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Preparation for Videoconferencing

Knowing your system

It is important that users feel comfortable using the videoconferencing system.

videoconference diver
Conference participants get up close to the inhabitants of the Great Barrier Reef via our underwater video camera.

Ensure users can:

  • Set up the system
  • Plug in the ISDN, IP line
  • Switch the system on!
  • Make a call
  • Control the camera
  • Mute the sound when necessary
  • Check the picture you are sending to the far-end using picture-in-picture. (PIP)

Before a conference

Make arrangements with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to:

  • Decide on a date and time for the conference.
  • Make a booking with our Education Team. Email: education@gbrmpa.gov.au
  • Ensure all dates, times, mobile phone numbers, contact names and ISDN numbers are exchanged in good time and checked. Use e-mail to confirm arrangements in writing to avoid any errors. Acknowledge the receipt of the information as final confirmation.
  • Conduct a test link up is conducted between sites at least twenty-four hours in advance.

Do not rely on your videoconference system being the only means of communication in your videoconference classroom. It is good practice to ensure that both sides have access to a mobile telephone, or other 'fixed' telephone, in the room for those occasions when instant troubleshooting and diagnosis are necessary. Both sites need to know the number of the phone in the room at the other site.

Preparing the Students

 

  • A group of students will naturally be excited and curious about their first videoconference. They will want to talk about how it works, experiment and ask questions. It is worth providing an opportunity for them to try out the technology informally prior to the event.


During a recent link and presentation about the Great Barrier Reef and its creatures, the most common questions asked by students were "How does the link work?" "Where is the Great Barrier Reef?" and various questions about cultural issues. The presenter answered all the questions in an informal and entertaining way, after which the children were happy and settled down to focus on the more interesting aspects of the conference.