Voip HelpDesk: Using VOIP In Education

Although voip has increasingly been chosen as the preferred telecommunication solution for higher education and K-12 school districts, many educators aren't taking advantage of voip in the classroom. Leading voip service provider, voip.com, helps teachers unlock voip's potential.
Merging voice and data networks opens up a world of opportunities for improved communication between teachers and parents, students, peers, and specialists. Perhaps the most common benefit is better interaction between parents and teachers at the K-12 level. Keeping parents in the loop is a proven method for improving student performance, while forging stronger ties between families and districts pays off when it's time to get a bond approved.
Distance learning also enables educators to reach traditionally disenfranchised students, even if they're socioeconomically disadvantaged, geographically spread out, disabled, or struggling with full-time responsibilities. Voip adds another dimension to online classes. Incorporating voice chat lets students experience a synchronous learning environment that has more of the give and take found in offline classes. Additionally, distance students are able to work collaboratively on group projects, gaining important team management skills they'll need in the "real" world.
Another frequently overlooked area is course content; virtual textbooks can include rich multimedia content right on their pages, unlike traditional print books and because it's so much cheaper to produce eTexts, students can easily produce their own books as part of their coursework. Shy students often blossom in an online class, finding it's more comfortable to participate in class because they're not standing up in front of a room full of people.
Lastly, one of the most exciting ways to use voip in the classroom is to take your class online, to the virtual world of Second Life. There, students have the chance to apply some of what they're learning: creating virtual businesses, mocking up engineering designs, testing social theories, and designing online solutions to real world problems.