Author Archives: Janine Lim

Send comments about VC to ISTE's Learning & Leading with Technology

Did you get this in your email already? I hope YOU are planning to send them a little blurb about your use of videoconferencing. Let’s make sure they remember VC as a type of distance learning!

(From Paul Wurster, L&L Assistant Editor)

Is Distance Learning Effective?

There are many effective ways to teach and to learn. How does  distance learning compare?

ISTE’s magazine, Learning & Leading with Technology, wants your  opinion.

If you would like to share your thoughts on this topic, type a 25– 50 word response and e-mail it to letters@iste.org by October 26.

We’re going to select 6–8 of the best comments we receive  (attributing them with name, affiliation, city, and state) and  publish them in the December/January issue of L&L.

Not sure? Read the opinion of two other education professionals in  the September/October edition of Point/Counterpoint in L&L on the  Web.

Comments (25–50 words):
Name:
Affiliation:
City:
State:

We really appreciate your participation!
Kind regards,

Paul Wurster
Assistant Editor
Learning & Leading with Technology magazine
International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE)
Eugene, Oregon
541.434.8941
www.iste.org

Essential Media Specialists

Here’s another great post from my current online class, Kid2Kid Videoconference Connections. The class was discussing Scott Merrick’s article, When Good Technology Goes Bad.
This post is from a teacher and highlights the essential role of the media specialist in supporting videoconferencing:

The article was a bit funny.  I think that the reason teachers (I secretly include myself here) feel that it is more complicated than it may in fact be is because I can’t even read the seventh paragraph where the author is talking about the equipment.  The only words that looked like English was “Radio Shack”.  I’ve never been in one, but do recognize the name as a store.  I’m not so much afraid of having one bad go of it as I am destroying some costly equipment by cramming a plug into a spot where it doesn’t belong and breaking something. 

 

When I participated in a Mystery Location VC it was easier than driving a car.  That was perfect.  Work was required on my part to prep my kids and teach particular skills to ensure success on the day of.  We practiced for about a week.  Most everything ran smooth the day of.  Had I needed to climb on a roof and look for a “female/female RJ-45”, whatever that is, I most likely would have just cancelled the event.  When it gets down to the equipment I like to defer to our Media Specialist.  She is knowledgeable and happy to help.  Without her guidance I am not sure I could have been as successful in my first attempts at videoconferencing.     

I keep hammering this point home. The building level coordinator, ideally a media specialist, is critical to successful sustained use of curriculum videoconferencing!

Polycom Special Events

Polycom is offering a set of free special events this year. You can read about all the details and register here. These are offered through a partnership with Berrien County ISD (for registration) and Macomb ISD (for bridging). Here is a taste of the programs available:

  •  ASK program with author Janie Panagopoulos October 30 and May 1. You can read about a past program with Janie here.
  •  Project Africa, an interview with a student on a service learning project and his published book.
  • Interview with John Porter on the topic of bankruptcy.
  • Interview with Bill Hyche on setting goals.
  • ASK program with author Margaret Willey on her book Clever Beatrice Christmas.
  • ASK interview with blind author Jim Stovall on his book The Ultimate Gift. You can read about a past program with Jim here.
  • ASK program with Ben Carson, author of Gifted Hands and Think Big.
  • ASK program with Sue Stauffacher, author of Nothing But Trouble, the story of African American tennis player Althea Gibson.

Hopefully you can participate! Questions should be sent to Sue Porter.

Preservice Teachers Hooked on VC

Last evening I hosted a group of 18 preservice teachers from Western Michigan University who are part of an elementary science methods class. We took a trip to the Cleveland Institute of Music for a taste of their Science of Sound program. None of the students had experienced a videoconference before.

Afterward a great demo from CIM, we had some Q&A time.  I found it intriguing that immediately they wanted to know how they could access videoconferencing in the buildings where they are doing their practicums and student teaching. A few are non-traditional preservice teachers and wanted to know if their kids in local districts had access to VC. One of the parents has students in a district that shares one Polycom VSX 7000 among 5 buildings. She was interested in grants and ways to use building funding to get another unit for the building where her kids attend.

They immediately saw the value of videoconferencing. They were enthusiastic and hooked!

This class is taught by one of our local science teachers. She has used videoconferencing in her classroom and wants to make sure her students are exposed to it. We do this session each semester that she teaches the class; and clearly it works out well!

Kids Creating Community Content

Did you notice the announcement for KC3 – Kids Creating Community Content?

If you’re looking for ways to engage students in authentic research, presentation skills and use of technology then you’ll want to be involved in the 2007-2008 Kids Creating Community Content (KC3) Contest.

THE CONTEST
From east to west, urban or rural, we each live in a unique community. What can we learn from our area, from our varied citizens or natural resources? What can we share with other students that will enhance their view of our country or our world? This standards based project seeks to tap into the creative nature of students as they look at their community with new eyes and explore ways to share their findings with others using videoconferencing and technology as a resource.

THE CHALLENGE
Students in grades 7 – 12 create an engaging and dynamic videoconference content program about their community to be offered to classrooms nationally.

This project is modeled after Tommy Bearden‘s Cotton: Plant of Many Uses program designed by high school students. Check it out & maybe YOU will submit something!

Ruth is BlankenBlogging!

I was so delighted to find an email from Ruth Blankenbaker, CILC Executive Director, in my inbox this afternoon. Ruth has started blogging about videoconferencing. With a very creative title (another name-word-play), and an edgy engaging writing style. Be sure to add BlankenBlogger to your list of IVC blogs to read.

Welcome, Ruth, to the community of IVC bloggers. We look forward to learning from your perspective!

"ear rot"

I learned a new videoconference troubleshooting term today. “Ear rot” is what you get when you spend hours & hours on the phone with the helpdesk. It’s pretty funny actually, when you’ve spent all day on the phone on a Friday. I’ll refrain from naming the vendor that gave me “ear rot” today. LOL. Problem still isn’t fixed either.

I just keep telling myself, it’s for the kids! When videoconferencing works, it’s such a great experience for the kids!!! Learning experiences are worth the pain.

"Curriculum Videoconferencing"

For the last several months, as I’ve been considering my PhD research, I’ve been wishing that we had a really good descriptive name for what we do – connecting to content providers, guest experts, authors, classroom-to-classroom projects, international cultural exchanges, etc.

Some names we have used are Videoconference Adventures, Electronic Education, Virtual Field Trip, and Expeditions. But these don’t really capture an all inclusive idea of using videoconferencing for curriculum based experiences.

I’ve been guilty of using the term “enrichment” to describe what we do. But enrichment has a connotation of an add-on, an extra. Some thing that is optional. We all know schools who have so thoroughly integrated videoconferencing into the curriculum that whole grade levels annually participate in activities that tightly match their curriculum. So enrichment doesn’t really work either.

So, what do you think of the term “curriculum videoconferencing?” It’s simple and straightforward. The emphasis is on CURRICULUM, right where it should be. It uses the most common term for this technology, videoconferencing. It works to include all the types of K12 videoconferences for the curriculum – authors, content providers, projects, collaborations. We could add K12 in front, but higher ed is dabbling in this use of VC too.  Curriculum Videoconferencing. Has a nice ring, doesn’t it?

What do you think? Does it work? Can you think of a better term?