Let Your "Poly" do the Walking...Polycom that is!!

Every time I sit down to write a TechTip, I struggle with its' topic. Being that this is the first post for the 2009-2010 school year, I thought it had to be something more substantial then just featuring a nifty website or showing you a quick trick for some application. I had my "aha" moment during a workshop I attended last Friday that focused on how to use our new Videoconferencing equipment....the Polycom! What a cool piece of equipment that is very easy to use. If you can call someone on a cell phone, you can use the Polycom!!

The concept of videoconferencing is quite simple. It allows two or more people at different locations to see and hear each other at the same time. This opens the door for collaboration projects across a school district, or with classrooms from around the globe. What an exciting interactive experience for students who may never leave their hometown, much less, visit with people from another country. Another nice feature, is that most classroom to classroom connections do not cost anything.

The Polycom is made up of a webcam on steroids, a projection unit, a mega microphone, and a computer tower. Using the equipment is very simple. Connections are made between one Polycom and another by calling the remote's site IP address. An IP address looks like this (231.456.785.786). You place your call by using the Polycom's remote control that was designed to resemble most standard cell phones.

The first step to videoconferencing is finding a collaboration project to participate in. Maybe you want to start small and connect with another classroom within your district. Two-classroom projects are a great place to start because they are simple to organize and implement. Or, if you like to "go big or stay home", use one of the many videoconferencing websites to find a good match with a classroom somewhere else in the world. There are many online videoconferencing portals that are available. Many are designed to allow teachers to search their database for existing projects in need of partnering classrooms. Others, allow teachers to write and submit their own projects.

Some example activities that one could do with a classroom-to-classroom connection are: Field Trip Experience Exchanges, Quizbowl Challenges, Community Exchanges, Guest Readers, Multicultural activities with middle and high school foreign language or ESL students, and compare and contrast activities around a certain topic. The possibilities are endless. If you have a laptop or document camera (ELMO), connected to your "Poly Pod", you can even collaborate over software applications or Elmo activities.

One of the sites that I like to use is CAPSpace: Collaborations Around the Planet. This site has both features described above. Below is a short video demonstrating how you can search for existing projects or create your own.

Enjoy!

Get Your Students Talking with VoiceThread!!

1. Do you have students that struggle with sharing their thoughts and ideas verbally in the classroom?


2. Are you looking for a new and exciting way to have your students collaborate on a topic without causing the anxiety of live classroom discussions?


3. Would you like to give them the flexibility of participating in group discussions on their own time?


4. Are you bored with what you are currently doing to reinforce reading fluency, writing, and speaking skills and would love to try something new that would generate excitement and complete participation from your students?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, check out http://www.voicethread.com/. This free website allows users to upload just about any type of media (pictures, documents, PowerPoints, and videos). Students can then login and start a discussion regarding the media by adding comments. "Not only is that a great way for students to share their learning orally, it provides a platform for students to give and receive feedback as peers, parents, and teachers respond to the project", EducationWorld, 2008. The process of sharing thoughts and ideas around media is called a voicethread. (voicethread.com, 2008).

Participants of a voicethread can leave comments in 5 different ways: using their voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio files, or video (via a webcam). Participants can also draw or "doodle", as they call it, on top of the media, during their discussion. This is a great feature to use when trying to get your point across (plus the kids will love it).

T0 really get a feel of what voicethreading is all about, as I am definitely not doing this site justice, click the link below, and take a few minutes to watch their overview video that gives a basic description plus examples of how it is being used (make sure your speakers are on!!!): http://voicethread.com/#home.b409.i848804

After viewing the video, go to their homepage and click the "Browse " link at the top. Once there, poke around for additional examples and more detailed directions of how each tool of VoiceThread actually works. It is totally cool!!!

The complete voicethread tutorial has been uploaded to our Software and Equipment Tutorial page for future reference.

If you don't want to create your own voicethread, have students watch and listen to existing ones on topics such as:

• Poetry
• Digital Storybooks
• Math Concepts
• Art History
• Podcasting basics
• Blogging
• Classic Novels (required reading)
• Foreign Language
• Science Topics (global warming, Eco systems, animal discovery, chemistry, solar system)

(the list goes on and on....it's amazing!)

Offer voicethreading as a project option for kids to do on their own. Trust me...they are sick of PowerPoint!! If they don't have a mic at home, doesn't everyone?, have them use their cellphones!! It's very simple!!

VoiceThreading has become so popular in education, that when you Google VoiceThread Lessons or VoiceThread in Education, a TON of resources are listed. Below are just a few of the thousands:

Using VoiceThread for Digital Conversations

VoiceThread 4 Education Wiki

VoiceThread Lesson Plans

If you are interested in doing a voicethread project, please note that you will need to set up an account for all users that does require an email address. Participants must be 13 years of age, or have an account created by their parents. As mentioned in the ePals techtip, you will want to send home a parent permission slip that includes the project topic, how it relates to curriculum, etc.

Enjoy! Need help? Contact me :)

ePals - Global Learning Community

Are you familiar with ePals? ePals is not a new website, they have been around for about 12 years. However, ePals is one of those FREE websites that just keeps getting better and better....so it's worth a tip!! ePals is a very easy to use global collaboration site that allows teachers and students a safe and secure way to connect with classrooms around the world or just around the corner! By using the Classroom Match feature, teachers can choose to connect with either a classroom or a project. Search projects by topic of interest, find a classroom using maps, or submit your own project in hopes that another classroom wants to connect with you!! Getting started is as easy as setting up an account, and either clicking the Classroom Search button or the Connect Tab located at the top of the page. It's that simple!! Please note, that ePal accounts do require an email address and students under 13 will require parent permission. However, in addition to their Classroom Match component, ePals also offers free and safe SchoolMail and SchoolBlogging. You will want to keep parent permission forms on file and I recommend that the letter describe the project, its' purpose, the time frame, and its' connection to the learning standards.

To learn more about ePals, click this link that takes you to their ePals overview page:
http://www.epals.com/groups/about/pages/epals-overview.aspx
While here, take a minute to watch the "What is ePals and How Does it Work Video", located in the lower right corner.

Below are a couple examples of how ESM teachers are currently using.....or hope to use ePals with their students!!

Stevi Suib, a high school Spanish teacher , has been using ePals for years. She currently is involved in a project with an ESL classroom from the Dominican Republic. Her students will be corresponding in Spanish with the students from the Dominican writing back in English. She also plans on sending recorded audio files of her students speaking the language in the near future!! How cool is that!!

Kevin Michaud, an 8th grade social studies teacher, submitted his own project that is looking for a classroom to collaborate with on the book entitled "Flag of Our Fathers" that he is having his students read.

Paul Holzwarth, a 5th grade teacher at Fremont Elementary, is having his students collaborate with kids from the Cree Indian Nation in Northern Manitoba. His kids are very excited!!

If you too are an ePals user, and would like to share your experience with other teachers....let me know and I can spread the word!!