Friday, April 07, 2006

Avon and North Lamar students Meet the Musher and share Iditarod Data









How can students from a suburban school near Cleveland, Ohio and students from North Lamar ISD in Paris Texas meet a dog sled racer??


Through Videoconferencing that’s how!

Mrs. Michelich a third grade teacher at Avon Heritage South Elementary School created an interactive project for her third grade group and shared the summary activity with the students of North Lamar. The third grade students read the Stone Fox during reading, kept journals on selected mushers in language arts and graphed the mushers progress in math class. Mrs. Atkins fourth grade class created journals and graphed mushers in their computer class. The classes agreed to connect over videoconferencing to share the data collected about their mushers.

As an enhancement to the program the schools connected to Northern Michigan University for the Meet the Musher virtual field trip. In the University TV studio one of the staff members from NMU brought in her dog sled, her guide lines and one of her race dogs. The students discussed the parts of the sled, training procedures of the team, race commands and the supplies need to complete a dog sled race. The students were treated with video of a race and pictures of the racers kennel. The presentation gave the students a better understanding of the sport of dog sled racing and how difficult it is for racers in the Iditarod to complete the race.

After the presentation the schools stayed connected and shared their data in a newcast format. The students from North Lamar stole the show brining in a husky representing their racers lead dog. The students from both sites enjoyed both parts of the conference. The sites used the last minutes of the bridge time to ask questions about each others communities and weather.

Great Job NMU and North Lamar!

Monday, April 03, 2006

LCDLC Updates for the week of April 3, 2006


1) CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM FREE PROGRAMMING
2) FREE NASA WEBCAST
3) MEGACONFERENCE JR FOR STUDENTS IS FREE & REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
4) LCDLC LESSONS FROM TEACHER – SEE THEIR VIDEOS PROMO CLIPS
5) ASK AN AUTHOR – LIZZIE BRIGHT & BUCKMINSTER BOY – NEWBERRY HONOR WINNER 2005
6) CILC NEW PROGRAMMING
7) CONTENT PROVIDER YELLOW PAGES DATABASE UPDATED!
----------------------------------------------------------------------

1) CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM FREE PROGRAMMING

Dear List,

We are winding up our school year and Ohio E-tech grant funding. We are offering FREE video conferences for all Ohio schools for the rest of the 2006 school year. Please take advantage of this while you can.

You can find program information at:
http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/greatfun/video_conferencing.shtml
or contact:
Carrie Atkins Maras
(513) 639-2974
Video conferencing studio number:
(513) 639 -2349
Out of State ISDN
(614) 722-0923
In state ISDN
(513) 722-0923

----------------------------------------------------------------

2) FREE NASA WEBCAST

NASA's Digital Learning Network invites you to join us for web casts about NASA Astronauts becoming Aquanauts on board the Aquarius Underwater Habitat. The web casts will connect you live with the Aquarius crew as they conduct important underwater research. Join us to find out how this project is helping NASA prepare for future space exploration!

Web cast Dates & Times: 4/5/06 10:15 - 11:00 ET 4/5/06 11:15 - 12:00 ET 4/14/06 3:30 - 4:15 ET 4/17/06 12:10 - 12:55 ET

How to connect: Click on the following link to connect to the event via RealPlayer. You may also use this link to test your computer connection in advance. NASATV is always streamed until the day and time of the event.
http://technology.grc.nasa.gov/broadcasts/nasatv_rtsp.ram Ask a question "Live": If you would like to ask the aquanauts questions during the event, click on the following website http://nasadln.nmsu.edu/dln/content/askaquestion/?erid=2949&hostid10. The program host will ask the question on your behalf. Please list your first name and the city you are viewing from.
Cool Activities for Students: http://nasadln.nmsu.edu/dln/content/catalog/details/?cid=494 About NEEMO 9: NASA's Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 9 is a joint project involving the Center for Minimal Access Surgery (CMAS) at Mc Master University, The US Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Adminis ration (NOAA), the National Undersea Research Center (NURC) and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW).

The mission will take place at Aquarius, the only undersea research laboratory in the world, which is owned by NOAA and managed by UNCW. The 14-meter-long (45 feet) by 4-meter-diameter (13 feet) underwater home and laboratory operates 4.5 kilometers (3 miles) off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Similar in size to the International Space Station's Zvezda Service Module, it is situated next to deep coral reefs and provides life support systems that allow scientists to live and work in reasonably comfortable quarters. The facility is supported by a 10-meter life support buoy on the surface which provides power, life support and communication requirements. There is also a shore-based "mission control" which supports all Aquarius missions with 24-hour mission monitoring. This mission also will be supported y JSC's Exploration Planning and Operations Center (ExPOC) control room, simulating the interactions between astronauts and control rooms on spaceflights.

As an 18-day mission, NEEMO 9 is the longest mission to date. http://www.uncw.edu/aquarius/2006/04_2006/expd.htm
************************************************
Marilyn J. Heath, Ed.D.
National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning
21st CCLC
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
211 East 7th Street, Austin, TX 78701-3281
E-mail: mheath@sedl.org
Voice: 512-476-6861 x 272
Fax: 512-476-2286
http://www.sedl.org/
http://www.sedl.org/afterschool

----------------------------------------------------------------

3) MEGACONFERENCE JR FOR STUDENTS IS FREE & REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Dear Colleagues:
Megaconference Jr. is once again approaching us and I would like to request your kind assistance again this year to get the word around. In an effort to Bridge the Digital Divide; please help us circulate this open free registration announcement for the upcoming Megaconference Jr. 2006 to anyone who may be interested in your areas. Megaconference Jr. "An Event For and By Students of the World"; in its third year had over 320 sites connected last year from all over the world. It was a tremendous success. If you would like to assist and if you have your facility available perhaps you can invite your local schools to your facility for being part of this great event. A lot of schools do not have either the equipment or a suitable internet connection, your help will be greatly appreciated. If you are a library it may be a way for inviting your neighborhood schools.

FREE general registration for the upcoming Megaconference Jr. 2006 event is still open.
Please go to: http://www.megaconferencejr.org/ and click on the "Register" link. Read the explanation and review the schedule and presentations prior to completing the registration. You now have the ability to interact live with one of the presentations. You will be asked to make your selection towards the end of the registration form. When you have completed all fields click the "Submit" button. You should receive an email confirmation.

The interactive registrations with presenters are on a first come first serve basis. Once we have five for each presentation, interactive registration will be closed. General registration will continue through April 28, 2006.

Again this year we look forward to your involvement!

1) What is Megaconference Jr.? Megaconference Jr. is an international project designed to give students in elementary and secondary schools around the world the opportunity to communicate, collaborate and contribute to each other's learning in real time, using advanced multi-point videoconferencing technology. Now in its third year, Megaconference Jr. brings together students from countries all around the world for 12 hours of interactive presentations, cafes, and forums. Megaconference Jr. will take place on May 18, 2006. For more information go to http://www.megaconferencejr.org/ .

2) WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE? The event will be on May 18, 2006, and it will run from 7:00 am until 7:00pm EDT (UTC-4). The 12-hour duration will make it possible for schools from many time zones to participate during their regular school hours.

3) What do I need to participate? Connected sites need H.323 videoconferencing capabilities and access to a national research and education network such as Abilene (Internet2) in the United States, CA*net 4 in Canada, or Gèant in Europe, GLORIAD in China Central Asia. Numerous other state and regional networks and GigaPoPs (ie: OARnet, MAGPI, SURA, SOX, NOX, IHETs, MERIT, CENIC, MAX, NYSERNet) are available. If you are not surewhether you are connected to such a network, you can download the Internet2 Detective (http://detective.internet2.edu/), ask your local network person, or contact us at (megajr@sccresa.org).

4) Do I have to be on Internet2 to participate? Sites are strongly encouraged to connect over Internet2 or other high speed networks for the best quality videoconference experience.

5) Do I have to go to a university to participate? No. You can participate through a local university or other organization, but you can also participate from your own office or classroom if your Internet connection is sufficient. We can work with you to determine if your connection will work.
6) How much bandwidth do I need to participate? The preferred connection speed for the event is 384 kbps. If you do not have access to Internet2, your local university may have a site you can use. We can work with you to arrange a site if needed. Cable modem service usually works.

7) Why isn't the commercial Internet good for Megaconference Jr.? The commercial Internet (i.e. Yahoo, AOL, Netscape), is generally too slow and too unstable to support the high-quality interactive video and audio that takes place during Megaconference events. And ISDN videoconferencing is too expensive for multi-site international interactive videoconferencing events. However, if you have a high bandwidth Internet connection, we can work with you so that you can participate in Megaconference Jr.

8) How can so many sites be connected simultaneously around the world? The Internet2 Commons (jointly operated by The Ohio State University and the Ohio Supercomputer Center), makes this possible by connecting sites through its remote collaboration service. You can learn more about the Internet2 Commons at http://commons.internet2.edu/.

9) What kinds of presentations/activities will my students see? Presenters design and conduct videoconference-based presentations and activities focused on academic, cultural, scientific, social and a host of other issues. Participants will be able to ask questions of presenters and to collaborate with geographically diverse peers in collaborative learning activities, thus building international cultural awareness. Examples of previous presentations include: "Being Australian"; "Hurricane Houses"; "Hatching Chicks and Birds of Prey"; "Commonality, Connection, and Conversation Across the Continents"; "Bums on Drums"; "Flamenco Dancing and Walking Around Barcelona"; "Open Forum on Bullying"; "Reenactment of the Oklahoma Land Run"; "Robotics"; "Native American Comanche Tribal Dancing"; and an interactive quiz game between students in Taiwan, Ohio and Australia.

10) How much does it cost to participate? Participation is free and open to everyone. The Megaconference Jr. event is a volunteer effort made possible through the dedication of students, teachers and technologists around the world. We only ask for your active engagement in helping to make Megaconference Jr. a fantastic event for all!

11) How can we participate in other Internet2 videoconferencing events? People enjoy Megaconference Jr. so much that they often want to participate in similar events. In addition to Megaconference Jr., there is also the annual Megaconference event, on which Megaconference Jr. was modeled. The Megaconference, now in its 8th year, is open to K-12 schools as well. Megaconference Jr. was designed to help foster collaborations among schools worldwide, so we encourage you to start your own Megaconference-type events locally. Many have already been created including state-wide mini-Megaconference Jrs. such as "Texas Connects: A Statewide Videoconference for Texas Elementary Students" and a "Holiday Megaconference Jr." event. For more information go to http://digitalunion.osu.edu/megaconference/index.html.

12) Do I need to register if I connect through a local organization? Yes, or else you will not be listed as a participant, and you will not be called in the roll call, or be eligible for door prizes.

13) Do I have to be there for the whole 12 hours of the event? No, most people do not participate for the entire 12 hours.Please see the Megaconference Jr. home page for important dates and deadlines, www.megaconferencejr.org .

NOTE: Please forward this message to anyone you feel would be interested.
Kind Regards
Arif Khan
Global Internet2 H.323 Services
NOC OARnet - A Division of Ohio Supercomputer Center
akhan@oar.net
Ohio Supercomputer Center
http://www.osc.edu
OARnet http://www.oar.net
Third Frontier Network http://www.osc.edu/oarnet/tfn/
Internet2 Commons http://commons.internet2.edu/
----------------------------------------------------------------

4) LCDLC LESSONS FROM TEACHER – SEE THEIR VIDEOS PROMO CLIPS

Veteran teachers in the Lorain County Distance Learning Consortium developed lessons to share out with other teachers to participate in this year. Each teacher created a lesson plan and a short video detailing their lesson. The grade levels and subject areas are diverse in nature and can be found on our website by clicking on the link at the bottom of the homepage entitled “Projects”, or by clicking on the link http://lcdlc.lorainesc.k12.oh.us/projects.htm . Don’t miss out on these lessons!

----------------------------------------------------------------

5) ASK AN AUTHOR – LIZZIE BRIGHT & BUCKMINSTER BOY – NEWBERRY HONOR WINNER 2005

Join us for an ASK author interview on April 18, 2006, with Gary Schmidt and his book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (a Newberry Honor winner in 2005). We still have an opening in each time slot - 9:30-10:30 a.m., 10:45-11:45 a.m. and 12:45-1:45 p.m. (all EST).

Cost - $70 or $35 for TWICE members

Grades 6-8

Register for this program at http://www.twice.cc/ASK/index.html

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
"It only takes a few hours for Turner Buckminster to start hating Phippsburg, Maine. No one in town will let him forget that he's a minister's son, even if he doesn't act like one. But then he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a smart and sassy girl from a poor nearby island community founded by former slaves. Despite his father's-and the town's-disapproval of their friendship, Turner spends time with Lizzie, and it opens up a whole new world to him, filled with the mystery and wonder of Maine's rocky coast. The two soon discover that the town elders, along with Turner's father, want to force the people to leave Lizzie's island so that Phippsburg can start a lucrative tourist trade there. Turner gets caught up in a spiral of disasters that alter his life-but also lead him to new levels of acceptance and maturity. This sensitively written historical novel, based on the true story of a community's destruction, highlights a unique friendship during a time of change."



Sue PorterInstructional Technology CoordinatorKent ISD2930 Knapp NEGrand Rapids, MI 49525-4518email: sueporter@kentisd.orgphone: 616.365.2273fax:616.364.1489


----------------------------------------------------------------

6) CILC NEW PROGRAMMING

The following programs are new offerings that can be found on the CILC website http://www.cilc.org/. You may also click on the program title to go directly to the detailed program description on the CILC website.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Owls: A Museum Perspective
Audience: Education: Grade(s): 3, 4, 5, 6, 7Description: Owls have long fascinated people because of their large,forward-facing eyes and their nocturnal habits. If your students are fascinated by these mysterious birds this program will use that interest to explore science principles relating to structure and function, diversity and adaptations, and populations and ecosystems.Program Availability: By Request/On Demand ONLY

CILC Professional Development

Linking Leads to Learning: Integrating Reading Recovery Strategies into Classroom Instruction
Audience: Education: Curriculum Director, Professional Development Director, Paraprofessional, Administrator, Grade K-2 Teacher, Reading Specialist, Literacy Coach, Title I StaffDescription: Struggling readers often do not make links on their own...they need us to help them see the connections between reading and writing instruction. In the Reading Recovery program, teachers work diligently to show children that what they know in reading can help them in writing and vice-versa through focused, explicit teaching and specific prompting language.This session focuses on how educators can utilize certain Reading Recovery teaching strategies with the entire class or small groups of children. Providing powerful book introductions, supporting children in their reading problem-solving skills, teaching for fluency, writing strategies, and word work ideas will be explored.Program Availability: Published Date(s) and Time(s) ONLY

The Ward Melville Heritage Organization

Windows Through Time: Journals of American Revolutionary War Spies!
Audience: Education: Grade(s): 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Curriculum Director, Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Title One Coordinator, Teacher, Parent, Media Specialist/Librarian, K-12 Educator, Public Library: Library Patrons, childrenDescription: Engage your students in The Ward Melville Heritage Organization's (WMHO) literacy based distance learning program about America's first successful spy ring. Utilizing two-way videoconferencing, our instructor dressed in period costume of Anna Smith Strong (a spy ring member), interacts with the students while presenting material on the actual workings of this top-secret spy ring.Program Availability: By Request/On Demand ONLY


During the past week, the following new program(s) matching your profile were added to the CILC website:
Provider:

CILC Professional Development
New Technologies: A Virtual Symposium on Nanotechnology and Biotechnology
Audience: Education: Teacher, Content Providers: EducatorDescription: Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity for K-12 educators! Participate on site in Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota or through desktop web conferencing from your own computer!Science educators have been looking for unifying science concepts and applications for many years. Integrated and unified science curricula are being offered in most high schools today. To understand the promise of New Technologies as an emerging science thematic application is to understand how biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering can work toward a solution. This focus can be useful in science instruction in the K-12 classroom. Topics of the symposium will include: *NSF activity in Converging Technologies in Industry*Nanotechnology research and applied science in industry*Biotechnology research and joint bio/nano projectsProgram Availability: Published Date(s) and Time(s) ONLY

What's all the Hype about Skype and other Web-based Collaborative Tools
Audience: Education: Individuals or teams that want to learn more about the FREE web-based tools.Description: So what IS all the hype about Skype and other web-based collaborative tools? Today there are so many FREE tools that can be downloaded and used to make our lives much more productive and collaborative. If you are interested in learning the basics about Skype, podcasts, blogs, wikis, and other tools, then this session is for you. Basic application ideas will be explored and participants will receive a handout with a multitude of resources, links to free downloads, and examples from the K-12 community. You'll be able to take your new knowledge and practice over the summer with your colleagues right from your home computer.Program Availability: Published Date(s) and Time(s) ONLY

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Maple Syrup, Sugar and Spotza
Audience: Education: Grade(s): 4, 5, 6Description: Witness the fascinating process of tapping trees, converting sugar water into maple products, and the stories associated with the maple industry of Somerset County, Pennsylvania's largest maple producing region.Program Availability: n/a

Mysteries of the Mesozoic
Audience: Education: Grade(s): 2, 3Description: Dinosaurs ruled the Mesozoic. We will explore the characteristics these specialized reptiles had in common, investigate the relationship between diet and teeth, examine familiar plants from dinosaur times and talk about why dinosaurs became extinct or did they? The fascinating work of a paleontologist will also be explored.Program Availability: By Request/On Demand ONLY
This e-mail was automatically generated at http://www.cilc.org/, please do not reply directly to this e-mail.

Thanks!Julia
Julia Shildmyer-Heighway Director of Content Providers Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) Office: 317-231-6529 Jheighway@cilc.org
----------------------------------------------------------------

7) CONTENT PROVIDER YELLOW PAGES DATABASE UPDATED!

Ever want the yellow pages for IVDL content providers? It’s here and up to date. We utilize a database that has hundreds of content providers and that is updated weekly. Most importantly, it has a searchable feature that allows you to search through its thousands of programs using keywords, cost, grade level, or subject area. Check it out if you have not already by going to our website and selecting the “Content Provider” tab, then select “LCDLC Content Provider Database” or click on the link http://intercom.noeca.net/lcesc/content.htm .