Today we have a special treat for MysteryQuest Western Hemisphere. We have a class from Nicaragua participating!
We are also using the Polycom RSS in a unique way. My local school’s system went on the fritz this week. We don’t know why it quit working and the problem seems to be network related. MysteryQuests are impossible to reschedule, so we connected them in via a speakerphone for interaction, and then put the streaming up on a projector with the sound turned down so they could get the visuals. Maybe the most unique way a recording device has been used so far, but it did allow my school to participate successfully in MysteryQuest today.
Since we recorded it, this is one MysteryQuest that you could watch if you want. (Schools participating in MysteryQuest have collected parent permission forms before hand.) The program will play in Windows Media Player.
At the end we had 20 minutes of Q&A with the American Nicaraguan School. It was their first videoconference and one of the questions they asked the other schools was, “do you like videoconferencing with us?” Of course everyone shouted out YES!! Other questions were:
- What do you do for fun?
- What is your home like?
- How far do you live from school?
- Some questions were asked in Spanish by students in the Michigan schools. That was really neat for both classes.
- What is your school day like?
- If we were to visit Nicaragua where should we go?
It was a great connection and everyone enjoyed the research and interaction with the other classes at the end.
By the way, registration is open for MysteryQuest USA in April. We’d love to have you participate.