Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Avon and Firelands students enhance written expression through Mystery Box project


Miss Neushafer’s fifth grade students shared their imaginations writing skills through a collaborative project with Mrs. Barr’s class at South Amherst Middle School. The students sent a box of clues of a crime scene to each others schools. The students had to predict what happened based on the evidence, write a description of what occurred and identify the person guilty of the crime.

The classed connected in a videoconference with their partner school and took turns reading their accounts. The stories were well written, full of exciting events. The students really enjoyed reading their stories over the systems. This activity provided the students with a fun way to work on their written expression as well as problem solving.

Could this be the next spin off of CSI??

Avon Students kick off Black History Month with the Vanderbilt Virtual School


Students from Avon Heritage South and North had the opportunity to learn more about the fight for freedom for African American Slaves. Dr. Frank Dobson from the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center discussed the struggle for the Northern and Southern states to abolish slavery. The students were treated to a video about Franklyn Douglas and a brief history of the slave trade.

Dr. Dobson did a great job stressing that the battle to end slavery was not just an issue with the Southern states. Examples of events that occurred in both regions of the United States and how difficult it was for slaves to escape bondage were described to the students.

This session was a great introduction to our teachers units on the Underground Railroad. The students had the opportunity to ask questions to Dr. Dobson and to get a better perspective of events. We want to thank Vanderbilt College for this great opportunity.

If you would like to learn more about their programming you can visit them on the web at www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool/

Friday, January 26, 2007

The Greenbush IDL sure sounds interesting


If a sound is made in a videoconference can the students hear it?

Mrs. Scaletta’s second grade science students took a
closer look at sound
with the Greenbush science center in Kansas. The students were given tuning forks, plastic and string provided by Greenbush for experiments with sounds.

This session was a great activity for the Avon students to have better
understanding of sound, the inner ear and how sound waves travel through the air to the human ear.

The students loved the activities and recorded great data involving volume
and pitch. This session is aligned to Ohio’s science standards for second grade and provides a great introduction to Mrs. Scaletta’s science unit.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Cosi Toledo sounds like fun


Mrs. Hartwell and O’Hara’s second grade students get a better understanding of sound waves through experiments with Cosi Toledo. Andy Campbell led the class through several activities demonstrating sound and vibrations. The students really enjoyed the program and we look forward to doing more programs with Cosi Toledo.


This session with permission from Cosi was recorded from the Avon High School media students. The AHS media connected to eTech Ohio through their new Polycom EX that is connected to their editing equipment for recording. The class will edit the footage add a teacher intro and will play the session on our cable access channel provided by Time Warner Cable. Avon families will have the opportunity to see the video lesson on Channel 22 to see the great activities occurring through interactive videoconferencing.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Show me your WIKI??? I hardly know you….


The LCDLC Technology Toolbox Series of professional development had another successful session providing members and nonmember schools the opportunity to learn about wiki’s and how they can be used as an online collaboration tool. Teachers from Avon, Avon Lake, Marlington, South Amherst and Tiffin Calvert connected over the videoconferencing systems to take a closer look at Wikipedia and several of the free online wiki builders on the internet for them to use.

There was great dialog between the teachers on using Wikipedia and the group discussed the many different applications wiki’s can be used for in a K-12 environment. After the overview the groups walked through the process of creating their own wiki’s using wikispaces.com and the security features the program provides. We look forward to seeing the resources that will be created from this presentation.

Technology Toolbox sessions are offered once a month on a variety of topics ranging from Blogs to Podcasting. The sessions are free to LCDLC members and cost non member school districts only $50.00. Interested teachers can learn more about Technology Toolbox at www.lcdlc.org/professionaldevelopment.htm .

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Avon Students blast off to Mars with NASA Johnson Space Center


Mrs. Meikle’s 5th grade science students enhanced their science curriculum through an interactive videoconference with the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas. The students were treated to a multimedia rich lesson on Mars and NASA’s mission to the red planet. The videos and images shared to our classes were incredible and provided students a better understanding of our solar system.

The students were issued a challenge to plan a trip to Mars. Once the class was divided into two groups the class learned that the two groups had different tasks to complete, but the groups need to work with each other. Each group was issued three objectives to complete from planning the launch window to and from the planet and how to produce food and find water.

This session was the first of two programs offered by the Johnson Space Center. February 20th the classes will connect to Houston to present the plan to explore Mars. The students have some difficult tasks ahead of them. We look forward to sharing our plans and research collected.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Science “attracts” attention with the Greenbush ESC


Miss Giardini and Mrs. Scalletta’s first grade students participated in a great lesson on magnets with the Greenbush ESC in Girard Kansas. The students were given bar, horseshoe and circle magnets for experiments lead by the instructor. The students used metal shavings to view the magnetic fields created by the different shapes of magnets.

Once the students had a better understanding of how the magnets attracted mental the students hypothesized which magnet was the strongest. Using paper clips the students tested each of the magnets and compare their results.

One of the high lights of the conference for the students and teachers were an activity involving magnets and money. No one would have guessed it would be the dollar bill that would be moved by the magnet.

This was a great program provided by the Greenbush Educational Service Center in Kansas. Check out the IDL program online at www.greenbush.org/IDL/home.html.

Friday, January 12, 2007

CSI Avon, Ohio



Mr. Kelly’s ninth and tenth grade health classes help solve a murder mystery while learning about DNA with Health Space Cleveland.

The students shared their research articles on DNA with Mr. Bliss from health space and learned many new facts about the Human Genome Project. The students developed a better understanding of how DNA is playing an active role in our society. The students were surprised to hear what percentage of DNA they shared with each other and other species.

Once the students were in the DNA zone they were able to use there skills in a scientific game of who done it. The crime scene was described and the DNA samples were delivered to the groups in broken down amino acids. The scientific process of DNA identification was demonstrated. The students marked out the strands and compared their strand to a sample taken from the victim. The crime was solved and justice was done!

This session titled Genetic Revolution was one of many great programs offered by Health Space Cleveland. Check them out on the web at www.healthspacecleveland.org/education/education.asp?detail=9

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Avon cuts over to the LEECA Fiber Project


The Avon Schools cut over to the LEECA Fiber Project providing the district with increased bandwidth to Elyria and to Columbus. A much needed upgrade was made to the LEECA network to Columbus providing all of the districts with much need breathing room. With an increase of videoconferencing traffic over the past years the Avon district is looking forward to increased bandwidth.

The Avon Schools have taken advantage of the model upgrade from Polycom by purchasing two Polycom EX view stations at closeout prices. One system is to replace Avon High Schools Vtel Galaxy system purchased through the IVDL Grant trough Ohio SchoolNet. This system has well earned its retirement, but as long as it makes and received calls it will stay at AHS.

Te second system has been added to the Avon HS TV studio for capturing video collaborations for editing and posting to their district cable access channel. This will provide media students the opportunity to edit and publish many of the great events that occur over videoconferencing.

The purchase of the two additional end points brings the school district to seven videoconferencing systems providing the students of Avon great opportunities to enhance their curriculum in the future.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Avon welcomes new partners to the LCDLC


Starting in January the Lorain County Distance Learning Consortium welcomes two new members to our virtual family. The Fairview School district has joined the consortium bringing Fairview High School to the consortium and in the 2007 their new elementary school will be added. The Fairview Schools are in the same athletic conference which will bring the districts together academically as well as athletically. We look forward to working with their students and teachers this year and in years to come.

Firelands Schools a member since the consortium was created took advantage of the Polycom Viewstation closeouts purchasing a Polycom EX for Firelands Elementary School. The Firelands School District has been making great strides in the academic performances these last years. We are looking forward to their continued success and to work with them in the future.

Monday, December 18, 2006

The Grinch pays a visit to Avon East


First grade classes from Avon East Elementary School connect to Global Leap in London for the closer look at the Grinch that stole Christmas. The students start with the Dr. Seuss holiday classic being read to them by Kathryn Griffith. Images from the story were displayed behind her.
After the story the students discussed the similarities between our town countries in how the holidays will be celebrated. The students enjoyed the discussion as much as the story.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Avon Students participate in the 2nd annual Holiday Tradition Conference



The door to the Distance Learning room at Avon East became a revolving door during St. Francis Universities Holiday Traditions Conference. Online from 7:30am to 3:30pm the students from twelve different classrooms took turns participating in discussions from presenters from around the world.

The students enjoyed time spent with Santa as well as the opportunity to learn how communities from around the world celebrate the holidays. We look forward to participating in this great program again in 2007.

Thanks again St. Francis University

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Shipwrecked students perform their chapters with partner schools


Mrs. Friedell’s third grade students from Heritage North participated in a collaborated readers theater of their chapters on their story shipwrecked as part of the Chapter Project with Independence and Fremont. The students took turns performing their chapter and their conclusions. All three of the classes were loaded with props and costumes showing great efforts and pride in their chapters.

Once the stories were completed the students shared their favorite parts from each others performances. The students had great comments and shared some interesting comments. The classes did a great job and all enjoyed the project.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Mrs. Clark’s class shares artifacts with their partner school in the UK

The third graders in Mrs. Clarks get a better understanding of their community while learning about the United Kingdom through a virtual artifact exchange. The classes have been exchanging clues about their location for the past couple of weeks and completed the project through the sharing of artifacts brought in by the students that represent their communities.

The Students used the document camera and scripts created by the students to identify the object and how it relates to our community. The students brought in Ohio State, Cleveland and Avon icons to give the students from Banford a better understanding of our community and why Avon is a great place to live.

The artifacts presented by the students from Bamford a suburban community outside of London were great representations of their city. The Avon students loved seeing the items from Bamford and how similar their communities were.

The classes look forward to starting a new project with their partner school.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Gingerbread baby visits Miss Lavelle’s with the Center of Puppetry Arts


The second grade students from Miss Lavelle’s class were treated to the Holiday program the Gingerbread Baby from the Center of Puppetry Arts in Atlanta Georgia. The class looked at the many different versions the Gingerbread family from locations from around the world. The class enjoyed a great performance of the Gingerbread Baby with shadow puppets.

Once the story was complete the students created stick puppets to make their own shadow puppets. This activity was a great Holiday session that reinforced listening and reading skills. The students created their own versions of Gingerbread boy using their puppets.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Avon Multi Media Students complete in Henkle Duct Tape commercial contest



Mr. Garvelink’s Multimedia students participated in the regional judging of the Henkle Duct Tape commercial contest. The Avon students submitted nine sixty second commercials featuring Henkle Duct Tape. There were construction workers, super hero’s and monks demonstrating the multiple uses of duct tape and why Henkle stands above them all.

While all of the entries were entertaining and demonstrated the hard work of the students; only one commercial could advance to the State Finals. This year the Monks from Holy Trinity advance representing the Avon Schools.

Thanks the Henkle Duct Tape Company the students are treated to a real world activity and get a chance to compete with classes from around the state. The winning commercial of the State competition receives a Cannon GL2 video camera for their school. We wish the Eagles luck in the State judging.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Magnolia shares chapter 1 of Magic in a Sack a collaborative writing project

Avon’s partner class in Magnolia Texas shared the first chapter of the classes collaborative story. The students from Mrs. Lasater’s 4th grade class read their chapter over the video system and answered questions about the characters to help the Avon students prepare the second chapter.

The interactive chapter story titled the Magic Sack is a four chapter book that is split between the two classes. After each chapter the classes connect over the video systems to share their progress, answer questions about characters and discuss predictions of future chapters. Completed chapters are placed on the project wiki hosted by www.wikispaces.com.

Check out the great efforts of the classes at http://avonmagnolia.wikispaces.com/

Monday, November 13, 2006

Amon Carter Museum uses art work to display the People of the Plains


Third graders from Avon Heritage South Elementary School discussed the people of the plains using reproduced painting with the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth Texas. While connected to the Nancy Strickland from the Amon Carter Museum the students in small groups looked over several of reproductions from their museum and broke the art work into themes. Nancy helped guide the students to a better understanding of the Indians in Planes through details in the paintings. The students broke the painting into themes of games, hunting, ceremonies protection. Each group shared details of the works they held as the camera viewed the exhibits in the museum.

Thanks to the Amon Carter Museum the students have a better understanding of what life was like back when the Indian Nations lived and traveled the plains.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Avon Students learn about the Sioux Nation with the Green Bush ESC


Several second grade classes developed a better understanding of Indian culture and history through an interactive lesson provided by Lisa Pride at the Green Bush ESC. Students discussed the many artifacts and their uses to identify the roles people played in the Sioux Nation. The students discussed the different forms of written communication and how important it was to Indian tribes throughout the world.

The students demonstrated their understanding of image writing by creating their own messages using examples provided by Lisa at Green Bush and some images of their own. The students tore paper backs to represent animal hides and wrote messages using pictures to their classmates. Once completed; the students shared their stories to the class and Mrs. Pride.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Reptiles and Amphibians invade Heritage South through Video Distance Learning


Mrs. Frank and Johnson’s third grade classes introduce reptiles and amphibians to their science classes with the Lorain County MetroParks. The students discussed the difference between mammals, amphibians and reptiles through several live examples. Leslie McNut did a great job explaining the difference between cold and warm blooded animals and the way they survive.

The students enjoyed the snapping turtles, snakes and toads that were placed in the document camera. The close up view from the camera provided the students a view the snakes scales, the toad’s skin and the bottom of the turtle shells. This provided students a better view of these animals than if there are at the nature center. One of the favorite parts of the session was watching the toad eat.

This session was one of the many great programs provided by the Lorain County MetroParks. To learn more about their programming you can visit them on the web at www.loraincountymetroparks.com/dlc.htm

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Up In The Air Introduction of Students



Science students from Mrs. Neumann’s class at Avon MS meet their partner class at Amherst Steele HS. The classes will be sharing lessons and activities with each others schools. The HS students will be reinforcing their science curriculum through mini lessons with AMS. The AMS students plan to share information and lessons learned during the school year.

The first meeting of the classes gives the students a better understanding of the technology and the opportunity to meet the students they will be working with throughout the school year. The students introduced themselves to their partner school and asked questions about their schools and communities.

We are looking forward to working with Amherst HS this year.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

LCDLC takes part in the world’s largest videoconference


Dave Miller and Paul Hieronymus were delighted to present at the Internet 2 Megaconference VII. We connected at 7:15 am and enjoyed wonderful music from the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Orchestra was fantastic and the dance performed was impressive. The audiences were treated to several great sessions from presenters from all over the world.

The LCDLC was honored to be selected as a presenter at 11:45 sharing our virtual college tour project. We provided the group an overview of our consortium, the project and shared a four minute video of last year’s session. Our fifteen minute of fame was a great way to share our efforts to the world.

Megaconference is a great program that provides students an opportunity to see presenters from around the world. Each year the program tops the previous years with dynamic and exciting presentations. The sessions are streamed online for viewing at any time.
Check out the Megaconfernece website at http://www.megaconference.org/

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Fifth graders from Heritage North explore wetlands with Old Women Creek

Mrs. Meikle’s fifth grade science classes connected to the NOECA Intercom group for a presentation from Old Women Creek. The students identified the characteristics of wetlands and the animals that live in a wetland environment. The students were placed in groups of four with cards of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, plants and insects. Once broken into groups the students placed them into food chains for them to share with the presenter and their classmates.

After placing the items into their chains the students had to identify what would happen if that part of the food chain was missing and its effect to other parts of the wetlands. This lesson was a great reinforcement to our science curriculum.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Technology Toolbox – Yawn… Oh your PowerPoint is finished


Avon Middle School played host to schools from across the state of Ohio in a closer look at Microsoft PowerPoint. The Lorain County Distance Learning Consortium is offering professional development sessions to member schools and others on technology topics. The sessions are offered at 2:30 and 4:00pm to allow teachers at different ending times the opportunity to participate.

The PowerPoint sessions focused on making PowerPoint an interactive tool to enhance student learning. The teachers received several PowerPoint templates of games and activities that they could edit and use for remediation, review or assessment. As a finale a demonstration of MS Producer was provided to the teaches with a standard webcam.

To learn more about Technology Toolbox check out the offerings on the web at www.lcdlc.org/TechnologyToolbox.htm

Decision 2006 – The race for Governor makes a stop to Mr. Rowe’s class by videoconference.

Lee Fisher Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor made a scheduled stop at Orange High School to connect to over 15 schools via videoconference to discuss the race for governor. Students from across the state were able to ask live questions about the campaign and the role of Lieutenant Governor in Ohio’s government. Mr. Fisher meet with the students for over an hour discussing the state economy, education and many of the other hot topics in our state.

We wish more of our candidates were willing to meet with our students over videoconferencing. They do not realize that our students have a direct line to their voting parents. The schools that were able to take part in the videoconference well represented the states regional geography and the questions asked by the students represented their districts with pride.

The Avon Schools would like to thanks the Orange City Schools for hosting Mr. Fisher and Melissa Higgs-Horwell from the SCOCA consortium for organizing the event. We wish Mr. Fisher luck at the polls and hope to see him online again in the future.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Technology Toolbox – Yawn… Oh your PowerPoint is finished


Avon Middle School played host to schools from across the state of Ohio in a closer look at Microsoft PowerPoint. The Lorain County Distance Learning Consortium is offering professional development sessions to member schools and others on technology topics. The sessions are offered at 2:30 and 4:00pm to allow teachers at different ending times the opportunity to participate.

The PowerPoint sessions focused on making PowerPoint an interactive tool to enhance student learning. The teachers received several PowerPoint templates of games and activities that they could edit and use for remediation, review or assessment. As a finale a demonstration of MS Producer was provided to teaches with a standard webcam.

To learn more about Technology Toolbox check out the offerings on the web at www.lcdlc.org/TechnologyToolbox.htm

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Careers in Architecture


Avon High School students in Mr. Lindway’s Tech Ed Class provided his students career programming through videoconferencing with WVIZ PBS 25. Robert W. Blatchford Jr. President of Lesko Architecture in Cleveland provided students with back ground information about the field of architecture the current projects he is involved with in the Cleveland area.

This session was perfect timing with our class. Mr. Lindway’s students had just completed their bridge project. Each student drafted their own design which was later constructed out of balsa wood. The completed bridges were tested with weights. The a architecture discussion was a fitting conclusion to their project.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Avon East students build a better pencil with the Greenbush ESC


Mrs. Scaletta’s 2nd grade students discuss the scientific process and inventions through an interactive session with the Greenbush Educational Service Center in Girard Kansas. The students discussed how sticky notes have changed our everyday life and why it was invented. Once the students had a better understanding on inventions the students took their best efforts to invent a better pencil. They identified the problems the have with their pencils. Once the problems were identified the students in groups of three picked one of the problems and built a better pencil with items given to them from their teacher and Greenbush. The students shared their pencils with Mrs. Pride using the document camera. The students used pipe cleaners for better grips, larger erasers, cotton to avoid splinters and other cool designs to keep the pencil from rolling away.

This was a great program aligned to Ohio’s science content standards and will help our students prepare for our state science test.

Way to go Greenbush!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

LCDLC launches Technology Toolbox Professional development programs


The LCDLC offered their first of several technology professional development sessions to member schools and to schools outside of the consortium. Schools from Lorain, Lima, Steubenville and Tiffin connected to Avon Middle School for an interactive discussion on how to use Microsoft Outlook 2003 to improve organization and productivity.

Sessions were offered at 2:30 and 4:00 PM to meet the dismissal schedules of LCDLC member schools. Technology Toolbox is the consortiums first effort to provide Technology PD to schools through videoconferencing. The next opportunity will be October 24th with a presentation on best practice of Microsoft PowerPoint titled “Yawn, oh your PowerPoint is Finished??”. Sessions will be offered at 2:30 & 4:00pm from Avon Middle School.

Want to learn more about Technology Toolbox? Check out the LCDLC programming schedule at www.lcdlc.org/TechnologyToolbox.htm

Students make gourmet dinner for worms with home made composts


Second grade classes from Avon East Elementary School created composts to develop a better understanding of chemical change, decomposition and the difference between organic and inorganic objects. The students chose several items to place in the compost piles making predictions to whether they would decompose or remain in the same state. Students from Avon, Ohio and Miami Florida discussed the items and their predictions.

Classes started with large freezer bags half filled with dirt. After adding organic and inorganic objects, the groups added water and worms for the feeding to begin. The worms will enjoy their new dinner for a couple weeks as they are only disturbed for class observations. The students from both schools are looking forward to comparing their results.

Compost recipe

One large freezer bag with six small holes in the top
½ a bag of dirt
¼ cup of water to moisten the soil
Several pieces of lettuce
Dried leaves
Grass from the playground
1 paper clip
A piece of Styrofoam
A piece of plastic
1 banana peal
1 acorn
A handful of clover
A sprinkle of rosemary

Serve cold and wet for two plump and juicy worms.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Isopods make Avon East their home away from home


Mrs. Masin and Grabert’s second grade classes at Avon East took a closer look at isopods with their partner classes in Miami Florida. The students observed pill bugs or potato bugs as they are commonly called in Northeast Ohio before they added them to their terrariums.

The students shared the changes that took place in there terrariums with their partner classes and observed the pill bugs as Mrs Gerber explained the unique characteristics of the isopod. The students will collect additional insects to add to their terrariums and observe the environment from week to week.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

The LCDLC uses video podcasts to update consortium members


You get hundreds of email messages listing program opportunities for videoconferencing. Why not just watch them???

The LCDLC has been creating video updates for over a year, but for 2006-07 school year the consortium has converted these to video podcasts available on iTunes. With video iPods becoming more and more popular the consortium started to convert their updates to MPG4 for easy viewing with quick time player. Using the RSS feed, the LCDLC has subscribed their updates to iTunes for teachers to view and for updates to come to them automatically. The LCDLC video update podcast is compatible with iTunes, Google, Yahoo, Newsgator and many more...

Want to subscribe to our Podcast??

1) Go to the LCDLC weekly update page at http://www.lcdlc.org/streaming.htm
2) Drag the XML icon or use one of the links to be subscribed to on of the RSS readers
3) Start watching!

You can also search iTunes for LCDLC. Subscriptions are FREE

Friday, October 06, 2006

Hola Avon East Amigos


Avon High School and three second grade classes from Avon East Elementary School started their Spanish classes over videoconferencing. Avon High School students from Mrs. Ventresco’s Spanish 3 and 4 classes reinforced there language skills be working with Mrs. Cogar, Triplett and Hartmen’s classes. The students learned to words hello, good bye, friend, Mr and Mrs.

The classes sang songs and answered questions asked by the High School students with the guidance of Mrs. Ventresco. Spanish lessons will be offered every Friday to the classes from Avon East. Each week the High School students will have more involvement in the lessons. The elementary students were thrilled with the class and the opportunity to learn a foreign language.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Mrs. Scaletta’s second grade classes visit the rainforests with Greenbush Kansas


Mrs Scaletta’s second grade class discussed food webs and the rainforest habitat with the Greenbush IDL program. Mrs. Pride brought out several rainforest creatures during the presentation to demonstrate the many adaptations they use to survive. The students were treated with snakes, iguana’s, tarantula’s and one cool hissing cockroach!

After the animals Mrs. Pride discussed food webs and assisted the students as they created their own food using paper strips to make a chain. The Avon students created hain links for animals found in the rainforest and at home. This great lesson was a fitting completion on Mrs. Scaletta’s rainforest unit. The students enjoyed the session and look forward to more programs from Greenbush.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Send in the worms!


The second grade classes from Avon East Elementary School met with their partner classes at Miami Country Day School in Miami Florida to share the changes the have occurred since their last meeting and to add a living organism to the soil of their terrariums.

Mrs. Gerber share information on the anatomy of a worm, while the Avon site broadcasted an earthworm on the systems document camera. Once the students observed the earth worms, they listed their worm’s characteristic and drew pictures. The students added their warms to their terrariums and set them aside until the next class meeting.

Friday, September 29, 2006

Avon Heritage South and Magnolia Texas start collaborative story project


Mrs. Erreditario, a forth grade teacher at Avon Heritage South met with her partner teacher from Williams Elementary School in Magnolia, Texas to plan their collaborative story project. The classes will use a Wiki to help share chapters with each others school and for their classes to collaborate online.

The classes will brainstorm their favorite fictional topics to be shared with their partner school in October. During a meet and greet session the classes will vote on their favorite topic and the story writing will begin. The classes will create a four chapter story in which each class will be responsible for two chapters. After the completion of the fourth chapter both classes will complete the conclusion and present their ending to their partner class.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

2nd grade classes create terrariums with Miami Florida


Mrs. Grabert and Masin’s 2nd grade classes started their terrarium project with students from Miami Country Day School in Miami Florida. Using see through salad containers donated by the Avon Heinen's grocery store the student’s added soil, rocks, bird seed and dried up grass/leaves to create their own ecosystem.
Mrs. Gerber from Miami described the difference between dirt and soil as students compared samples of each other soil. Water was added to help the seed planted by the students. The classes made predictions of how their terrariums will change by the next time the classes meet.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Avon East students join Possum at his Harvest Moon Party


Several classes from Avon East Elementary School took part in Avon’s Story Time program. Story Time is an introduction to videoconferencing for teachers and students through stories read over the system. Three first and second grade classes discussed the faces of the moon and how people and animals use the moon as a calendar for the seasons. The students shared the many different ways that animals prepare and survive in the winter.

Students were read Possum’s Harvest Moon by Anne Hunter by Avon’s Curriculum Technology Coordinator from Avon Middle school using the document camera to display pictures from the story. Students were asked to list the animals from the story and why they were to busy to attend the party.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Careers in TV Broadcast News


Alternative School students from Avon Middle School learned more about careers in TV & Radio with an interactive interview with Obie Shelton, a reporter, WKYC TV 3 News. Students from across Ohio had the opportunity to ask questions about his career and how he got started as a reporter. Obie Shelton has been a Cleveland icon for many years. The students enjoyed the opportunity to meet him over videoconferencing.

This program was provided to LCDLC schools and the Ohio K-12 network through Ideastream WVIZ PBS 25 and the NOTA network.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Constitution Day: Creating Classroom Rules

Second grade students from Miss Lavelle’s and Mrs. Cruzado classes celebrated Constitution Day through a lesson on classroom rules with the Columbiana ESC. Classes from Salem Buckeye, Crestview, Kensington Intermediate School in Rocky River, & East Liverpool shared need for classroom rules and how they relate to the constitution.

Thanks to Mrs. Straub from the Columbiana ESC the students have a better understanding of the need for rules in the classroom and throughout the country. The students enjoyed the videoconference and interacting with classrooms around Ohio. We look forward to connecting to Columbiana County again and hope to see the other schools online again.

Constitution Day Presentation: It’s My Right!


Mrs. Gantz & Mrs. Haney’s 4th grade classes celebrated constitution day with the Columbia Educational Service Center, Wayne Elementary School and Rocky River. The students made a trip back in history to the writing of the constitution. The classes discussed the ratification process and the process of creating one of the greatest documents ever created.

After taking a closer look at the Bill of Rights the students were broken into groups playing the role of a student, congress member, small business owner, and parent’s point of view ranking the rights from most important to least important. Each of the sites presented the rights they felt were most important which consisted of right of opinion, religion and a speedy trial.

The Students enjoyed their first videoconference of the year and look forward to connecting to the Columbiana ESC again and to work with the other schools.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Avon Teachers get ready for their best IVC year to date!


Welcome Back!

You can easily tell that the summer is coming to a close. Classroom teachers are coming into the buildings again to get their classrooms ready for the first day of school, hallways are closed off due to wet wax and the districts Vtel & Polycom systems are being dusted off for another great year. It is great to see the classroom teachers return from vacation with new vigor and fresh ideas for their students. I am happy to hear that IVC will be playing a roll in our teacher’s plans and the project will see the return of two former project members. There have been some exciting changes to the consortium, the state and the local video systems.

Third Frontier Project and the LEECA Fiber project

More bandwidth = great opportunities! Ohio E-Tech and the Lake Erie Education Computer Association (LEECA) have been hard at work this summer upgrading the school networks. LEECA is finishing their upgrade to Columbus and the Fiber Project is near completion.

As many of you have heard through the network grapevine, Ohio’s K-12 video network has moved bridging services from OIT Video (commonly referred to as DAS) to Ohio E-Tech. We will miss the staff of OIT and the countless hours spent on the phone with their technicians. E-Tech has some large shoes to fill, but I am confident that they will provide our district with the same quality that we have come to expect from the state network. E-Tech still plans to support and maintain the ATM network, but the transition of IP is just around the corner. As with any change we expect a couple bumps in the road and ask that everyone use patience with the new network staff.

New IP numbers for Avon’s IVC systems

We have a new ISP which means all of the external IP’s have changed. New IP numbers will be posted on the TV’s of our systems in the fall. ATM & ISDN numbers are not expected to change.

Schools that would like to test their IP connectivity are welcome to dial Avon Middle School at 208.108.90.88. To help sites test their connections a camera is pointed out the window. Last year we had several schools take advantage of the site for testing, demos to staff and for presentations. We look forward to continuing this service to the IVC community.

IVC systems find new classroom homes in Heritage North and South

The Avon Local Schools student population is still growing which makes locations for IVC more difficult each year. Heritage South has converted two science rooms and the former DL room to classrooms this school year. The IVC system has been moved to the choir room and will have to split time with the schools indoor recess. The room is twice the size as the former classroom which will provide classroom teachers with great opportunities, but will need to schedule programs around the recess schedule in case of bad weather. Heritage North Elementary School has moved their IVC system to another wing of the building.

We hope to see you online this school year!

The Avon Schools and the LCDLC are hard at work planning collaborations and projects for the 2006-07 school year. We have several teachers grades K-12 looking for projects and partners. If you are looking for a school to collaborate with or have a project needing partners please keep us in mind. We look forward to see you online!

Paul Hieronymus
Curriculum Technology Coordinator
Avon Local Schools, Ohio
HieronymusP@Avon.k12.oh.us

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Pirates invade Avon Heritage South for the year’s last videoconference


What could be better on the last day of school than a videoconference with the Mariners Museum on Pirates? Third graders at Avon Heritage South participated in a interactive discussion on the life of a pirate. The students compared and contract legends and movies to images and stories told by the museum.

The students enjoyed stories about Black Beard, Ann Bonnie and Mary Reed as much as the single shot musket pistols, swards and pirate money. The story of Black Beards six pistols and how he was captured gave the students great stories to tell their friends and parents. While traditional pirates have disappeared over the seven seas, everyone was surprised to hear that acts of piracy still occur today.

This was our first connection to Mariners’ Museum. Our classes and teachers were thrilled with the content and the program. We look forward to doing more with them!
Information on their programming can be found at http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/teachers/elec_classroom.php

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Avon Distance Learning Coordinator participates in CILC focus group discussion


The Avon Local Schools continue its working relationship with the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) out of Indianapolis as part of a focus group discussion. A group of coordinators from Ohio, New York, Texas and South Dakota enjoyed an open discussion on many key issues involving videoconferencing as an enhancement to instruction in our school districts. The topics of best practice, professional development and concerns were the key topics.

While the discussion was centered around the CILC consortium and their roll in videoconferencing, the group was enjoyed each other comments and news of a follow meeting has been suggested by Brian Dzwonek of the 29-90 Distance Learning Consortium in South Dakota. The Avon Schools would be interested in further discussions and hope that these could lead to new partnerships and collaborations.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

CSI Avon, Ohio


Mr. Kelly’s sophomore and junior health classes had the opportunity to learn more about DNA and the Human Genome through an interactive game of who done it with Heath Space Cleveland. The students discussed DNA and how genetic information is changing the field of health care. The students participated in a simulated forensics investigation using DNA evidence.

A murder had taken place on the grounds of Health Space Cleveland and skin was found under the victim’s finger nails. The Avon Students were given DNA data for five suspects. After breaking down the code of the five suspects and the sample taken from the victim the class determined which DNA was a match.

The program gave the students a better understanding of DNA forensic science. Lesson activities and materials can be found on the Health Space website. To learn more about their distance education programs check out their website www.healthspacecleveland.org/education/education.asp?detail=9

The Avon Local Schools would like to thank the Henkle Adhesive Corporation for the purchase of three distance learning programs. Through a generous donation by the company Lorain County Schools an receive free programming from Health Space Cleveland.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Heritage South students get wild with the Buffalo Zoo


Mrs. Johnson’s 3rd grade class at Avon Heritage South enhanced their lesson on rainforests and habitats through a videoconference with the Buffalo Zoo. The students named the layers of the rainforest and many of the animals that make it their home.
As the students observed exhibits of the Buffalo Zoo, the students identified the layers they lived and the adaptations they have made to be successful. The students viewed insects, birds, reptiles and Gorillas. The students are thrilled to see Barney the ball python. Placed on the document camera gave the students the ability to see the scales, and eyes. Lilly the Gorilla stole the show with her climbing skills.

One of the advantages of seeing snakes though videoconferencing is the ability to show close ups on part of the snake for all of the students even the ones afraid of snakes. This allows the presenter to show features quickly and allow the students to be moved from task to task. The Rainforest experience program with the Buffalo Zoo is a great program that has become a standard part of Mrs. Johnson’s science lesson plan.

The Buffalo Zoo Distance Learning Programs can be found online at http://www.buffalozoo.org/distance_learning.html

Monday, May 15, 2006

Avon Students use artifacts to better understand their community


Third grade students from Mrs. Friedel’s class at Heritage South connected to their partner school in Sedalia, Missouri to finish their artifact exchange project. The classes have been exchanging clues about their states and cities for the past month. The classes collected items that their students felt represented their community and sent them to each other through US mail prior to the videoconference.

Once the sites received their artifacts the classes connected through videoconferencing to share a last set of clues about their communities and presented the materials sent to each building. Heritage South sent a stuffed Eagle (Mascot), Duct Tape (Henkle Adhesives), maps of Lorain County and pictures of the Cleveland Indians, Cavaliers and the Browns. Skyline Elementary School sent a picture of stealth bomber (manufactured near by), toolbox (manufactured in Sedalia), pictures of their school and a local newspaper.

The artifact exchange program is one of our favorite collaboration projects. The students enjoy the problem solving activity to enhance geography, measurement, communities reading and writing. The program makes an excellent ice breaker for future collaborations.

Thanks again Skyline Elementary School

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Avon Students from Heritage North save the villagers on the island of Montserrat


Mr. Lima’s 6th grade science classes connected to the Challenger Learning Center at Wheeling Jesuit University for Operation Montserrat. The NASA E-Mission provides students with a simulation of a hurricane and volcanic disaster on an island of the Caribbean. The students are dived into three groups to track the hurricane, volcanic activity and to evacuate the community from danger. The teams are provided simulation data from the Challenger Center and our E-Mission controller Amy help guide the students through the catastrophe.

This session is an intense problem based learning activity in which the students are required to use science, math and planning skills to accurately track the dangers and work as a team to develop an evacuation plan. The connection takes over two hours to complete, but provides the students with a practical and real world learning experience.

This was Mr. Lima’s second year of connecting to the Challenger Center for this E-mission. We are happy to say that this program has become a scheduled part of our 6th grade curricula for our honors science classes.
To learn more about the E-Mission please visit their website at www.e-missions.net/om/

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Smiley Shark visits Avon East to enhance Literacy and Science curricula


Mrs. Grabert and Masin’s 2nd grade classes had a great IVC connection with the MOTE Laboratory in Florida for a lesson on sharks. The students listed to the story Smiley Shark as a lead in to a discussion about the different species of sharks. The story was entertaining and informative for the class. After the story the students participated in an interactive multiple choice quiz about the story and sharks.

The students enjoyed the fun facts about sharks and developed a better understanding of the species. Once the lesson was complete the camera switched to their shark tank for the students to view the sharks. Our presenter was engaging with the students and provided an excellent Q & A about sharks during the shark tank viewing.

This was our first experience with MOTE and will not be our last. They offer an interactive session that kept the students engaged the entire program. The smiley shark session is one of their shorter programs, but you can tell that they are organized and provide nothing but quality. I recommend this provider to schools looking to enhance their science curricula!

Monday, May 08, 2006

Eagles and Bears unite to enhance student learning

Avon Heritage South took its first steps toward our first international collaboration. Through Mike Griffith of Global Leap a third grade teacher and a fourth grade teacher meet with our soon to be partner school in Bamford, England.

Avon Heritage plans to take advantage of their early start time to work with a school in England. The interest has been in the district for some time, but the time zones made it very difficult. With the Heritage campus’ moving their start time to 7:30 am the window of opportunity grew to a time that is manageable to both schools.

Out first meeting with Mike Griffith and Bamford Primary School took place at 7am EST which was 12pm in England. The goal of our first meeting was to meet the other school and discuss collaboration activities for the 2006-07 school year. This will give the teachers from both school districts the opportunity to communicate and plan over the summer for a soaring start in September.

Thanks Global Leap!

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Avon Middle School students discuss privacy issues with RFID microchips


Through the Vanderbilt Virtual School in Tennessee Avon Students discussed the advantages and disadvantages of RFID microchips that can send information from packages, passports and clothing. The presenter provide students with a overview of the technology and a view from venders the positive usage RFID’s for tracking packages, shopping and auto safety. A walk through a demo of the “technology store” gave them a prediction of the future of shopping.

The program led to an interesting discussion with the classes as to where a line should be drawn with technology and privacy. It took the students a little time to grasp that this could be an infringement on their lives. Once they learned that Wal-Mart was working with RFID’s their opinions changed dramatically. One of our students made references to RFID’s to spy ware on computers which we enjoyed discussing after the videoconference.

A comical view of oh privacy can be challenged with technology can be found online. Check out buying a pizza in 2010.

www.aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf

Great Job Vanderbilt!!

Saturday, April 29, 2006

An Egg-Citing Lesson from Greenbush



Fourth graders from Mrs. Haney’s science classes completed a science lab online with eggs to develop a better understanding of the science process. During each experiment the students generated hypotheses, took notes and drew pictures during the experiment and generated a conclusion. In the first experiment the students had to determine if vinegar added to water with food coloring creates darker colored eggs. The second experiment the students were asked if eggs float. The students were surprised to see the eggs float when salt was added to their mixture.

This was Avon’s first connection to the Greenbush Network but will not be our last. The experiments were great activities for 4th graders tat met several science and technology standards. The students enjoyed the activity and the connection.

If you have not had a chance to do a lesson from the Greenbush IDL Network in Kansas you should!

www.greenbush.org/IDL/home.html

Monday, April 24, 2006

LCDLC Update

Don’t miss this video email. We’ve got some important updates and opportunities.

P.S. – Be sure to forward this update to other interested teachers.

http://lcdlc.lorainesc.k12.oh.us/streaming.htm

To: Superintendents, Principals, District Advocates, Technology Coordinators, LCDLC Listserv
From: Dave Miller
Date: 4-24-06
Subject: LCDLC Updates 4-24-06


LCDLC Updates for the week of April 24th , 2006

1) 2006 YEAR END SHOWCASE -- MAY 16TH
2) TOP 10 TRICKS TO HELP YOUR VIDEO LOOK BETTER
3) CAREER EXPLORATION SEMINARS
4) CILC NEW PROGRAMMING
5) FREE ADMINISTRATIVE BEST PRACTICES SESSION
6) INTERNET2 COMMONS VIDEOCONFERENCING TRAINING COURSE
7) TIMELESS MASTERPIECES IN THE EXPLORATION OF ART
8) JASON PROJECT – DISAPEARING WETLANDS (WEB BASED NOT IVDL)
9) MAGICAL SCIENCE – JOHN MCINTIRE LIBRARY
10) WVIZ/NOTA PROGRAMMING



1) 2006 YEAR END SHOWCASE 16TH

Your invitation should be forthcoming! Celebrate 2005/2006 with us as we have our teachers share their favorite videoconferences from the year. The showcase should be attended by our administrators, techs, district advocates, and teachers at all levels who have been involved in videoconferencing. This is a once a year opportunity to see in a short time the many diverse opportunities videoconferencing provides to our classrooms. The meeting is at the Lorain County Community College, Spitzer Conference Center, the Grand Room, 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 with lunch following. You should receive an invitation if you’re on our mailing list, or send an RSVP to Liesa Wetzig at 440 324-5777 ext 197 or lwetzi@leeca.org. We hope to see you there!

Dave Miller
Director of Distance Learning
Lorain County Distance Learning Consortium


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2) TOP 10 TRICKS TO HELP YOUR VIDEO LOOK BETTER

See attached for Video Tips and Tricks content session opportunity forstudents!Brent will be available throughout the day on May 10th to present thisinformation to students.Spaces fill up fast. Reserve your spot today! Registration form attached.SusannahSusannah AzzaroDistance Learning Projects ManagerInstructional Technology Services of Central Ohio, Inc.2400 Olentangy River Road • Suite 174Columbus, Ohio 43210614-247-8360http://www.itsco.org/


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3) CAREER EXPLORATION SEMINARS

The following career programs are available for you from:

April 24th, 2006— Mr. David Branch and
Mr. Robert Fogler will be staging a mock interview
process and then sharing interviewing
tips, tricks, first impressions and other
important information for people beginning
the process of job hunting. The time for this
session will be 1:00—2:00 pm.
April 25th, 2006— Bob Smith, owner of
Smith Ambulance will be sharing about careers
in the field of paramedics and EMT
services. Included in this conference
will be the life flight services
Smith provides for the Tuscarawas
County area. The time is
1:00-2:00 pm.
May 12th, 2006—Careers in Toxicology
with presenter Carrie Haglock. Carrie will
be sharing what a career in Toxicology
would mean to a graduate. The time for this
session is 10:00 am—11:00 am.

LuAnne Jackson
Technology Director
TCHESC
834 East High Avenue
New Philadelphia, OH 44663
phone: 330-308-9939 ext. 250
cell: 330-243-4538
fax: 330-308-0964
http://www.tchesc.org/

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4) CILC NEW PROGRAMMING

During the past week, the following new collaboration request(s) matching your profile were added to the CILC website:
Date Posted: 4/10/2006Name of Collaboration: Tolkien TrilogyAudience: Education: Grade(s): 10, 11, 12Objective of Collaboration: A central new york high school (TRILOGY is taught as an elective) class is searching for another class to play Trivial Pursuit over videoconferencing to see who is the Master Hobbit!For full details, click here.
Date Posted: 4/10/2006Name of Collaboration: Ratio andProportionsAudience: Education: Grade(s): 6Objective of Collaboration: Looking for an interesting, real life approach to the teaching of ratio/ proportions and percentsFor full details, click here.
Date Posted: 4/10/2006Name of Collaboration: macbethAudience: Education: Grade(s): 10, 11Objective of Collaboration: fun follow up projectsFor full details, click here.

The following programs and collaborations 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.
Mote Marine Laboratory
Sea Me Read: Smiley SharkAudience: Education: Kindergarten, Grade(s): 1, 2, 3Description: SMILE! Join us on an ocean adventure and meet a lonely shark who loves to smile. Read along as we help him save the day and find some friends.Program Availability: By Request/On Demand ONLY
The Ward Melville Heritage Organization
First Long Islanders: Original InhabitantsAudience: Education: Grade(s): 3, 4, 5, 6, Curriculum Director, Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Title One Coordinator, Teacher, Parent, Media Specialist/Librarian, K-12 Educator, Public Library: Library PatronsDescription: In this interactive videoconference, students will 'travel back in time' and explore how Native Americans interacted with the environment in their everyday lives on Long Island, NY. Our trained instructor will guide your students through an interactive discussion focusing on natural resources and family roles within the Algonquian culture.Program Availability: By Request/On Demand ONLY
Thanks!Julia
Julia Shildmyer-Heighway Director of Content Providers Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) Office: 317-231-6529 Jheighway@cilc.org
This e-mail was automatically generated at http://www.cilc.org/, please do not reply directly to this e-mail.
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5) FREE ADMINISTRATIVE BEST PRACTICES SESSION

Hello and Happy Spring!

Thought that you might have some sites interested in the following session. I have room for 4 schools to participate (IP or ATM). This session is free. Please let me know.
Thanks

Tuesday, April 25 20062:15pm - 3:15pm
Administrative Best Practices ~
Assisting Teachers to Effectively Use Data: The Principal’s Role (Battelle for Kids)
This workshop will help principals and other administrators focus on effective data use practices for teachers. Participants will explore how to display data effectively, use data to help teachers focus their instruction, help students improve their performance, how to use data to help parents understand their student's achievement level and progress level on a yearly basis. Participants will end the workshop with answers to the question, "Why use data?" Date: April 25, 2006 Time: 2:15pm-3:15pm
Presenter:John Thomas, Battelle for Kids Faculty member
Sites:
NOECA (Fremont City)
(site)
(site)
(site)
(site)

Leslie Charles
Distance Learning Manager

Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center
205 North 7th Street
Zanesville, Ohio 43701
740.452.4518 ext 133
lcharles@mvesc.k12.oh.us
www.mvesc.k12.oh.us/tap/

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6) INTERNET2 COMMONS VIDEOCONFERENCING TRAINING COURSE

The Internet2 Commons is again offering its video conferencing training course this spring, via H.323 video conferencing. The course will be offered on May 25, from 12-5 EDT (GMT-4). It will be delivered Virtually, Online only. It will be taught by Megan Troyer, assisted by Gabe Moulton and myself, from Ohio State University as well as a guest speaker David Shaw of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Those who successfully complete the course will be certified as Internet2 Commons Site Coordinators. This will enable your organization to join [subscribe to] and use the Internet2 Commons [H.323 multipoint] services. Here is the course outline: * What is Videoconferencing? * The Network * Gatekeepers * MCUs * Gateways * Streaming and Archival * Endpoints * ViDe and GDS * Room Setup * The Internet2 Commons * Etiquette * Site Coordinators See http://commons.internet2.edu for more information about the Commons, and to register. There is a $125 fee per student. Students will receive a certificate, and an official Internet2 Commons polo shirt. These courses have proven to be very popular and are often oversubscribed, so be sure to get your registration in early. Registration ends Monday, May 22 at midnight EDT. Prerequisites for the course are familiarity with Windows and having used video conferencing. The entrance examination is being able to successfully connect to the conference. You will receive connection information after you register. To ensure that you receive maximum benefit from this course, you must give it your full attention. Please do not read email or carry on local conversations during the course. You may be called upon occasionally during the course, and roll call will be taken.

Please forward this announcement to other lists or individuals who may be interested.
ANYONE is eligible to take it , regardless of your location or network.

Robert S. Dixon, Ph D, PE Chief Research EngineerOhio Academic Resources Network (OARNet)andOhio State University, Office of the CIOOffice Telephone: 614-292-1638Fax: 614-292-7081

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7) TIMELESS MASTERPIECES IN THE EXPLORATION OF ART

Vanderbilt Virtual School announces "Timeless Masterpieces" in the Exploration in Art series on THURSDAY, MAY 11 at 9:00 and 10:00 (CDT). These are two identical presentations @ 9AM and 10AM Central Daylight Time. This videoconference is available for students in grades 5 - 12.
Exploration in Art series advocates the creative use of technology to enhance the K-12 educational experience and encourages interdisciplinary curriculum that fully integrates the arts with other academic subjects. These video conferences are designed to encourage art appreciation, artistic expression, interpretation, creativity, experimentation, curiosity, and imagination.
Register at: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool/registration.htm.
Note: Students should do some advance study of some of the classical art masterpieces BEFORE the videoconference so they can be active participants.The topic of these videoconferences is "Timeless Masterpieces." Mark Scala from the Frist Center for the Visual Arts AND students from participating schools will study a selection of works by great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso. They will consider the artists' individual talents and skills, the innovation represented by the works, and the social and artistic contexts that informed both their creation and designation as a masterpiece.
YOUR students will then examine a selection of contemporary works, and decide whether they are masterpieces for our own time, or for all time; they must decide what can be considered today’s timeless masterpieces. Remember that it is "first come, first served" so please register at: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool/registration.htm.
Patsy Partin, M.Ed Vanderbilt University Virtual School 2007 Terrace Place Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 322-6384
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8) JASON PROJECT – DISAPEARING WETLANDS (WEB BASED NOT IVDL)

Join us for more real science- in real time- with real researchers!Cutting edge scientific research is going on right under our noses here in northeast Ohio. Take advantage of local researcher insights and talents as we join scientists around the world on expedition to the Mississippi River's last stop on this continent. We will take our virtual journey to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana to examine the wetlands of Louisiana and discuss the consequences of 100 years of wetlands loss. The JASON Expedition program is a year long, supplemental hands-on, inquiry based, multidisciplinary science and technology curriculum for 4th to 9th grade classrooms. This award winning program ties the curriculum to both national and state standards.Case Western Reserve University offers professional development around: JASON Expedition: Disappearing Wetlands-We'll follow the path of the great Mississippi River, the Nile of the New World, to the unique and fragile coastal wetlands ecosystems of Louisiana that provide habitat for an incredible diversity of plants and animals. Participants will acquire an understanding of wetlands here and along our nations Gulf coast and of the efforts to save and restore them.Our key speaker for this session is James M. Bader, Aquatic Biologist, Case Faculty in Biology.Teacher professional development sessions introducing this expedition are currently scheduled for : Tuesday & Wednesday, May 2 and 3 , Introduction to Disappearing Wetlands (4:30p.m. -8:00p.m. both evenings)The participant fee for any expedition is $125. The fee includes workshops, refreshments, the curriculum package, and access to Team JASON On Line (a gated web site) for the teachers and students. Teachers are required to attend the professional development sessions introducing the expedition to be eligible to participate.Contact Information: Center for Science and Mathematics Education at CASEPhone: 216-368-5075E-mail: kmk21@case.eduThe above sessions will be held on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. If you would like more information, please don't hesitate to call 216-368-5075 or e-mail at kmk21@case.edu. Thank you for your interest.
Kathryn M. KwiatkowskiAssistant DirectorCenter for Science and Mathematics EducationCase Western Reserve UniversityGuilford House 41210900 Euclid AvenueCleveland, Ohio 44106-7158Phone: 216-368-5075Fax: 216-368-5465web address: www.case.edu/artsci/csm
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9) MAGICAL SCIENCE – JOHN MCINTIRE LIBRARY

Happy Spring!

I have three open spots for this program presented by the John McIntire Library. If you have a class interested, please let me know. We can do IP or ATM connections. Details follow:

Title: “Magical Science”
Date: April 26, 2006
Time: 10:00am-11:00am
3 site limit
Cost: $50.00 per site

Session Description:

Be prepared for your students to be entertained, excited and amazed at the science that is involved in magic. “The Magnificent Marinda” will delight your students with stories, experiments and displays of magical science. Many science topics will be discussed, such as air pressure, condensation, number patterns, acids/bases, oxygen/carbon dioxide, and the life of Harry Houdini will also be explored.

To schedule this session, please contact: Leslie Charles (lcharles@mvesc.k12.oh.us 740-452-4518 x 133)

Leslie Charles
Distance Learning Manager

Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center
205 North 7th Street
Zanesville, Ohio 43701
740.452.4518 ext 133
lcharles@mvesc.k12.oh.us
www.mvesc.k12.oh.us/tap/

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10) WVIZ/NOTA PROGRAMMING
Advocates, Tech Coordinators, Counselors, Career Specialists:
Please share the attached career information with your teachers.
Thanks.
John