Today was our first Read Across America videoconference for this year. It was also our first time videoconferencing with a Click to Meet site and our Polycom room system. In other words Polycom VSX7000 meets Webcam. It wasn't terrible. Let me clarify that. I wasn't sure what to expect. I had pretty low expectations. The biggest problem was the audio. We heard everything we said twice. So, when our students talked we asked the other site to mute their mic. The video definitely was not as sharp as we are use to. There was no camera work at the Click to Meet. No zooming in and out, no panning right to left, and no presets. There was just one wide shot thats focus was soft. But we did hear and see them. We did have a good time learning about each other. Our students presented some Dr. Seuss poems and facts. They read to us The Three Little Pigs. We asked questions and they answered them. They asked questions and we answered them. The children enjoyed the experience and so did I. I think that the quality of the connection detracted from the program but I also think that if I had to choose to videoconference with a Click to Meet site or not to videoconference I would choose the former since the purpose of the videoconference was accomplished.
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