While this is only one opinion, our distance learning program has been in place for 8 years. We have grown and changed with technology and we are teaching the first 4-5 semesters of Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. I have found that different instructors use different technologies as available to them and based on their level of comfort. For example, some of my instructors are doing all kinds of really creative things with wikis while others don't quite seem to have a good direction. Others are going gangbusters with wimba voice tools technology. In all cases they are using IP videoconferencing extensively and they would never consider letting go of that personal connection with students both during desktop videoconferencing and large classroom videoconferencing sessions where they are able to simulate a traditional classroom experience and have communities of learners. As for teleconferencing independent of video, that is primarily a back up system for us since we have the videoconferencing in place.

Some of our instructors are also using podcasting but again with varying success based on the pedagogy they have behind it.  I don't know that I would say that podcasting would replace teleconferencing as it really is a one way medium, be it student created or instructor created, the cast itself is for an audience to listen to but not interact with synchronously. Skypcasting, from what I can tell, is really just a trademark software way of referring to videoconferencing which has been around for a long time using other software applications. Can this replace teleconferencing? Much depends on access available to your students. I don't think that you can say that it would replace it any more so than any other available chat program that also allows for voice and/or video. 

My point, find out what you instructors needs are in an ideal learning environment. I'm not sure what sort of investment you are looking at for teleconferencing but the difference between regular phone lines and using IP tools may be access and quality dependent. Will instructors be happy with communications that may sound like a cellphone call? How much longer until there is no longer a cellphone quality to those calls? Can you wait that long?

Lauren

Lauren Rosen

Collaborative Language Program

University of Wisconsin

618 Van Hise Hall

1220 Linden Drive

Madison, WI  53706

608-262-4066 (voice)

608-265-3892 (fax)

http://www.uwosh.edu/colleges/col s/clp.htm