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.
Advertisement
I read “Planting the Seeds for Global Learning and Caring”. In White Plains City School District teachers are using video conferencing (IVC) to connect with experts and share experiences with students from around the world. IVC uses human interaction allowing people to become the primary resource in a lesson. IVC not only enhances human learning but also helps students become more culturally tolerant and aware by visiting other cultures whose realities and adversities are quite different.
The IVC of a young woman who is HIV positive from South Africa provided a concrete example of how this media can be used to develop a health lesson or evolve into a community service project. Students can develop real connections with cultures and people from around the world.
Other skills mentioned that are developed by interacting using the IVC include social skills, leadership, cultural diversity, communication skills, collaboration and higher level thinking skills.
Theses skills tend to be the ones my students struggle with sure they have academic deficits but that is not the reason they have been removed from society. The problems my students encounter are related to errors in things while interacting with others and society. Demandingness and awfulizing in thinking tends to lead to behaviors that are unsuccessful in society but my students fail to recognize this. The constraints of IVC may force some structure on their thought process causing them to stop look and listen. When I skype in the classroom they are fascinated. IVC is a technology that motivates and interests them.
John Pickar
My fourth article was entitled “Ask.” Every year I look over the list of possible Ask programs hoping to find one that I read. We already have a ton of novels, including a great selection of historical fiction which go along with our social studies curriculum, so I keep hoping one of these will show up. I wish we could read a revolution war book then “interview” a historical person (George Washington, Paul Revere, Ben Franklin, etc.). I keep hoping!! I love the format of Ask, so even if I don’t actually connect, I will use the questioning ideas. As we learn more about CAPspace, this could a place for me to create my own project–yeeeaaahhh!
Article Title: Global Nomads Group: Fostering Dialogue and Understanding Among the World’s Youth”
As I read this article, I was filled with anticipation of the day our building will house ICT equipment. Although we have several units in our district, only one is being used for one of our elementary buildings. The other ICT is at the high school’s long distance learning lab, in which, the room has capacity limitations. I like how students are pulled into becoming problem-solvers and feel compelled to activate their citizenship duties such as performing community service. I was moved at how the students who participated in the conferences were inspired to be proactive by doing something like donating money to AIDs victims and getting involved with Seeds for Africa to help schools teach students how to grow their own food. I was struck by the way the author of the article emphasized how that when students become more culturally tolerant and aware, then they move away from being apathetic to more empathetic. I also thought it was powerful when one the eighth grade video conference participants remarked “without healthy people, there is no point in a healthy earth”. Her remark reminds all of us to remember that we are all part of a global society and that what some of us do, truly affects the rest of us. The overall message of this article is IVC allows students to engage in the lost art of human interaction.
The final article I read was “Lights, Camera, Action: VC in Kindergarten” Talk about preparing for a vc….WOW! I know the teacher’s concern was spending so much time preparing for a vc on weather, BUT there was SO much more learned than that! Her purpose was to help her students understand the concept of time and distance. I loved the idea of them connecting with websites with live webcams in various states for the purpose of not just weather and time differences, but for so much more. I think 2nd graders would benefit from checking in via webcams for a variety of purposes! Would this be possible in other countries as well? If I am unable to vc with classes from the countries my students represent, maybe I could hook up with a webcam to “see” their country?
Debbie – yes! There are lots of live webcams that could be used that way. The time zones could still be a trick – because it might be dark when you want to look. But if you figured out the time, it could be a great experience for your students!
The fourth article I read, “Broadening the Vision and Eliminating the Barriers,” is a discussion of using interactive video conferencing (IVC) to promote learning for students who live in remote locations. The students referred to in this article attend the Konocti Unified School District, located in the southeast rim of Clear Lake in rural northern California. This isolated school district received a grant for the purchase of IVC units for each of their libraries and one roaming unit.
The demographics of the students suggest that not only do they live in a remote location, but most are economically disadvantaged (a large percentage of students receive free/reduced lunches, for example.) with a diverse population.
The article touches on the concept that students who reside in remote locations greatly benefit from this technology, since they are now able to be exposed to new experiences, through education, collaboration, virtual field trips, etc. Learning opportunities ranging from NASA scientists to author Monty Roberts, who demonstrates horse-gentling techniques are presented. The focus of the district is that this technology will increase students’ standardized test scores, as well as enlighten these students to opportunities present with the rest of the world, so to speak.
I found this topic to be pertinent to my teaching situation. Most of my students live in Benton Harbor. Many, many of these kids have never traveled more than a few miles from their homes – ever! Many of my students do not know where they are when they come to the Juvenile Center (Berrien Center). They would not know how to get back home if they wanted to. This underscores how important field trips, virtual field trips, and videoconferencing is for this population. Exposing these young people to new ideas, new places, and new things may be as important to them as are the core academic subjects (which of course can be integrated in these activities.)
The article I read “Interested in meeting authors using idstance learning? Well,just “ASK”, ties right in with what we are learning this week. I have come across the ASK program options in my emails over the years but just ignored them because I really didn’t know anything about them or what would be expected of me, or because there weren’t any offered for kindergarten students. I am going to begin using ASK programs this year, towards the second half of the year, when my kindergartners understand more while some of them are able to read the books themselves. I am really excited about learning how to do an ASK program videoconference, according to my cousin, all the materials are sent to you, while connecting to the specific content I am teaching in my curriculum. I believe most of the ASK programs are geared toward first grade and above but I know my kindergarteners would love to be a part of some of them that would tye into our curriculum such as Stella Luna and another about Snowflakes. I will be able to break my students down into groups to read the books in centers with parent volunteers, while also reading as a whole group. It is a great program to use in guided reading, critical thinking, pair sharing as a class, all the while getting to know the author, guest speaker or presenter. I am looking forward to signing up for these right after Labor Day!
Article “Broadening the Vision and Eliminating the Barriers” This article is a little more recent from 2006. The school district used for the example in this article is a remote and geographically isolated community. It is an area where the educators find it difficult to find safe, resourceful “outside” educational experiences for their students. IVC is a way for this district to provide a chance for the children to speak to authors, experts and take virtual field trips from the safety of their library. The district received a grant to help get this started. The grant was through Improving Literacy through School Libraries.The district also used the technology to collaborate with other classes within the district itself. Our society today has many districts similar to the one in this article and this type of technology is so empowering for schools. Article 5, Tammy Artis
Hilary Bell-Article 4
Good Practice in the use of Video Conferencing
This article is an excellent resource to keep on hand as a resource in preparing for a Video Conference…thank you for making a personal copy for each of us.
It was helpful to learn student prep tips, as well as the insights to handling technical difficulties prior to the VC session. I found the teacher etiquette guidelines very helpful to keep in mind while conducting a professional VC with my class. There are always so many last mintue things to remember beforehand, so I liked the idea of using the checklist during the final preparations too. Hopefully having this info handy will help alleviate any unforeseen problems for the videoconference.
Hilary Bell-Article 4
Good Practice in the use of Video Conferencing
This article is an excellent resource to keep on hand you prepare for a Video Conference…thank you for making a personal copy for each of us.
It was helpful to learn student prep tips, as well as the insights to handling technical difficulties prior to the VC session. I found the teacher etiquette guidelines very helpful to keep in mind while conducting a professional VC with my class. There are always so many last mintue things to remember beforehand, so I liked the idea of using the checklist during the final preparations too. Hopefully having this info handy will help alleviate any unforeseen problems for the videoconference.
John G Article “What the ressearch says about video conferencing in teaching and learning” This article wraps it all up of what has work for videoconferencing. The benefits of students is what it is all about. When I did the Moneter Mayhem, all the students were involved and took different roles even the the ones that have difficulties in reading and writing they all help in some way in the Videoconferencing. The Monster came the way it was built by the students with a little help from the instructor “me”. The students that would not normlly participate did something to the the project and that is what it is all about. Benefits for both students and teachers great article.
The article I read today was called “Good Practice in the use of Video Conferencing”.
I read this article after we saw the presentation, “Singing with Shane”. The biggest thing I got out of this article was to plan and prepare for a videoconference. Clearity is key – make sure the children know what to expect and what is expected of the and them. Also make sure that each teacher communicates correctly with each other, all ideas and thoughts are communicated clearly and accurately. I will now be especially aware of where the microphone is and of course, if it is on. Black and white boarders and large print will also be very important aspects of a videoconference, especially trying to communicate information between kindergartners. I will have to be very direct with my kindergartners on speaking clearly, and slowly in the microphone and to look directly into the camera. Patience will be another key factor with my class, we will need to patiently wait for our conferencing class and be attentive while they present. Advertise, advertise, advertise…….. I need to advertise correctly for a partner, advertise and communicate my project with my parents, principal and colleagues. The last practice I would like to focus on is, “Lights, Camera, Action”…. rehearse. Teaching kindergarten, I know how important it is to rehearse with children over and over again. I think I might even do a test run on our two other kindergarten classes in our own building. This will give my children a chance to rehearse in front of their peers, ironing out any mishaps we might encounter with our presentation. Thanks for the article on “Good Practice in the use of Video Conferencing”. I also really enjoyed the presentation from Singing with Shane, and how he described for us good videoconference ettiquete.