Using PEBBLES to Facilitate Remote Communication and Learning

When a student is away from school for an extended time due to illness, s/he is provided with a tutor or in-hospital classrooms to keep up with studies. This isolates the child from normal classroom experiences. A remote controlled communication system, PEBBLES (Providing Education By Bringing Learning Environments to Students), was developed which allows a remote student to communicate with his/her regular class and provides the student with a classroom presence. Two case studies were conducted to examine the effectiveness of PEBBLES in allowing a student to participate in the classroom, to communicate with his/her teacher and classmates, and to have a distinct presence in the classroom. Results indicate that the students can communicate successfully using PEBBLES. The remote participants appeared to have a presence in the classroom environment and were positive about their experiences. Gaining the attention of the instructor through the system seemed to be more difficult.