Tag Archives: ASK Programs

Positive Things Abut Using VC in the Classroom

Last May (2008), I asked twenty of my teachers who used VC most often to complete a little survey. This is the beginning of sharing the results. Each teacher had used videoconferencing at least 6 times in the school year, and the teacher using it the most had done 12 videoconferences in the 2007-2008 school year. All of these were “curriculum videoconferencing” or using VC to support curriculum instruction.

In this post, I’ll share the answers to one of the questions. I decided to use Wordle to represent the data visually. Interestingly, it’s quantitative data (counting the number of times the word is using) represented in a more qualitative way.

Please identify three to five positive things about using videoconferencing in your classroom.

Positive Things About Using VC in the Classroom

Isn’t it interesting that the word students is so huge?! Learning, experiences, and opportunity jump out at me. It’s all about the students, isn’t it! Click the graphic to see the words much larger. Think about each of those other descriptive words.

And, I selected one full answer to share with you. This answer is by Peggy Clore, 6th and 7th grade language arts teacher at the Coloma Middle School, Coloma, Michigan (one of our RUS grant schools). She took the Jazz workshop a couple years ago and has been hooked on VC since. One of her more memorable VCs was the Around the World project in April 2008. She has also participated in the ASK interview with Jim Stovall and Read Around the Planet.

1) Students have an authentic audience, causing them to take greater care with their work.
2) Students learn to create valid questions through the ASK kit.
3) Students reflect upon what they learn and sometimes change their thinking or make connections to what they know.
4) Some of our challenging students’ behavior is so much better because they’re interested in what we’re doing.
5) When we connect to another part of the country or a foreign country, we open our students’ world to ideas they may not learn through a text book. Most of our students do not have opportunity to travel or see areas outside of our rural community and county.

So, how would you answer this question? Please comment – either with your own list of positive things about using VC in the classroom, or with your own interpretation of the data represented above.

Veterans Day Interview Nov. 11 at 9:00 EST

We have a panel of veterans coming in on November 11 from 9:00-10:00. We’ll be using the interview format, with each class getting an opportunity to ask questions of the veterans.

I need some more interactive classes! If you can join us, please sign up online here, and then email me to let me know you want to participate.

FREE!! 🙂

The Joy in Their Eyes

Last year, a teacher from one of my poorer and more urban districts took the Planning Interactive Curriculum Connections class and got really excited about videoconferencing! They weren’t included in our recent RUS grant due to their high population, and so last spring she took the kids over to the high school to access videoconferencing several times. One time they walked through the snow, and each time they took a bus over they were struggling to find funding to get to the high school.

One of the programs was the ASK program with the book Ice Bear and Little Fox, and the students talked to Rebecca at the Buffalo Zoo. The kids loved it and afterwards the teachers found out two of the students had never been to the zoo!

Then, another teacher from this same school took the Jazz class this summer. With such enthusiasm and dedication from the school, what could I do but figure out how to get a unit to them!

Thankfully, due to closing a building in another district, I was able to reclaim an old Polycom Viewstation purchased by grant funds that we applied for. (Those things are like the energizer bunny – they just keep going!!)

Last Friday, my supervisor and I went out to deliver the Viewstation and discuss the details. We did a contract similar to the RUS grant contracts. They laughed when I said you need to do at least 5 VCs a year. I KNOW they won’t have a problem at all meeting that goal! And they have more than half of the required professional development done already.

So that was pretty exciting. It was fun to see the joy in their eyes over the opportunities they can now bring to their students!

Running Your Own ASK Programs

I’m on a mission today to get all my materials ready for the Elevate 2008 conference. Nothing like a conference presentation to motivate a person to get a few extra things done! For a while I’ve wanted to post these notes online about how to run your own ASK program. And now it’s done! So if you’ve been thinking about running ASK programs for your schools, check it out!

VC Promotes Better Speaking Skills

Well, I’m done with MysteryQuest USA for the year, and the last ASK programs are finished as well. One thing that I’ve noticed is that videoconferencing really does promote/encourage/require/give practice for speaking skills.

When students share a clue in MysteryQuest, and then have to repeat them again and again because the other students couldn’t hear them, they learn to speak up and slow down! And they gain more confidence and poise because of their practice being on camera.

As Cifuentes and Murphy (2000) found in their study of a long term collaboration between Texan and Mexican students: “The students became more confident in their speaking, poise, and behavior on camera.”

I think also of Rusty, of Weather with Rusty fame. If the students ask their question too fast or they mumble, he makes them do it again! He mentors students so they catch some of his “on camera” professionalism.

What do you think? How did you see students learn and grow in their speaking skills this past year?

ASK: The Wall

Today we had 11 classes from Michigan, New York and Texas interview a panel of our Vietnam Veterans as part of the ASK program. Students had read the books The Wall and Patrol, and prepared questions ahead of time.

We’ve done this program before, so I didn’t write down as many questions as I have on past ASK program posts. Plus I got so interested in the answers that I forgot to hook up another school with the Buffalo Zoo! Oops!

Our veterans answered 134 questions in the whole day, and in the session after lunch we hit a record for questions answered by a panel of veterans – 39 questions!! Two of the questions that stood out for me today were

  • Would you rather have fought in Vietnam or Iraq?
  • Were you the first person in your family to go to war and how did you feel about it?

While the topic is often very serious, we had some funny moments too. Today’s funniest moment was when a student from Killeen, TX, ask the veterans if they had ever “interacted with domestic animals.” One of our veterans had a very funny story on how one of his buddies, incidentally from Killeen, had an encounter with a water buffalo. Everyone was laughing. It was a neat moment.

I really like it when the students prepare special expressions of thanks for our veterans. Note this poster from last year. Today we had a couple classes give a standing ovation at the end. And Lee Elementary from El Paso TX had all the students wave flags as they said thank at the end. The veterans really liked that and appreciated it!

In addition, a few of the classes really decorated the area where the students were asking questions. Our veterans enjoyed this expression of patriotism too.

Thank you to all the classes who prepared such excellent questions & took time to learn about the Vietnam War.

ASK Author: Do Unto Otters

Ottawa Elementary, whose school mascot is the otter, is connecting this afternoon to author, Laurie Keller, to discuss her book Do Unto Otters. We also have Mars Elementary participating locally, and there are other classes across the US, too. This is a Polycom Special Event and the students have followed the ASK process to prepare.

  • What inspired you to write this book?
  • Which one of your books is your favorite?
  • Did you have a mean neighbor too?
  • Have you ever been to any Michigan schools to visit?
  • Do you always use the golden rule?
  • When did you decide to become a writer?
  • You used a lot of animals in this story. What the process you used to pick the animals to use in the story?
  • Have the rabbit and the otter finished the book about you yet?

Each school also shared their favorite classroom or school rule. Some them were:

  • I will always try to do my best.
  • I am responsible for my own behavior.
  • Hands are for helping, not hurting.
  • Don’t talk when other people are talking.

Laurie also showed all her materials used during the preparation of the book. It was a great experience and I’m sure we’ll do this again!

ASK Author: Scrambled States

This afternoon, Brown Elementary connected with author Laurie Keller for a Polycom Special Event based on the ASK format. Several other schools across the country were participating as well. Students had read Laurie’s book, The Scrambled States, and had prepared questions to ask her. Here are a few of the questions from today:

  • How did you get the idea for the book?
  • Where was the party?
  • Who is your favorite author?
  • Have you visited all the states?
  • What is your favorite state?
  • How long did it take you to write the book?
  • What did you do before you were an author?
  • As a child, what was your favorite book?
  • Why is there a penny on two of the pages of the book?
  • Why didn’t you scramble continents instead?
  • Since your favorite president is Lincoln, have you ever been to Mt. Rushmore to see him?

We got a peek look at the sequel coming out in August, The Scrambled States Talent Show, and we also saw some of the writing process and other books that she had written. The students each shared 3 facts from their state as well. Great connection!