The Use of the Webcam in Classrooms After the Pandemic

Long before I became involved in teacher education, I was a consultant for my school board with responsibility for helping teachers and administrators integrate technology into their classroom teaching and management practices. I was phoned one day by a teacher I knew who wondered about using a webcam in his classroom to help a house-bound student participate in classroom activities as a boost to her morale. Naturally, I said it was a great idea and from that day well over 20 years ago, I have been an advocate for using webcams to help bridge distances and isolation and forge emotional and physical links between teachers and students. Since then, the camera technology and software has only gotten better. However, I need to point out that this does not mean each classroom has to have its own studio.  It can be a very simple camera that can be moved around to access different points in the classroom.  I explore some of these things and look at what is in the future of classrooms with cameras enabled.