This youtube.com video demonstrates how students in schools can benefit from talking to other children around the country using the Internet. The students are using a webcam, a small camera that sends video over the Internet, to view and speak with other students from different states in real time. The students get to learn about other people's cultures and lifestyles without leaving their schools. The use of this technology may also be advantageous for the teachers of these classes because they can learn new methods of instruction from the teachers of the other classrooms. If you would like to find out more about this exciting and educational use of Internet social networking, please visit the foundations' website at http://www.globalschoolnet.org/.

Check it out here: Mashable: Edusims

I remember watching a 20/20 episode, or a similar show, which was about a young boy who could not leave his home due to illness. Instead, the local school district and the boy’s family set up his room like a digital classroom. He had visual accessibility to his actual classroom and had the capability of vocally and visually interacting with his classmates. The boy was able to send in his work via e-mail and had all the resources the other children had in class.

I am surprised that I forgot about this wonderful use of technology. People who are disabled or chronically ill may not have the ability to physically enter a classroom or communicate properly with other students or faculty. Entering a computer into the equation makes the problem much easier to solve. No, the child is not physically experiencing everything in a first-hand manner, but he may not be capable of doing so. This new technology grants the child the ability and provides him with irreplacable experiences.