Two Boston-area schools are broadening the educational resources through the help of videoconferencing, Network World recently reported.
Through the combined efforts of Havard University, Cisco and BBN Technologies, students at the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science and the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School are now able to use videoconferencing go more in-depth with their learning experiences. The technology allows students to watch live events and interact with people from across the world.
Harvard and BBN Technologies assisted the schools by setting up connectivity to the Internet 2 Network, a next-generation network that delivers high-performance connection for research and academic institutions. Cisco provided the schools with telepresence equipment to allow them to utilize the network for high-definition video streams directly into the classroom.
The videoconferencing technology provides an additional resource for students, who can now “visit” museums or see a live performance they wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend. Academic institutions can even connect the technology to an HD-TV, LED monitor or classroom projector to reach more students at one time.
Though the projects are still in their early stages, Harvard Senior Technical Analyst Leo Donnelly told Network World teachers will soon have much more video content to choose from, as high-definition videoconferencing technology becomes more ubiquitous throughout the country.
