Rev Up Your Reading and Writing Classrooms


Written on February 6, 2009 – 10:04 am | by rglaser

Tammy Worcester from ESSDACK

Description: Explore a series of innovative activities and learn how to use the computer as a tool to support literacy, word processing, and publsih students’ work.

Web Tools:

  1. Spelling City
  2. Wordle
  3. Google Book search

Model lesson with Wordle

Student Activities

  • Tall Tales–use Word to write a tall tale. Change format into three columns and print it. Then cut it apart into strips and then tape it together to make a “tall tale”.
  • T-rriffic–use ppt. Create blank slide, turn portrait, word art and then add text box saying why kids are great
  • Bookmark-as book review or as an author study. Donate to school or local library (find book covers from Barnes and Noble.com)
  • Summary Sleuth--Grab text from wikipedia on dogs. Copy/paste but draw your text box first. Paste special and put unformatted text and then it will remove hyperlink. Add ovals and circle to make magnifying glass.
  • Choose your own ending-Use action buttons in ppt
  • Who Am I? What Am I?-instead of just telling, give clues

These are simple ways for us to add examples for our student projects. I am loving the bookmarks! We need to add this to Bluebonnet Project.

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Distance Learning 2.0…


Written on February 5, 2009 – 9:39 am | by rglaser

using webcams and free programs to build interconnectivity for the kids of today

Birdville ISD

  • Cheryl Schwaebler, AP for Carrie F. Thomas elementary
  • Teresa Lawson, Instructional Technology Specialist

First video about what students today are like

Birdville ISD has H.323 videoconference endpoints on each campus, but wanted to increase flexibility for classroom teachers. Cheryl is awesome an administrator. Her point is excellent that if administrators want teachers to use tools and technology, they have to use them themselves!

They created a spreadsheet with all teacher Skype account names on the server so that all can go and look up their partner names. (NOTE: Be sure to teach people how to set privacy settings so that you don’t get the webcam spam from inappropriate sources.)

Here is a wiki where you can find Skype partners. Thanks KUS DIVA

Time + Tools + Teachers = Implementation
Some samples from Birdville ISD

  • Teacher uses Twitter and Skype to communicate with students.
  • Connecting students with soldiers in Iraq.
  • Christmas Unwrapped and Webquests
  • Ustream model teachers to other campuses. Awesome idea!
  • Ustream PTA programs

Tools used

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The Cognitive Art of Educational Technology


Written on February 4, 2009 – 4:53 pm | by rglaser

Patrick Crispen’s materials are available online at www.netsquirrel.com (When Patrick posts this ppt file, I will link to it from here. His research notes are quite extensive.)

He began with a trip back to our ed psych courses (amid groans from the crowd). We reviewed Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories of learning. Then we wandered into someinformation processing theory (Source Eggen & Kauchak, 2001, p. 261)

Turns out that schema is the key to long term memory. Piaget and Vygotsky were right.The way you understand the world is the world for you.

Keypoints to Remember

  1. Attention is the KEY. How do you get attention?
  2. Emotion plays a fundamental role in learning. Touch my heart and my mind will follow. ~Jo Guzman
  3. We don’t pay attention to boring stuff.
  4. Give the BIG Picture First and Be Organized
  5. Reality is what we remember
  6. Hierarchical structures are good
  7. Watch one, do one, teach one!

Here is what you should be doing.

  1. Get students’ attention.
  2. Structure content
  3. Tie new content to existing schema
  4. Chunk your content.
  5. Make the important information stand out.
  6. Use images to teach not to decorate!
  7. Avoid all UPPERCASE, italics or bold. Don’t underline. Makes it hard to read because of the descenders.
  8. Use fonts that are easy to read. Verdana, Helvetica, Times New Roman all okay.
  9. Make the text big enough to read. It is based on how big your room is.
  10. High contrast between text and background.
  11. Animations and sounds should be used where you need to grab attention. Use both sparingly.
  12. Use real-world examples to activate schema.
  13. Summarize often.

Suggested Reading List

MBE-Mind, Brain and Education

Clear and To The Point

Brain Rules

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Day 20: Just Do It


Written on January 30, 2009 – 2:11 pm | by rglaser

Now we have come the the last day of our challenge. We hope that you have learned some tips to help you coordinate videoconferencing within your building and assist your teachers.

Our last challenge to you is “Just Do It”. Many times we find that people wait until every little detail is perfect until they begin to try to use the technology. Once you know that your equipment is operational, get started doing something. Find a teacher that is curious and adventurous and ask what he or she is teaching during the spring semester and find a connection that fits into their curriculum. Before you know it, you will have active videoconference participation.

We have heard from several of you that you have enjoyed reading along with us this month. Let us know if we have missed things or if there are other topics that you would like us to address. We have learned much about collaboration during this blogging adventure and hope that you have learned along with us.

Leave us a note about what you learned or how you plan on using this information. If you are a “first time commenter”, click the link that says Comments and post your thoughts for us.

How to comment on my blog:

How to comment on Janine’s blog:

May the connection begin on time.
May the batteries in the remote not run down.
May the video move fluidly and the audio be a robust sound.
Here’s wishing you many quality curriculum connections in the months to come.

All the best,
Janine and Roxanne

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Day 19: Now, Participate in Megaconference Jr.


Written on January 29, 2009 – 4:08 pm | by rglaser

Guest blogged by Janine Lim

Now that you’ve been through this little training experience, it’s time to join the global learning community!

Megaconference Jr. is one of THE videoconferencing events of the year for K12 videoconferencing. It’s a 12 hour videoconference, facilitated by students, with student presenters featured. An incredible global experience, a chance for networking with other schools, and an opportunity for learning what other schools are doing with VC.

What to Expect on February 19, 2009

Because this is a large videoconference with many sites participating, it’s quite different than point to point experiences. So make sure you come into the experience with appropriate expectations.

  • You will see 30 minute sessions on all kinds of content and topic areas. The presentations come from elementary, middle, and high school students.
  • You will see a variety of presentations styles and tools. Some you’ll learn best practices; others you’ll have ideas on how to improve the presentation. Take it as a learning experience for everyone.
  • You will NOT have perfect audio and video. You should lower your expectations for the video quality.  This is partly due to the huge number of sites connecting and the variety of bandwidth capacity represented.
  • Megaconference increases the opportunities for global education. So INCREASE your expectations for global learning, and increase your patience and tolerance for international connections.
  • You will also see that some participating sites are new to VC and don’t know how to behave. i.e. MUTE your microphone in a multipoint. Take it as a learning lesson of what not to do. And make sure you are MUTED unless you’ve been called on to ask a question or interact.

Make the Most of Your Participation

  • Set up Megaconference in your library and have different classes come in and out throughout the day as they have time. Take the schedule and share it with your teachers. But warn them to be flexible because sometimes Megaconference gets off schedule due to the realtime nature of the event.
  • Make it an event to showcase the possibilities. Invite teachers and administrators to view.
  • Offer refreshments.
  • Have prizes. Make a geography game of it. Who can identify the location of the presenting site?
  • Hang up a large world map and have students mark the locations of the sites presenting throughout the day. Print the participants list (after registration closes) and have students find and mark the participating sites on the map.
  • If you’re not an interactive site, pretend that you are. Have the students answer the questions (but stay muted!).

Registration Choices

  • You can sign up to be a view only or “not interacting” site. Some schools prefer this for getting their feet wet.
  • Or you can sign up to be an interactive site. 3 schools get to interact in each session. The interactive spots go quickly, so hurry if you want to do this.

Comment Challenge

  • So, take a moment now to sign up! (If you usually register for VCs through someone else, you may want to check with them first on how you should register.)
  • If you have a story or suggestion for participating in Megaconference Jr., please comment and share!

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Day 18: Uh Oh, It Doesn’t Work!


Written on January 28, 2009 – 1:23 pm | by rglaser

Guest blogged by Janine Lim

One of the scariest things about videoconferencing is when it doesn’t work and you have a classroom of students waiting. Yesterday Roxanne gave you some great tips for accessing your lifelines. Today, we’ll examine the most common problems in a videoconference and give you tips for solving them. This is actually part of a training that I conduct for my coordinators, and we try to simulate each problem during the training.

First, there are four parts to a successful videoconference: sending video, receiving video, sending audio, and receiving audio. Most of the common problems related to one of these four parts.

The solutions under each problem are listed in order. The top ones are the most common solutions to the problem.

TV is Black / I Can’t See / I See Black / I See Blue

  • Check the TV/monitor/projector. Is it on and is it connected correctly? Some of my coordinators keep a picture or drawing of how all the cables are supposed to be connected.
  • Check the monitor. Is it on the right channel? Make a note for yourself on which channel it should be.
  • If you were able to see the dialing screen/menu before you connect, then it’s not your TV/monitor/projector. A blue or black screen is often a firewall problem on either end of the call. Try one of these test numbers to make sure you can connect outside your district on your own. Have the other site try connecting somewhere else too. If you can both connect to other places but not to each other, it’s probably a firewall problem. If you have access to someone with a bridge/MCU, ask them for help (usually at your educational service agency).
  • Once in a while the flat screen TVs won’t cooperate. If so, unplug the power, wait, plug it in.

Audio: I Can’t Hear

  • Check your TV/monitor volume. Check your videoconference system’s volume too. Both should be about in the middle (if your system uses both).
  • Have the other side check their microphone. If you see a Far End Mute icon, you know their microphone is muted. (This only shows up in point-to-point calls). Ask them to unmute. Tell them you can’t hear. Have them nod their head or wave if they can hear you.

Audio: They Can’t Hear Me

  • Check your microphone. Are you muted? Check your screen – usually you’ll see an icon if it is muted. Or Polycom microphones are muted when the light on it is red. Unmute so the far site can hear you.
  • Their TV volume might be turned down. You may have to write them notes on a sign to hold up in front of the camera or write on paper under the document camera. (Or call them on the phone.)

They Can’t See Me

  • Have them check their monitor/projector/TV. Is it on & on the right channel?
  • It may be a firewall problem on their end. See “I Can’t See” above. Have them try connecting to the one of these test numbers. They should determine if they get a picture and then call you back again and report. If they can’t see a picture on your system or the test site, they should talk to their tech person. If you can both connect to other places but not to each other, it’s probably a firewall problem. If you have access to someone with a bridge/MCU, ask them for help (usually at your educational service agency).

Call Rejected or Busy Signal or Call Rings & Rings

  • If you call and get a “call rejected” error, usually the other person is already in a call.
  • If the call rings & rings, usually something in the network between you & the other site is not allowing the call to negotiate. Both sides should try a test site. If your test call just rings & rings, then it’s not connecting through firewalls. If you have access to someone with a bridge/MCU, ask them for help (usually at your educational service agency).

Alerts: What Do They Mean?

  • IP Network: If this is down, then you don’t have a live Internet connection. Try another Ethernet jack in the room. Using a spot where a computer was connected and working usually guarantees a good connection.

When All Else Fails, Reboot or Redial

  • If you have a lot of connection problems, sometimes redialing will help clear it up.
  • If nothing is working, reboot the camera. Turn the camera off (reach up!!), wait, turn it back on.

Polycom Specific: “Flippy-Do-Button”

My schools all have Polycom endpoints, and another common problem is when you accidentally get yourself in the big screen and the far site in the picture-in-picture. How do you switch it back?

This happens with the button that I call the “flippy-do-button”. I’m sure there’s a more technical term! :) On a VSX7000, if you press the Camera button while you are in a call, you’ll see an icon with two arrows pointing around. If you select it, you’ll swap the far and near pictures. It’s easy to change it accidentally by pressing the camera button and then 1 or the enter key. To get it back, just press Camera, 1. Whew!

Comment Challenge

  • Take this Word file with basically the same information presented here. Fill it in with your favorite test site number and your videoconferencing support number. Add the channel for your TV/monitor (if applicable). Then tape it to your videoconferencing cart in a prominent location.
  • Please comment and add any other troubleshooting tips you have.

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Day 17: Your Lifelines


Written on January 27, 2009 – 11:07 pm | by rglaser

Videoconference coordinators come in all forms in our schools. We have teaching assistants, librarians, campus technologists, technology directors, classroom teachers, and administrators. As we have mentioned earlier, the one commonality is that the majority of them have full time responsibilities in another capacity.

Bottom line: Everyone is busy.

How can you help a teacher during the time of the connection?

Best way to help: Stay in the room with a newbie to videoconferencing so that you can talk them through the first connection. You should know if you have to dial a number or if the other site is going to dial to you. Be sure to talk your teacher through his or her first couple of connections to orient them to both the technology and the ettiquette.

“Here is how we dial the connection. Here is how to mute the microphone. Move the paper away from the microphone. Sometimes the picture does freeze a bit–that is okay. Do you have questions prepared for the connection? “

If you cannot be there, try to at least get the unit connected and microphone muted.

When you have to leave, provide the teacher a lifeline and a plan.

1. Make a sheet with the phone number of whoever they are connecting with (content provider, other school, bridging service, etc). Put the phone numbers in order of which to call first. If you are connecting through a bridge, you will start with the bridge that you connect to and then they can assist at that point.

2. Remind teachers to have something for the students to work on in case there is some wait time due to technical difficulties. Some of our classes review content for presentations. If it is the other site having issues, you can also check presets on your camera. Math fact quizzes, spelling words, 20 questions, or other content related sponge activities also work well.

3. If there is not a phone in the room (or a teacher cell phone), send a student to the office (or nearest phone that you can dial out on) with a hall pass with the phone number to dial and a description of what the problem is.

One Final Note:
If you know that the people you have been working with on this project or connection use Skype (or another IM program) and you have already used this method to communicate with them. Use it now. Skype is also great for supporting international connections.

Challenge

  • Create a “lifeline template” to use for your connections–include phone numbers, technical information, time and date of connection.
  • Super Duper Challenge–Add a brain quest game, story book, etc on your videoconference cart in case the teacher forgets to provide a back up plan.

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Day 16: Quality Connections


Written on January 26, 2009 – 11:35 am | by rglaser

Schools’ resources are valuable and must be spent wisely. Resources are both staff time and money. Here are some tips about evaluating the quality of your connections so that you can spend your time and money wisely.

Top 3 Quality Indicators for Curriculum Videoconferencing Connections

1. Are you teachers and students actively engaged during the connection? Some connections are compelling as VIEW ONLY, but the majority of the connections that I have participated in where students learned the most were connections where they were participating in a challenge, a quest, a lesson, or asking questions.

2. Are teachers and students provided with quality program materials and resources prior to the connection? COSI Columbus provide amazing kits with their connections. The kit for the knee surgery comes complete with 30 student viewing guides, hammers, glitter bug lotion and much more! Greenbush sends live Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches for their program. Center for Puppetry Arts provides patterns and instructions for all the preparations needed for their programs.

CAUTION: Materials that have to be shipped back to the provider at the expense of the school can be a pain for coordinators to manage. Be sure to ask about materials or kits to make sure you can keep them or if they need to be sent back.

3. Is the challenge and instructional level appropriate for the students? I am always skeptical when I see a program listed as available for K-12. SeaTrek has a chart showing programs that will work for a certain grade level. NASA Digital Learning Network lists programs for K-12, but in the lesson materials they are divided as K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. That tells me that they have adapted the materials and the language so that it is appropriate to the different learning levels.

TWICE has a great document for a more comprehensive look at quality indicators of a videoconference field trip or program. http://www.twice.cc/media/QualityIndicators.pdf

Many content providers have program evaluations to be completed by the classroom teacher after the program. Make sure that your teachers take time to complete these. Content providers use that data to improve programs and in some cases secure grant funding to provide free programming to schools.

Classroom Evaluation of Learning Processes

Teachers can use evaluation strategies with their students to ensure learning is occuring and to improve classroom management for the next connection. As a Tribes trainer, I believe in the group dynamics of learning and the power of reflection in the learning process.

What did you learn about the content? (including preparation and presentation skills) This rubric was created by Tracy Poelzer from British Columbia and can be used with MysteryQuest connections.
link to MysteryQuest rubric by Tracy

What did you learn about the technology?
How did connecting with other classes or experts enhance your learning? Would this have been better done with the class next door or did using the technology impact how you learned?

What did you do that contributed to your learning?
Be specific here. Focus on the behaviors that you want to nuture during the next connection. These can be explicitly taught by using the “Looks Like, Feels Like, Sounds Like” strategy. Make sure students know what these abstract behaviors will be during the connections.

  • Did you listen to others in your group or the presenter?
  • Did you participate fully?
  • Did you value other people’s ideas?
  • Did you work well together with others?

See page 38 in the Planning Kid2Kid Videoconference Projects booklet for more evaluation ideas.

Comments

  1. Which content providers have you found that have excellent preparation materials?
  2. Who are your favorite content providers providing quality programming for PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8, or 9-12?

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1953: The Waco Tornado Documentary


Written on January 26, 2009 – 9:46 am | by rglaser

Today, I have a quick announcement about Shane’s new DVD and then back to the 20 Day VC Coordinator Challenge.

For educators who teach severe weather safety, here is a great resource that incorporates primary sources to tell the story of the F-5 tornado that destroyed downtown Waco. This is Shane’s latest creative endeavor. You can purchase online.

Educators can use the music and content in their classrooms by putting in a credit to his original work at www.shanehoward.com. The song “1953″ will enhance any student presentation on severe weather.

Synopsis

1953 is the documentary about the Waco Tornado of May 11, 1953 and the 1953 music video by the Shane Howard Band marking the 55th anniversary of the worst tornado disaster in Texas history and 10th worst nationwide. It features interviews of tornado survivors including Shane Howard’s grandmother as well as images highlighting the devastation to downtown Waco. Also included is behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the song and music video by the Shane Howard Band and the filming of the 55th anniversary event at the Dr Pepper Museum.

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Day 15: Kid Producers


Written on January 25, 2009 – 3:55 pm | by rglaser

20 Days to Being a Better VC Coordinator

Guest blogged by Janine Lim

How much do you let students help you with videoconferences? For this challenge, let’s think about some appropriate ways to involve students in the production of the videoconference.

Microphone

One of the most simple ways to involve students is to have them in charge of muting the microphone. I’ve seen this work well in a couple of ways (about 2nd grade and up):

  • A trusted student is responsible for muting and unmuting in a multi-point conference such as an ASK program or an interview with an expert.
  • OR, as each student comes up to the microphone, they press the button on the microphone, state their question or comment, and then press the button again.

I’ve seen these examples using with the button on the Polycom microphones (instead of giving the student the remote control). Those of you using other systems, how does this work for you? Please comment and share!

Cameras and More

Some students prefer to be off camera, while others love to “ham it up” with strong voices and great announcing skills. Encourage this diversity by involving your students in different ways during the videoconference. (Thank you Kim Pearce for these ideas to organize students with production jobs.)

  • Teach the students to use already set presets, or even how to set the presets. Have a student or two responsible for the switching presets. This is helpful when you have different visuals to show. Watch the student presentations in the
    Download for examples.
  • Build on the visual nature of videoconferencing communication, and have an art crew for the backdrop, a lighting crew, and stage hands. Let these visuals from Dew ISD, TX inspire you:

Comment Challenge/Comment

  • If you haven’t allowed students to help with a videoconference yet, which of these tips will you try first?
  • Do you have any other tips for involving students in the production of the videoconference?

Comment and tell us about it!

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