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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This article focuses on a 5-year long collaberation between Scott Merrick’s elementary class in Nashville, TN and Darrick Mosser’s elementary class(part of the Canadian Academy) in Kobe, Japan. It began as a cultural exchange and ended up with students sharing videoconferencing projects in math, social studies, and science.
The biggest project was the Elder Project where students went out into their communities and asked the elders a similar set of questions that the students had created together Then they compared the responses to find similarities and differences between the cultures and between the generations.
The article also talked about how the quality and quantity of the student’s writing has improved because of the frequent email exchanges between the two schools. All the exchanges and collabeative projects have also helped the teachers cover many of the ISTE standards for their students. Their latest project is to use First Class software to set their calenders together so they can more easily exchange information.
Despite never meeting in person, the article stresses the close teaching relationship that has developed between two teachers half a planet apart.
JW
My goal as an educator is to create meaningful real world experiences for my students, which will allow them to grow and develop into productive citizens. I believe that vc is great way to accomplish this goal. I also agree with the article that vc allows teachers to, “foster and develop leadership skills, promote the concept of global citizenship, and provides students with experience to help develop their emotional intelligence.” Whether the students are meeting with a class half way around the world, a provider in another state, or simply presenting to another group of students in their districts students are learning vital communication skills and can only grow from this exposure to the world.
lp
This article discusses vc and other online opportunities available through today’s advanced technology. Whether its taking a class online, taking a virtual field trip, or doing collaborative projects with students in another city technology has definitely created assess to places and people around the world. I would be curious to know how many schools around the country have been able to afford the initial cost of setting up a vc room and what type of grants have been put in place to help these schools. I love that my school has this technology available and to show my appreciation, I try to use it on a regular basis. My only hope would be to get all schools using this technology.
lp
The article is a strong testament to what can be done when a creative, innovative teacher has access to technology. Jody Howard-Kennedy teaches at Eastview Middle School in White Plains New York. For three years, she has given her students extraordinary opportunities through videoconferencing. They spoke with Cabinet members in the War room in London, spoke with a diver underwater at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, spoke with Health and Social Services officials in South Africa and students with HIV in the same country. Not only was it interesting and exciting for the students, it also fulfilled the goals of the curriculum and the school goals of fostering leadership skills and promoting global citizenship. In just 3 years, she has created partnerships with 17 New York area schools and 23 international contacts.
She talked about the qualities of a good program and said it should have curriculum based content and have pre and post materials for teachers and students. She thought two programs-Global Leap and the Youth Summits for Global Harmony project were particularly good.
She spoke briefly about the technology needed for this program and said there were two ways to have video connections-IP using the internet and ISDN with the telephone line. Her recommendation was to buy a machine that can videoconference in both ways. She also mentioned the importance of the vendor and emphasized the benefits of choosing one that would support you.
Besides some examples of interesting projects, I also found it helpful to briefly talk about the technology necessary to have videoconferencing.
JW
This article focuses on a relationship between two classrooms, one in Kobe, Japan and the other in Nashville Tennessee. The are article talks extensively about the benefits that both the teachers and the students have from participating in on-line conversations. Darrick Mosser the author and also one of the teachers involved, describes how all of his students have show great improvment in their writing from communicating via email with students from another country.
It sounds like a 21st century pen pal program, and I believe the students can benefit from this type of exchange. In addition to having the students emailing each other, the teachers have also built a great relationship and have been able to work out the kinks in the system. I hope in the future I can provide the same kind of interaction for my students.
lp
