Establish links with other schools overseas

Flashmeeting is ideal for pupils practising their language or communications skills. If you are currently exchanging emails with children or adults in schools overseas, Flashmeeting can help you develop this further – from text to video and sound. Email them a meeting link and they log in to the Flashmeeting server at the prearranged time, to join your class via video-link. In this way, children improving language speaking skills, talking to other children and adults in French or other modern foreign languages.

Use Flashmeeting as a tool in enquiry-based projects:

Joint project work in many curriculum areas brings new opportunities for learning into the classroom. Flashmeeting provides an excellent audience. Children in different locations can discuss/compare their work (eg river study) Flashmeeting has proved very useful where children interview an expert. See this example where a class interview a children's author about good story writing. Read more in the Crabble Mill Project. Children can interview an expert in a museum. If the expert has a webcam and an internet link, you can join them in their workplace. History and Drama provide some special opportunities, with children interviewing and hot seating other children in role or in character. Can we almost imagine that we are going back in time to interview Charles Dickens? Crucially Flashmeeting records the meeting so after the event, the same web address gives access to a replay that can be stopped, started and analysed by the users, so they can analyse their questioning technique and the answers given. Listen to Phil Bracegirdle from Kent talk to Devon teachers about this.

Pilot groups across the south-west are trying out and sharing ideas with their schools using this exciting tool for learning. Get in touch with your LA contact to join a group in your area.