test

Muvee Mix Video

MuveeMix Demo

Comiqs Sample

Comiqs Test from Hairynomas on Comiqs

Using ToonDoo to make cartoons

Using ToonDoo from www.toondoo.com you can make comic strips easily. These can be printed or posted online.

Test post

Here we go www.lcdlc.org

Custom Search

Voice Thread

Trying out a new online tool for digital story telling, collaborating and presenting. This interesting program allows you and others to post and leave comments on the images. Way cool stuff. Check it out at www.voicethread.com

NORT2H Highlights for August 2008

Lorain City Schools Launch Mandarin Chinese over IVC:
Students from Lorain Southview and Admiral King High Schools kicked off their first of daily connections to the Confucius Institute in Kansas to learn Mandarin Chinese. Through a partnership with the Greenbush ESC in Kansas the NORT2H staff was able to bring Lorain and the Confucius institute together to make this class offering possible. Dave Miller and I sat in on the first class and was impressed with the Jessie the Kansas teacher and how the students quickly adapted to the video environment. I look forward to checking in on the classes in the near future.

You got VOD?
The first project of the NORT2H consortium was Video On Demand (VOD). This was an exciting project for our group as teachers, tech coordinators, media specialists and administrators tried out Discovery Learning, Safari Montage and CCC on Demand. When the dust was cleared and the votes tallied it was Safari Montage that scored the highest. Over the summer our server was installed and we are now adding schools and providing teacher trainings. Currently we have the Avon, Fairview, Keystone, Lorain County JVS running and have been provind schools demo's to further evaulate the project. NORT2H members schools get discounted rates on content packages, teacher training, and local technical support.

Podcasts start September 8th:
The NORT2H staff plans to start their podcast season Monday September 8th. We were hoping to run these our of our new studio, but due to some schedule conflicts and issues with construction we can not wait for the studio to be complete. We will continue using Adobe Visual Communicator to create our Video's and plan to post them again on www.Podomatic.com. Look for these to improve over time.

PageCast updates stay current throughout the summer:
The NORT2H staff have been updating our pagecast on Pageflakes all summer! The categories remain the same provding teachers and coordinators groups of content provider updates, professional development, careers, special programs and teacher collaborations. Have an IVC event that you would like to advertise on our pagecast? Send Paul Hieronymus an email at Hieronymus@esclc.org

Testing 1 2 3... Test:
The NORT2H test codec is back online and availible for you to dial in. We are running a DVD of previous years IVC connections for sites to get audio and video. Feel free to dial in at any time to 208.108.92.151.

So long Avon, Hello ESC of Lorain County

It seems to have been a million years since I have had a chance to update my blog, but now is as good of time as any...

First off.. I need to chance the tittle. Earlier this year I had to make the most difficult professional descision since I graduated from college when I was offered a full time position at the Educational Service Center of Lorain County. I have been splitting time with the Lorain County Distance Learning Consortium (LCDLC) and the Avon Schools for four great years. To leave the Avon Schools was not an easy descision. With the Avon Schools being an active member of my consortium and new programs starting at the ESC it just makes sense :)

Speaking of new programs at our ESC! This year we expanded our servics from IVC support to technology PD for classroom teachers. (We have been soing it for years, but now its official). We created a new consortium and services titled the Northern Ohio Research & Training Technology Hub NORT2H. The LCDLC will actually become a line item of the consortium providing our member schools more services and bang for their $$. Our first project was Video On Demand (VOD). We brought together Tech Coordinators /Teachers/ Librarians/ Administrators to the ESC to provide them with a presentation/evaluation of the three VOD products. Dave Miller and I presented the three systems equally and had them vote on their favorite. Once the voting was done we came up with a plan to purchase the server they wanted at a way the was most cost effective for the districts. We now have our Safari Montage Server up and runnning and look forward to working with our teachers integrate IVC and VOD to enahace student learning.

I start full time with the ESC this August. Look for updates on our new consortium and projects as they take place. I can't wait for the new year to begin!

Testing 1 2 3

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News from a neglectful blogger :(

The good news is that the Avon Schools and the Lorain Country Distance Learning Consortium (LCDLC) have been so busy it takes the first day of Christmas Break to update our blog… So here is the skinny... :)

This school year the Avon Schools purchased bulk programming from the Greenbush ESC providing our teachers a savings in cost, but even more importantly a window of scheduling before programs are offered to schools for single program purchase. These programs have been very popular for Avon East (grades 1-2) and Heritage South (grades 3-4) in the areas of science, math and language arts. Many of the programs come with materials and resources for the teachers to use as pre and post activities. We have been very please with Greenbush staff making this a great opportunity for Avon students.

Avon High School’s Spanish classes have been very active this fall and winter. AHS students under the guidance of Janice Ventresco have been proving kindergarten and first grade classes at North Elementary School in East Liverpool Spanish lessons one day a week. This is part of a grant with Columbiana County Educational Service Center. In the New Year the HS students will work with the AHS multimedia class to create podcasts of supporting material for the classes to use between connections or as a backup during a calamity day.

Technology Toolbox has been very active this year with 18 schools connecting on December 20^th for our session on Podcasting. Schools from the LCDLC, NOTA, NOECA, Miami Country Day and Columbiana County receive the programs for free in exchange for collaborative projects done throughout the school year. Desktop Videoconferencing and Digital Storytelling will be added to the program list over the break. These sessions will be available in February.

Avon Middle School upgraded their Multimedia center combining DL and their computer lab. Avon MS is currently busting out at the seams room wise. The current media center does not have a good location for a multimedia projector so we decided to combine the rooms with two Plasma TV’s proving cable TV/channel 1, DL and a computer image for the lab. The Polycom and the two Plasma’s are hung from the ceiling can rotate 90 degrees proving different groups the opportunity to use the equipment.

The Avon IP test unit is still running and sites are welcome to dial in a use the system to test their connectivity. We try to keep a DVD of last year’s videoconferences playing in a loop so sites can test audio and video, but every once and a while we forget to switch back to the player or leave the volume down on the mixer (sorry about that, but that is what you get for free…). We do ask that sites not use far end control to switch our cameras. That causes problems for other sites dialing in after you have disconnected.

We are really looking forward to a great 2008 in videoconferencing. On behalf of the Avon Schools we wish everyone a Wonderful Holiday Season and look forward to seeing you online in 08!

Paul Hieronymus,
Curriculum Technology Coordinator
Avon Schools
208.108.90.95
www.avon.k12.oh.us/distancelearning
Skype: Hairynomas

Educational Consultant
Lorain County Distance Learning Consortium
208.108.92.150
www.LCDLC.org

Avon HS students take a virtual tour of six colleges in one day

The LCDLC held their third annual virtual college tour, an all day videoconference featuring some of the top colleges in Ohio. Starting at 7:00 am, 22 schools from across Ohio, one site in PA & Indiana connected for their first University presentation. Each hour a different college took center stage presenting for the first 20mins and allowing the schools to ask questions directly. During each session 12 schools were deemed interactive for the Q & A portion of the conference. Sites that were not interactive were able to ask questions via email that were read by the conference moderators.

This year’s Virtual College tour featured presentations from Lorain Country Community College (LCCC), Miami of Ohio, University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, Kent State and Bowling Green. The presentations from the Universities were excellent and the students from all of the schools had outstanding questions.

Map Skills for Today!

Third grade students at Avon Heritage North improved their knowledge of Map skills with and interactive lesson with the Muskingum Valley ESC. The students identified locations, identified facts from thematic maps and worked with latitude and longitude. This lesson was a great introduction to map for several of Avon’s third grade classes. To learn more about the Muskingum Valley ESC program offerings check them out on the web at www.mvesc.k12.oh.us/tap/

ooVoo hits the desktop IVC world. Does Skype need to worry?

The LCDLC has been trying out desktop Instant Messaging software that seems to be as good as Skype. ooVoo provides many of the features of Skype but allows users to conference with multiple webcams at one time. Like Skype, users can connect webcam to webcam, chat, and transfer documents in a seamless manner. Another new feature is video email that allows users to record a video message that can be sent through the ooVoo program for users that are currently off line. We have tested the system in our ITC network and from home with great results. The video looks as good if not a little better than Skype.

There are a couple of features not included in ooVoo that will keep Skype in my program list. At this point ooVoo does not support calls to LAN lines or provides any type of streaming (skypecast) of sessions. If this product takes off like Skype has I would expect to see many of the same features become available in the future updates.

While I am not ready to uninstall Skype at this time, I do plan to keep ooVoo on my laptop and look forward to watching this product develop. The one item I would love to see happen with either of these products would be the ability to dial our room systems. That dream may be a little lofty…

Citizenship: It's Your Right!

Third grade classes from Avon Heritage South enhanced their Constitution Day activities with a lesson on Citizenship with the Muskingum Valley ESC on Zanesville Ohio. The students discussed the roles students can play to be good citizens in their community.

This lesson featured a quiz of basic citizenship, video clips to enhance their lesson, problem solving activities and discussion. The Muskingum Valley ESC offers a variety of programs for Elementary Classrooms. Their programs can be found on the web at http://www.mvesc.k12.oh.us/tap/

Avon Test Unit is back online!

The Avon Schools Test site is back online with a new number. Please use 208.108.90.95 to test your video system. Currently the system is running video clips from last year with audio.

Looking for other test sites? I have created a list of test sites at http://www.avon.k12.oh.us/distancelearning/testip.htm. If you know of any other sites please let me know via email at Phiero@leeca.org. I would be happy to add them to the list.

Please give White Plains a vote!

Hi everyone,

Please take the time to help a fellow IVC site to win funding for a great project. I recently sat in on her presentation at NECC. It was fantastic. They are doing some great tings in White Plains.
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My name is Jody Kennedy and I am a teacher in White Plains, New York. I have been working for 7 years on the development of global education programs for schools in order to prepare youth with the skills they will need for their future. We have been working with videoconferencing to connect our students to their peers and experts nationally and globally right from the classroom and the results have been very successful. Examples of many of our projects can be reviewed at www.ensemblevideo.com/annese.

Recently ,I posted a project on the American Express members competiton. We made it to the top 50 out of over 7000 projects but need many, many votes to get further.

The project we submitted is to increase opportunities and experiences for global education in schools and to inspire a new generation of responsible global citizens.

It is called "Connect Kids Around the World" Project #07229 .

If you could circulate this request through your network it would help us very much. We only have one week left until they cut the finalists to 25.

Only Amex cardholders can vote. Just go to www.membersproject.com click on the vote button for "Connecting Kids around the World" make sure to confirm your vote as instructed. Special thanks for your efforts and support .

Jody Kennedy

Avon IP Test Unit Offline until August

The Avon Schools IP test unit is being moved from Avon Middle School to Heritage North Elementary School. Due to space constraints the AMS distance learning room/my office have to relocate. The Media center is being equipped with two plasma monitors that will be dropped from the ceiling providing the lab with a lab monitor to instruction and for the far site in videoconferencing.

The IP (208.108.90.88) for the test unit will be moved to the Heritage North Polycom FX. A camera will be pointed out the window for connecting sites to test incoming video from our network. Sites are welcome to test their connections at any time the unit is available.

Looking for other test sites? I created a webpage of several test sites you can use to test your connectivity. www.avon.k12.oh.us/distancelearning/testip.htm . If you have a test site of you own I would love to add it to my list. Just send me (Phiero@leeca.org) the IP, speed preference if needed and any information you can give me about the site.

Another Great NECC Conference

Atlanta, Georgia was the host of the 2007 ISTE National Educational Computing Conference the last week of June. If you have not attended this conference, you should make your plans now for next year! The networking opportunities with other educators make it worth the trip alone. I enjoy the time I get to spend sharing ideas and developing partnerships with schools from around the country.

Conference Highlights:

1) SigIVC Forum: If you are not a member of ISTE or the SIGIVC the forum offered at the conference should make you want to sign up. This session was a networking session on steroids. The session started with an activity titled speed collaborating. 15 participants each had 2mins to promote an IVC success story. There were some great programs and opportunities. I represented the Avon Schools presenting the Artifact Exchange project. I met so many great educators and look forward to working with them next year.

2) Program sessions: The sessions I was able to attend were fantastic. The session on Hyper-mirror with Japan was exciting and the Global Run project sponsored by Tandberg was outstanding. Every session I attended provided me with new resources or ideas to use with our students.

3) Meeting with existing partners: You know a conference is going to be fun when you get to the conference early and you run into your IVC partners in the food court at CNN. It was so great to see Rowena Gerber from Miami Country Day with her friends of iEARN. It is so much fun to shake the hand of educators you have only seen on the video systems.

4) Meeting local content providers: I want to give a special thanks to Patty & Deborah from the Center of Puppetry Art Center for their tour of the museum, dinner and tour of Atlanta. I was amazed with the exhibits in the museum. If you ever get the chance you have to check it out. After dinner we were treated to a trip the Varsity and finished the evening looking over the city on top of the Westin center. It was great ending to a great conference.

5) Volunteering for the conference: This was my second year volunteering at NECC. Last year I was a facilitator, this year I helped in IVC Operations. This was a great experience! Working with operations provides such great learning opportunities with new equipment and challenging scenarios.

6) Socializing with friends: After conference hours are always fun. This year the Robert, Katrina and I purchased tickets to the Atlanta Braves through the conference. Other than the Braves loosing to the Tiggers and knocking my Cleveland Indians into second place it was a great time.

7) NECC Exhibit floor: This area can just be described as “BIG”. There are so many different technologies and software available to visit and learn more about their offerings. This year I was presently surprised to see Visual Communicator (formerly from Serious Magic) demoed in the Adobe both. This will be released in the fall.

8) NECC shuttle service: Last year my hotel was 15 block away and had no problem walking to my hotel each day in San Diego. This was not the case with the temperatures in the 90’s in Atlanta. Needless to say I was a fan of the NECC shuttle service running everyone from their hotels to the conference center.

9) NECC volunteers: Good volunteers make a good conference great. The volunteers working the rooms and the halls are always helpful.

10) Finally getting out of Atlanta International Airport: While my conference experience was wonderful my flight home was not as successful. After three gate changes, a lost plane and our terminal being closed during boarding I finally made my 10:00pm flight at 2:00am. Yes they lost our plane…. Around 12:30 in the evening the airline representative actually told the group that they lost our plane in transport to our gate. I have to admit this was a better alternative to the plane going to Alabama that was delayed do to a “violent sickness” that took place on their plane. I was never so happy to see the Cleveland skyline as I was at 4:00am from my plane.

Next year’s conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas. I would recommend talking to your administrators early to take advantage of early registration and housing. You can learn more about the NECC conference on the ISTE website at http://www.iste.org/. I hope to see you at the conference next year :)