In traditional learning environments, the most widely relied upon format amongst schools and other educational organizations is in-person interactions between teacher and student.
This conventional system is based on students finding success with curriculum delivered through direct engagement and personal instruction. The same holds true in a professional setting, where education and training are critical elements in employee development. However, the means through which “face-to-face” education is achieved have drastically changed thanks to technology and its ever-growing capabilities.
For both the private and public sectors, the impact of “distance learning” through video communications is significant.
According to Wainhouse Research, “Companies and governmental entities can leverage content to become more agile, mapping certifications, compliance issues, and career planning via their human capital management (HCM) platforms to content assets and in-house subject matter expertise. By leveraging streaming alternatives, some large organizations can mitigate the travel costs that would otherwise be incurred in bringing far-flung employees together for an in-person training session.”
For one global education charity (GEC), streaming media and video communications allowed it to engage scholastic communities worldwide in discussion and debate key issues, ultimately accelerating education and its systems. The GEC attracts companies and organizations such as UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the World Bank, the Red Cross, and the British Council, and includes an audience of ministers of education, Lords, professors, education activists, field workers in third-world countries, and representatives of major international agencies.
With public participation from people around the world, GEC knew their telepresence technology for these debates needed to be easily accessible for all – regardless of device or location – in order to maximize interoperability and minimize compatibility issues.
Partnering with Yorktel, this global education charity was able to connect participants from New York, London, Cairo, and Bengaluru and stream to a worldwide audience from various global locations such as London, Paris, Budapest, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Virginia, Toronto, Glasgow, Sao Paulo, Libya, and Seoul.
According to its COO, “In the early days of our debates, the teleconferencing technology was a distraction and difficult to configure. Now, the technology is moving to the background where it belongs, which enables us to focus on what matters most — hosting engaging debates with our audience members regardless of location or technology. The sharing of insights cannot be replaced.”
Audience members watching the live stream took to social media platforms like Twitter to engage the panelists directly with questions. Using event specific hashtags, the audience extended the debate’s inherent collaboration to followers worldwide. Over the course of the 2-hour event, more than 130 tweets not only helped influence the discussion, but also allowed it to spread across the globe, attracting engagement from people in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Egypt, India, Lebanon, South Korea, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA, and Zimbabwe.
Of note, is that these 130+ tweets elicited more than 600 reactions.
See how this GEC was able to affect global education reform, creating a collaborative and interactive experience through webcasting, streaming video communications and social media.
Dave Tidler is a Digital Communications Architect for Yorktel’s Advanced Services division.
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