Monday, November 07, 2005

LCDLC Updates & Opportunities 11/7/05

1) OUR TOWN PROJECT
2) COSI COLUMBUS EXPERT PROGRAM FOR A REDUCED PRICE!
3) READ ACROSS AMERICA 2006
4) PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (attachment: “Professional Learning Communities”)
5) GOT POLITICS?
6) I SPY GEOGRAPHY – SOUTH AMERICAN EDITION (Looking for an additional School)
7) SIDE-BY-SIDE AND SOLAR COOKING PROJECTS
8) FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME PROGRAMMING



1) OUR TOWN PROJECT
I have an 8th grade gifted and talented class in Absecon, NJ who will be reading Thorton Wilder's Our Town. I am looking to work with another school on various projects through video conferencing while reading the play.Absecon is a small town located in New Jersey. Anyone interested in collaborating with us on this project can contact me at B. Horner bhorner@abseconschools.org or (609) 641-3329 x 1803.


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2) COSI COLUMBUS EXPERT PROGRAM FOR A REDUCED PRICE!
The following conferences are part of COSI's Expert program. These sessions connect experts in various fields with middle and high school students for a 15-20 minute presentation followed by a learner-led question and answer session. For further information on these events, please see our web site: http://www.cosi.org/programs/eeExpertSched.asp

COSI Columbus would like to offer you the opportunity to connect for one of our expert sessions for a reduced price, not including any applicable ISDN line charges.

Paleontology of Early Life
November 11, '05 @ 12:30 PM ET
COST: $75
Applicable Subjects: Paleontology, Evolution, Biology Students should have prior understanding of: Fossils, single-celled organisms, the origin and definition of life Dr. William Ausich is a professor of Paleontology at The Ohio State University and the Director of the Orton Geological Museum. Experts propose that there was a drastic change in the earth's environment during the Precambrian, approximately 2 billion years ago. Dr. Ausich will present evidence that supports this change in Earth's atmosphere. Also, the geologic record of life increases during this time from only single-celled organisms to single-celled organisms and more familiar multicellular plants and animals. Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information packets sent to the teacher. Test connection is on November 9 at 2:30 PM ET. Last day to register is November 8.

Invasive Alien Species in Our Backyards
November 14, '05 @ 12:30 PM ET
COST: $75
Applicable subjects: Biology, Ecology, Botany, Geography, Conservation Biology This presentation by Jennifer Windus, M.S., will focus on the issue of invasive species, particularly plants, in Ohio and how they are impacting our natural habitats, such as wetlands, grasslands, and forests. The species, where they came from, that they are impacting, and what you can do will be discussed. Ms. Windus is a program administrator in the Wildlife Management & Research section of the Ohio Division of Wildlife in Columbus. She is involved in rare plant surveys, prescribed burning, and invasive species control on wildlife areas throughout the state. She is also a Board member of the recently formed Ohio Invasive Plants Council and has been involved in improving awareness of invasive species in Ohio for at least 7 years. Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information sent to the teacher. Test connection is on November 9 at 2:30 PM ET. Last day to register is November 8.

Exploring the Ocean with Robotic Submarines
November 18, '05 @ 9:00 AM ET
COST: $75
Applicable subjects: Robotics, Physics, Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Archaeology, GeographyStudents should have prior knowledge of:* Buoyancy* Pressure* What is a robot?* What is a sensor?* Making maps and graphs of scientific dataMr. Jim Morash, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sea Grant Program's Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Laboratory, will discuss how robots are used to explore the ocean. Designing and building self-guided robots that can explore the depths of the ocean poses many engineering problems. He will present some solutions to these problems, as well as challenge your students to develop their own solutions.Students will also learn about the many applications of these robots and see photos from field deployments. Since 2001, Mr. Morash has been the Chief Electrical Engineer at MIT Sea Grant's AUV Lab. He and hiscolleagues have built several deep-diving robots for ocean research and have traveled around the US and the Mediterranean on field expeditions for military and scientific experiments. Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information sent to the teacher. Test connection is on November 16 at 2:30 PM ET. Last day to register is November 15.

We are able to connect via IP or ISDN. ATM within Ohio.To make a reservation for the program, please see our web site at: https://education.cosi.org/eersPlease note "Reduced per Jill" in the "other information" field at the end of the reservation process.Jill RosenfeldVideoconferencing coordinatorElectronic Education, COSI Columbusjrosenfeld@mail.cosi.org

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3) READ ACROSS AMERICA 2006

TWICE (Two Way Interactive Connections in Education) annually organizes a special celebration in conjunction with the largest national reading event "Read Across America". TWICE provides the opportunity for schools in the continental United States to connect using two-way interactive video to read to, and be read to, by another class.

This project is open to all K-12 students in public and private schools. The school must have access to ISDN (H.320) or IP (H.323) codec equipment to participate.

Event Dates: This year, we will be scheduling connections for March 1-3, 2006.
November Verification Registration Opens Nov. 1

TWICE implements a verification process before teacher registration opens in December. The verification process verifies the type of connection (IP or ISDN) and type of videoconference equipment that is available in (or to) the building. Verification occurs Nov. 1 through 23. Buildings must be verified before teachers from that building can register to participate in Read Across America in March. Teachers will use the PIN supplied after verification to register.

Between November 1 and 24, sign-up your building for verification at www.twice.cc/read/

New Materials Online
We've just posted new packets for Teachers, Coordinators, and Techs. If you've printed the materials recently, please come back and get the updated materials! You'll also find a new 5 min. video clip you can share with staff meetings. See www.twice.cc/read/ on the right hand side. New Building Match for 2006

New for 2006!
Do you want to have more than 6 teachers from your building participate in Read Across America this year? Recommended for experienced RAA building coordinators only. This year, consider a "building match"! Instead of one test call per teacher and pulling your hair out, partner up with another building, do one test, and negotiate the dates & times together! Do 30 min. connections back to back if you want. Negotiate around lunch and recess! Have the flexibility of connecting during March!Buildings will be matched elementary to elementary, middle school to middle school, and high school to high school, based on the number of teachers signed up. It will be up to the building coordinators at the two buildings to negotiate times and which teachers are matched together. More details online, as well as a special Building Match Coordinators Packet available here:http://www.twice.cc/read/buildingmatch.html

Join us in this unique celebration of reading and Dr. Seuss books by truly "Reading Across America"!

Janine Lim
Instructional Technology Consultant
Berrien County ISD
711 St. Joseph Ave.
Berrien Springs, MI 49103
jlim@remc11.k12.mi.us
Ph: (269) 471-7725x101
Fax: (269) 471-1221
Web: http://www.remc11.k12.mi.us/dl
Blog: http://bcisdvcs.blogspot.com
TWICE Read Across America Coordinator 2006
http://www.twice.cc/read/
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4) PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (attachment: “Professional Learning Communities”)

Hello Everyone,I've attached the flyer for Doug DeLong's professional development presentation on Professional Learning Communities.I have received a few responses that could only transmit IP and to the best of my knowledge the state can not bridge ATM and IP multipoint calls. If you know of a site (ILC) that is able to do this please let me know.Meanwhile, take a look at this professional development offering and let me know if you have administrators and curriculum directors interested in this topic. The cost for you to be an ATM site location is $50.00.The host site will be the Lake County Educational Service Center in Painesville Ohio.Thanks,Michael Bloom, Director, Instructional TechnologyLake County Educational Service Center30 South Park Place Suite 320Painesville, Ohio 44077(440) 350-2563 ext 723 - Office 440-350-2566 - FAX(216) 403-4019 - Cellular 722-0102 - ATM Number www.lcesc.k12.oh.us/neo-linc

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5) GOT POLITICS?

Avon Middle School is looking for a class to collaborate on an activity with Political Party Advertisements.

Avon students will give 30 second to 1 minute advertisements over five political parties (Moderates[Centrist], Socialists, Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians). Students from the visiting site must guess the political party in which the advertisement is given. After political parties are guessed students will have conversation over the value of the political parties and where they stand locally and nationally.

Date: November 17, 2005
Time: 10:00 – 10:35 am
10:50 – 11:30 am
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6) I SPY GEOGRAPHY – SOUTH AMERICAN EDITION (Looking for an additional School)

When: Monday November 14Time: 9:30 – 10:00am
Cost: FREE

The LCDLC is looking for one more class to participate in a fun game of I Spy Geography South American edition on Monday November 14th from 9:30-10:00am. The program is a review of cities, geographical features, and landmarks using satellite images from Google Earth. The target audience is 4th and 5th grade students.

Program description:
I Spy Geography uses satellite images from Google Earth to zoom in on locations around the globe. Push pins are used to mark locations on cities, mountains or landmarks to give the students an eye in sky view of a given location. Each participating class designates one student to answer for their class as clues are given about the location. Students are encouraged to discuss their answers, but only one student answers for their class. After each clue, the software zooms out to reveal the surrounding features. If after four clues a school does not correctly guess the location the other school can guess or steel the question. The program is design to last 30 mins and is a great program for teachers new to videoconferencing.

Paul Hieronymus HieronymusP@avon.k12.oh.us
440.829.8273
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7) SIDE-BY-SIDE AND SOLAR COOKING PROJECTS

Side-by-Side:
Miami Country Day School in Miami Florida is looking to share an art lesson on self portraits for their Side-By-Side project with Elementary and Middle School Art Teachers. This program would be scheduled between the two schools. To learn more about the Side-by-Side project please visit their website http://aces.miamicountryday.org/International_Projects/SidebySidepage.htm

Solar Cooking:

I'm ALWAYS ready to teach classes how to build solar cookers from old notebooks, lampshades, or other recycled materials.
http://aces.miamicountryday.org/SolarCookers/solar_cookers.htm

Contact:
Rowena Gerber
Miami Country Daygerberr@miamicountryday.org
Cost: Free


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8) FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME PROGRAMMING

On November 9, 2005 at 10:00 am and again at 1:00 pm the Professional Football Hall of Fame and the Stark County Educational Service Center will be sponsoring a videoconference titled, "Professional Football in Language Arts" Using newspaper articles for students to examine, photos, and clips from the movie Brian's Song, presenter Jesse McClain will lead this session in taking a look at the experiences that African American football players had in the growing stages of the National Football League. This session is appropriate for high school students only. This session will be limited to 3 sites which will be determined on a first come basis with connectivity occurring through ATM or ISDN. If you are interested in being a part of this session, contact Jim Vincent at vincent@sparcc.org to reserve your school site.

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On November 16, 2005 at 10:00 am, the Professional Football HoF and the Stark County Educational Service Center will be sponsoring a videoconference titled, "Using Geographic Information Systems in Professional Football" Designed for high school students to enhance instruction in Geography, Dr Thomas Mueller of the California University of PA will explain what a GIS is, discuss and demonstrate what Spatial Data involves, and then will use this information along with the http://maps.google.com/ web site to teach geographic locations of NFL: stadiums throughout the country. Sites will be limited to 3 with connectivity occurring through ATM or ISDN. If you or your site would like to be part of this 50 minute presentation, contact Jim Vincent at vincent@sparcc.org.

Jim Vincent
SPARCC Office
2100 38th St NW
Canton, OH 44721
330-492-8136
vincent@sparcc.org