Looking for collaborators on a "First Day of School" project

Since it is "that time of year," I think a great way to introduce kids to the concept of collaboration is to share first day of school experiences around the country and around the globe. My first thought was to do Animoto videos, but I am sure there are many other great ways to connect. Ultimately, it would be great to create a web site or wiki with all of our experiences in one place. I would foresee us talking about traditions, fears, hopes, etc. I think staying with the ages of around 7-11 would be best. This could be a really excellent project!

I am new to the idea of collaboration and trying to learn all I can about web 2.0 technology, so I am very open to any guidance anyone wants to give. I am a third grade teacher in an inner-city school in a high poverty/ high crime area. I am hoping to expose my kids to other cultures in the country/world. Let me know if you are interested!

Tags: Collaboration, first day of school

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Permalink Reply by Samuel Fye on August 17, 2009 at 3:07pm

Marie, it would be awesome to include you! All we really have to do for this first project is get some pictures and get the kids to talk about/write how they are feeling and what they are doing on the first day (see reply to Betsye above). I will work on getting a site up that we can add to. I will have some more info soon!

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Permalink Reply by Brian on August 17, 2009 at 3:09pm

Count us in--I have a third grade teacher biting at the bits wanting to join in (I'm a technology specialist/teacher).

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Permalink Reply by Marie Doherty on August 17, 2009 at 3:11pm

Great. Just let me know as you get info.

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Permalink Reply by Brian on August 18, 2009 at 4:09pm

Our Science department loves the idea of an Ireland teacher working together!

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Permalink Reply by Samuel Fye on August 19, 2009 at 10:34am

Hey Brian (and all). I have been very intrigued by VoiceThread. Ever used it? It could be great for this project. Thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by Brian on August 19, 2009 at 2:37pm

Our district bought Voice Threads for the teachers and we recently led a workshop at NECC 09 in D.C. The feedback was great. We use it in the classrooms a lot.

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Permalink Reply by Samuel Fye on August 19, 2009 at 4:50pm

Cool! With my limited knowledge, it seems like a Wiki is the best tool for the First Day of School project. That will allow others to contribute freely, correct? I only have a limited understanding of this!

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Permalink Reply by Chris GR on August 23, 2009 at 3:11pm

If I only have a teacher account, will it work for a whole classroom to share? I'd like to experiment with VoiceThread in a couple of classes before asking for any $$.

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Permalink Reply by Samuel Fye on August 23, 2009 at 6:02pm

As far as I can tell, the VoiceThread seems to be free--did I understand your question correctly?

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Permalink Reply by Tracy Rudzitis on August 18, 2009 at 12:10pm

I am also interested in connecting with other classrooms the first days of school. I'll think about some possibilities that might work for me, and continue to read the ideas other teachers have posted. I teach in NYC, I teach computer classes and also have an advisory class that might be a good fit for this collaboration.

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Permalink Reply by Samuel Fye on August 18, 2009 at 1:25pm

Tracy, that's awesome! I recently visited NYC for the first time and LOVED it! The city is so unique that I think your perspective would be great. I look forward to hearing from you more.