For the last several months, as I’ve been considering my PhD research, I’ve been wishing that we had a really good descriptive name for what we do – connecting to content providers, guest experts, authors, classroom-to-classroom projects, international cultural exchanges, etc.
Some names we have used are Videoconference Adventures, Electronic Education, Virtual Field Trip, and Expeditions. But these don’t really capture an all inclusive idea of using videoconferencing for curriculum based experiences.
I’ve been guilty of using the term “enrichment” to describe what we do. But enrichment has a connotation of an add-on, an extra. Some thing that is optional. We all know schools who have so thoroughly integrated videoconferencing into the curriculum that whole grade levels annually participate in activities that tightly match their curriculum. So enrichment doesn’t really work either.
So, what do you think of the term “curriculum videoconferencing?” It’s simple and straightforward. The emphasis is on CURRICULUM, right where it should be. It uses the most common term for this technology, videoconferencing. It works to include all the types of K12 videoconferences for the curriculum – authors, content providers, projects, collaborations. We could add K12 in front, but higher ed is dabbling in this use of VC too. Curriculum Videoconferencing. Has a nice ring, doesn’t it?
What do you think? Does it work? Can you think of a better term?
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