Content area
Abstract
With the expanding infrastructure of telecommunications and technology in the world today, new applications for communications are emerging in our society. In order to prepare students for the 21st century, education cannot ignore what is happening in the outside world and the skills our students need in order to compete in the future workplace.
Videoconferencing has been used in educational environments in higher education and business and now is spreading to K–12 classrooms. Educational reform efforts suggest that constructivist learning environments should be explored for student activities and assessment. In order to prepare teachers and schools for best practices using videoconferencing technology, constructivist instructional strategies need to be matched with technology.
The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the characteristics of videoconferencing sessions that support constructivist learning experiences and to determine critical support strategies for constructivist applications of videoconferencing in K–12 learning environments.
The Delphi panel was a purposive sample of 32 experts representing K–12 teachers, experienced videoconferencing users, and/or visionaries in educational support roles. A three-round electronic survey was completed in order to answer the three research questions. The survey instruments were pilot-tested prior to each round. The researcher, with the help of a second-rater, analyzed the data between rounds and reported results on each successive round.
The experts identified twenty desirable characteristics of videoconferencing that support constructivist learning environments. A list of support strategies for videoconferencing activities were generated during Round One and rated during Round Two in order to reach consensus on the most critical strategies. Round Three finalized the ten most important videoconferencing characteristics to consider in constructivist learning experiences and the ten most critical support strategies.
The panelists' perceptions of constructivist characteristics were compared with demographic data in order to identify relationships. Panelists that were K–12 teachers and had prior experience using videoconferencing were found to have stronger agreement with constructivist elements.
Recommendations for further study include (a) implementation of the findings in educational settings for evaluating their effectiveness, and (b) development of standards for implementation of videoconferencing in K–12 classrooms that support constructivist learning environments.
