The Wired Classroom

This is an international videoconference collaboration request that has come from one of my middle schools.  I love the idea!  I hope Wydown is able to find a partner school…

 About a year ago, I wrote about how dinosaurs were all the rage with videoconference requests. This year, we have butterflies.  Butterflies each spring always seem to be popular, but this year- wooo! My inbox is blowing up with requests for the Center of Puppetry Arts‘ videoconference on butterflies.  Teachers who have never done a videoconference before are e-mailing me!  It’s really great.  Another bonus: the Center for Puppetry Arts puts on excellent programs. What a great way to start off videoconferencing in your classroom.  The center provides a learning guide online, and gives the teacher a list of materials needed for the program beforehand. Very interactive, very fun! …and they book up fast!

GRADE: K-2nd     PUPPET: Butterfly Marionette     PROGRAM LENGTH: 45-50 minutes

Thanks to all who read the Virtual Learning Center’s blog.  Next to the posts on our blog are lists (widgets, actually)- ever checked them out? All the links allow visitors of The Wired Classroom to go to other blogs & websites out there dedicated to integrating technology into the classroom. 

Here’s a breakdown:

“Blogroll”: various educational blogs are listed- from all over the world- just click on the name to go the link

“Links”: websites dedicated to educators & technology

“Categories”: what we place each post under- it can be more than 1 category; often, I categorize New Links to New Learning info as ‘videoconferencing’ and ‘collaboration’ and ‘VLC Programs.’

“Archives”: click on each month/year to see the posts that were placed on the blog during that month

“Feeds”: click around- for example, you’ll see all the comments people have made about The Wired  Classroom posts

Patricia McKissack connected to Howitt Middle School in Farmingdale, New York today for her first videoconference with the participating students.  Their area of focus for this series: Historical Fiction/ Biography Writing.  This is actually the second time Pat has connected to Howitt Middle; the first videoconference was with the teacher to discuss expectations- on both ends.  In this second videoconference in the series, Patricia tells the students about herself, her books, and gives them a writing assignment to be completed by March 12, the last connection.  During the third and final videoconference, students will share their written work with Pat and get her input on the stories.

Today, Pat introduced herself to the students, which included showing them a table covered with some of her books (”some” of her books covered the entire table top- she is the author of over 100 books).  Pat also spoke about being a writer, and some of the subjects of her books, such as Frederick Douglass. Using the document camera, she placed one of her books, Frederick Douglass: Leader Against Slavery on it to show the students a photo of the famous African American abolitionist. Pat has quite a bit experience writing biographies; she (sometimes with her husband, Fred) has written biographies on Satchel Paige, Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, among others. Historical Fiction by Pat includes Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters, and A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl.

Pat said the videoconference went very well and the students asked great questions.

Susan Vreeland connected with three schools today- Ritenour High in Missouri, St. Joseph High in Michigan, and Jefferson High in Texas.  Today was the first day of her writing tour; she will be on the road until April 12 discussing her new novel, Luncheon of the Boating Party.

Students asked Susan questions about her writing, her characters, her research… one student asked Susan how she “got her writing noticed.” The answer? Writing well, revising, and improving her work by taking criticism. She started out in magazines and literary journals, then worked into novels. Susan also talked about having “Huckleberry moments”- imaging what it is like to be another person- in a different culture, in a different time- and how it is important (in writing).

Other questions answered: Susan chooses the paintings that are featured in her novels by selecting artists and works that have substance- that give her something to write about! Sometimes Susan puts a little of herself into her characters- in traits or in actions. Susan was a high school English teacher for 30 (”three zero”) years- that helped make ends meet (she started writing about 20 years into teaching); she was on her third novel when she quit teaching. 

What’s coming up? Perhaps a novel on the Civil War, or a book about the relationship between artists and their models… for tonight, however, she will be at the St. Louis County Library headquarters.

So many subjects, so little time! I thought I’d share just some of the videoconferences New Links members have been doing the last few weeks (when the snow and ice haven’t kept kids out of class) and what they will be doing in the upcoming weeks~

Elementary: French, Jody Feldman, Magnets,  Minerals
Middle School: Patricia McKissack, GNG, Lest We Forget…, MysteryQuest
High School: Iditarod, Holocaust, Susan Vreeland, ACT prep

… there will be more to come! Teachers, sign-up with me for any videoconferences you are interested in doing!

FEBRUARY 28 NOTE: SPACES ARE FILLING UP FAST!
Sign up now if you are interested!

Join RoundTrips live from Hale Arena in Kansas City, Missouri and be part of the action as teams from across the Midwest compete in the  2nd annual Kansas City FIRST Robotics Regional Competition.  During the free videoconference your students (grades 7-12) will interact with both competing student engineers and professional engineers.  Go live to the pits as students test and tweak their robots; ask questions about designing and building the machines, what’s working and what’s not.  Go live to the field of competition and see the robots in action;  watch how the robots are accomplishing their tasks, which strategies and designs work best.  Your students will also meet engineers working in the field and see other unique applications of robots.  Your students will have the chance to ask engineers questions about their career, the design and creation of their robots, the challenges and opportunities available as an engineer.  Are your students working on a robotics project of their own?  Ask the engineer for advice, feedback, and ideas. Videoconference Dates:  March 6, 2008 at 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Noon to 1:00 p.m., and 2 to 3 p.m. CST and March 7, 2008 at 10 to 11 a.m., and 1 to 2 p.m. CST. (Each program will be offered live via videoconference, webstreaming, and broadcast programming).

1.  To view as a Videoconference School—Interactive videoconference space for the program is limited to three schools per show.  These students will have face-to-face interaction with the competitors and engineers at the FIRST Robotics competition.  “View only” videoconference space is also available, and these students will be able to e-mail questions during the program. To enroll as a videoconference school (interactive or view only), contact Rebecca Morrison at Cooperating School Districts of St. Louis at rmorrison@csd.org no later than March 1.  Once enrolled, teachers will receive the program’s preparatory and evaluation materials.  2.  To view via the Internet—Viewing via the web is unlimited but enrollment is necessary to receive the program’s preparatory and evaluation materials.  To watch the program live via the web, surf your computer to http://www.more.net/mets/first/ on the program day. Students viewing can e-mail questions during the program to roundtrips@clayton.k12.mo.us.   To enroll your students for web viewing, once again contact Tim Gore at RoundTrips at roundtrips@clayton.k12.mo.us or by calling 314-773-6934.  Once enrolled, teachers will receive the program’s preparatory and evaluation materials.  Since many schools limit streaming video through their firewalls, we recommend testing your ability to view the stream prior to the program by watching one of RoundTrips’ archived programs at www.roundtrips.org.  We recommend viewing the program live on 1 computer only and connecting that computer to a television or digital projector for classroom viewing.  Should you have questions about viewing this way, please contact us. To see even more of the FIRST Robotics excitement online you can watch live competition all day March 7 and  March 8 via webstream at: www.more.net/mets/first/.   3.  To view via Cable Television—Some programs will be shown live in the St. Louis metropolitan area on CSD-TV, channel 22.  Students viewing in this way can e-mail their questions during the program to roundtrips@clayton.k12.mo.us.  Viewing via cable television is unlimited but enrollment is necessary to receive the program’s preparatory and evaluation materials.  To enroll your students for web or TV viewing, contact Tim Gore at RoundTrips at roundtrips@clayton.k12.mo.us or by calling 314-773-6934.  Once enrolled, teachers will receive the program’s preparatory and evaluation materials. The following programs will air live on 22:  March 6 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 2 to 3 p.m. and March 7 10 to 11a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m. [ More details about FIRST Robotics can be found at http://www.usfirst.org/.  Learn more about Missouri Research and Education Network (MOREnet) at http://www.more.net and find out about RoundTrips at http://www.roundtrips.org.]

PODCASTING MOVED TO JUNE 16 from 9-4 pm Empowering Students with Podcasting / March 5 & 6, 4-7pm; $109 CSD member; $169 non-member