I just stumbled upon UStream.tv while reading Will Richardson’s blog. He’s excited about it and almost using UStream as a verb so I decided to check it out. What is it?
“Ustream is a platform that provides live interactive video for everyone. Anyone with a camera and an Internet connection can use Ustream to broadcast to a global audience.”
At UStream.tv, you’ll find hundreds of channels you can tune in to to see live television. On the other end, the broadcaster has a web camera and a UStream window open telling the number of viewers. How cool is that?!
My thought is, considering how motivating it is for students to have an authentic audience viewing their work, imagine the quality of work you can get out of them if they know they’re on a form of TV, right now, live. On top of that, imagine how you can increase the interest and level of involvement of parents if they know that, for example, at 10AM, they can tune in to watch their child present their science project, or teach their fellow math students, or do a dramatic poetry reading! Does that excite you? It does me! I would put a program guide together and use this tool to broadcast my students work to an audience and solicit feedback! Talk about authentic global audience!
