I can talk about what the teacher is doing and why she's doing it, in real time. On the contrary, when our students actually go into a classroom, they usually can't talk about the experience until their next class time on campus. That can hamper our ability to help them understand what's going on in that classroom. Distance learning never will take the place of being in the schools, but Phillion and East Chicago administrators say they are pleased with the opportunities virtual observation provides. This experience is showing many future teachers that urban education is not scary.
Schools often are the mirror for their communities.
It's our goal to set the expectations for our community. A high poverty level does not change the fact that we have high expectations. And we find every conceivable way to expand our technology and get as much mileage out of our technology dollars as we can. Most of our students won't have a computer at home and would never know what a video conference was without our schools. In addition, Nolan said the direct contact Harrison students are getting with university students is invaluable.