Monthly Archives: September 2005

World Issues Class Connects to Pakistan

This morning we connected again to Pakistan, this time with a sophomore World Issues class from Edwardsburg High School.

Our class shared the seven themes of culture: social organization, holiday celebrations (Halloween & corn mazes), language (slang), arts & literature (types of music), religion, government, and economics.

They used skits, pictures, costumes, and props in their presentation.

The class in Pakistan shared information on their form of government and what parts of their culture are similar to the U.S. Another student shared how they celebrate religious holidays in Pakistan.

They showed us the shalwar and qamis national dress and held up examples of handicrafts to show us. They also showed us their money which has the picture of the founder of Pakistan on it, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

We also listened to their presentation about the different provinces and types of terrain in Pakistan.

In the last 5 minutes, students asked questions back and forth.

We connected a bit late because they had lost electricity in Pakistan. It’s quite typical in the summer months to lose power occasionally.

The classes talked about summer holidays, winter holidays and other times off of school, and how education is not compulsory for some students in Pakistan. They also talked about sports and explained the rules of football and discussed favorite teams etc.

It was a great experience for all & I’m sure we’ll connect again!

Janine

Historically Black Colleges and Universities Recruitment Event

This morning Benton Harbor High School students participated in a college recruitment event coordinated by CILC. This unique event allows students to hear from many recruiters from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The recruiters are onsite in Indianapolis. Each recruiter comes up and the classes get to ask questions of the recruiter in round robin format.

The recruiters only get a few minutes, but they cram in useful information, trivia, and fun facts into their quick presentation. After one set of recruiters present their information, students ask questions in round robin format. Then we disconnect and reconnect to another set of recruiters at another location in Indianapolis.

Students get a great overview of the myriad options available to them for college. This is the second year Benton Harbor has participated in this tightly organized event. It’s a good model for others trying to get a college recruiter interview videoconference organized.

Sharing Communities with Pakistan

Today after hurried preparations, we did our first international connection of this school year. A second grade class at E. P. Clarke Elementary in St. Joseph connected with some 2nd, 3rd and 4th class students in Karachi, Pakistan.

The two classes shared information about their homes and families. One Hindu student in Pakistan shared how he lived with his nuclear family. Another student in Pakistan shared how he lived with his extended family.

The two classes shared clothing and the students in Pakistan showed their shalwar qamis. Both classes shared what type of weather and climate are common in their area.

The class in Pakistan shared their alphabet with us. They are going to email us the whole alphabet and how to say the letters.

The classes also shared their holidays. Our class shared how we celebrate Halloween, Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and birthdays. They also shared holiday celebrations with us and showed how the bride & groom dress for a wedding.

The format of the videoconference was basically sharing back and forth. Students at one site would share information, then the other class would share information on the same topic. Other topics covered included money, transportation, sports, entertainment, school topics, and landforms.

The students in Pakistan taught our students how to say, “how are you,” “thank you,” and “we are fine” in their national language, Urdu.

We finished with questions back and forth between the schools, thanks and goodbyes! An excellent experience for everyone involved!

New Middle Schools Online

Yesterday I tested with the three Benton Harbor middle schools who just installed used Polycom 512s. I’m so excited that they now have access! A huge barrier to using videoconferencing in my middle schools is the transportation to the high school to access the technology. It’s easier for one or two elementary classes to come over and use it, but for 6 sections of a middle school subject area, it’s pretty much not worth the hassle. So now that these middle schools have the technology in the building, I know they will be using it much more this year!

A few other factors will make them successful this year, I’m sure. Each building has an assigned distance learning coordinator, mostly media specialists, who are in charge of the equipment. They are excited about the possibilities and find the Polycom remote easy to use. Having an enthusiastic “advocate” is what makes the difference in usage among the schools in our two counties.

In addition, most of the teachers already know what videoconferencing is. So instead of doing “awareness” sessions, we’re doing “pick your program” sessions. We’re trying out a new format for this professional development. The school will connect to me in my office for the whole day. Then as teachers have their conference hour, they will stop by the library to talk about what program(s) would be appropriate for their curriculum. They will be able to see the technology in action, experience how their videoconference setup works, and talk to me about possible programs or projects. I’m hoping that this will help teachers feel comfortable with their selections. I will help them fill out our mini-grant/scheduling request forms as well.

To my local principals & distance learning coordinators, if you want to schedule this type of professional development for your teachers, just contact me!

Best 2nd grade VC programs

So you’re a 2nd grade teacher and trying to pick the best VC program for this year? Here are what I consider to be your best choices.

Science
Of all the possibilities we’ve correlated to the Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations for 2nd grade, I’d say choose one of these providers:

  1. The Center for Puppetry Arts has excellent programs. They are designed well for young students’ attention spans because the students work on making a puppet, glue a little, then learn something while it’s drying, then glue a little more. By the time the program is done, they have a puppet! I highly recommend these programs!
  2. We really enjoy both the Columbus Zoo and the Cincinnati Zoo for the adaptations and/or life cycle/bug programs.
  3. Consider also the Lake County Waste Management District for their environment programs. The presenter is an incredible storyteller and connects very well with the students. Plus they are free!
  4. If your students are “designing a system that encourages growing of particular plants or animals” MI.SCI.III.5.3, consider sharing your “system” or worm farm or other experiments with another class. Last spring we did a worm-farm sharing project that was highly successful!
  5. If your students are studying weather, you may want to connect to a class in a different area and share local weather/climate conditions.
  6. If your students are learning about “seasonal changes in Michigan’s weather” MI.SCI.V.3.2, you may consider presenting the four seasons to another class. Or connect to a partner class four times during the school year to share the four different seasons.

Social Studies: Communities

  1. Joan Roehre, Kenosha, WI, shared a really neat local community history idea on her blog. She’s running this project for her local districts in March. We could do the same thing here in Berrien County if we have a few interested teachers!
  2. The Around the World program from the Museum of TV & Radio is one of the best programs that shows different types of communities around the world. Highly recommended!
  3. You could also connect with a class in a different type of community anywhere in the world, really. Canada & the U.S. are the easiest places to find a partner class, but other international locations aren’t out of the picture – they just take a bit more work to find! To my local teachers, email me if you want to do this!

Language Arts

  1. Of course, don’t forget the possibility of participating in Read Across America in March 2006. That would be free.
  2. For my local teachers: We have some good ASK programs coming up that you’ll want to consider. Remember we send you the books.
    ****Stellaluna by Janell Cannon; Grade Level: 2-3, Topic: Bats.
    Date: November 3, 2005: 9:30-10:30; 10:45-11:45; and 1:00-2:00 p.m.
    You’ll interview experts at the Bat Conservatory at the Cranbrook Institute of Science.
    ****Ice Bear and Little Fox by Jonathan London, Grades 2-3. Topic: Polar Bears
    Date: March 16, 9:30-10:15 and 10:30-11:15 a.m. (3 slots each time).
    You’ll interview an expert at the Indianapolis Zoo.
  3. You could also, at any other time of the year, present a choral reading, play, or original class book to another class.
  4. There are several good content provider programs based on children’s literature as well.

To my local teachers, email me or visit www.remc11.k12.mi.us/dl to schedule any of these videoconferences.

Best 1st grade VC programs

So you’re a 1st grade teacher and trying to pick the best VC program for this year? Here are what I consider to be your best choices.

Science
Of all the possibilities we’ve correlated to the Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations for 1st grade, I’d say choose one of these providers:

  1. The Center for Puppetry Arts has excellent programs. They are designed well for young students’ attention spans because the students work on making a puppet, glue a little, then learn something while it’s drying, then glue a little more. By the time the program is done, they have a puppet! I highly recommend these programs!
  2. The Columbus Zoo is excellent at tailoring their programs to your students’ level. These are also very good programs, but you’d be schedule ASAP! The fall schedule is full and the rest of the year is filling up very quickly!
  3. Consider also the Lake County Waste Management District for their environment programs. The presenter is an incredible storyteller and connects very well with the students. Plus they are free!
  4. If your students are “designing a system that encourages growing of particular plants or animals” MI.SCI.III.5.3, consider sharing your “system” or worm farm or other experiments with another class. Last spring we did a worm-farm sharing project that was highly successful!
  5. If your students are studying weather, you may want to connect to a class in a different area and share local weather/climate conditions.

Language Arts

  1. Of course, don’t forget the possibility of participating in Read Across America in March 2006. That would be free.
  2. You could also, at any other time of the year, do a reading project with another class. One idea is to share a pattern book, such as Chica-Chica-Boom-Boom or Do You See What I See? One TX teacher who took my online class, Planning Interactive Curriculum Connections, partnered up with another class in NY. Each class took a turn at reading the book to each other, then they read the book aloud together. What a fun simple idea! You could extend it and have each class write their own book following the same pattern, and share that with each other via VC as well.
  3. There are several good content provider programs based on children’s literature as well.

To my local teachers, email me or visit www.remc11.k12.mi.us/dl to schedule any of these videoconferences.

What About Math? Elementary Possibilities

If you’re interested in doing a videoconference related to math, you may have found that there aren’t as many opportunties as other subject areas. However, there are still some good choices.

Content Providers

  1. On the Wall: Drawing on Math from the Indianapolis Museum of Art. We’ve really enjoyed this program. Students use math to solve an art problem, show their solutions to the presenter, and then at the end of the videoconference they see how the artist solved the problem. Real-world applications of perimeterand area!
  2. We really like the Lake County Waste Management District, and they offer two free programs: Scales & Tales – Environmental Fun with Measuring and also Talkin’ Trash. I haven’t seen these two particular programs, but I’ve heard good things from DL colleagues who have done them.
  3. If you’ve been reading this blog, you already know we love COSI Toledo here in Berrien County. Andy Campbell has a program called What’s the Chance? If it’s anything like the rest of his programs, it will be excellent!
  4. We enjoy the Baseball Hall of Fame as well. They have a program called Math: Batter Up for 5th grade & up. It covers long division, batting averages, and slugging percentages.
  5. Another possibility is Mathematical Visions from the Rutgers Camden Center for the Arts. I haven’t seen this one yet, but it sounds interesting. Same with Ani-math from the Indianapolis Zoo.

Math Projects with Other Classes
Don’t forget that you can do creative math projects with other classes. These are usually free too! Here’s some possibilities:

  1. Math Problem Solving is an idea shared by teachers at a TWICE workshop.
  2. Linda McDonald, Katy ISD, TX, has a great project she runs called Math Marvels. Her website has the flyer information, sample problems, etc. under Documents. (Note, the links don’t work if you’re using Firefox, so look at this in Internet Explorer.)
  3. I’m sure you can think of other ways your math class could share a love of math with another class!

To my local teachers, email me or visit www.remc11.k12.mi.us/dl to schedule any of these videoconferences.

Dream Factory VC Idea

In August I read an article in Wired Magazine titled The Dream Factory where the author designed his own guitar, sent the design to a “fab lab” and for about $1000 received his own guitar back in the mail. Very intriguing in the possibilities!

Of course I’m always thinking of the videoconferencing possibilities! Wouldn’t it be neat to somehow find around $500 for two classes to work together to solve a problem with an invention. You could have one of the classes be a class in New Jersey close to the fab lab mentioned in the article so they could go pick it up and avoid shipping costs. A middle school technology/computer class would work, as well as a high school design/manufacturing class. If the two classes met at the same time, they could easily connect to each other. The two classes could decide together on a program and/or design the problem together. Then they could have teams of students design solutions. A panel of student judges from both classes could pick the winning design. After they send it in, the class in NJ could pick it up, get a tour of the “fab lab” and make an iMovie about it to share with the other class. Maybe they could then ship the “invention” to the partner class?

Just some wild ideas that I thought of when reading that article….

Metablog (thinking about blogging): The cool thing about a blog is you have a place to keep your wild and crazy ideas!

High School Expert Interviews

There’s also a stack of expert interviews from several locations. We really like the COSI Columbus ones. They are available on many science topics.

  1. COSI Columbus has many experts available on topics such as: climate change, migratory birds, athletic performance, PC robotics, memory, ecology, genetics, forensics, and more!
  2. Vanderbilt Virtual School and Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach both offer several expert interviews on science topics and career interviews.
  3. And don’t forget all the great NASA programs. Most of the NASA Glenn programs are interviews with NASA scientists.

To my local teachers, email me or visit www.remc11.k12.mi.us/dl to schedule any of these videoconferences.

Foreign Language Classes

We’ve had quite an increase this year in programs available for foreign languages. Here’s what’s available:

Spanish

  1. The Cleveland Museum of Art, one of our favorite providers, will present a couple of their programs in Spanish if requested.
  2. The Indianapolis Museum of Art offers an excellent interactive program called the Speak to Learn Game Show. It’s available in Spanish, French, German or ESL! I love this program. Kids speak in the language about the art they are viewing and get points & medals for their work in the game show. Very fun. Students often say afterwards, “We should talk in the language more!”
  3. Global Education Motivators has a program, Recognizing the Rights of People with Disabilities that can be presented in Spanish. The presenter is a gymnast from Columbia who suffered an injury to her spinal cord while performing on the vault. This sounds like a powerful program for English or Spanish!
  4. The Indianapolis Zoo has a new program on Animales en Español. It says K-8 but would probably be good for a 1st year Spanish class as well.
  5. Camden Children’s Garden is offering all of their programs in Spanish this year (as well as English).
  6. The Videoconference Organization Seminary in Spain offers several programs. A little on the pricey side, but they are a connection to Spain!
  7. To my local teachers: In addition, I have a couple contacts in Latin America that we could set you up with a class to class conversation if you wish. You could also connect to another local Spanish class and talk to them en Español if you wish. A couple neat projects ideas are: Epals Hablar and Simon Dice.

French

  1. The Indianapolis Museum of Art offers an excellent interactive program called the Speak to Learn Game Show as mentioned above.
  2. The Cleveland Museum of Art, one of our favorite providers, will present a couple of their programs in French if requested.

German

  1. The Indianapolis Museum of Art offers an excellent interactive program called the Speak to Learn Game Show as mentioned above.

Italian

  1. The Cleveland Museum of Art added a new program, Italian Art, that can be presented in Italian if you wish.

To my local teachers, email me or visit www.remc11.k12.mi.us/dl to schedule any of these videoconferences.