Another use for videoconferencing

We often hear about interactive videoconferencing being used to train docs through live surgery broadcasts, but here's another way it's being used: Medical Missions' Giggles Theater Brings Laughter to Critically Ill Children Through Polycom Interactive Video.

Through the use of Polycom's videoconferencing equipment, the Giggles Theater regularly sponsors live, interactive video field trips that allow children and their families to "visit" such places as the Cincinnati Zoo, NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Since the beginning of this program, children have been able to swim with sharks in Florida, visit elephants in Tennessee, and build butterfly marionettes with the Center for Puppetry Arts in Georgia. Upcoming tours include a visit to the Missouri Discovery Center and the Manhattan School of Music.

What a great idea.