Videoconference Kickoff Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Collaboration, Distance Learning, Links, Tech PD, VLC Programs, Videoconferencing, Web 2.0.Tags: Cooperating School Districts, Flickr, IDSolutions, New Links to New Learning, Polycom, SMART, Virtual Learning Center, Web 2.0
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Amy Sklansky, Pat McKissack, Lisa Suggs
Today is the Virtual Learning Center’s Videoconference Kickoff celebration!
Taking place- right now!- this all day event features New Links to New Learning content providers (see left), Alan November, plus demos from Polycom, SMART, and IDSolutions.
Educators from all over the St. Louis area are in attendance to take in this great day of professional development. Visit the VLC Flickr page to see photos of the day!
Additions to VC Kick Off! Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Collaborations, Distance Learning, Links, SMART Board, Tech PD, VLC Programs, Videoconferencing, Web 2.0.Tags: Alan November, Amy Sklansky, Cooperating School Districts, LifeSize, Patricia McKissack, Polycom, SMART
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We’ve added a SMART demo room and a LifeSize videoconference demo room to the Polycom room we already had set up for our afternoon sessions on October 7. In the morning, participants can meet content providers like Patricia McKissack, Adventures in Medicine and Science, and Amy Sklansky. We’ll also be connecting to Alan November for a professional development session. This is all free for educators in the St. Louis area on October 7 at Cooperating School Districts! Sign up today with rmorrison@csd.org – we’re taking RSVPs until Monday, September 28.
Mrs. Litman-Block goes to Washington Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in VLC Programs, Videoconferencing.Tags: Computerworld, Computerworld Honors Program, Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation, New Links to New Learning, Polycom, Virtual Learning Center
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Later this week, Virtual Learning Center Director Ruth Litman-Block will travel to Washington, D.C. to attend the Computerworld Honors Program’s 21st Annual Laureate Medal Ceremony and Gala Awards. Both will take place June 1, 2009, at the historic Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.
The Virtual Learning Center’s Case Study for “New Links to New Learning” (our videoconference program) will be honored as a “Laureate” for 2009 by Computerworld Honors Program, (which is governed by the Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation). Polycom nominated New Links to New Learning to Computerworld for consideration.
CSD’s 21st Century Classroom Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Promethean Activboard, SMART Board, Tech PD, Videoconferencing.Tags: 21st Century Classroom, Benne's, Cooperating School Districts, Polycom, Promethean Activboard, SMART Board 600I, tele, Virtual Learning Center
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Day One
The Virtual Learning Center is updating our tele to truly be a 21st century classroom! Today is day one in the make-over!
The new set up will be ready in time for the summer tele classes, which begin the first week of June.
What does the new look include? A new HD Polycom 9000, a new Promethean Activboard with attached projector, a SMART Board 600I with attached projector, Benne’s tables specially constructed for the tele, and an audio enhancement system.
Berrien RESA hosting Teacher’s Choice Awards! Thursday, April 30, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Distance Learning, VLC Programs, Videoconferencing.Tags: Berrien RESA, content provider, Distance Learning, Polycom, videoconference
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Berrien RESA is hosting Teacher’s Choice Awards to select the Best Content Providers for the 2008-2009 school year. Results will be shared via the Berrien RESA VC Content Providers Database and the videoconferencing listservs.
Many of you use the BCISD Videoconference Program Database from one of these websites: http://www.VCContentProviders.org | TWICE: http://www.twice.cc/fieldtrips.html | 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 selecting the winners randomly.
Click this link to take the short survey (or copy the address into your browser):
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22952VSCJBR
You must complete the survey by May 18, 2009 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!
Janine Lim
Instructional Technology Consultant
janine.lim@berrienresa.org
(269) 471-7725×1101
About Network Nebraska Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Uncategorized.Tags: Distance Learning, Flickr, Nebraska Distance Education Council, Nebraska Information Technology Commision, Network Nebraska, Polycom, Renovo Software, Tandberg, USDLA
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The second USDLA session I attended was full of information on Network Nebraska. Network Nebraska was actually recently featured in Distance Learning … A Magazine for Leaders and the article is reprinted, with persmission, on the Network Nebraska website. The website also has very complete list of information on how the project was implemented.
For me, as a K-12 videoconferencing coordinator, listening to the fourth, and final presenter speak was the most interesting. Dr. Dan Hoesing is superintendent of four Nebraska school districts and is a big proponent of distance learning. Hoesing is all about personal communication: he emphasized more than once that students learn as a group, yet interact as individuals. A perfect combination of the two a desirable place for kids to learn. He also feels that education is about developing relationships and that high tech and high touch are important to keeping kids engaged. Hoesing enthusiasm for education- and distance learning- was very exciting. Network Nebraska anticipates have mobile vc carts in every high school in the state by next school year! (They use Polycom and TANDBERG).
Other speakers on Network Nebraska (setting all this up took lots of time, energy and people!) included:
- Tom Rolfes, Education I.T. Manager, Office of the Chief Information Officer and Nebraska Information Technology Commision
- Gordon Roethemeyer, Executive Director, Nebraska Distance Education Council
- Ted Nafzger, Sales Manager, Renovo Software, Inc.
New Links to New Learning: 2009 Computerworld Honors Program Laureate Thursday, April 9, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Distance Learning, VLC Programs, Videoconferencing.Tags: Andrew Mellon Auditorium, Computerworld, Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation, Cooperating School Districts, information technology, New Links to New Learning, Polycom, The Computerworld Honors Program
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According to its website, “established in 1988, The Computerworld Honors Program brings together the principals of the world’s foremost information technology companies to recognize and document the achievements of the men, women, organizations and institutions around the world, whose visionary applications of information technology promote positive social, economic and educational change.”
And we have just received word that the Virtual Learning Center’s Case Study for “New Links to New Learning” (our videoconference program) has been received and approved as a “Laureate” for 2009 by Computerworld Honors Program, (which is governed by the Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation). Polycom nominated New Links to New Learning to Computerworld for consideration.
The Computerworld Honors Program, believes in Honoring Those Who Use Information Technology to Benefit Society. Their website states “once documentation has been reviewed and accepted, the nominees become Program Laureates, and their Case Studies become part of the Program’s Global Archives. The information becomes available to researchers, students and scholars through www.cwhonors.org, and through digital records housed in national archives in over 100 universities, museums and research institutions throughout the world.”
The Laureate Medal Ceremony and the Gala Awards take place on June 1, 2009. The venue is the historic Andrew Mellon Auditorium on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.
What a great way to celebrate 10 years of New Links to New Learning videoconferencing at Cooperating School Districts!
Digital Learning Academy: The Read/Write Web for the Classroom Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Collaboration, Distance Learning, Links, Tech PD, VLC Programs, Videoconferencing, Web 2.0.Tags: Cooperating School Districts, Polycom, Flickr, Skype, Google, Ning, YouTube, ustream, Creative Commons, pbwiki, VoiceThread, Bloom's Taxonomy, delicious, Gabcast, TeacherTube, Wesley Fryer, Karen Montgomery, Read/Write Web, Digital Learning Academy, educational workshop
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Instructors Wes Fryer and Karen Montgomery
Digital Learning Academy:
The Read/Write Web for the Classroom
July 13, 14, 15 ; 8:30 am-3:30 pm each day
Three day class: $414 CSD member; $598 non-member (Two Graduate Credits Available)
This three-day, hands-on educational workshop at Cooperating School Districts in St. Louis is focused on helping teachers blend collaborative learning technologies into creative, powerful lessons and projects for K-12 students. Facilitator Karen Montgomery and participants at CSD will be partnered with teachers in Oklahoma City, who will be facilitated by Wesley Fryer. The groups will interact with each other using videoconferencing technology, both Polycom and Skype.
Some of the Web 2.0 topics covered in this tele class will be: • Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy and Creative Commons • Social bookmarking – delicious • Podcasting – Gabcast • Photo sharing – Flickr • Digital storytelling – VoiceThread • Collaborative document building – Google docs and PBwiki • Social networking –Ning • Online video – TeacherTube, YouTube and USTREAM
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Choices VC Thursday, March 26, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Collaboration, Distance Learning, Links, Videoconferencing, Web 2.0.Tags: ABC News, Extraordinary Choices, Heroes Among Us: Ordinary People, John Quiñones, Polycom, videoconference
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I just heard about this special event multipoint videoconference in April! Author Interview with
John Quiñones and discussion of his book, Heroes Among Us: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Choices.
Overview:
Students will explore what it means to be a hero. Collaboratively the class will establish characteristics and criteria for being a hero. A list of their own personal heroes will be generated and compared with the list of characteristics and criteria. One contemporary hero will be chosen by the class and reported on during the videoconference. Students will read excerpts from Quiñones’ book, Heroes Among Us, and interview him about the heroes he has met in his career as a journalist and television reporter.
Date: April 21, 2009, 12:00-1:00 ET (11:00 CT, 10:00 MT, 9:00 PT) and 1:30-2:30 ET (12:30 CT, 11:30 MT, 10:30 PT)… space is limited, so sign up today!
Cost: Free, compliments of Polycom, Inc.
Grades: 8-12
Required Book: Heroes Among Us by John Quiñones of ABC News. Please make sure you can commit to the work necessary to prepare for this program and that your school calendar is free of other events on April 21, 2009.
To register and see the lesson plan, visit this link.
Partners: Author coordination/liaison: Marci Powell, Polycom Global Director Higher Ed and Elaine Shuck, Polycom Global Director K 12
Event coordination: Sue Porter, Polycom Education Consultant
Bridging: Arnie Comer, Macomb ISD.
‘RAP’ing up January 14! Monday, January 5, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Collaboration, Distance Learning, Videoconferencing, Web 2.0.Tags: CAPspace, Polycom, Read Around the Planet, TWICE, videoconference
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Just a quick little reminder that Read Around the Planet (RAP) teacher registration CLOSES January 14.
Please Note: You are NOT registered for Read Around the Planet until you’ve selected times and dates. Getting an account in CAPspace (http://projects.twice.cc) isn’t enough…
To register, login to http://projects.twice.cc, click My Projects, click Read Around the Planet, click +Register.
You can read about the whole Read Around the Planet registration process online at http://www.twice.cc/read/. Be sure to download the teacher packet.
QUESTIONS?
Troubles with verification? Email Janine, TWICE Verification Coordinator: verification@twice.cc
All other questions please contact Sue, Polycom Sponsored RAP Coordinator: sue@twice.cc
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