How Are You Using Video Conferencing With Upper Elementary Students?

I am new to video conferencing and looking for ways that teachers are using this technology with their classrooms. What was successful? Are there any cautions you would give a new user?

I found a great idea booklet online called Planning Kid2Kid Video Conference Projects, but am looking more for real world examples of how projects have been used.

Tags: videoconferencing

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Permalink Reply by Ken Kellner on February 10, 2009 at 8:59am

Hi,
I am an educator in Virginia who developed the Edu-Skyper's Phone book: an international database of educators who want to connect.
Please register with us. Our goal is to connect educators up via Skype.
http://skypeintheclassroom.wordpress.com/
Thank you,
Ken Kellner
ken.kellner@stewardschool.org
skype username: kenkellner

skype username: kenkellner

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Permalink Reply by Monica McQueen on February 1, 2010 at 7:46am

Hi there -
We use Videoconferencing as an additional information resource (ask the expert), to reinforce learning of concepts we are working on in different curriculum units (talking to the Space Centre for the solar system, the National Zoo for endangered animals, etc.), to meet special people like authors or videogame creators, or to share information with other classes around the world. Following are some resources about educational videoconferencing that I came across today when searching for resources to share with our teachers:

Videoconferencing to Go - article
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6555564.html?industry...

UK providers of videoconferencing content for schools:
http://www.ja.net/communities/schools/videoconferencing/content.html

U.S. providers of educational videoconferencing:
http://www.netc.org/digitalbridges/images/pdf/ivc.providers.pdf

Met Any Good Authors Lately? Classroom author visits can happen via Skype (here's a list of those who do it for free)
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6673572.html?q=videoc...

Skype an Author Network
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334/post/1600046560...

NASA Videoconferencing catalogue
http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/content/catalog/
Solar System: http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/content/catalog/details/?cid=54

Videoconferencing for Teaching and Learning
http://www.netc.org/digitalbridges/vc/

Anyone interested in a videoconference with students from our school, please contact me! We are currently or will soon be learning about the following topics:
Exploration, Endangered Animals, Plants, Authors, Space, Ecology, Ancient Romans and Transportation.
Thanks!
Monica McQueen
Librarian & ICT Learning Facilitator
International School of Luxembourg

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Permalink Reply by Laurie Pitcher on February 1, 2010 at 1:58pm

I am an Information Literacy Coach in the Kansas City, Mo area. We are seeking K-5 classrooms who would like to video conference with our classrooms. We are currently using the program Vsee. You can not only share a document, but interact with that document. We are open to and looking for good ideas on how to integrate video conferencing into our curriculum. I can't wait to hear from you!

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Permalink Reply by John Robinson on February 22, 2010 at 11:48pm

Laurie, I came across your reply in this thread and, as someone from VSee who's very interested in videoconferencing for education, I'd love to offer any support or insight I can give.
--John Robinson

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Permalink Reply by Lauriene Tschang on February 23, 2010 at 12:32pm

This is our first year using our Polycom HDX7001XL video conferencing unit and we are having a blast. As the school's sole VC Coordinator, I've registered with CAPspace, CILC, Rutger's University's CMSCE, and get content providers information and projects from Berrien Resa, Polycom's Special events.

I would get daily collaboration notification from CAPspace and CILC and from time to time they are also cross-posted on other locations. From there, I advise the teachers if they would like to participate and if it ties in to what they are presently learning in the classroom.

I've become friends with the people we've collaborated with and has since collaborated on so many projects such as MysteryQuest: Geography, HistoryQuest: Revolutionary War, Weather Buddies, Read Around the Planet, Read Across NJ, 100th Day of School with a school in Canada.

Just last month, for Catholic School's Week, we initiated our first invitation. We got tremendous number of responses from schools across the nation who would like to collaborate with us. We are on our way to sending out another invitation geared towards RHYMING projects with our Pre-K'ers.

We've also done VC'ing with experts in the field. For Science, we connected with Museum of Newark for a discussion on Dynamic Earth. There was a minimal fee involved ($100) for 45 minutes. Our 4th graders are participating in April on ASK Author Interview with Elizabeth Raum and her book, The Revoluti...

There are myriads of ways to integrate this in any subject areas. I hope you will find VC a useful tool for your classroom.