A guest post from Marc McCormick of Polycom’s ‘The Public Sector View’ blog.

The Public Sector View based out of the United States was named one of the Top 50 Federal Government IT Blogs of 2013 by FedTech Magazine and is one of the Top 10 Blogs Every IT Worker Should Use according to global staffing agency Kelly Services.

In this post, Marc has compiled the top education articles that The Public Sector View published in 2013, looking at how videoconferencing is revolutionising education, and the benefits that video is delivering to students, schools and school districts.

The way that we educate our children is changing dramatically. Part of that change impacts what we teach students, and is due to a shift in curriculum to help our children better compete in a global economy. The other part of that change is a result of technologies – specifically video teleconferencing (VTC) solutions – that are revolutionizing the actual process of educating students.

Online learning and VTC are enabling teachers to embrace flipped learning, where students digest content at home and then engage in higher level activities in school. VTC solutions are enabling educational institutions to record and host MOOC’s – classes that are free and open to anyone over the Internet. VTC is enabling students that are homebound or abroad to attend their classes without having to be in the classroom. Students are now even capable of defying distance to experience educational opportunities that were previously unavailable thanks to VTC solutions being used for virtual fieldtrips.

But the students aren’t the only ones benefitting from these technologies. Schools and districts are being given the ability to offer courses to their students by bringing in teachers via video when budgets make it impossible to bring a new instructor onto the staff. They’re now able to cut costs and increase productivity by meeting via video, instead of traveling to meet in-person. They’re even able to conduct interviews and handle the hiring of teachers and administrators over video, reducing travel costs.

Here are some of the top articles that Public Sector View published in 2013, looking at how VTC revolutionizing education, and the benefits that VTC is delivering to students, schools and school districts:

Why Nebraska is a leader in distance learning – an exclusive interview with Gordon Roethemeyer, memb...
In this two part podcast, Gordon Roethemeyer, the director of distance education for the Educational Service Unit (ESU) Coordinating Council, who is responsible for overseeing the exchange of distance-learning classes state-wide, discusses why Nebraska has emerged as one of the country’s leaders in providing distance learning classes. Listen to part two by clicking HERE.

Teaching the teachers – the benefits of professional development via video teleconferencing
A detailed look at how VTC solutions can help train teachers at a time when Common Core State Standards, flipped learning and other trends are drastically and dramatically altering the education landscape in schools across America.

Benefits of video teleconferencing on campus extend beyond students
In addition to increasing access to educational content for students across America, VTC solutions also can benefit colleges and universities by making their operations more effective and efficient.

TAACCCT grants deliver technologies needed for workforce training
Adult education can help a workforce hungry for better jobs get the skills, abilities and knowledge they need to fill the vacancies in their area. VTC can be a valuable tool for bringing this educational content to a non-traditional student base that may have jobs, families and responsibilities keeping them out of the classroom.

Virtual fieldtrips take students behind closed doors
Slashed school budgets are making actual field trips a thing of the past in today’s schools. However, using VTC solutions for virtual fieldtrips can help connect students with foreign lands and cultures, and deliver them to places they may never get to physically visit – such as the White House.

Video enables MOOCs to deliver educational opportunities to students everywhere
MOOCs are giving students, and non-traditional learners, an opportunity to digest educational content for free, at their own pace, on their own schedule and from any location with an active Internet connection. In this two part series, we explore the benefits of MOOCs to both students and schools, and some innovative ways MOOCs can be used by colleges and universities to help students succeed.