As the coronavirus continues to impact the number of people that can safely gather in one place, schools and other educational organizations are faced with the prospect of continuing with distance learning.
Distance learning or remote learning has been around for some time, but it wasn't until the 1990s that schools began looking toward distance education as part of their long-term strategy.
Now that COVID-19 is making the traditional school environment unfeasible in many areas of the country, schools are racing to develop new, better ways of reaching their students remotely.
One of the preeminent problems posed by the distance learning puzzle is how to avoid education inequality. Not all students have access to the internet or bandwidth levels to connect easily to their school's distance learning platforms.
For that reason, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)-based telecommunications systems are fast becoming an essential tool for the educational organization interested in providing high-quality education to all students.
VoIP telecommunications offer a lower-cost way for schools to connect with students remotely. Importantly, typical issues with VoIP, such as "jitter," latency, poor connection, and others, can be overcome with appropriate IT intervention.
Benefits of VoIP in Distance Learning Scenarios
VoIP provides much more than simple communication among students or between students and teachers.
This lower-cost telecommunications technology allows remote learning platforms to offer more opportunities for collaboration and better access to new ways of learning, such as:
Gamification for Better Attention
Research shows that gamification of learning activities results in holding student attention for longer for better learning outcomes.
Gamification provides rewards and incentives to keep learning fun and keep students engaged and progressing, and it is easy to accomplish using a VoIP telecommunications system.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
Higher learning centers use VoIP technology to connect large numbers of students through recorded online classes and even real-time coordination with teachers, mentors, and other students.
Online voice and video interaction are common in these larger classes, so students can ask questions and get the answers they need, regardless of geographical location or time zone.
Peer-Assisted Learning
VoIP's ability to connect students in real-time allows for peer-assisted tutorials and learning opportunities designed to assist struggling students.
Students connect using audio chats, video chats, or even messaging through bespoke applications. This high level of interaction has been shown to improve pass rates and performance — a perfect outcome for your long-distance school.
Screen Sharing for Better Understanding
When teachers interact with students during a video call, VoIP makes it possible for the teacher's computer screen to be easily shared with their online student body.
This allows instructors to guide students through the lessons step by step, provide further assistance to tackle complex topics, or demonstrate to students how to research necessary information online.
Trust Blue Technologies to Help Your School — and Your Students — Perform Better
As schools and other educational organizations continue to grapple with the intricacies of providing a comprehensive long-distance learning experience for their students, the Blue Technologies team has been hard at work finding solutions.
We have partnered with leaders in the industry to provide high-quality technology solutions to help your school — and your students — thrive.
Our VoIP telecommunications systems can help your organization connect teachers, students, and even parents using lower-cost technology targeted toward getting you the results you need — at a price you can afford.
What is even better is that our team can handle the entire process of setting up your distance learning portal, from an initial assessment of your current infrastructure and needs to your system's design and implementation.
Once you are up and running, our team stays by your side, providing routine maintenance and troubleshooting to keep your system performing. That means your in-house IT staff are freed up to focus on more mission-critical tasks rather than dealing with the day-to-day management of your telecommunications technology.
Get connected with lower-cost VoIP telecommunication to bring your students and teachers together. Contact a Blue Technologies consultant today and discover how our VoIP options can increase your students' learning experience.