COEUR d'ALENE - For six weeks, four University of Idaho students "virtually" connected with fifth-graders in rural Nantou County, Taiwan, in order to develop strategies for more effective virtual education and to help the children develop English reading fluency.

Welcome to the future of learning.

"Meeting the kids changed everything," said Robin Simpson. "When we got there, they just lit up. It's like our worlds came together. For these kids, it was amazing. You could see that they felt so special. I don't think technology can ever replace a live teacher."

The UI students recently returned home after presenting the results of their research at the World Educational Research Association Conference at National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaoshiung, Taiwan.

The value of live interaction as part of their own education was not lost on the students, or their teacher:

"Without the technology there would have been no way to work with these kids," said Simpson. "For rural schools, this is going to be a valuable teaching tool. With this technology, they can call over to bigger schools and tap expertise that would have otherwise been inaccessible."

Three students, Staci Hinsz, Simpson and Aaron Schiffelbein, are from University of Idaho-Coeur d'Alene. They presented at the international conference alongside College of Education assistant professor of counseling and school psychology Linda Taylor.

Each participating university student was supported by a $1,000 award from University of Idaho-Coeur d'Alene and a $250 award from the College of Education's Graduate Research Policy Committee. All remaining travel costs were paid out of pocket.

"The trip allowed our students to explore and experience a new culture," said Taylor. "It opened their eyes to another world, and allowed them to learn and grow so much."

To fulfill the requirements of their graduate assessment course, Hinsz, Simpson and Schiffelbein used Elluminate Live! technology to make a classroom connection halfway around the world. The technology combines reciprocal/real-time audio and video, incorporates PowerPoint presentations, accommodates tutoring and break-out discussions, and allows users to archive and review class sessions, among other features.

The biggest challenge to teachers and pupils was finding ways to communicate when language failed.

The fifth-graders also found it challenging to stay fully engaged with a computer screen, Hinsz and Simpson reported. But there also was a big upside to the virtual interaction.

"It took a lot of patience to do it virtually," said Hinsz. "There were lots of technological challenges, in addition to the language barrier, so you had down time when you had to try to come up with some way to communicate and keep the ball rolling."

Hinsz and Simpson said they mastered the technology. Glitches in the interaction required them to trouble-shoot quickly, without interrupting the lesson.

They often used the technology to change tactics when the language barrier proved insurmountable.

"It gave us a variety of methods to talk to them," Simpson said.

Through their trip abroad, the university students also discovered the value of face-to-face interaction. The visit by their teachers also provided strong motivation for the Taiwanese students to learn how to speak English.

"When we met them over Elluminate!, that was about as real as it could get," said Hinsz. "But when we were there, it was completely different. We played games with them. We danced with them."

Donna Emert is with University of Idaho Communications.