Join leaders in K-12 videoconferencing to learn structures and templates for student projects and collaborations. This class is team taught with VC colleagues in California, New York, Ohio, and across Texas. Guest speakers each day will share additional engaging uses of videoconferencing. Team up with another teacher to create a VC project for next year. Along the way, learn about and use other collaborative technologies such as blogs, wikis, Flickr, Moodle, Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets, Skype, Twitter, FaceBook, Second Life, Blackboard and more!

Details:

Dates:         July 27-31st, 2009
Time:         8:00 am-3:00 pm
Cost:          $300 per teacher plus grad credit
Location:    Devils Lake School for Deaf in Devils Lake, ND
GT Credit:   2 Hours of Graduate Credit will be available through NDSU ($75 per credit)

Tentative Outline

Monday: What is videoconferencing? Meet your VC colleagues. Learn about VC project possibilities. Exchange Projects (Read Across America, Monster Exchange)

Tuesday: Academic Challenges. Math Marvels. Testimonials from teachers who have used VC.  Group project time. Blackboard.

Wednesday: MysteryQuest. Problem solving multi-point videoconferences. Racial dialogues. Group project time. Author visit. Create-your-own-content. Global videoconferencing. Blackboard.

Thursday: Literature based videoconferences such as ASK (Author Specialist Knowledge). VC Etiquette. Group project time.

Friday: Group project time. Group presentations.

Want more information? Visit www.123vc.net.

Registration

Space is limited and we want to fill this workshop. So register ASAP!

Register or receive more information by contacting Tabitha Lang at tabitha.lang@sendit.nodak.edu

K-12 teachers are invited to join us this summer in learning about “Real Connections: Delivery Models and Enriched Content with Distance Learning”. This two-day workshop will be conducted by videoconference in locations across the state on August 11–12, 2008. Participants have the option to attend one or both days.

The workshop will be conducted by videoconference at the following locations:
*Cavalier High School
*Berg Elementary, Dickinson
*NDSU, Fargo
*Minot Extension Center

Registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Workshop cost for both days is $80 or $60 for a single day payable to EduTech. One graduate credit is available upon completion of the two-workshop. Graduate credit cost is $65 payable to North Dakota State University. Lunch is on your own. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops.

To register, get more information or for special accommodations, contact Kari Sauer at 800.804.8550 or kari.sauer@sendit.nodak.edu. Register through EduTech’s online dashboard http://www.edutech.nodak.edu/training/register/ by August 1. Topics and more is available at Real Connections: Delivery Models & Enriched Content with Distance Learning http://www.edutech.nodak.edu/pdf/video/edut_4829_flyer.pdf .

On Tuesday March 11 elementary and high school students from Northwood, ND will interact in a live videoconference with students in Greensburg Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Oklahoma when they discuss the impact of a major natural disaster on their small Midwestern towns. The purpose of the event is to bring students together to discuss their experiences and share similarities and differences in the recovery efforts in each town. Classes from participating states will communicate in real time through interactive videoconferencing available at their school. In addition, the live videoconference will be streamed live and also recorded for later viewing. Both will be available on the Internet by visiting the website http://www.more.net/services/videostreaming/events.html

Northwood students were invited to participate in this event because of the similarities in their experience with the tornado that hit their town in August to those of the students in Greensburg, Kansas whose town was also devastated by tornadoes in May of 2007. Both towns are similar in size and characteristics; both are located in rural areas in the Midwest. In addition to the interactive sessions between both elementary and high school classes, students and teachers will have the opportunity to learn about project-based curriculum resources on topics related to emergency preparedness and natural disasters.

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Last week I had the opportunity of attending a Read Across North Dakota Event with Myhre Elementary School in Bismarck and DeMores School in Medora. The students had a wonderful time discussing their favorite books. They enjoyed the session so much that they’re planning to meet together in person sometime this spring!

On Monday, I attended two videoconference sessions with writers Larry Woiwode and Rick Watson hosted by EduTech and the partners of Read North Dakota. Over 300 students from Mandan, Bismarck, Fargo and LaMoure participated in the interactive events.

Watson began each session by performing his song Beyond the Bedroom Wall, which is based on Larry Woiwode’s novel of the same name.

Woiwode was raised in Mott, North Dakota and discussed his return from New York City in his memoir, What I Think I Did. Woiwode explained the importance of establishing a sense of place in every story. Students were encouraged to ask questions throughout the two one-hour sessions. Their understanding of Woiwode’s book and writing in general was quite impressive! I left with an excitement to write myself!

I have attached pictures of both sessions at Mandan and Century High Schools.

To read and listen to more about Woiwode and Watson, see the followling link: http://www.readnd.org/webresources.aspx

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Thursday, May 17, Andrew Howard of the Advanced Communications Research Group at the Australian National University in Canberra connected with Ashley Public School students in Melanie Campbell’s fifth grade class and Kendra Becker’s seventh/eighth grade geography class. It was the first experience Ashley students had with international videoconferencing. The students discussed Australian culture, geography, climate, people, sports, environment and animals for about fifty minutes.

Miss Becker plans to connect internationally with students and teachers from around the world in the 2007-2008 school year.

EduTech cordially invites you to a Product Demonstration by Dan Durkee of Connecting Point Showcasing Microsoft’s New Features Available in the VISTA Operating System.

This session will be conducted on Thursday, April 5th from 3-5 PM CDT via videoconferencing. If you would like to be a receiving site for this workshop please register with Kari Sauer by email: kari.sauer@sendit.nodak.edu. Receiving sites will be limited and issued on a first come, first served basis.

At the conclusion of this workshop, the participant should be able to:
-Install Windows Vista.
-Upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate Edition.
-Configure post-installation system settings.
-Configure basic networking.
-Configure advanced networking.
-Configure user account security.
-Configure network security.
-Configure Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0

This course is eligible for 2 hours toward the 16 required for a graduate credit.