VC Fosters Global Citizenship

After taking this class, I can see how vc can help our student learn globally without having to leave the comforts of home.  If we can partner with others around the globe and show our students that life does not just revolve around them, then they should become more tolerant of others when they meet them.  This is also a great opportunity for students to learn about the different cultures around them by showing them how they are similar, yet different from others.

 

At the end of this article, I liked the advice that they gave about buying the equipment that you can grow into.  As time goes on, you will be adding different components and upgrades to your equipment.  If you only have equipment that will work with your current setup, and you want to expand, then you have to start all over from the beginning.  This is when it gets to expensive.  The hard thing about this approach is to convince those who are holding the money that it is important to purchase the equipment that you can grow into in the first place.  After they see how it works, they will probably be more interested in helping you maintain it if you can show them how valuable it is to your curriculum.  - JS 

Reading Reflection

Title:  Global Videoconferencing for Engaging Student Learning

Author:  Janine Lim

This article had some good examples of vc being used.  The teacher from my area (Lakeshore schools) is a  perfect example of how vc can enhance and engage learning.  She and her class visited 4 Mayan children in Guatamala.   The teacher explained how the students had a hard time grasping the poverty of the Mayan…just think, they never would have had the same experience, understanding, or empathy without the vc, it just would have been to removed from the Lakeshore students’ perspective to understand — the had to see it and interact with the other children.  As the article states, “.. this exchange invaluable to students who will live and work in a global economy.”   I also appreciated the list of Michigan benchmarks exhibiting how vc can help meet those standards relating to global issues.  There are also several other sources that look interesting like the megaconferences sites.

Kathy

World’s Youth Connent through Global Nomads

This article indicates another aspect of VC that I hadn’t thought of.  Until now I have seen other participates and our presenters sitting within the confines of their offices/classrooms.  Although we did go to Alaska to howl with some sled dogs, they were ready to connect with us and had a format of familiarity they followed.  The Global Nomads Group likes to go to other countries that are having social problems of some sort and interview live without script. 

They went to Chad and interviewed Sudanese refugees about the genocide going on.  They have actually broadcast from the natural gorilla habitat in Rwanda, as well as from Mayan ruins.  It is like national live network news broadcast live from the site of the action.  However, it’s NOT.  It’s education for students.  I’m so pleased to be made aware of this technology and in particular, the Global Nomads Group.  I look forward to bringing a future class into the 21st century.  Imagine being a young student and seeing this in their classroom as their years in school go by, thinking it is the norm, the every day lesson.  

Mary

East Meets West

I am glad to know that there are others out there who are also successful at videoconferencing.  If Jo Tate can vc from Australia to Japan, then there should be no reason why I couldn’t vc with another country too.  (Provided that my school gets the proper equipment to make it happen.)  It would be neat to hook up my school with another school to show the kids that they are basically the same as other kids around the world.  One thing I would like to know is whether or not a school has a connection to a “bridge” server or if a “bridge” server can call them up via the internet and get connected that way.  In other words, does my school have to have all of the expensive equipment to make this work, or can it just have a regular computer that is hooked up to the internet and still be involved in a video conference?  If not, what is the minimum amount of equipment does a school need before they can participate in a conference call?  - JS

 

First Timers

I read the article, Elementary Students “Go the Distance” with Video Conferencing. I found the article a bit elementary as it was a blow by blow of how they decided to do, planned and then carried out their first ever vc.  I’m already sold on VCs though, and have already done several.  I did pick up a few ideas from the details of the article that I like, however.

The collaborating teachers each gave a class seating chart to the other teacher so that students could be called on by name by the teacher at the distance.

I also really liked their idea of having their students e-mail a student from the other classroom that they were partnered up with, for a month prior to the vc.  This made introductions exciting because the kids were very anxious to meet their distance partner for the first time visually.

I didn’t like that the teachers led the whole science lesson so that the only thing that was cool about it being a vc was the technology.  They themselves said, however, that they’d have it be interactive between students the next time.  If I’ve learned anything this week, it’s that I want my future VCs to be very interactive for my students!

Beth

Reading Reflection

Title:  Learning from a Distance Brings it Home   Author:  Barbara Bray

This article listed a great deal of on line resources relating to vc.  I’d like to check out the George Lucas Educational Foundation….Global Schoolhouse and IEarn….these sound like they’d be great resources.  The author talks about the different ways to use vc which we’ve been looking out—virtual field trips(like to the Cleveland Museum), one-time videoconferences(like Andy and gross stuff :)), and finally on-going projects–I think this is the one that is most exciting to use and FREE (usually)!  Possibilities are endless…my head is still spinning with all the ideas that I could hook my students up with people all over the nation and world!

Kathy

Using VC

Geoff Turrell does a good job at listing what needs to be done before, during and after a video conference in order to make if go more smoothly.  One thing we don’t have to worry about right now, but would have to worry about if we were doing this with our classes is to make sure that parents are aware and that they are happy that we are doing a videoconference.  That way the parents should be more supportive of the activity and they may also help encourage their child to fully participate, or you can be aware that the child may not be shown on screen for child protective reasons or even if the child can not participate when you are doing this activity so that you can make other arrangements for a child to be out of the room during this conference.  – JS

Next Step: International Videoconferenes

Now here’s an idea.  This article explains how students use artwork to connect with others.  They began by writing stories, which then needed illustrations, and that spawned into various art projects.  The article shows a colorful painting, obviously done by a child.  It also explains how surprising it is to students to see how simular their home environment is to other places.  For example the trees stood out as a comforting, recognizable scene.  Often students are proud of the artwork they’ve created, but this would really be a great forum to display their final product.  Plus it would encourage evryone to finish thier work.

Mary

East Meets West VC

My first question as I began to read the article, Yabbies On-Line:  East Meets West and Other Videoconferencing Adventures, was “Is this technology for technology’s sake because it’s cool or can it in some way enhance my students’ learning?”  In other words, what can it offer that I can’t give my students through less expensive technology or even without technology?

Having read the article, I realize that because east truly is meeting west (not just east coming to west) my students can get a feel of being in the east.  They can exchange ideas and information about a people, place and culture that they may never have the opportunity to actually visit themselves.  While having a guest speaker from China can give my students some information about Chinese culture, dress, etc., it doesn’t give them a sense in real time of being in China.  And even the fact that the Chinese students that they are interacting with have never been to the U.S. would provide a cultural immersion that is less likely when the other party is able to compare and contrast their own culture with ours as they present to us, thus doing some of the work of discovery and thinking for us.

Of course, this idea could be extrapolated to include any two culturally distinct groups interacting.  I think it would be most practical to incorporate countries whose cultures and geographies we already study through our literature units in my classroom.  The person who wrote the article, Jo Tate, was from Australia - a country we explore when we read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day so I’d like to hook up with an Aussie!

Beth

Reflection on VC Reading

Article:  Elementary Students “Go the Distance” with Video Conferencing.

Author:  Karen Bozeman

Kudos to these 2 teachers way back in 2001 for making this happen in their classes!  I’m sure glad VC has come a long way….I do remember having to go to our HS in Coloma to attend one several years ago-what a pain!  We also had some of the same issues with buses, etc…We were able to walk so that saved a few headaches.   I have very limited experience with vc but from what I’ve experienced, it is much smoother and I feel fortunate to have Janine here at the ISD as well as our tech person at school…I can focus on preparing the students rather than the logistics that these two teachers had to deal with.  I read someone else’s reflection on this same article and I too am curious as to how far these two have come in the seven years since the article.

Kathy