Monday, November 30, 2009

CAPSpace Projects Registration

There are many worthwhile projects that you should check out and see if you would like to participate with your class. Registration is now open, so reserve your spot while there's still time! Remember, to get contact and other additional information about each project, you'll need a CAPSpace account:
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Berrien RESA MysteryQuest World Geography
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MysteryQuest World Geography is designed for middle school students studying world geography. Through video conference technology students are able to meet other students while learning about cities and countries in the world. Prior to the video conference each classroom will create a presentation with clues about their ONE mystery country and city. The other classrooms, using maps, the Internet, textbooks, and other resources, will try to discover the mystery location presented by each participating classrooms.

MysteryQuest is a Multipoint Event.

The project is open to everyone and is free.

More information here:
http://mysteryquest.wikispaces.com/

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TWICE Regular Members: We the Kids
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TWICE offers this project for the 4th (or 5th) grade social studies curriculum, focusing on the Constitution, particularly the preamble. Students will study the six phrases of the preamble and present non-linguistic representations (i.e. drawings or skits) to each other to explain the parts of the preamble.

We the Kids is a Matching Event so you will need to select multiple times/dates for when your class can participate.

We the Kids is open to TWICE Regular Members (paid membership) ONLY.
(See if you\'re a member here: http://www.twice.cc/regmembers.html)

More information here:
http://projects.twice.cc/?l=event&eventid=130

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TWICE ASK Programs, Second Semester
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TWICE partners with various ISDs around Michigan to bring ASK Author videoconferences. ASK (“Authors Specialist and Knowledge”) is an organized process that provides students with the opportunity to interview an author or a subject specialist in the topic they are reading about in a novel. The program uses excellent literature, journal writing and interviewing to promote reading for understanding.

ASK programs are Multipoint Events.

TWICE ASK programs are $40 for regular members and $80 for non members.
(See if you\'re a member here: http://www.twice.cc/regmembers.html)

More information here:
http://www.twice.cc/ASK/

Friday, November 20, 2009

Pre-Planning Collaborative Partnerships

The following blog is a cautionary tale based on personal experience...

We always talk about planning ahead of time for video conferencing. Preparation is key to any successful IVC. When doing collaborative video conference projects, setting the stage before planning is extremely important...

It's great to establish an agenda and materials, but even before that, you need to think about and discuss the expectations of everyone who is taking part in the collaboration.

There are several things that I learned the hard way recently, and I would like to share what I learned with you so your collaborations go smoothly. Ask yourself and your collaborative partners the following questions:

1. Find out the teaching styles of the people with whom you plan to collaborate.

Are they "fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" people who love to play with the agenda and rearrange it throughout the entire collaborative process? Some people might prefer to plan things out in advance, and change at the last minute might be difficult for them. It is best to find this out before you collaborate because if you fall into one group and your partners are in the other and you haven't discussed it, you could be setting yourself up for a bumpy road.

2. Will there be a lead facilitator, or will planning be a fluid process that can change throughout the collaboration?

This is an important question, and relates to the previous question. If there are 3 or more facilitators in a group, make sure you know if they prefer structure, or if they prefer a looser way of preparing the connection. If you opt for a lead facilitator, what will his or her role be? Be specific so nothing is left ambiguous.

I admit that change up to and including the date of a collaborative effort makes me feel scattered, so I prefer to have the agenda set and to try to stick to it. There is no one right way to plan, but finding out everyone's comfort zone in advance and respecting that can help save headaches in the end.

3. How will you communicate throughout the collaboration?

When people send emails to the group, what is a reasonable amount of time to expect a response? Set goals for responding to emails from your collaborative group in a reasonable amount of time. Never leave your group waiting. If you can't respond thoughtfully right away, at least send a message telling everyone you're busy and when you might be able to attend to the question or concern. When people are left to wait for a response, it sends another kind of message, whether intentional or not, that this collaboration isn't important.

For multi-day collaborative IVC projects or trainings, set aside enough time to meet synchronously about the project. Meet by video conference, Skype or Google Chat, at least 3 times throughout the process to keep the project on track. If you have committed to participating, make sure you attend the synchronous planning meetings, or make arrangements to catch up with one of the other facilitators to find out what you missed.

If you want a structured agenda for your connection, decide on a date when the agenda and materials will be completed so copies can be made and facilitators can prepare for their parts.

During the video conference, if it becomes evident that the agenda needs to be changed, how will you approach this? It is best to discuss this behind the scenes, if possible. You could use a chat tool, such as Google Chat. If you must do this on camera, it would be best to wait for a break, so participants or students aren't left wondering why you didn't figure out the agenda beforehand.

Perhaps you have a good question and someone is talking during the video conference. Do you jump in? Again, if you ask people how they feel about something like this beforehand, it will show how considerate you are! It is best to wait until the person is done talking. Write down your question and ask it when there is a pause.

4. Who will be responsible for creating materials?

How will you share the responsibility for making materials? Be careful here because the communication piece is key. Changes to the agenda can mean that there could be changes to the handouts and other materials. This can create more work for people, so think before you change anything. Getting a consensus on change is a good thing.

Decide as a group if you will use online resources to keep things organized, or will you use paper and pencil because your participants won't have access to a computer?

5. Schedule out time to work on the collaboration.

This one is not a question because this should be done by everyone. Everyone is so busy! Schedule out time to work on projects on your calendar. Better yet, use a Google Doc or Google Calendar for all facilitators to keep track of dates to work synchronously and asynchronously on the collaboration. Then share it so you can see if someone is working on it at the same time you are so you could work through some of it together.

If you plan out specific dates and times to work on the project, you won't give the time away to other projects once your calendar starts filling up.

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I want your collaborative projects to be positive experiences for you! Collaborations are a delicate balance of compromise, communication, consideration for others, and commitment.

What else should people think about when planning a collaborative project? I would like to hear your thoughts!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

IVC Ideas from Web 2.0

If you follow any blogs, particularly those by some excellent video conferencing professionals around the country, like Janine Lim and Roxanne Glaser, you can learn so much and find so many interesting video conferencing projects to do.

Sometimes I find a blog entry about a topic that does not seem to relate to video conferencing at first, and a wonderful idea for a collaborative video conference project comes along. I would like you to read Beth Still's recent blog entry about a Social Studies unit she is teaching about topics dealing with racial tension.

Beth had asked her class to make a blog entry about their feelings about racism. One student identified himself as racist and didn't see anything wrong with that because that is how I was raised.

In her blog entry, Beth stated her plan to address this with her class and asked her PLN their thoughts about how to approach this with the students.

One comment stood out to me as an excellent example of the power of collaborative technologies, and how they can be instrumental in helping make connections that wouldn't have happened otherwise:

  • "Beth,Would you be open to some of my students writing persuasive letters to your student to try to help him understand the importance of walking AWAY from racism? I have a class that would welcome the opportunity as part of their civil rights unit. This is an opportunity for all of us perhaps to have a teachable moment and face a very real problem in the world today by putting our minds to honest, open, positive communication and education... I would love to hear from you."
This, to me, is a wonderful opportunity for collaboration. I'm so glad that I didn't miss this article! It gives me so many ideas for projects to suggest to educators in my own region. I wanted to share this with all of you and see what you think about this.

How has Web 2.o helped you to become more collaborative?

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Free Professional Development by IVC: Secondary Science Teachers

I just received this from CILC and wanted to share it with secondary Science teachers. I was wishing I could attend, but I'm teaching that afternoon. If you decide to participate, let me know what you thought of it by commenting on this post!

Exclusively for Educators

Join Deborah Off as she shares two web-based science curricula developed by Eli Lilly and Company to support middle and high school educators.

The multidisciplinary project, "Epidemic Challenge," integrates:
*writing
*communication/public speaking
*math
*research
*group collaboration

The "Chemistry is a Blast" curriculum, offering supportive guides, experiments, and videos, covers:
*physical and chemical properties
*chemical reactions
*safety practices in chemistry

All participants will learn about valuable materials and how to access them.

Date: 12/02/09
Time: 4:00 - 5:00 pm ET
Registration Deadline: 11/30/09

REGISTER HERE
For more information
Contact
Tonia Carriger : tcarriger@cilc.org
317-231-6587

This training is sponsored by:
* CILC
* elluminate
* Tandberg

Friday, November 6, 2009

Test-Taking Strategies with S-VE

I worked with 4 fifth grade classes from Spencer-Van Etten today on test-taking strategies to help them prepare for their upcoming Social Studies state test.

The students did a wonderful job of listening to and following directions!

We watched a video about Test-Taking Strategies, talked about the strategies they learned from the video and played a Jeopardy game. The game includes questions taken from old NYS Social Studies tests. We talked about the strategies they used to answer the questions as a way to reinforce the strategies.

All four games were pretty close! Congratulations to the winners!

Enjoy your weekend! It's supposed to be a nice one here in upstate NY...

If you have any questions about video conferencing, please let us know!

DL@gstboces.org

Megaconference Event: Experiences of Women In Afghanistan

Experiences of Women In Afghanistan: A Conversation with Suraya Pakzad

Target Audience: High School Students (Grades 10-12)

Date: Friday, November 13, 2009

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. ET

Cost: Free

Requirements for Participation:


* There are spots for 10 MAGPI Members with H.323 videoconferencing capabilities
* There are 5 spots for non-MAGPI Members with H.323 videoconferencing capabilities and who are connected to their national/state research and education network


More information/Registration: http://www.magpi.net/Community/Programs/Experiences-Women-Afghanistan-Conversation-Suraya-Pakzad (Registration for this program closes on Monday, November 9, 2009).

Suraya Pakzad of Afghanistan, entered into an arranged marriage at the age of fourteen years old, and by the time she was sixteen, was the mother of two children. Suraya is now 37 years old and has raised a family of six children. However, with all of these personal challenges and responsibilities she has dedicated her life to helping the women of Afghanistan by starting schools in private homes during the Taliban period, creating vocational training for women in prisons, and establishing safe shelter homes for abused women which offer medical, psychological and legal assistance. Suraya and her organization are dedicated to their cause and every day live with the threats of violence and kidnapping of themselves and family members. Join us to hear her real life stories and be inspired by her dedication and grace!

Named one of Time Magazine's most 100 Influential People of 2009, Suraya will talk about her life experiences and work as the Executive Director and Founder of Voice of Women Organization. Suraya's friend and colleague, Aldo Magazzeni of Traveling Mercies, will moderate this event. There are a select number of interactive videoconference spots available for this event. It will be webstreamed live via real player through Penn Video Network, and an archive of the program will be available through MAGPI's channel on iTunes approximately one week after the event.


Not an Interactive Videoconference Site? Join the live webstream!

The following link will be live beginning at 9:50 a.m. EST on the day of the event, with content beginning promptly at 10:00 a.m. EST:

http://beansidhe.isc-net.upenn.edu:8080/ramgen/encoder/pakzad1113.rm

Technical Requirements for getting the RealPlayer stream:

To view the Internet webcast, your computer must have RealPlayer (version 8 or higher). RealPlayer is available for free from http://www.real.com/. Visit this site and follow the instructions to download and install the "RealPlayer - Free" option.

To test RealPlayer on your computer prior to the event, click on the link below (or copy and paste it into your web browser) to watch an archived video of commencement exercises from the University of Pennsylvania:

http://beansidhe.isc-net.upenn.edu:8080/ramgen/president/commencement08.rm

If you need assistance accessing the webstream, please contact video@isc.upenn.edu.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

ESVCC Training


We spent all day today with participants from 11 of our districts learning about video conferencing during our Empire State VC Collaborative training. Today we focused on collaborative projects such as MysteryQuest and Poetry Slam.

There are 6 participating sites this time: CNY RIC, LH RIC, Monroe #1 BOCES, ONC BOCES, Oswego County BOCES and our GST BOCES.

The day flew by today! Our participants asked many questions and worked hard throughout the day.

Check out our training wiki to see what you're missing: http://esvcc.wikispaces.com

Do you have questions about video conferencing? Please feel free to contact us! DL@gstboces.org

Monday, November 2, 2009

“Rolling on the Tundra: A Polar Bear Adventure”

Here's a post from Vanderbilt Virtual Schools. For GST Schools, we're able to assist with registration and cost. Please get in touch with us for assistance if needed. :-)
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TUESDAY, November 10, 2009 - “Rolling on the Tundra: A Polar Bear Adventure” with Julene Reed
Targeted Audience: students in grades 4 – 12

Only TWO spaces left!!

Join Apple Distinguished Educator, Julene Reed, as she visits the “Polar Bear Capital of the World” near the Hudson Bay in Churchill in Manitoba, Canada. Participate in a live videoconference from the Arctic tundra with Julene and scientists studying polar bears. Engage in a discussion of facts about polar bears, issues affecting them (such as climate change, etc.), and actions that we can take to help the polar bears.

This November videoconference will be held live from the Arctic tundra next to Hudson Bay not far from Churchill, Manitoba. The scientists, zoologists, and educators who will participate in the videoconference will be broadcasting from the Tundra Buggy Lodge. The lodge is comprised of specialized modules that, when linked end to end, stretch almost 100 meters long.

Time: 2:00 PM (CENTRAL time zone)
Format: 45 minutes formatted into 30-minute presentation, and then 15- 20 minute Q & A
Cost: $75 per site
Questions: Chandra Allison, at (615) 322-6511 or email chandra.allison@vanderbilt.edu
REGISTER: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool/registration.htm