New Programs
Here are the some recent updates to our VC Program Database linked on TWICE and Polycom.
Archive for Content Providers
Vote for Best Content Providers by April 25
Just sent the announcement below to the listservs. Hope you can vote. We have new categories this year, including best UK providers and best Canadian providers. It’s a little early this year because I have another research survey to send to you all in May. Thanks for taking the survey!
The Berrien County ISD is hosting Teacher’s Choice Awards to select the Best Content Providers for the 2007-2008 school year. Results will be shared via the BCISD Videoconference Program
Database and the videoconferencing listservs.Many of you use the BCISD Videoconference Program Database from one of these websites:
TWICE: http://www.twice.cc/fieldtrips.html
Polycom: http://www.polycom.com/education/content/
BCISD Distance Learning: http://www.remc11.k12.mi.us/dl/
or from search boxes on your local distance learning website.Polycom has chosen to do a drawing for prizes to random participants of the survey to encourage participation. If you wish to be included in the drawing, add your contact information at the end of the survey. Polycom will select the winners randomly.
Click this link to take the short survey
You must complete the survey by April 25, 2008 to be included in the drawing.
Please share this announcement with your local videoconferencing colleagues. We welcome entries from teachers, even if they vote in only one category/subject area.
Thank you for your time!
A is for Animal
It’s tough to find a good program for young children, but one of the great choices is A is for Animal from the Cleveland Museum of Art.
The program builds on the sculptures and paintings at the Cleveland Museum of Art. At first the presenter asks the students if they’ve done a VC and lets them wave to break the ice.
The program consists of lots of questions and asking questions about what they are looking at. The students comment on what they see and also identify different objects in the paintings or on the sculptures. For example:
- What sound do you think the dog is making?
- What does it look like the dog is doing?
- What would the dog feel like if we could pet him?
- What do you think the dog is looking at?
The students see a sculpture of a cat, a bear, along with pictures of the live animals as part of the lesson. Some of the pictures and sculptures are of imaginary animals. Students identify which animals they see in the imaginary animals.
The students were highly involved, talking, sharing ideas, and learning. This is a great program for young students.
Featuring Four New Content Providers
Note: This post was written for the MACUL conference blog 2008 with attendees in mind. However I’m reposting it here because it seems it would be useful for readers here too.
In Sue Porter’s session, we connected to four new content providers.
The Oilers Ice School We talked to the main character in the book A Loonie for Luck. Students learn about simple machines in making a vehicle related to zamboni machines. Students learn about the world of work and different careers too. They are just getting started.
Next we connected to author Janie Panagopoulos. She can come directly to your school and talk to your students about writing. She connects from her home office. She can tailor the programs to your learning needs - podcasts, writing feedback, asking and answering questions, walking students through the writing process, etc. Janie is really enthusiastic and interactive with the students and “jumps out the screen” to interact and motivate your students.
Then we headed over to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The presenter dug out some Lions paraphernalia for our viewing pleasure. They are new to videoconferencing and taking their existing educational activities and adapting them to videoconferencing. All of their programs include pre and post visit activities. One interesting program is the Careers in the NFL to learn about other careers in the NFL besides just professional athletics. They have 5 new programs in preparation for next school year: Brian’s Song, African American Pioneers, Team Nicknames, and NFL Media / economics. By the way, they have a grant that subsidizes actual transportation. They are really cheap programs - $50 a program!! That’s a seriously good deal.
Finally we headed over to the Calvert Marine Museum. They are starting their programs in the fall of 2008. They have wonderful pictures and graphics to show in their presentations. Their educational content includes sharks, estuary, maritime heritage, climate change, etc. For being a newbie content provider, they have a great handle on the use of the camera, visuals, backgrounds, and bringing in other resources. I look forward to connecting to this provider when they get up and running.
My favorite thing about the TWICE sessions, is when the teachers say, “how do I do this?” and after asking them where they are, we can tell them how they already have access to videoconferencing. And then they say, “You’re kidding. Really?!” It’s so unfortunate tho’ that they don’t realize the power of the technology they already have!
Videoconferencing in Michigan
Note: This post was written for the MACUL conference blog 2008 with attendees in mind. However I’m reposting it here because it seems it would be useful for readers here too.
In this session by Max Graves and Anne Thorpe, we learned about the different videoconference providers in Michigan.
We connected to Northern Michigan University to talk to Diane who does the Meet the Musher program. Her sessions include a video clip of life at her kennel, and interactive questions with her, and with a live dog with her. Usually 3-5th grade classes participate in these programs. The audience asked questions about how videoconferencing works, how to prepare the class, whether permission slips are necessary, and about the dogs as well. The presenters told a funny story of bringing dogs into a videoconference room and a male dog decided to mark the room as his territory.
We also connected to the Cranbrook Science Institute to talk to Cameron Wood who organizes their videoconference programs. Cranbrook has the green screen technology and showed how it worked. They have the People On Content from Polycom. Cameron gave an overview of the programs they offer, and then walked us through the Three Fires program, including illustrations, language, and history. Miigwetch Cameron!
Here’s a picture of the TWICE room, but my little MacBook Pro built in camera doesn’t really do it justice!
Other content providers mentioned in this session were:
If you haven’t seen videoconferencing, make sure you swing by Gallery Overlook H in one of the sessions coming up so you can see the possibilities!
Hungry Hungry Caterpillar
Today we have a kindergarten class participating in Hungry Hungry Caterpillar from the Camden Children’s Garden.
The program started off with the presenter asking the students several questions to help them realize that the videoconference is live and the presenter can see and hear them.
Next the presenter read the book Hungry Hungry Caterpillar. During the reading, the presenter asks the students lots of questions to get them involved and interacting.
Then the students learn about the life cycle, with many pictures and examples of different kinds of butterflies, different colors of eggs, different types of caterpillars. The session is short & sweet & very interactive for young attention spans. It’s also jam packed with great visuals to teach the concepts.
The Camden Children’s Garden is one of our favorite content providers this year!
Mushing News from Bering Straits School District
This week and next we have several schools participating in the IditaProject from Bering Straits School District. There are 30 schools participating this year, so the interaction is by emailed in questions instead of live interaction.
We learned about the stats on the race so far, looked at a map of where the race goes, and heard about the snow conditions. We watched some video clips where the students from BSSD had interviewed mushers and edited and produced the tape.
We got to see a surprise guest - Gary Paulsen! He told stories about the race and answered questions from students. He told about his first race and how he was sure, the whole race through, that he wouldn’t finish. And he finished 42nd!
A lot of the discussion in today’s program was about the difference between racing many years ago and now. The GPS units are especially controversial. The mushers aren’t supposed to use GPS to follow the trail - they are supposed to use a compass. And many of them have their favorite places to stop and rest, and other secret strategies. Having a GPS record it is very frustrating. Most of the mushers don’t like it. It was a very interesting discussion.
We’ll be back for the sessions on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. If you’re not an interactive site, you can still follow the streaming video and the discussion forums.
Snakes, Rattle and Roll
Today I have two classes participating in Tommy Bearden’s Snakes, Rattle and Roll program. Tommy shared an interactive spot with us, and we have a view only school as well. I hear there are about 100 schools connected for this conference.
The first thing that stands out with this conference is the constant hiss/rattle of the snakes. They sound mad to me, but I haven’t met a rattlesnake before. Great experience for our kids!
Some of the questions were:
- What happens if a snake bites another snake?
- What makes the snake venom deadly?
- How do snakes produce their venom?
- Have either one of you (the handlers) been bit?
- Have you even been scared that you were going to get bitten?
- Which is the most deadly rattlesnake?
- Do snakes see in color or in heat signatures?
There were 8 interactive schools, but the majority of the session was questions, so we were able to ask about 4 questions.
My absolute favorite question was, “We found a recipe for fried rattlesnake. Do you eat fried rattlesnake?” Unbelievably, one of the snake handlers really enjoys various rattlesnake recipes. Yikes! What a learning experience for us in Michigan!!
The audio was definitely an issue. It was hard to hear the presenters over the rattles unless they really shouted. You could hear them straining their voices. I wonder if placements of mics and/or wireless mics on the presenters would have helped. Or I wonder if any of the smart mics that get rid of background noise could have helped? Still it was a great experience for our students, one that wouldn’t be possible without videoconferencing.
Lit Review: World’s youth connect through Global Nomads Group: An interview with GNG’s David Macquart
Lit Review: This is a post in a series focusing on the research studies on videoconferencing.
Morrison, J., & Macquart, D. (2006). World’s youth connect through Global Nomads Group: An interview with GNG’s David Macquart. Innovate, 2(4).
Author: Morrison, J and Macquart, D
Title of article: World’s youth connect through Global Nomads Group: An interview with GNG’s David Macquart
Publication year: 2006
Database source: Innovate
Name of journal: Innovate
My Codes: VCContentProviders
Main Point: This article is an interview between Innovate’s editor and one of Global Nomads Group (GNG)’s founders. The article shares the history of GNG, it’s impact, features some of the programs, and shares the challenges.
Theoretical Framework/References: Not applicable, not a research study. The one reference is used to show that Americans lack in cultural understanding.
Methods, Sample, Variables/Case: Not applicable, not a research study.
Findings: Not applicable, not a research study.
Author/Audience: The audience is the Innovate readership.
Questions/Thoughts/Implications:
The article shows how the vision of a few to meet the needs of students can expand to a respected non-profit organization.
GNG has offered some incredible international programs, but they are often only offered that one year. This makes it hard to “institutionalize” the learning. GNG wishes to offer more programs more consistently, but is hampered by funding issues. Nevertheless, many of our students have benefited from the incredible learning experiences offered by GNG.
“Most of the issues addressed in our programs continue to challenge governments and international institutions….” GNG certainly doesn’t skirt around tough issues. They have the facilitation expertise to deal with tough issues too. I’ve experienced their facilitation skills both in training and with students.
This article provides anecdotal evidence of the power of videoconferencing to bring experiences and interactions to students that would be impossible otherwise.
Lit Review: A Content Analysis of Videoconference Integration Plans
Lit Review: This is a post in a series focusing on the research studies on videoconferencing.
Newman, D. L., Du, Y., Bose, M., & Bidjerano, T. (2006). A Content Analysis of Videoconference Integration Plans. Paper presented at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference, Orlando, FL.
Authors: Newman, Dianna L.; Du, Ying; Bose, Mohua; Bidjerano, Temi
Title of paper: A Content Analysis of Videoconference Integration Plans
Publication year: 2006
Database source: EdITLib
Name of journal: N/A
My Codes: VCContentProviders
Main Point: This study analyzed 46 lesson plans by teachers developed around content providers’ programs. These were part of the ProjectView grant that ended in 2005. The integration lesson plans are online here.
Theoretical Framework/References:
Several references are used to make the case that museusm already have educational content for schools, videoconferencing provides access to those resources, students participating in a videoconference engage in higher order thinking skills, and videoconferences enrich curriculum with an “active learning environment” and by “facilitating inquiry-based learning”. (p. 2). Two noteworthy references I hadn’t found already were Newman et. al 2004 and Silverman & Silverman 1999.
Methods, Sample, Variables/Case:
Content analysis was conducted on 46 lesson plans from New York State. The lesson plans were created by 63 teachers and educational consultants from 25 school districts. The lessons featured 26 content providers. A coding sheet was used to analyze the lessons. It’s included in the paper and has checkboxes for the various types of learning experiences and resources included in the lessons.
Findings:
The majority of the lesson emphasis (time) was on pre-conference preparation.
The most popular methods of instruction were the structured discussion/socratic method (65%). Next were lecture/direct instruction (46%), teacher demonstration (44%), and constructivism (43%). p. 4
Traditional modes of learning were used more leading up to the conference, and the student-centered constructive learning was used more after the videoconference.
The lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy were used more in the pre-conference activities, and the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy were used more in the post-conference activities.
Rubrics, projects, and worksheets were the most popular assessment techniques used by the teachers.
Author/Audience: The authors are connected with the NYIT EEZ, which is a strong content provider support program in New York. The audience was the conference attendees, so people interested in educational technology and teacher education.
Questions/Thoughts/Implications:
Quotes: “The videoconference session may be considered as a catalyst for promoting higher levels of thinking during post videoconference sessions.” p. 5.
The videoconferences were used to “extend” and “enrich” the study. p. 5 But before you protest about those words, check this: students would be “exposed to richer alternative sources of information, real artifacts and animals, meet external experts, and get their questions answered.” And videoconferencing leads to “a more dynamic and interactive form of learning” p. 5.
This article emphasizes the importance of preparation for videoconferences, as well as essential component of wrap-around lessons to accompany videoconferences. Using a videoconference as a stand-alone “fun” activity is not appropriate! I really like the Project VIEW focus on teachers creating lessons to support their experiences with content providers.
Note to self: This is a great article for the week on preparing students in my online class, Planning Interactive Curriculum Connections.
