by Paolo Badiali EFL teacher at Liceo Scientifico Giotto Ulivi Borgo San Lorenzo, Florence Italy

The impact of technology on schools has been increasing year by year and shows little sign of slowing. As the various technologies have converged in a digital platform, the communication potential of IT has expanded dramatically. School students of all ages are embracing the digital revolution in the games they play and the text messages they send to each other's mobile phones. Harnessing the newest technology to support their learning in schools is a challenge to which schools and language teachers in particular must now rise. Video conferencing systems have been around for many years, but recent advances in technology now mean they are easy to use and have better quality picture and sound, so the video conferencing experience is much improved for all users.

Imagine that you are an EFL teacher working with the history teacher on the period 1000-1400 or dealing with historical novels such as Walter Scott’s Ivahoe together with the Italian teacher wishing to provide pupils with a more extensive background for Manzoni’s I Promessi Sposi or for Italian Romanticism. As part of a lesson on the English society after the Norman invasion you link via video conference to the Public Record Office where actors take on the characters of a Norman and a Saxon and re-enact an encounter over taxation. Your pupils are able to question and challenge the characters and see artefacts, including a facsimile of the Domesday book. Or imagine that you are a science teacher in a liceo scientifico. You are studying the topic 'The Earth and the Solar System' as part of your programme on astronomy for a 5^th form. You link your class via video conference to NASA, where experts lead your pupils in a discussion on living in space and link to astronauts in the space station, who answer questions from your pupils. Video conferencing offers enormous potential for enriching students' learning in ways that cannot easily be achieved by other means. It can radically alter the way pupils interact with one another and with the world outside the classroom walls let alone the highly beneficial input on motivating the students to use a foreign language in the most challenging learning environment. Just imagine how interesting could be for Italian students having video conferencing sessions with American peers on a regular basis. Pupils could see and talk directly to the boys/girls they had been writing to for some time.

At its simplest, video conferencing is a tool which allows users to see and hear the person they are communicating with. Video conference calls are usually one-to-one or point-to-point calls using a direct link between participants. Calls con be made locally, nationally or across the world. Multi-way or multipoint conferences are also possible where more than two users take part in the call; To make a video conference call each user needs some form of video conferencing system and access to a suitable communications link. Video conferencing systems come in a variety of formats - some are computer based, some arededicated units - but all have a number of common features:

• Camera

Video conferencing is exciting, stimulating, and easy to use with practice and confidence, and has the potential to totally involve pupils. It is perfectly within the possibilities and capabilities of what you can achieve in your classroom. The list of resources available to the teacher in the classroom is changing and becoming more sophisticated day by day. New technology and equipment are being developed all the time, extending our ability to communicate and collaborate with greater ease. However, it is ultimately the skill and ability of the teacher in harnessing the technology that will determine the success of video conferencing in the classroom.

The choice of system should depend on its intended use. Some systems are only suitable for person-to-person or small group use; others have the facilities to support use by whole classes. A communications link is required, over which a video conference is established. A video conference signal requires more capacity than a normal, voice-only phone line can provide. An alternative - ISDN – is generally used. Users with access to fast computer networks can, in some cases, use that network for video conferencing - this is generally referred to as IP video conferencing. (3 isdn lines as we have at Giotto Ulivi guarantee the best cost effective solution with the maximum audio/video quality) A video conference allows you to take part in live audio/video presentations in your classroom, and to collaborate through them. It is possible to video -.conference between two classrooms in the same town, or between two classrooms in different parts of the globe. The distance between each location is only restricted by the ability of each site to make the required connection.

Much as a telephone call is made by dialling another user, a video conference call is made either by dialling the other user's ISDN number or selecting the network address of the other user if the unit is on a network. Most systems will have an on-screen address book or directory in which numbers can be stored.

• Enable the user to hear and see the user at the for-end

(in video conference terminology 'far-end' refers to the video conferencing system you are contacting and 'near-end' refers to your end). All video conferencing systems need speakers and a suitable screen (computer monitor or television/video monitor depending on the system).

• Provide a means of controlling the sound

This is a major issue. The quality of sound will have a significant impact on the usability of the system for teaching and learning. All units need a microphone and speaker. These may be built into the computer if using a computer-based system or built into the video conferencing system and monitor if using a dedicated system.

If the microphone and speakers are in close proximity there is potential for sound to loop between the speakers and the microphone resulting in howling or acoustic feedback. Some units have methods of controlling sound such as echo cancellation and noise suppression systems. Others do not have a sophisticated sound control and require the use of a headset for acceptable results.

• Provide a means of controlling the video

A camera is a standard feature on all video conferencing systems. Some are simple, cheap web cams, others are more complex with automatic focus and gain control. Some dedicated units include cameras that can be controlled using a remote control. Some can even be voice activated where the camera will move to focus on the person talking. Some can be controlled from the far-end, enabling users at the far-end to choose what they want to see.

• find a partner and/or an institution and start experiencing videoconferencing in the classroom

I’ve selected some sites, mostly americans, which provide good services to the students. The interesting thing to be noted here is that other subjects and other teachers could be involved in the video conference: language teachers should try to talk their colleagues ( history, science, law&economy,) into collaborating with them both in planning and carrying out the lessons.

Here follows a useful list of public institutions, mostly American, where it is possible to find support for effective interactive lessons often prompting cooperation between the EFL teacher and teachers of other subjects:

University of Georgia Marine Extension Service in Savannah, Georgia, makes the ocean come alive for students. Over ¾ of the earth is blanketed by water. Explore the species that inhabit the water through the power of videoconference! "Feeding Frenzy" and "Head Games" are among some of the more popular programs along with "Restless Reptiles" and "Thar She Blows! It's the Right Whale!"

It holds nearly 10 million original documents, relating to most major events and famous people from the la st 1000 years of history. The education department has developed a programme of on-site history workshops for all levels.

Video conferencing lessons are available directly from the Science Museum and can be booked by contacting Sarah Leonard or going to the Science Museum website.