Please share your responses to the readings here. What did you like about the article? How does it add to your learning? What ideas do you have from reading the article? How can you implement what you learned?
Be sure to tell me your first name so I can give you credit. Tell us which article you read as well.
My name is Melissa. The article I read was Learning from the Pros: Experts Helps Students Move from School to Career. Students in Alabama are involved in an ACME animation program. These high school students learn about animation and get immediate feedback from an expert. What a great opportunity to get feedback from someone that is actually in the field that your students is or may be interested in. Another very important component for students is getting used to standing in front of a camera and talking about yourself and your project. Students need to know how to do this, in this very competitive world of ours. What I learned is that this program has been around since 1994. My other question how long has VC been around?
Melissa VC started in the 80s, but has improved majorly since then! It’s interesting isn’t it. But when we started with VC in the late 90s it was a big deal that it was just $30K a room instead of $100K a room. So that’s why you may not have heard of it before. Now it’s under $10K and I’m looking forward to the day it’s under $1K!
“Learning From a Distance Brings It Home”
Interestingly, there is a whole paragraph in this article that is titled “Virtual Field Trips” and discusses the vc as an alternative to a traditional field trip. I agree, Janine, that this may not be the best way to think about a vc, because the two just aren’t the same, and billing a vc as a field trip could establish expectations that the vc can’t easily meet. A phrase like, “Imagine going behind the scenes at the NASA Space Center…” seems a bit misleading, because I think most people don’t think of a studio as “behind the scenes.” But like you said, it seems better to think of a vc as an extension of the classroom, maybe more like a guest speaker or guest teacher… I am also thinking that the best vc’s probably serve to accomplish something bigger than themselves; the vc isn’t just an exchange for its own sake, but instead helps the student to understand something he/she would not otherwise be able to understand. For example, an interview w/ a Holocaust survivor provides insight we couldn’t get from anyone else in the same way.
Absolutely!! The must be a reason and a benefit to the students. I thought that Ellen Rudy explained it well with the idea that this another resource of curriculum based learning in that meeting we had earlier this year…
We had a German teacher who did the exchange with Japan last summer and loved it. I believe she was only there for three weeks. Again the cultural and language comparisons were useful from an educator’s viewpoint as well as the time spent with the students in the classroom. The great component expressed in the article “From Spearfish to Sakaide City: A Teacher’s Odyssey” is the videoconference project in the second year that connected a similar issue to both communities: water contamination. I would love to be able to establish an ongoing international relationship between classes with Spanish and English. Of course, culture becomes the integral and indescribable component that comes to live with this type of videoconference project that seeks to find common ground between two cultures.
We need to work on this Sue. The Spanish teacher in Marcellus found a teacher in Mexico City that she has connected with several times. I have helped them connect when they had trouble – but she found the teacher and planned the lessons on her own. I should look her up and you could talk to her to find out how she did it….
“TWICE connects readers across America via two-way videoconferencing”
This article introduced us to the TWICE Read Across America program, which is a program that allows students to connect to another classroom via videoconferencing. As the article stated, over 40 million students participated in the TWICE program last year! I am just wondering how my beginning Spanish students could participate in this program. Some of the classes that have participated read a book about their community, a poem, or a story created by them. Maybe my students would be able to write a simple short story in Spanish, connect with a bilingual elementary classroom, and read the story to them? This could work! I think that my students would be thrilled to share the vocabulary and phrases that they have learned in a conversation with another classroom.
You absolutely can participate – sign up for this one too. We have about 70 or 80 language classes that participate each year. You just tell us the language you want it in, what time your class meets, and we can get you a partner for each class. So do a registration so we can make sure it’s on the list.
“Room with a View”
This article was not as reader friendly as the last two that I have read. I could see where a school may get very confused when purchasing this equipment for videoconferencing, there are so many options where would one begin? I am very thankful for our school being able to get in on the Russ Grant Program where all of the equipment was provided for us with support from Janine at Berrien. Rural schools, with minimal funding would have had little chance for getting such equipment had it not been for the Russ Grant. Videoconferencing has definitely opened the doors to “daily” learning and broadened the possibilities for student experiences in the classroom.
The end of the article presented some interesting ideas as far as future opportunities in videoconferencing. The thought of students at home being able to make connections with desktop videoconferencing seems so “futuristic,” but in reality it appears to be becoming a quick reality…
if we can just get the Internet access out to all student, right?!
I agree the RUS grant has ended up as a great opportunity for our schools….
I read “Out on Lim with Technology” today about a Mystery Quest videoconference. I liked the interest catcher/ problem, followed by the categories, websites, and delivery methods used. I feel this could be applied to many content areas, but it was especially effective for geography. I’m sure a “whodunit” application has been tried in this format. I might use it in a lit class with a “who is the author” or “what is the literary work” approach.
IVC – Planting the Seeds for Global Learning and Caring, was a great read! It made me realize that videoconferencing really is getting back to the basics – human interactions. I look forward to using VC with my students even more now that I’ve read how it not only enhances student learning, but also helps them become more culturally tolerant and aware. Students in Buchanan, MI may not ever have the opportunity to learn from someone in another country, or even state. Interacting with peers across the world can surely open students’ minds to what others are going through. As for the technical learning involved, I’m also excited about how students get right in the action of problem-solving. The students who overcame the problem of seeing but not hearing those at another site by writing out questions and holding them up to the camera can feel good about themselves for thinking creatively. I’d like to allow my students the same opportunities to celebrate.
Let me know if you need more assistance picking programs for next year too ok?
Jody Howard-Kennedy’s “Middle School Videoconferencing Fosters Global Citizenship” reminds me powerful VCing can be in terms of teaching tolerance and character. Rather than exclusively hearing or reading about global human experience, students see and, thereby, experience global human experience. The students’ fundraising/sponsorship of a vegetable garden in South Africa, an example cited in the article, teaches more than academic content. It teaches humanity–compassion. Howard Kennedy notes that with “Careful planning and research, and by using this technology, we are teaching the child as a whole,” which seems to me to be at the heart of VC’s relevancy. I think we’re all always searching for authentic classroom experiences–authentic assessment, authentic instruction, authentic interaction–and VCing delivers that authenticity.
One question I have, though, is how I am supposed to know which VCs are best. The ratings are helpful, but I’d be hesitant to recommend a VC to at teacher without having previewed it first. Classtime is precious, so I’d want to be sure that the VC would be successful. How do we know, without the ability to read multiple reviews and preview, which VCs to schedule and purchase. You are so busy, Janine, but are we welcome to ask you for suggetions throughout the year? I know you said you no longer have the time to email suggestions to us, but may we still contact you for recommendations?
Jamie Culver
Hi Jamie – I KNOW that’s such a hard thing to find the right programs! But, yes, that’s what I’m here for. You can email me ANY time – and like I said I really want to focus on middle and high school for videoconferencing. So yes please email me!! You can call too – easier to get a hold of me in Sept & Oct. After that email is probably fastest. Lots of times I’m multi-tasking and can answer no problem. I haven’t yet been able to scale a VC for high school to do it for each class, and I now that I’ve had some success with middle school in that line, I really want to try to do this for high school too – to get you a VC for every section that you want it for…
Reading: Going Global:Rural Washington Students Connect With the World
I am very interested in doing more classroom to classroom connections where I feel our students will be able to participate and teaching others as well being taught by peers. Our students will gain the knowledge that there are other children that exist outside our school building which is a very difficult concept for them to grasp. I think that this would be a great way for students to build bridges with others around our state, country, and even the world. It would be interesting for the students to observe the different environments that the children learn in and also the similarities and differences in learning the same concepts. I believe that the children will become very interested and involved in their learning about others, this may give them more self motivation to perform their best quality work to share and help others. I think depending on the connections that you make it can really help our students gain empathy for others as we make connections to those who may need our help in some way. I feel that this could be a great learning tool for even the youngest students to do their part and gain life long skills in helping others.
I look forward to some short & simple VCs for your young 5s. Let’s keep thinking about what VCs we can plan and schedule for your kids….
The article introducing “Vidoeconferencing” explains the technical process as well as the benefits of using VC for enriching student learning. I have done VC’s four times with students ranging from freshmen to seniors. In all cases, our technology or media specialists handled the set-up of the VC while I did the content portion of the process. We prepared and practised during class time, then after the VC we discussed what we learned. Since our panels were comprised of adults who were connected in some way to themes in the literature we were studying (World War II and homelessness) our students were able to take away lasting impressions of the real life situations which often impact writings in their texts. I was pleasantly surprised at how much the VC affected what my students observed and absorbed.
Videoconferencing Introduction
Although I do not understand exactly what 128 kbs per line, and a rate of at least 384 kbps mean, this article did help relieve some of my vc anxiety. The article explained the definition of videoconferencing in a nutshell, and I will now be able to explain vc to another person. Videoconferencing is like placing a phone call that includes being able to see the other person in color. It is also possible to share documents, internet pages, and software.
The article also discussed the many benefits of videoconferencing for children in school. When they connect to another location, they have the chance to see themselves on the monitor. This is a good way to make them aware of their body language, posture, language, etc. When the children are working this way, they are more likely to reflect and change those things because they can actually see themselves and understand what needs to be done. This should boost self-esteem and produce more of a love of learning in children.
I learned that I slouch from the vc monitor, and am working on being more aware of how I portray myself to others.
Laurie – glad to hear that it’s not so intimidating. The good thing is that generally Diane and I worry about all the connection speed stuff for you!
It’s weird to see yourself a lot on camera isn’t it – and I like the application of improving kids posture etc.
On ourselves – not sure – it hasn’t worked for me – I still slouch and VC all the time!
Great Info. This is a great way to have a national conversation over local problems.