Getting Started with Videoconferencing

Tomorrow, I'll be working with social studies teachers at Cape Henlopen High School in Delaware. Cape Henlopen just received grant funding to obtain an HD videoconferencing unit, and this is a precursor to the kick-off of that program!

Training Overview

• Welcome/Introductions
  
  
• Introduction to Videoconferencing: What is it? How can it change teaching and learning in your classroom?
  
  
• LIVE Connection to Elephant Communication & Collaboration from MONROE #1 BOCES in New York (part of the Global Summit Project
  
  Do Elephants talk? What are they trying to say? Students are joining scientists to learn about these questions. Through the use of information that these High School Junior and Senior students have gathered and partnerships which are forming, they are capturing what might be Elephant communication. By analyzing the sound waves both the scientists and the students are attempting to create an Elephant dictionary. This project uses the resources of Internet2 to share large media files and interact with experts. Students are joining the research community and making a difference. During the this interactive presentation, the students will present their process and then will develop a plan for the work to be done in the coming year. Participating sites will be those locations which are interested in both learning about this phenomenal, authentic scientific project and potential adding to it. Come hear what can be heard and learn more about the Elephant world.
  

• LIVE Connection to the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, GA
  
  The Center for Puppetry Arts offers Distance Learning programs for PreK-12. Students are briefly introduced to different styles of puppets from around the world (1st grade and up). Students participate in learning activities about a topic and create a working puppet of their very own to use in the classroom. A comprehensive study guide and materials list is provided for each program. All puppet materials are easy to find and of little, if any, cost. Middle and High School programs are designed to encourage dialogue between the presenter and participating students. Teacher workshops and demos are also available.
  
  
• What's next? How to find content providers, MAGPI's website, MUSE and more.
  

Helpful Links/Handouts

• MAGPI Website
• Interactive Videoconferencing Pages from MAGPI Getting Started Guide
• The MAGPI Education Community (and setting up your account!)
  
• Elephant Communication and Conversation Pre-Videoconference Email
• Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration
  
• MUSE
• VC Content Providers Database
• ISTE IVC SIG
• ISTE SIG IVC News
• Center for Puppetry Arts Distance Learning Program
  
• Center for Puppetry Arts SchoolTube Channel
  

Presentation

Cape Henlopen Professional Development Event

View more presentations from Heather Weisse Walsh

Adding the WOW Factor to Your Lessons with Streaming Media and Digital Collections

Looking for a video snippet to show students during a lesson tomorrow? Need an animation to illustrate a scientific technique? Want to take students live to the Congressional Floor? There are tons of video streaming, virtual media collections and digital learning objects available over advanced networks that you can access instantly from your classroom computer!

WGBH Teacher's Domain (http://www.teachersdomain.org/): Teachers' Domain is a free digital media service for educational use from public broadcasting and its partners. You’ll find thousands of media resources, support materials, and tools for classroom lessons, individualized learning programs, and teacher professional learning communities.

The Exploratorium's I2 Gateway (http://www.exploratorium.edu/i2/): The Exploratorium’s Internet2® gateway, where you’ll find a collection of Web resources that take advantage of cutting-edge Internet2 technology. See and hear DVD quality video. Listen to high fidelity radio. View 3D imagery

The Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/index.html): Online access to print, pictorial and audio-visual collections and other digital services. You can chat with librarians LIVE and we love the map collection. Little known fact? If a map you need isn't available, you can contact LOC and have them digitize it for you.

The National Science Digital Library (http://nsdl.org/): NSDL is the Nation's online library for education and research in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics.

The CSPAN Archives (http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/): C-SPAN has digitized its entire holdings from 1998 to the present and allows educators and researchers to access this collection via the Internet2 Network. The video library is searchable using a extensive number of fields such as topic, speaker, organization, committee, keywords and has an optimized word searching tool that includes abstracts and closed captioning text. The Flash Player permits clipping and posting of clips taken from longer programs. Text searching is available for many programs. The House and Senate are indexed in detail by speaker, bill, and time allowing one to find any speaker on the House and Senate floor, play that speech, and to read the text in the Congressional Record that accompanies the speech. Internet2 provides the highest access speed for faculty, students, and researchers at participating institutions to search and play video clips for teaching and research. Installing high-speed connectivity to the Internet2 access point. Upgrading the last mile of connectivity and expanding our server capability.

Planning Interactive Collaborations

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of speaking with several Bucks County educators via Elluminate about planning interactive videoconference collaborations - - despite schools being closed because of the snowstorm. The lucky participants have all received LifeSize videoconference gear through a grant initiative at their IU, and are looking forward to breaking it out of the box to provide meaningful exchanges for their students.

Not only did these educators ask some wonderful, thought-provoking questions about using interactive videoconferencing in the classroom, they started brainstorming some very exciting projects! I'm looking forward to seeing some virtual stock market game exchanges and others.

Here are a few links that we discussed yesterday:

• MAGPI Website
• MAGPI/CLEO Partnership Project
• MAGPI Fellows Program
  
• MUSE/Internet2 K20 Initiative
  
• Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration
• TWICE
• CAPSpace
• Megaconference Jr.
• ViDe Cookbook for K12
  
• Janine Lim's Out On A Lim VC Blog
  
• ISTE SIG IVC

And here's the power point presentation I put together. Hope it's helpful!

Increasing Interactivity - Planning Videoconference Collaborations

View more presentations from Heather Weisse Walsh.

Resources for Berks County Innovation Workshop

A collection of resources and links for the Berks County Innovation Workshop participants. Thanks for having MAGPI visit!
Links/Resources

• MAGPI Website
• Internet2 K20 Initiative
• Virtual Reality Development Lab
• Augmented Reality Development Lab
• Increasing Interactivity Web Hunt
• Ultra VNC (networked interactive whiteboards)
• Linq for SmartBoard
• Poll Everywhere Question
  

Sled Dog Virtual Field Trip Resources

• Teacher Packet
• Flash Kennel Site

Power Point Presentations
MAGPI/Internet2 Applications Virtual Tour PPT

(Berks iu) innovation workshop applications virtual tour

Increasing Inter@ctivity in Your Classroom Presentation

Innovation workshop increasing interactivity

Seeking Schools for IVC Collaborative Veteran's Oral History Project

INFOhio, OARnet and MAGPI are seeking 5 Ohio Schools and 2 MAGPI Member Schools for this exciting month-long What Does Freedom Mean to You? A Veterans’ Oral History Project, kicking off on November 8th. The project is being developed in cooperation with eTech Ohio, The Library of Congress and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Interested but not a school in those areas? We’ll be webstreaming the final videoconference so that everyone can get involved! (So mark your calendars!)

Please see more information below.

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What Does Freedom Mean to You? A Veterans’ Oral History Project

Target Audience: Students in Grades 10-12, particularly those in American History or Video Production Classes.

Cost: FREE!

Requirements for Participation:
Each participating school needs H.323 videoconference gear plus equipment to create a multimedia oral history project (i.e. video camera, microphone, computer with editing software). Each school will need to identify a veteran in their community that is willing to be profiled as part of this program. We also ask that the veteran be present during the live student interactive videoconference event on 12/10/2010. Participation in the project is contingent upon the teacher’s ability to attend the professional development event, being present at the dress rehearsal and students’ participation in the final videoconference event. There are 2 spaces available for MAGPI Members in this program and 5 spaces available for Ohio Schools.

Project Dates/Timeline:

• Teacher Professional Development Event: Monday, November 8th from 3-5 PM EST
• Student Collaborative Oral History Project Work: November 9th - December 4th
• Deadline to Upload Video Project: December 5th
• Videoconference Dress Rehearsal: Date/Time TBD
• What Does Freedom Mean to You LIVE Videoconference and Webcast: December 10th from 10-11 AM EST

Project Description:
How do YOU define freedom? Through exploration of veterans’ stories, students from up to eight high schools will compile original multimedia productions that answer this question.

This unique, collaborative project provides an authentic venue for students to explore the concept of freedom through oral history. Teachers involved in the program will participate in an innovative professional development session created by the Library of Congress, which will help them focus their students’ questions and research as they gather veterans’ stories from their own community. Following the professional development videoconference, teachers and students will work together to profile one or more veterans from their community in a 3-5 minute multimedia production that explores the question: What does freedom mean to YOU?

The month-long project wraps with a live, interactive videoconference where students from each school will have an opportunity to share their 3-5 minute video projects and virtually meet the veterans that inspired them.

MORE INFORMATION/REGISTRATION: http://www.magpi.net/Community/Programs/What-Does-Freedom-Mean-You-Veterans-Oral-History-Project

Open Submissions for Kids Creating Community Content Contest 2011

Are you familiar with the Kids Creating Community (KC3) Competition? It's a fantastic (needless to say authentic) opportunity for your students to develop compelling material to teach their peers via videoconference. Brought to you by my colleagues at the Center for Interactive Learning and Tandberg.

The call for proposals just went out - - and I wanted to be sure you were aware of it! Please see the announcement below.

_ _ _

You’re Invited to highlight your community, your students, and your school by participating in a free contest opportunity utilizing videoconferencing technology.

Kids Creating Community Content (KC3) provides students with real world experience working on a project team while building research and presentation skills that support 21st Century Learning as they use a variety of technologies.

If you have access to videoconferencing and want to engage your students in a technology rich research project that connects them with students around the globe we encourage you to explore the Kids Creating Community Content opportunity.

Now in it’s fourth year, KC3 connects middle and high school students in the United States and International schools as they work on similar projects. Community landmarks, cultural activities and regional historical sites or resources are some of the many integrated curricular programs created by student teams. Your students will have the opportunity to share their program at a national or international level. Research, organization, standards based learning, communication and presentation are all part of their work.

Encourage your educators to involve their teens in using technology to communicate and share meaningful information with their peers and fellow students. Use digital media and technology environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

We look forward to seeing your students on air! Proposals are due on November 15, 2010.

Don't want to create this year, but still want to get in on the action? Pre-register to be an audience site!

Photo credit: gStatic.com

Great Videoconference Opportunity with Literary Legend Lois Lowery

As a children's literacy specialist (yes -- that is my graduate training!), I have a particular affinity for fabulous writing aimed toward children and teens. Quite often, those books resonate with adults as well. My colleagues at HEC-TV in St. Louis have put together a wonderful series of programs with one of my favorite children's literature authors: Lois Lowry.

Author of The Giver, Ms. Lowry has penned more than 20 novels and won the Newbery Medal twice. Lois Lowry told Contemporary Authors that she measures her success as an author by her ability to "help adolescents answer their own questions about life, identity and human relationships."

The series kicks off on October 7th, with the event 'airing' from 11:00 AM ET to 12:00 PM ET. Hope you and your students can take part in this fantastic event!

Here's the 411 from HEC-TV:

In this first of a series of four HEC-TV Live! programs focusing on Lois Lowry’s Newberry Medal winning young adult novel, “The Giver,” students will have the unique opportunity to hear directly from the author herself. Join students from the St. Louis metropolitan area as they ask the author questions about her background and writing style as well as questions about the plot, characters, setting, themes and language of the novel itself. Discussion of “The Giver” will form the core of the program. We recommend students joining us for the program either have already read the novel or be in the process of doing so. Elements of the story including important moments of the plot as well as themes and concepts will be revealed during the program. If you don’t want students to know the entire story before reading it for themselves, you may choose to watch the archive of the program which will be available on our website, http://www.hectv.org.

This series of programs is being produced in conjunction with Washington University in St. Louis and Metro Theater Company of St. Louis as they prepare and present a stage adaptation of the novel to be presented at Edison Theatre on the campus of Washington University in January.

Other programs in the series include:

• November 16—Issues and Themes of “The Giver”
• December 9—Performing the Play: Bringing Characters to Life
• January 5—Producing the Play: Bringing the Story to the Stage

These programs will also be available for enrollment through CILC.

Special Note: This October 7 program is available via videoconference and webcast nationwide as a “View Only” opportunity. Students viewing via videoconference or webcast will be able to e-mail questions to the author during the program but will not interact face to face. All other programs in the series will be available as BOTH interactive and view only.

Photo Credit: Image from GrAde Saver