ACELINK Ignites Learning

Carroll Students View Autopsy

2007-05-29T09:37:00.001-04:00

Mrs. Teresa Middleton's students at Carroll High School watched a virtual autopsy from COSI Columbus on May 22. This has been the most popular prograrm we've promoted this year through ACELINK, with over 15 events in our Allen County high schools.

It was the first time that Carroll has participated in the program, and Mrs. Middleton said,
"Just a quick thank you for allowing us to participate in the COSI Autopsy Link. The student's enjoyed the activity and really learned a lot from it. I also enjoyed watching my students and how well they handled the program and how smart they are! Hope to do it again next year. Thank you from the Carroll High School Anatomy and Physiology students!!!"

We'll begin signing classes up to participate in this program for the 2007-08 school year in August. ACELINK funding can be used to offset the cost of the program for member schools, so contact me early if you are interested.

Sandy

PowerPoint Presentation

2007-05-15T09:01:00.000-04:00

Several people have asked me to share the presentation that I gave on May 9 about RSS technology. RSS is a simple tool that allows web users to pull content from websites that are updated regularly into an aggregator, like Bloglines. The reader can subscribe to RSS feeds from sites you select instead of searching or reading through sites for recent news.

I've become completely addicted to my Bloglines account and RSS feeds, because I can finally keep up with the information that matters to me as often as I want. My Bloglines account provides me with updates from my favorite bloggers (like Will Richardson), newspaper stories, department of education updates, technology journal articles, etc.

Here's a link to a wiki that has my PowerPoint file from the presentation. You're also welcome to contact me if you have more questions or would like to set up a staff development presentation on this technology at your school.

http://hightechteacher.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

Sandy

Will Richardson at IPFW

2007-05-15T08:50:00.000-04:00

Will Richardson (www.weblogg-ed.com) was the featured speaker at a Web 2.0 workshop at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne on May 9. He talked about how the Read/Write web is changing everything about learning and in education, and he posed the challenge to educators to think about how their teaching and pedagogy will need to change to meet new demands of learners.

Here's a link to the keynote presentation that was recorded at IPFW. The visual quality is not great, but I think you can get the message that he shared if you listen carefully.
http://mediasite1.ipfw.edu/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=d8825608-1c4f-41bb-8230-d25d2018458b

Sandy

Will Richardson Explains Weblogs

2007-05-08T14:45:00.000-04:00

Watch this movie to hear Will Richardson explain how weblogs can change education and learning. It's a Quicktime file and plays just over 2 minutes. It will download quickly with a broadband connection, so give it a try!

http://blogs4teachers.com/WebLoggingSmall.mov

New Printable Content Provider List

2007-05-01T09:50:00.000-04:00

One of the most frequent questions I get about videoconferencing is how to find programs. We have never attempted to create a database of the providers because there are already great resources available from our friends in Michigan! Thanks to Janine Lim from Berrien County, Michigan for publishing a quick and easy content provider list that is up-to-date. Here's what she put on her blog yesterday...

I’ve just added a Printable Content Provider List to our VC Program Database linked on TWICE and Polycom. It pulls directly from the our database, so each time you print it, it’s the most up-to-date information we have at the time. At this moment, it has 219 providers and prints in 38 pages!

I will be happy to help teachers with specific content and scheduling questions. Don't forget that our ACELINK grant from the Foellinger Foundation provides funding for these programs through next year.

A Record Breaking Day

2007-04-26T08:48:00.000-04:00

Today's virtual field trip activities will set a new record for ACELINK programming. We're supporting four different programs in area schools today, and three of the teachers are first time participants in this project!

Washington Elementary 2nd graders are talking with the Indianapolis Zoo about Shel Silverstein's book, The Giving Tree. Lee Senter is the teacher at Washington.

Catherine Clark's 6th graders at Memorial Park Middle School are talking with the Cleveland Museum of Art about Impressionism.

Homestead High School students in Toiyonna Arias' class are talking with the Smithsonian American Art Museum about Latino Art & Culture.

Finally, Lori Leonard's class at Heritage Jr/Sr High School are taking part in their second program with Alex's Virtual Lemonade Stand from MAGPI.

This month we'll support over 18 different classroom programs in two-way interactive videoconferencing through the ACELINK project. This is a great testimony to the success of this project and the teacher involvement in new and innovative uses of broadband technology for the classroom. Good job everyone!

Sandy Schaufelberger, project manager

Senator Richard Lugar Connects with High Schools

2007-03-30T08:14:00.001-04:00

Senator Richard Lugar
Originally uploaded by sschaufe.

The IPFW Virtual Town Hall program featured Senator Richard Lugar talking with five area high school classes in March. In this monthly free program, hosted by Andy Downs of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics, students are given the chance to participate in the political process by talking directly with elected officials about key topics.

The live, interactive multisite session was moderated by Downs from IPFW's campus, while the Senator connected from the US Senate studios in Washington. Senator Lugar talked with students about alternative fuel sources, foreign policy and energy security. Each school was given an opportunity to ask specific questions that the students prepared in advance. Participating schools included: Leo, Paul Harding, Homestead, Elmhurst and Anthis Career Center.

Elmhurst VJs Anchor Megaconference Jr.

2007-03-27T08:18:00.000-04:00

On February 22, 2007, students at Elmhurst High School were virtual jockeys (VJs) for the international Megaconference Jr. event. Principal Barb Gentry organized the event and recruited additional students from the school for technical support, set design, and other help.

Seen simultaneously in over 200 countries and states, the Megaconference Jr. programs highlighted students and their projects from many countries. Participants ranged from kindergarten to high school age kids, and Elmhurst opened their doors to the public so other educators and students could view the live videoconference.

"I was thrilled to take part in the MegaconferenceJr 2007. Having the opportunity to speak with other students around the world made me curious to know if the other students were anything like myself. I learned a little bit of everything through the wonderfully organized presentations. Overall, it was a benefit for everyone to participate because you receive a great understanding of how alike we are in the world." - Luke Sumers, VJ

"The MegaconferenceJr 2007 was a great opportunity not just for myself, but for my school and Indiana. We were able to talk to students from all parts of the world and see if they were doing the same "Teen-age" things that we do. On a not so serious note, I got a few of the countries to let loose and "raise-the-roof" as Americans call it. I had a blast during the conference and it was a great learning experience." - Abby Resor, VJ

"It was a good experience to participate in the MegaconferenceJr 2007. It gave our school a chance to connect with different school all over the world. It was amazing the enjoyable to see the similarities between all of the brilliant students that participated in the MegaconferenceJr." - Cierra Young, VJ

CBS News Highlights Virtual Field Trips

2007-02-26T12:17:00.000-05:00

CBS News recently did a spotlight on virtual field trips for their morning news program. This is a great clip to show to people who don't understand what videoconferencing is or haven't had a chance to try a program. The clip has a 30 second commercial first, and then the main clip is 3:33 minutes. You'll need a media player to watch the program.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2507464n

Please share this clip with others who are interested in videoconferecing field trips! Thanks to Bob Dixon from OSU for sharing this link with me.

Virtual Knee Surgery Debuts at Anthis Career Center

2007-01-31T16:20:00.000-05:00

Today, students at Anthis Career Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana, were the first in their building to observe the Total Knee Replacement surgery from COSI Columbus by two-way interactive video. Students were given a powerful learning experience by interacting with the surgeons and medical personnel in the operating room. Students received an information guide on knee surgery and the careers associated with the operating room. Celeste Burns, the teacher, received an information packet and materials for pre-and post-experience activities for the classroom.

"This program was unbelievable. Career exploration, skill building and connecting to community (our mission) were all there. Thank you for this opportunity! Our teachers and students were excited. We are just beginning, but these types of opportunities are going to make our programs even more rigorous, relevant and help us connect better with community." --Larry Gerardot, principal at Anthis

ACELINK supported the program with funds from our Foellinger Foundation grant.

Franke Park Teachers Create Excitement for IVC

2007-01-29T16:22:00.000-05:00

After another successful experience with the COSI Columbus program, Gadget Works, the teachers at Franke Park Elementary are all getting excited about videoconferencing. Pam Ghaffarian, building technology coordinator, helped her fellow teacher, Patti Kring, and they both took the initiative to share this event with others in their building. According to Pam, "I pulled in other teachers and called the administrators to see what was happening. The kids loved it, and they were talking about it again today. The other half of the class can't wait for their turn."

After Pam and Patti's experiences with Gadget Works, seven other teachers at Franke Park have submitted applications for ACELINK program support. They're not only going to repeat the Gadget Works program in other classes, but some teachers are also going to share the Butterfly program from the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia.

Thanks, Franke Park teachers, for your enthusiasm. We'll follow your progress and include pictures from your events in future blog postings!

What is the hottest 'new technology' in your school?

2007-01-19T16:12:00.000-05:00

Keeping up with emerging technology can be a full time job, or a full time headache! Every school has teachers who keep themselves as close to the cutting edge of new ideas as possible, and then there are those that still cannot open their email. Share your thoughts on one of the questions below with this group to give blogging a try:

What technology tools (not software) have teachers been asking for in your school/building?
What is the "next big thing" in technology that will be a focus in your school?
What technology tools are teachers using that you haven't supported (free web tools, etc.)?

Kindergarteners at St. Joe Center Connect to Puppetry Center

2007-01-11T12:21:00.001-05:00

Originally uploaded by sschaufe.

Mrs. Runyan's afternoon Kindergarten class connected to the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, GA for their first ACELINK-supported videoconference. The Gingerbread Boy program that they joined is one of the most popular programs offered by the Center.

I was very impressed with the level of interaction and engagement for such a young group of students. Deborah, the presenter from Atlanta, does an excellent job of keeping the kids' attention. She understands how to do this via distance, which is a special talent, and she offered just the right mix of physical, visual and verbal activity.

Mrs. Runyan, the classroom teacher in Fort Wayne, Indiana, said, "It went so well! The children had a great time. I'd like to offer this to my morning class, too."

The Center for Puppetry Arts offers programming at all grade levels, and they are well-known for their enthusiastic presenters and engaging programming. For more information about this program or others, you can contact me or visit their website at http://www.puppet.org.

Click here for more photos from St. Joe Center's classroom. ACELINK supports the content for two-way interactive videoconferencing through our programming grant from the Foellinger Foundation.

Remotely Operate an Electron Microscope

2007-01-09T11:09:00.000-05:00

I recently learned about an excellent resource for K-12 science teachers and classrooms. It allows students to remotely operate a scanning electron microscope using the Internet. Bugscope offers magnified images of specimens of beetles, spiders, and other insects and anthropoids viewed through an electron microscope. Classrooms remotely operate a scanning electron microscope to image "bugs" at high magnification. The microscope is remotely controlled in real time from a classroom computer over the Internet using a web browser.

Bugscope provides a state-of-the-art online microscope resource for teachers that can be readily integrated into classroom activities. The classroom has ownership of the project - they design their own experiment and provide their own bugs to be imaged in the microscope. The Bugscope project is primarily oriented towards K-12 classrooms and there is no cost to participate in the project. Read more about participating in Bugscope here...

Weisser Park 3rd Graders Work the Gadgets

2006-12-21T15:31:00.000-05:00

Ms. Kathy Gordon's third grade class at Weisser Park Elementary school engaged in a hands-on learning session by two-way video on Thursday, Dec. 20. ACELINK supported the Gadget Works program from COSI Columbus, which features having students reverse engineer two simple gadgets to learn about the simple machines that make them work.

COSI provided a teacher's kit in advance, which Ms. Gordon had her class review and complete a pre-conference hypothesis. During the program, students related their hypotheses to Professor Gadget and then learned if their predictions were accurate by examining the toys. While working collaboratively in groups of three, students took part in scientific investigation and had fun at the same time.

High praise goes to Ms. Gordon for having her class EXTREMELY well prepared for the program. Professor Gadget complimented the class on their excitement, prior knowledge and responsiveness during the program. The kids were also very well behaved and represented their school very well. Way to go!

To see additional pictures from Weisser Park's third grade on my Flickr site, go here. For information on this program, contact me at schaufes@ipfw.edu. ACELINK still has funds available to cover the program costs for partner schools.

Woodlan Students "Visit" Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

2006-12-15T15:53:00.000-05:00

Students in Mr. Kyle Romine's music classes were virtually transported to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame through interactive videoconferencing this month! Through ACELINK funding support, Mr. Romine's classes were able to participate in two sessions with the legendary location. They learned about Rock music as an instrument of social change with, "Rock Music: Ball of Confusion." They also learned how technology influences music through "Hip-Hop Technology."

Accordinging to Mrs. Irene Beran, school career major director, the students loved the presentations and got very involved in the sessions.

EACS Media Specialists Support IVC

2006-12-11T13:30:00.000-05:00

On Monday, November 27, the secondary Media Specialists at East Allen County Schools were all trained to provide basic technical support for videoconferencing in their schools. East Allen has increased the endpoints in the secondary buildings this year, so that each school has two units. To support this increase in equipment and tie instruction more closely with technology, they took advantage of ACELINK funding to offer training at the central office. Cindy Fritz, EACS integration specialist, co-presented this training with me.

ACELINK strongly recommends this model of identifying and equipping building-level support personnel with training. According to Dr. Andy Melin, EACS Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Instruction and Technology, the media specialists were a natural choice for this role because they always support instruction with media and other resources. Their expertise in information literacy and online resources also adds value to teachers who want to integrate emerging technology with their instruction.

ACELINK has also provided training to teachers and other end users through our Foellinger funding, and we're happy to work with schools who still would like to schedule this type of training.

Virtual Town Hall Features Sheriff Candidates

2006-11-15T14:01:00.000-05:00

On October 20, students from six area high schools participated in the IPFW Virtual Town Hall forum with the candidates for Allen County Sheriff: Ken Fries, PJ Smith, and Tina Taviano. Andy Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at IPFW, moderated the live, interactive discussion between the candidates and students. ACELINK provided technical support for the program. Participating high schools included: Anthis, Bishop Dwenger, Elmhurst, Leo, Paul Harding, and R. Nelson Snider,

The next virtual program is Friday, November 17, with Nelson Peters, Allen County Commissioner. Congressman Mark Souder is the guest scheduled for the December 8 program.

For more information or to register your class for this free program, contact me.

Don't Miss the Free Virtual Surgeries!

2006-11-08T09:35:00.000-05:00

ACELINK is supporting access to two high-quality interactive videoconferences from COSI Columbus: Total Knee Replacement Surgery and a Virtual Autopsy. We only have two slots left in the year for both programs, and they will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. These programs are targeted toward secondary students in a Science or Health curriculum. Typically, we've had juniors and seniors from Anatomy and Physiology classes participate.

There is only one slot open for each of the 90 minute programs listed below. The dates/times for the events that we have available are:
Total Knee
Feb. 14 at 11 a.m.
April 18 at 11 a.m.

Virtual Autopsy
April 13 at 11 a.m.
May 22 at 9 a.m.

Please check your calendar before requesting any of these programs. A teacher's kit and program preparation guide will be provided in advance with your confirmation. Contact me at 481-0747 to request a COSI program, or fax the ACELINK Program Request form to me (available on the ACELINK website).

Reed Unveils State Program for Internet Safety

2006-10-27T15:17:00.000-04:00

Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Suellen Reed offered help for parents and teachers trying to safeguard children from the growing threat of Internet predators. Education and public health officials, representing the Indiana State Library and the Indiana State Medical Alliance joined the Superintendent as she made her announcement.

“The Internet is a powerful tool,” said Merle Gruesser, ENA. “As with any tool, we must teach children how to use it safely.” Recent statistics show these alarming statistics: 14 percent of 13-17 year olds have actually met face-to-face with a person they had only known online (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 2006); 27 percent of youth said they have talked with an online stranger about sex; 34 percent were exposed to unwanted sexual material (Polly Klaas Foundation 2006), and 9 percent are victims of online harassment (University of New Hampshire 2006).

The Coalition also offers at no cost an online Parent Resource Center at iKeepSafe.org where parents and teachers will find technical help, teaching tools, and critical resources that will help them protect children, such as Family Fun Lessons, Symantec’s flash tutorial, The 10 ‘MUST KNOW’ Actions that Will Help You Protect Your Family, and an Internet safety video library.

I have reviewed the materials on this site and found them very useful, exciting for kids, and relevant to current issues with Internet Safety. Please share this website with your parents and teachers.

For the IDOE Media Release, go to http://www.doe.state.in.us/reed/newsr/2006/10-October/ikeepsafe2.html.

A Very Busy Week for Allen County

2006-10-20T13:26:00.000-04:00

Wow! I'm excited to report that we've had a very full week of interactive videoconferences in Allen County, Indiana! In this one week, ACELINK has supported four videoconferences, impacting 10 teachers and hundreds of students.

Today alone (Friday), we had the IPFW Virtual Town Hall meeting with 7 interactive locations, a virtual field trip at Leo and another at Portage Middle School. The Virtual Town Hall meeting featured the three candidates for Allen County Sheriff, and we originated from IPFW's Division of Continuing Studies' conference room. The candidates were excited about the technology and did a great job of speaking with Andy Downs, session moderator. They answered a dozen questions from students at the six high schools that participated: Anthis, Dwenger, Elmhurst, Harding, Leo, and Snider.

During the Virtual Town Hall meeting, several websites were given for students to use for researching each candidate and their voter registration status. Here are the links if you'd like to follow up on the discussion:

- Ken Fries
- PJ Smith
- Tina Taviano
- Indiana Voter Registration System

Our thanks and gratitude go to many who helped make this week successful. We're making a difference in our schools with the ACELINK project, and I'm honored to be part of this group.

Conference Attendees View Surgery with ACELINK

2006-10-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

The 2006 Business & Education Summit on October 10 was a huge success. Twenty-four high school teams plus business and higher education leaders were all in attendance to learn how we can partner together to prepare tomorrow's workforce. I had the honor of participating on the planning committee for this event and demonstrating ACELINK videoconferencing.

With the very generous effort of Dr. Geoffrey M. Randolph, board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Fort Wayne, we were able to connect the Summit attendees to Lutheran Hospital's OR Suite to see Dr. Randolph and his team in surgery. We connected to Dr. Randolph via IP videoconferencing, which allowed both our audience and the surgical staff to see and talk to each other in real time. Teachers in the audience had a first-hand demonstration of how two-way interactive videoconferencing can bring the outside world (or the inner world of a clinical setting) into their classrooms.

I also appreciate the support of Lutheran Hospital's IT staff and administration, as well as the fantastic support of the Grand Wayne's IT staff and Stan Adams, Indiana Data Center president and ACELINK partner.

Lindley Elementary Kids Connect Beyond Classroom

2006-10-06T16:02:00.000-04:00

Lindley Elementary Kids Connect Beyond Classroom
Originally uploaded by sschaufe.

On Tuesday, October 4, art students from Lindley Elementary in Fort Wayne, Indiana made a videoconference connection with the Indianapolis Museum of Art. This program was provided by ACELINK, the broadband coordinator for the Allen County schools.

Lindley 5th graders designed an art project based on using geometric figures and problem solving skills for this project. They were able to talk with a docent from the museum and show their work for a critique and discussion. They also saw an original art work at the Museum by Sol Lewitt, the artist that they based their work on for this event.

Barb Kuntz, art teacher at Lindley, participated in the program to bring the museum experts into her classroom without the expense of travel.

Summit Middle School 7th Graders

2006-09-29T11:34:00.000-04:00

Summit Middle School, 7th Graders
Originally uploaded by sschaufe.

Mrs. Linda Valley's 7th grade language arts students recently participated in an interactive videoconference with Milicent Wright from the Indiana Repertory Theater. ACELINK supported the program and provided technical support during the event.

In the "Exploring Shakespeare" session, students experience Shakespeare's imagery, figurative language, literary devices, history, character analysis, plot and themes. They discussed how recognizing, using, and appreciating these elements are essential to the actor, the director and today's audience. The program was extremely interactive and customized to the works covered in Mrs. Valley's class.

Go to our FLICKR site for more pictures of this event. For information about virtual field trips or ACELINK, contact Sandy Schaufelberger at schaufes@ipfw.edu.

Paul Harding, Brentwood Students Attend Virtual Event

2006-09-22T16:45:00.000-04:00

Paul Harding, Brentwood Students Attend Virtual Event
Originally uploaded by sschaufe.

IPFW and ACELINK, and 42 other schools across the country, used the ultra-fast Internet2 nationwide research and education network to participate in a massive National Constitution Day videoconference event sponsored by MAGPI and the National Constitution Center.

Called “America Reads the Constitution,” the event used high-quality videoconferencing technology to bridge hundreds of students across time zones and state borders to read the Constitution together. By providing this first-ever interactive virtual platform for National Constitution Day, students were able share and learn alongside their peers from all regions of the U.S. in a celebration of our nation’s most important historical document.

Participants at the IPFW event included the following readers:
David Dowling – Brentwood Elementary, grade 1
Ryan Yoder – Pre-service Teacher, IPFW Senior
Senaida Marzljak - Brentwood Elementary, grade 5
Jackie McCoy – Paul Harding High School, Senior
Mrs. Molly Baumert –Paul Harding High School Teacher

Coordinating the event was Glenda Moss, Ed.D., Associate Professor in the IPFW School of Education. Sandy Schaufelberger, ACELINK Project Manager, coordinated the technical aspects of the event.