7th Grade Virtual Field Trip

ACELINK helped connect the 7th grade team at Carroll Middle School to the Center for Puppetry Arts on October 13. The program was on Africa (Mali) and Blake Williams' students made Malian Rod Puppets. They also learned about African culture and geography, as well as climate, customs, puppet making, etc.

The program was highly engaging and very hands-on-- two keys to success in any virtual field trip. Check out the ACELINK website soon for pictures from the event. The Center for Puppetry Arts does a wonderful job of presenting content by two-way video, and their instructor connected well with a large group of kids.

Carroll Middle School participated in this program at no cost, thanks to generous support from Tandberg USA through the Connections program.

Mote Marine Lab Field Trips

The Mote Marine Lab in Florida provides some of the most interactive and exciting virtual field trips that I've ever seen. Their content is listed by grade level, and they provide teacher materials for each session. They offer programs on sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, coral reefs, and many more.

Check out their listing of content at: http://www.seatrek.org/programs.htm

Allen County Education Network teachers can use the new ACELINK mini-grants to underwrite the cost of a program with a provider like Mote Marine. Give me a call at 260-481-0747 if you'd like to discuss the opportunity or just send an email and I'll forward the application to you. We'll even help make sure it all works!

Sites from Keystone Conference

We've been attending the 2005 Keystone Conference, which is devoted to interactive videoconferencing topics. Bishop Dwenger High School is our remote site host, and we've enjoyed being one of the 250 remote sites around the world. In a presentation yesterday, several web sites were listed for teachers to find/search for collaborative opportunities. We couldn't read the slide, but I've located most of the references. I've worked with these sites and agree with the presenter that they are an excellent resource. I'd love to hear any feedback from users who are trying these resources.

Here are the sites:

1. http://www.iEarn.org - Started in 1988, iEARN is the world's largest non-profit global network that enables teachers and young people to use the Internet and other new technologies to collaborate on projects that both enhance learning and make a difference in the world. Membership fees may be required for this content.
2. http://www.global-leap.com - The Global Leap website is a resource for teachers around the world, enabling them to get help, advice and support to develop videoconferencing in the curriculum, and to find videoconferencing partners and to book interactive videoconference lessons. Also includes an international classroom exchange listing.
3. www.gng.org - Founded in 1998, the Global Nomads Group is a non-profit organization dedicated to heightening children's understanding and appreciation for the world and its people. Using interactive technologies such as videoconferencing, GNG brings young people together face-to-face to meet across cultural and national boundaries to discuss their differences & similarities, and the world issues that affect them. Check our their yearly themes.
4. http://www.indiana.edu/~global/giant.htm - The Global Interactive Academic NeTwork project (GIANT) is dedicated to the creation of a virtual academic community of scholars and students from around the world. This project is part of a multifaceted effort by the Center for the Study of Global Change at Indiana University to aid in the creation of an environment for technological innovation in International Studies.