SATCOM

A Brief Overview
Training through Satellite Communication has become a part of the teacher training programmes in Karnataka. Teleconferencing, as it is called, has come to stay. As of now, DSERT has a studio of its own and up link facilities. We have one way video and two way audio connectivity. Presently two way video system is being installed in the state through SSA. It is hoped that with two way video the teleconferencing will be at its best.

Teleconferencing is not new to Karnataka. Even when the nation has only one up link facility in ISRO Ahmedabad,  teleconferences were conducted for teachers and other key functionaries. Later, ANSIRD at Mysore was given the studio and the uplink facility. This facility was used by the department of public instructions for organising training programmes. However, when ISRO launched a separate satellite for educational  purposes,  SATCOM became the order of the day. DSERT acquired a studio and its own up link facilities.

Activity
You must have attended one or the other teleconference until now. Please recall your experiences as a participant in the teleconference. Try to answer the following questions.


 * How did the transaction take place?
 * Were you a passive listener or could you also participate in the transactions in some way?
 * How were the presentations? What were the attempts made to make presentations interesting?
 * How was the reception of the telecast at the centre you were viewing the programme?
 * Were you a panellist anytime in a teleconference? What were your experiences?  Did you feel you were able to m12

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 * Quality of presentations:
 * Quality of reception:
 * Your experience as a panellist:|
 * Quality of reception:
 * Your experience as a panellist:|
 * Your experience as a panellist:|
 * Your experience as a panellist:|

Conducting Teleconferencing
Teleconferencing needs a careful planning and a meticulous implementation of the plan. The whole process can be viewed in three stages.


 * Planning and preparation of support literature
 * Training of Facilitators/Meeting of all the panellits
 * Actual Teleconference

Planning and Preparation of Support Literature
The content planning aspect is not much different from that of any other training programme. What really changes and needs special attention is the transactional strategy. The proposed inputs will have to be reorganised to suit the media. So we will discuss here only those special features which are unique to teleconferencing.


 * 1) Usually each session is of 90 minutes duration which is further divided into 45 minutes of presentation and 45 minutes of interaction or phone in sessions. The 45 minutes of  presentation is shared by four panellists. This means each panellist will get about10 - 12 minutes of time.  So the content to be presented will have to be further divided in to smaller chunks to suit the break up.
 * 2) Each short presentation will have to be supported by slides/clippings to make the presentations more interesting.  The presenters can not take their audience for granted because the interaction is not face to face.   Every effort has to be made to hold the interest of the audience.  So the content will also have to be presented through slides or supporting clippings.
 * 3) The issues regarding the creative presentations will continue even after two way video conferences are arranged. The department has now about two hundred receiving centres in which a total of about 10000 participants can view the programme.  The studio can not attend to each and every participant.  So it is obvious that that success of a teleconference depends on how much relevant it is to the participants and the ability of the presentations to hold the attention of the audience.
 * 4) The reading literature to be distributed at the centres to each of the participants becomes very crucial because they get a total picture of what is being transacted in that handbook.   It is advised that the handbook contains the programme schedule,  a brief description of all presentations and some elaboration of content to be presented.  It can also contain other useful information like a list of reference books,   articles on related literature,  different types of forms etc.

Activity
The above discussion does not give you every detail of a teleconference. However, you must have seen some at least by now. Please do the activities given below based on your experiences of a teleconference. Plan one session of 90 minutes duration for a teleconference on the following topic.

The concept of composite schools
You will have to plan the content for four presenters, slides for each of these presentations. Finally, the slides you prepare can be uploaded to our website for use by all DIET faculty.

Questions for discussion
Please try to think of teleconferencing from the following perspectives and note down your views. You can discuss these questions with your colleagues to help you take decisions.


 * Is it necessary to have four presenters for such a short duration? We are good at managing a period of 40 minutes in a classroom.  Would it not be possible for a presenter to make a 40 minute presentation using slides and clippings?
 * Can we not stop appointing more teachers and telecast regular subject wise classes to every classroom? This might help improve the quality of educational inputs because the inputs now get standardised.
 * What will happen if there is any technical problem and the telecast is disturbed?
 * What can the participants do if the panellists do not provide convincing answers?
 * Would it be possible to provide activities to the participants in their own centres during the teleconferencing?
 * Is it not very costly compared to the traditional face to face trainings? Why is the department so keen on promoting teleconferences though a cheaper face to face mode is always available?

What do you think of the above issues? Please prepare a write up on those issues. Your write up will become a part of the study material for this topic.

The Anchor
The anchor is the show manager. He/she initiates the programme, introduces panellists, acts as a liaison between the audience and the presenters. During the interaction session, he/she receives calls, notes down the questions asked and directs them to the relevant panellist. The anchor has to keep the time. It is his/her duty to ensure that the discussion does not lose its focus.

Activity
What do you think are the qualities of a good anchor person? Please list them here.

2. Training of Facilitators/Meeting of all the panellits

3. Actual Teleconference

ನೀವು ಎಂದಾದರೂ ಟೆಲೆಕಾನ್ಪರೆನ್ಸನಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸಿದ್ದೀರಾ? ಹಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ಈ ಲೇಖನಕ್ಕೆ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರತಿಕ್ರಿಯೆ ನೀಡಿ.