classroom? Or do you have a great idea for videoconferencing? Please share in the comments below.


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18 Comments

About Karen Cox

Karen is the founder of PreKinders.com. She also works as a full-time Pre-K teacher in Georgia. Read more...

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Wendy Young, LMSW, BCD says

    July 11, 2012 at 11:39 am

    Lovely post! I think the idea of connecting with experts via tech is an awesome one for the classroom. I do it all of the time as a mental health consultant with teachers, staff, administrators…but didn’t consider connecting experts with kids in the classroom. Like a virtual field trip! Cool!

    Wendy @Kidlutions

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 11, 2012 at 12:11 pm

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing a comment, Wendy!

      Reply
  2. Janet Schipp says

    July 11, 2012 at 6:56 pm

    I video chat with several classes. We use a service called CICL that allows us to interact with other Pre K classes . So far we have talked to classes from Tennessee, Texas, and Pennsylvania. We students love to see what their friends in other states are learning about.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 11, 2012 at 7:16 pm

      Thanks for commenting, Janet! It sounds like fun.

      Reply
    • Dawn Colavita says

      July 9, 2013 at 12:32 pm

      Janet, thanks for using and mentioning CILC’s website.
      Not only can you find other classrooms with which to connect, you can also find what we call content providers, who share their expertise. They may be individuals, museums, science centers, zoos and the like.

      I’ve taught kindergarten in the past. What a way to improve vocabulary. So much easier to teach about a kangaroo when they can see one live and ask the zoo educator questions about it!

      Reply
  3. Eilis@GrowinginPreK says

    July 12, 2012 at 12:57 am

    Love your ideas. You got me thinking… kids are always so sad if a grandparent cannot come visit on Grandparents Day. Maybe they could visit with our class through a video conference. Also, I am hoping to get more parents to come in to read stories to the class this year. I could offer video conferencing as a way for working parents to participate.

    Reply
  4. Karen says

    July 12, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    Grandparents day– that’s a great idea, Eilis! Thanks for sharing. I, too, feel sad for those kids who don’t have anyone.

    Reply
  5. Sharon says

    July 15, 2012 at 6:21 pm

    I also love the idea of video conferencing with experts. With the budget constraints in education at this time, field trips are a thing of the past in many schools. This is a great and more affordable way to bring the field trips to the classroom.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 16, 2012 at 1:52 pm

      Great idea, Sharon! Thanks for sharing. I hope our field trips don’t get cut — it is so important for children to have real experiences, but if field trips aren’t possible this would be a good alternative. Field trips at my school are funded by fundraisers.

      Reply
  6. Amy Johnson says

    July 16, 2012 at 12:45 pm

    Love your site! I nominated you for a blog award.

    Reply
  7. Kandy says

    July 17, 2012 at 9:49 am

    We did a VC with Mrs. Clause. She read us a story and talked to us. We conneted to the region XII education service center. It was really neat and the kids loved it!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 18, 2012 at 1:45 am

      That sounds like fun! Thanks for sharing, Kandy!

      Reply
  8. Bobbi Capwell says

    July 19, 2012 at 12:22 pm

    We have done vc with Santa Claus and also classes in other parts of the country. They have worked very well.
    Santa Claus (One of the district techs) read us a story and talked with each of the kids. It was really sweet.
    We have talked with classes in Lubbock, Texas, Minneapolis, MN, Atlanta GA, and Lewes DE. We read the same story and acted it out for each other, The others we did a playground hunt that was so much fun. We had a list of 10 things that should be pretty common in every playground and then showed pictures and compared things.
    The kids loved seeing and hearing the kids from other places. I am hoping that we can do a vc with some friends in England and Japan and Canada this coming year.

    Reply
  9. Karen says

    July 19, 2012 at 12:36 pm

    Thanks for sharing, Bobbi! What great ideas! Sounds like fun.

    Reply
  10. Elfinesh Zeleke says

    August 6, 2012 at 8:21 am

    I have very happy and pleasant to see all the work done for preschool
    and it helps me to love my work more.

    Thank you

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 13, 2012 at 8:21 pm

      Thanks so much!

      Reply
  11. video conferencing says

    March 1, 2013 at 5:46 am

    Connecting with experts via video conferencing is such a good idea! It will also make things easier for schools, especially schools on a budget, because they will be saving money on travel. It really is a virtual field trip, just like Wendy said.

    Reply
  12. memoona says

    August 17, 2013 at 1:00 am

    hi karen ! its a great pleasure always to recieve your emaols.i am also applying them in my proffesional life .is a great help indead.if it is possible
    i would like u to guide me about teacher attitude towards kids when he s entering in school for the 1st time.and some stuff about library training.
    thank u

    Reply

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Glad you're here! You'll find hands-on learning activities, themes, and printables for Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten kids. I'm Karen Cox, a Pre-K teacher in Georgia. I have taught 4-5 year olds for 20+ years! Read More…

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