Multipoint Desktop Videoconferencing for Teacher Training: A Singapore Experience.

Rapid technological development in the last decade has made it easier than ever to use technologies as collaborative learning tools. Computer video conferencing as a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) technology brings learners closer to real-world environments and it provides increasing opportunities for learners to share experiences across time and space. This paper reports on how multipoint desktop video conferencing (MDVC) is used in preservice teacher education programs in Singapore. Summative research findings reveal that student teachers reacted positively to the scaffolding provided by peers and supervisors via video conferencing. MDVC apparently opened up a new avenue for collegial learning, and student teachers do not have to rely only on the expertise found in their own schools. (Contains 18 references.) (Author)