Desktop Videoconferencing and the Virtual Practicum

This paper describes a pilot project that explored teacher candidates' opinions of the use of desktop videoconference technologies to provide teaching experiences that mimic the real-world practicum. Opinions were gleaned from questionnaires and reflective papers. Videoconference software was said to mimic certain aspects of the practicum such as: direct instruction, questioning, tutoring, and one-on-one scenarios that rely to a large extent on audio communication. The candidates also reported that limitations of the technology (e.g., slow frame rates, inability to capture students' facial expressions, and inability to simultaneously capture images of students' and written work as it is created) constrain its ability to mimic the practicum. The limitations lead candidates to suggest that videoconference sessions might be used by a Faculty of Education to augment but not replace the real-world practicum experience. (Contains 1 table.)