Using emerging technologies to connect teacher education programs to K-12 schools has the potential to enhance preservice teachers' understanding of the relationship between theory and practice. The study reported here examined preservice teachers' perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of the use of compressed video to provide a shared field experience at a distance and their ability to apply learning theory to an analysis of real classroom events. The 22 preservice teachers who participated in the study viewed a class session taking place at a high school located 85 miles from their campus, then interviewed the class teacher and engaged in small group discussion. Participants then wrote essays identifying the predominant learning theories exhibited during the class and evaluating the experience. The results suggest that students have a relatively positive attitude toward this medium, but that there are drawbacks that need to be addressed, and that students' attitude toward this medium can impact their performance.