Inclusion Via Skype – We’re Almost Completely There!!!


Inclusion Via Skype

Originally uploaded by BCrosby.

This post refers to previous postings (here and here) about a fourth grade student in my class – that because of Luekemia and the chemo/radiation treatments she is receiving cannot attend school.

We’re almost there! After more obstacles and issues than you would believe, today I installed a brand new iMac computer, DSL line and Skype connection at Celest’s house. The chemo and radiation have taken their toll on her hair, but she absolutely glowed when Doug Taylor (sixth grade teacher who helped me set things up and then returned to school for the trial run – THANKS DOUG!) answered her Skype call from my classroom (see photo) and we made the connection for the first time. A little later we hung-up, I left and returned to school, and then so she could practice making the connection herself we tried it again. My principal was sitting there when we made the connection again.

We will repeat the process again after lunch tomorrow (we have to take the NAEP test in the morning) and officially make her an attending member of a class she has been enrolled in since October for the first time. Hallelujah!

I will be posting a vidcast when we get it done.

Top 5 of the Year

The top 5 most read posts in my first 10 months blogging at Learning Is Messy: . . .

1) Paper, Pencils and Books May Not Boost Student Achievement 

2) Too Much Time For Change To Happen? 

3) Hoping To Make a “Web 2.0” Difference In A Child’s Life – Part 2 

4) Working, Breathing, Reproducible, Intriguing Models 

5) Society May Be Willing To Invest In Children If They Are Seen As An Immediate Value To Society 

Learing Is Messy

Our 1:1 Laptop Program Is Going Slow But Steady

Two weeks ago we passed out our newly “batteried” (I know … no such word) Key Lime iBooks (about 7 years old). Since then my fourth graders have learned how to get them out of the carts, started-up, onto the web, start-up Appleworks, save, access Flickr, drag a photo from Flickr onto an Appleworks document, some font and text size adjustment, center text or image, put back in the carts and a few other skills. We also have spent some of our time troubleshooting issues like computers that didn’t have the right version of Appleworks or had no browser installed and the like – which I knew we would deal with. I’ve also learned it is close to ludicrous to all go to the same web site at the same time (we are using original Airport hubs – 26 computers all going online at the same time is a traffic jam waiting to happen), but I am going to play with that some (not that we should have to do that very often).

I’ve felt like things are going too slow – but in retrospect we are doing fine – especially considering that the vast majority of my students have never done this before – never used a trackpad (not one of my 26 students), 2 students had ever had 2 windows open at the same time or knew that was possible. Depending on what happens with getting my 27th student” a computer for her apartment so she can Skype into the classroom, we might get a bit sidetracked while we learn a bit about leukemia and Skype and how we are going to make that work. We also need to start blogging. Think we’ll get that done by Christmas?

Learning is messy!

Hoping To Make a “Web 2.0” Difference In A Child’s Life

About a month ago I was called to the office at my school (no I wasn’t in trouble) and I was informed that I was getting a new fourth grade student – not unusual at an “At Risk” school. Several years ago I had 21 changes in my classroom in one year – 11 new students entered and 10 students moved. What was unusual was that I was told I would probably never see this student.
“Huh!?”
“Well the student has leukemia and is undergoing chemo treatments and her immune system is shot – so she is being schooled by the home studies teacher, but she has to be placed in a classroom for administrative reasons and we chose yours.”

Later that day our school counselor came by with her file and I asked her if the girl’s family happened to have an internet connection at home because maybe we could include her in at least some class activities and lessons by having her “Skype“ into our classroom. Ann asked a few questions and left.

When I returned to my classroom from morning recess duty a bit later, there was a file sitting in my chair (probably because there was no room to be found on my desk). Inside I found a grant that Ann had already filled out and submitted to pay for a DSL line for the girl’s house and a web cam.

I thought I had an iBook that would do the job for the computer at her house – and that we were on our way. Unfortunately, the iBook is only 600 Mhz (which will support the iSight camera they got her, but Video Skype requires 800Mhz) – NOTE – I can’t do iChat because AOL instant messenger is blocked by the school district and I’d rather use a Mac because my whole class is using Mac laptops running Panther (OS 10.3.9) and it will be easier to give her directions and for her to follow along if we are using the same machines and software + we have to use Appleworks 6 because it is the only word processor that we have a license for and the online word processors don’t have some of the features I’d like – and I’ve got too much going on right now to learn and teach a new piece of software. We will use an HP computer in class with a web cam because that is mandated by the school district (another reason iChat is out and Skype is in – I need software that is cross-platform).

So we have feelers out for a Mac with at least an 800Mhz processor – we’re in the process of informing local media to see if that will help scare up the hardware we need. I haven’t told my own class about any of this yet – until I’m more sure this will all come together. I have a feeling, if I get this set-up to work, that they will benefit at least as much as she will. I must say that our IT department is totally supportive of this endeavor so I am optimistic.

I’m in the throes of setting up a classroom blog with Blogmeister (thanks Dave!) and I’m hoping to include her. Since our field trip last week we have been writing poems and journal entries that will become our first blog entries once I have the time to get that up and running. Busy, “Messy,” times here which is why I haven’t been posting as much of late. I’ll keep you posted on how things go.

UPDATE: 5:30pm PST – a local TV news person here just emailed me that she thinks she has a computer for us to use. : )

UPDATE: Saturday 12/9/06 AM – Turns out instead of donating a computer someone has offered to pay for a computer – I guess they will tell me who later. I like that it is someone in our local community though. : )

Skype Comes Through Again

I want to belatedly thank Dean Shareski and Barry Dahl for Skyping into my “I Want To Integrate Writing, Field Trips and Technology Into My Curriculum, But How?” class Tuesday night (I know – the title was designed by committee and part of my stipend is paid by the Northern Nevada Writing Project).

My few past experiences with Skype have been intriguing, and again, except for my screw-up in not being able to re-establish the video link with Barry, things worked so easily. I mean there is just something cool about talking from Sparks, Nevada, to Dean’s group near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, and 30 seconds later connecting up with Barry in Duluth, Minnesota.

Thanks again!

Video Skype Demo Tuesday Anyone???

Well this worked for Wes last week, but his readership is just a bit higher than mine… I’m teaching a class tech class to K – 12 teachers – Tuesday, December 5 – from 4pm Pacific Time, until 7:30. I’d really like to do a very quick video Skype demo – 3 minutes is all I need – can anyone help me out? I know this is last minute, but a person I had lined up can’t now. Let me know and I’ll send you my Skype info.

Another Powerful, Easy, Way Cool, “Messy” Experience!

I just got done being an active participant in Wes Fryer’s presentation at the Mid-America Technology Institute – 2006 in Kansas … and I never left my family room in Reno, Nevada. I responded to Wes’s questions, role-played with an attendee of his presentation (she was a principal questioning the noise level in my classroom while my students participated in a “messy” project and I had to respond to her concerns). I was part of his presentation for maybe 10 minutes – then I ate breakfast and read the paper.

There is so much that is powerful about this experience, but I’m going to focus on one aspect of it here. IT WAS EASY! Wes contacted me via email last evening asking me to talk about “messy” learning and assessment during his presentation using iChat. We would be able to hear and see each other. Great! One problem – I’ve never used iChat before. I know the software comes on my Mac computer, I’ve just never had an opportunity to use it. So I wondered if Wes would really want to chance his presentation during my learning curve with iChat. So I opened an iChat account (free – took 3 – 5 minutes), hooked up a digital video camera to my computer with a Firewire cable, typed in Wes’s address in iChat and found out he just happened to be on – so we had a 20 minute conversation about what my part of his presentation might look like. At the specified time this morning I logged in and we were on.

Knowing Wes he will probably post about this and may even offer a podcast of his session. Way cool! Thanks Wes!

I can’t wait until Skype adds video conferencing – imagine being able to do what we did this morning with up to 99 different locations at once!

Learning is messy!

Help set the agenda for our next Skypecasts and join in!

Brett Moller has already picked up the ball and set a possible agenda for another Skypecast to further the work started so ably by Wes Fryer. And as I write this I see Wes has already posted a new Skypecast for this Tuesday  at 8PM Central time and set an agenda. Both agendas look intriguing.

I especially want to encourage those that have not done a Skypecast before to join in. There is no pressure to get involved in the discussion unless you are comfortable doing so. Just listen in if that’s what suits you. Equipment needed is your computer, a microphone – although you computer probably has a built in one, and headphones make it easier to hear.

Start by visiting the Skype web site to download the FREE software and then visit Brett’s and Wes’s blogs to find the link to the specific Skypecast.

Be there – learning is messy – jump in and have a messy learning experience!