Our philosophy regarding Video Conferencing (VC) is simple: Talk to a company specialising in VC.

After all, you wouldn't go to a VC specialist to purchase a CNC machine would you! VC technology progresses as fast as PC technology and a solution that's right for today might be obsolete tomorrow.

We enlist the support of specialist VC suppliers whenever a school requires an integrated solution. Inevitably most VC installations in schools encompass subject areas outside the Design and Technology area, reinforcing the recommendation to use specialists.

You may wish to look at www.teamsolutions.co.uk/educational_vc.html for details of the latest VC systems available and general useful information on the subject.

But before you consider the use of VC, take at a look at our latest CAD/CAM software called "Boxford CAD/CAM Design Tools" which is supplied with every new machine and upgrade. The manufacturing simulation graphics are so lifelike that its almost like watching a video, apart from the fact that every student in the class is watching their own "video", being the individual components that they have designed. Given that it is the student's own component, the attention span does not degrade rapidly, as can happen when watching a communal screen with inferior graphics and interrupted audio. This facility eliminates all costs associated with VC, both capital and ongoing.

Boxford use VC as a support tool and also acknowledge its usefulness in other subject areas.