The comments below take a broad view, and are based on experiences gained during the first year of the project. They may be of interest to those starting or planning to use videoconferencing in schools. Where to put it Videoconferencing console with lighting In any school, choices will be limited and constrained by a range of circumstances, from room availability to the location of previously installed ISDN lines. Most PC videoconferencing systems are designed primarily for 'desktop' use. Larger groups may have difficulty hearing and seeing what's going on, unless extras are added.
Most systems have sockets for connecting external devices.
For small groups, adding a device such as Coherent's CallPort makes it easy to hear and be heard. An external video camera can be used instead of the normal PC one, to give more flexibility and control over the picture being sent. Most PC based videoconferencing systems seem to be a bit quirky and fussy. Once they're set up, they're best left alone. Overall time lags can be longer with long distance communication, and it takes some practice to get used to them.