Digital Communications Assignment

1. Digital Communications Assignment By: Trelisa Glazatov Troy Hayes Sohnia Malik Timothy Strader

2. Table of Contents • Overview of Chat • Overview of Video Conferencing • Overview of VoIP • Lesson Ideas for Elementary School • Lesson Ideas for Middle School • Lesson Ideas for High School

3. Chat What is it? • Web application that allows 2 or more people to send messages to each other at the same time • Real time

4. Chat How is it used? • Need computer with internet connection • Access to a chat room (http://education.qld.gov.au/learningplace/) • Login and password required • Educational chats are moderated

5. Chat Why use chat in the classroom? • Fun and motivating • Interactive • Communicate with experts • Share ideas quickly regardless of distance • Learn about different cultures • Discuss social issues

6. Chat Educational Purposes: • Brainstorming tool • Travel buddies • Communicate with scientists, authors, etc. • Literature response • Discussion of political and social issues

7. Video Conferencing What is it? • System where two or more individuals from different locations participate in two way communication • Can see and hear each other in real time • Possible to share computer applications for collaboration and make changes or edits in real time

8. Video Conferencing How is it used? • You need multimedia computer, monitor top camera, video conferencing software (CUSeeMe), and internet access • High bandwidth for higher quality audio and video

9. Video Conferencing Why use video conferencing in the classroom? • Live access to a world outside their classroom • Fun and motivating • Raises cultural awareness • Increased connection with outside resources • Enhancing social & communication skills

10. Video Conferencing Educational Purposes: • Participate in live videoconferences with scientists, authors, athletes, government, business, and community leaders • Observe experiments performed ‘live’ at hospitals • Student presentations for a wider audience • Virtual field trips

11. VoIP What is VoIP? • VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol • Technology that allows you to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line • VoIP routes your phone calls directly to your telephone using your high speed internet connection • Skype is an example of VoIP and can be downloaded for free at www.skype.com

12. VoIP How is it used? • Need broadband (high speed Internet) connection, computer, adaptor, or specialized phone is required

13. VoIP Why use VoIP in the classroom? • Develop essential literacy skills • To increase student motivation to communicate with authentic audiences • Cross-cultural exchange in which students are able to build up a social network of peers from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities

14. VoIP Educational Purposes: • Students in a language class can call and talk with native speakers on a daily basis for free • Teachers can create theme-based peer-to-peer networks through which students can exchange and discuss work they have created

15. Lesson Ideas: Elementary 4th Grade Science: Weather Lesson

16. Weather Lesson: Goals & Standards • Goals • Understand basic information about weather • Learn about different types of weather maps • Create and present weather maps showing different conditions • MI Standards: V.3 The Atmosphere and Weather • Investigate and describe what makes up weather and how it changes • Explain what causes different kinds of weather • Analyze the relationships between human activities and the atmosphere

17. Weather Lesson: Tools • Epals.com • VoIP (Skype) • Chat • Videoconferencing (CuSeeMe): • Weather newscast • Internet • Weather.com • Poster board, markers, stickers

18. Weather Lesson: Activities • Class discussion • What is weather? • What are the elements of weather ? • The different types of weather maps (include examples) • Group projects assignment: • Using epals.com: Find a pal who lives in a different part of the country/world and find out what the weather is like where they live by using Skype and on-line chat

19. Weather Lesson: Activities • Group projects assignment (cont’d): • From information received through epals.com, research the web (Weather.com) about a part of the country/world and the forecast for the 3 days • Develop a poster weather map with the information gathered from epals.com and weather.com. • With a partner school, deliver a weather newscast using the created poster via videoconferencing.

20. Lesson Ideas: Elementary 3rd Grade Language Arts: Book Review

21. Book Review: Goals • Goals • Comprehend an age appropriate book • Understand and explain basic elements of a story (character, plot, setting) • Write a short book review using basic story elements

22. Book Review: Standards • MI Standards • Listening: L.2 Understand spoken English to participate in social context • Speaking: S.7 Present information, and ideas to an audience of listeners • Reading & Comprehension: R.5 Read and demonstrate comprehension of main idea and supporting details • Writing: W.4 Construct sentences and develop paragraphs to organize writing supporting a central idea

23. Book Review: Tools • Grade appropriate book • Epals.com • VoIP (Skype) • Chat • Videoconferencing (CuSeeMe): • Storytime!

24. Book Review: Activities • Class discussion/demonstration • Teacher explains through example the elements of a story • Read a Book! • Discussion of story elements from assigned book • Book Review • Teacher demonstrates how to write a book review • Students write their own review of the assigned book

25. Book Review: Activities • Book Review (cont’d): • Using epals.com: With a partner schools, the student will deliver their book review via Skype • Using on-line chat, the student will engage in a discussion about the assigned book. (i.e. favorite character, like/dislikes about the book) • Videoconferencing: Storytime! Students will act out a favorite scene from the book and discuss it with the partner school

26. Lesson Ideas: Middle School 8th Grade Social Studies: Global Awareness Project

27. Objectives and State Standards • Objectives: - Report on differences between U.S. and foreign cultures - Explore their role in the global community - Interact with students from another country • MI Social Studies Standards: Strand II – Geographic Perspective - Locate and describe the diverse places, cultures, and communities of major world regions - Describe and compare characteristics of major world cultures - Explain why people live and work as they do in different regions

28. Resources • Websites: - ePALS.com ( http://www.epals.com ) - Google ( http://www.google.com ) • Equipment: - Video Conferencing Equipment - Computers - VOIP software ( http://www.skype.com )

29. Lesson Activities • Introduction: - Brainstorming discussion on chosen region - Read and discuss article about chosen region • Research: - Use Google to research facts about chosen region - Present findings to the class - Video conference with classroom in chosen region

30. Lesson Activities (cont’d) • Research (cont’d) - Communicate with ePAL; interview about life, school, climate etc. and answer questions from ePAL • Assessment - Create a report to read to the class using the information discussed with the student’s ePAL - Read report to ePAL using VOIP software to get feedback and to ensure that information is presented correctly - Present report to the rest of the class orally

31. Lesson Ideas: Middle School 8th Grade English: Novel Discussion

32. Objectives and State Standards • Objectives: - Read an assigned novel - Discuss elements of the novel with other students - Create an essay about the novel • MI E.L.A. Standards: - C.S. 5-2: Describe and discuss shared issues in the human experience that appear in literature from around the world - C.S. 10-1: Analyze themes and central ideas in literature in relation to issues in their own lives - C.S. 9-1: Explore and reflect on universal themes and substantive issues from written text

33. Resources • Technology: - Computers with internet access - Video Conferencing equipment - VOIP equipment or software • Website: - ePALS.com ( http://www.epals.com )

34. Lesson Activities • Introduction: - Discuss issues related to assigned novel - Introduce culture of chosen ePAL students • Activities: - Send introductory email to ePAL and respond to theirs - Read the novel based on teacher’s assigned schedule and communicate with ePAL about questions and comments about their assigned readings.

35. Lesson Activities (cont’d) • Activities (cont’d) - Keep a reading log about ideas and issues discussed with ePAL • Assessment - Write an essay / book report about novel, including quotes from conversation with ePAL - Discuss the novel as a class via video conferencing with ePAL classroom

36. The End! Thank you for watching our presentation. We hope you gained valuable information!