I need to attend a training virtually. Will video Skype work ? I had some past problems with it.

Well, perhaps I am exaggerating a little about the plane tickets, but we used video Skype for a similar training situation last March; one of the attendees had a sudden medical emergency so could not attend.  The video Skype worked perfectly!  We even projected her on the big screen (until she realized that sickly pallor wasn’t her best look, and asked to be “minimized”).

I would guess that the problem that you mentioned in your email about video lag when your daughter was in France had to do with the amount of broadband width that was available to her.  An Internet café or a hotel does not always have the best service. We video Skype weekly with our son and granddaughter in Minnesota with no glitches (except when she moves too quickly and the camera can’t keep up with her!)  My husband video Skyped from Kuwait a year ago, and the COMPUTER EXPLORERS team felt as though we were in the middle of the sandstorm gusting outside his hotel room!

The only difficulty that we had during the training was moving the laptop and camera around so that they were facing the speaker.  Ours was a very interactive and informal setting without a stationary presenter.  Physically moving the equipment wasn’t a problem, but the lighting changed and consequently the quality of the outgoing video wasn’t consistent.  At first we had the laptop and camera sitting on a rolling chair, but it worked best when we had it on a fixed podium with the camera at face level with those around the room.  Sometimes our virtual trainee didn’t see the speaker, but occasionally we walked over to the laptop and addressed her directly.  If you have a front-of-the-class presenter, the logistics will be very simple!

I think you will find that video Skype is an excellent way to attend and participate in the meeting; frankly, I wouldn’t bother asking them to make the video and DVD that you mentioned unless you have other reasons for recording the sessions. I think you’ll feel as if you are right in the middle of things.

Currently COMPUTER EXPLORERS is writing a video Skype curriculum to be used in its elementary school classrooms.  We plan to use Skype to communicate around the world to discuss the twenty global issues in last week’s blog post!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development