Videocentric - Video Conferencing solutions for Education and Training




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National VideoConferencing Service for Schools

UK schools can now videoconference with other schools and content providers via the JANET network, with help from the JANET VideoConferencing Service using ISDN telephony connections or Broadband IP. This service provides national gateway services and multipoint conferencing facilities so that schools can minimise their own investment and benefit from shared resources which have already been funded for all schools in the UK by the Department for Children, Schools & Families, Classroom 2000 Northern Ireland and the Welsh Assembly Government.

As far back as 2002, VideoCentric supplied JANET with video networking infrastructure products as part of its core backbone network and in 2009 we are still working closely with JANET and a number of content providers to ensure that inter-school video communication and access to remote content is as seemless as possible. For more information about the JANET UK backbone network go to
http://www.ja.net/images/company/network-topology/topology-map.pdf
and for an overview of its international links go to
http://www.ja.net/images/company/network-topology/workingwiththeworld.pdf

A simple Booking Service

UK schools can register with the JANET's JVCS Booking Service, allowing any internet PC with the correct password to log in and pre-book a videoconference, meaning at the required time, the conference is connected without the teacher needing to understand the technology.

The service is not limited to Local Authority Schools in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, but is also extended to MoD Schools, Higher Education, Universities, Colleges of Further Education, Public Sector organisations, Research Councils, The NHS, Museums, Libraries, Galleries, Archives and other providers of educational resources including commercial organisations of educational interest. To register for the booking service go to http://bookings.jvcs.ja.net/cgi-bin/vcng/ureg.cgi

Virtual fieldtrips to Museums, Galleries, Libraries & other Content Providers in the UK and overseas

Try the following for starters….

The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms - www.iwm.org.uk/cabinetvidcon

The National Space Centre - http://www.spacecentre.co.uk/Page.aspx/83/VIDEO_CONFERENCING/

Cambridge Motivate (Maths & Science) - http://motivate.maths.org/

The National Archives (History) - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/educationservice/video.htm

National Maritime Museum (Tudor Seafaring, Slavery, Leisure, Tourism, Marketing, Customer Service etc) - http://www.nmm.ac.uk/upload/pdf/Primary_Prog_20081003141323.pdf

Royal Observatory Greenwich (Earth & Solar System) - http://www.nmm.ac.uk/upload/pdf/Secondary_Prog_ROG.pdf

Find other schools with similar interests

Find other JANET members & groups, their contact details and search content by subject material and key-stage. Offer opportunities to other schools to share your own material and organise your activities with other members through JANETCollaborate. For more information and to find what is already available to you go to www.janetcollaborate.ac.uk

A-Levels subjects available through subscription to Distance Learning

Nelson Thornes employ over 40 tutors, delivering over 700 remote lessons per week to A-Level students. Students learn through supported self-study with all course notes and materials provided. The courses are divided into units of work and assignments which students are expected to work through. They receive regular videoconference tutorials supplemented by personal visits from their tutor. Bookings are now being taken for courses starting in September 2009 and the following subjects are available allowing schools to offer a wider variety of A-Levels than normally their own staff levels would permit.

Accounting, Citizenship, Classical Civilisation, Economics, Electronics, Film Studies, French, German, Government & Politics, Latin, Law, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish

For more information, including prices, go to http://www.nelsonthornes.com/distancelearning/next_steps.htm

Video Teaching and the 14-19 Agenda

At VideoCentric and Tandberg we believe that Video Communications can mitigate or even eliminate the need to ‘Travel to Learn’. By utilising safer, greener and more cost effective High Definition video technology a teacher can deliver Diploma lessons from their normal classroom to learners across their 14-19 Partnership without the need for students to hop on and off buses to reach their revised locations, a strategy that does not appear to have been well though through, and one which would appear destined to fail, based on experience shared by New South Wales (Australia) Education Department at a UK Conference for Rural Education dated 30th October 2008.

Through the videoconferencing alternative, learners are able to hear, see and interact directly with their teacher in a natural manner. This migration in NSW, Australia has resulted in the compulsory deployment of between 1 & 4 videoconference systems at every school, in order to address the severe problems they now face there now in their education system, through teacher shortage, social deprivation and earlier failed attempts to address the symptoms.

The Tandberg Content Server (TCS)

VideoCentric supplies, installs and offers a full maintenance service to support your Tandberg Content Server (TCS) - /index.shtml/video-networking/tandberg/tandberg-content-server.shtml TCS allows you to stream a live videoconference lesson with co-ordinated video, audio and interactive whiteboard/PC content to the internet. It also allows a teacher to quickly and easily store and manage such content on its hard drive or to distribute archived content to any PC in Microsoft Windows Media®, Apple QuickTime® and RealPlayer® formats, with iPod® format coming soon. External storage can also be used where disk space on TCS becomes limited. For free internet access to Tandberg's own Content Server, please go to http://tcs.tandberg.eu.com/tcs/ for a TCS demonstration and pay particular attention to the way that teacher and interactive whiteboard are displayed side-by-side so that a virtual classroom experience can be obtained.

Framework Agreements and Special Pricing for Classroom VideoConferencing systems

VideoCentric has a special pricing agreement with Tandberg and other manufacturers to offer schools a range of endpoint systems at virtually half of the usual commercial price and usually less than equivalent ones from competing manufacturers or from other education integrators.

Although JANET(UK) has put in place a framework agreement which commenced on the 31st January 2008 there are many public sector and related organisations in the United Kingdom that are eligible for special pricing support from VideoCentric. Product evolution, pricing and support and accreditation levels continue to change, and today VideoCentric is among the leading suppliers in England, Scotland and Wales. VideoCentric’s new interoperability testing lab (opened mid 2009) give it access to more 1080P, 720P and SD systems than any other UK supplier and its Polycom award for customer support and service means that Education customers are strongly advised to seek modern alternatives to frameworks formed over 2 years ago. Recognising this, Tandberg appointed VideoCentric as one of 3 Education partners to work alongside the original Framework partner, to ensure better coverage and better support across the UK than could be provided by a single partner.

Schools and Universities currently operating under WVN or JVCS support are welcome to talk to VideoCentric’s Education specialists about preferential pricing and support services on SD or HD VC systems, upgrading from one to the other with trade-in allowances and on adding value through integrating VC with SMART or Promethean whiteboards.

For Education pricing on VC systems, accessories, plasmas, LCDs, projectors, SMARTBoards, maintenance and optional fitting by our own accredited engineers please contact sales@videocentric.co.uk

Free Demonstrations & Evaluations

VideoCentric has more portable videoconferencing systems than any other known UK reseller. Additionally, through our education partnerships with our manufacturers we are able to offer a rapid evaluation and on-site demonstration service of most items we sell and for those unable to narrow down the many choices at the early stages of consideration, attendance of our new demonstration suite near Heathrow Airport (also with good rail and road access), is highly recommended. To book a demo, evaluation or visit please email sales@videocentric.co.uk

Independent Advice

VideoCentric works closely with the ITU, BECTA, JANET and a number of Education content providers to ensure that standards are met, not only between similar commercial products but also with systems and networks deployed by other schools, colleges, universities, content providers, research organisations and businesses worldwide. Through attendance of ongoing seminars or direct liaison with JANET you can ensure that your investment is the right one, not only for today for the changing times we live in. If you would like to talk with someone at JANET www.ja.net and need telephone and email details please request our help at sales@videocentric.co.uk and we will supply you with free assistance or put you in touch with JANET’s own VTAS Advisory Desk who will charge a fee if a site visit is required.

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