Educational Exchange: Investigation of a Videoconference

An innovative learning partnership took place between undergraduates in an educational psychology course and fifth graders at a local elementary school. The goals for the partnership were: (a) to use videoconferencing to provide educational psychology students with a window into a live classroom, thus allowing opportunities to see theories and principles in action; (b) to give fifth graders opportunities to experience videoconferencing, to practice presentation skills, and to observe a university environment; and (c) to create a model for a videoconference-based collaboration between a K-12 teacher and an educational psychology professor that could be replicated by others. Videoconferencing offers an affordable strategy for bridging theory and practice, as well as promoting collaborative learning communities between K-12 schools and universities