If I were a Goldfish

First graders from Avon East took time out of science class to share what life would be like as a gold fish with the Life Science Education Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. The students took a closer look at a gold fish and the characteristics it has to live in water while discussing the characteristics that allow them to live on land.

Once the characteristics were defined and put to motion with our presenter the class played an exciting game of habitat bingo. Students were shown a habit on the screen while the students marked off the animal on their paper that would call that location home. The students were also treated to an interactive look an animal adaptations to their environment through activities directed by the presenter.

This session was our first experience with the Life Science Center but it will not be our last. The session was very interactive, and kept the class engaged throughout the lesson. To learn more about the Life Science Education Center and their distance learning program you can visit them on the web at http://www.lifescienceed.org/index.asp

Avon plays active role in the Northern Ohio Distance Learning Year End Showcase

The Lorain County Distance Learning Consortium, NOTA network and the Columbiana Distance Learning Consortiums hosted their year end showcase again this year at the Lorain County Community College. The Avon Schools distance learning program represented four of the eighteen presenters this year sharing some of our favorite videoconferences of the year. Michelle O’Hara and Peggy Masin from Avon East Elementary school presented the Holiday Traditions conference and their terrarium collaboration with Miami Country Day school in Miami Florida. Paul Hieronymus presented Follow the North Star program from Conner Prairie on behalf of Avon Heritage North and Country of the Week with the School of Life on behalf of Avon Heritage South Elementary School.

This year the showcase provided four remote presenters from the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth Texas, Melissa Higgs-Horwell from the SCOCA consortium, Valerie Erwin from East Liverpool Schools and Mike Griffith from Global Leap. The conference was opened to remote viewers for the first time as well this year with sites from the SOITA and LACA consortiums. The showcase was kicked off this year by Thomas Rockwell – Superintendent of the Lorain County Educational Service Center and Jillian Froment from Ohio eTech.

During lunch it was great to hear from our teachers how much they enjoyed the day. The common buzz around the room was comments about all of the different programs that had taken place this year in our consortium.