CCAVE

1. CCAVE Cookie Cutter Approach to Videoconferencing in Education Lyle Roberts and Eli Merrick

2. History • Early Experience 1996-1997 • Foremost to Manyberries • Results – Teacher and students did well despite limited capabilities • 2002-2003 A New Challenge • School closures • Challenge to the school board from Minister of Learning • Video conferencing research and proposal • Proposal submitted in December • 2004 The Solution • Proposal accepted by Alberta Learning – February • Acquired equipment March - August • Installation August – February 2005

3. Planning Committee • What did we need? • We didn’t know!! • What did we want? • We didn’t know!! • As a videoconferencing committee, we researched and visited sites that were doing video conferencing to get ideas

4. eLinc(eLearn … Innovatively Networking Communities) Prairie Rose School Division No. 8

5. Goals for eLinc • Enhance programming in PRSD Schools • Enable small schools to remain open in their communities • Retain and attract our urban fringe students • Provide video conferencing equipment at each school to be accessed by community members • Develop a video conferencing project that can be replicated in other remote rural jurisdictions • Develop working partnerships with outside agencies to enhance educational opportunities for students

6. Scenarios of Use • Distance education delivery • Core Curriculum • Curriculum enhancement • Professional growth • Professional Learning Communities • Administrative/committee meetings • Special Needs – IPP meetings, speech pathologists, medical consultations.

7. Design Considerations Infrastructure • Network is crucial - QOS enabled network end to end using carrier grade equipment connected to the supernet • Gold supernet bandwidth provisioned for all sites • Centralized management of endpoints • Able to Connect to external networks ie internet, 3V VPN, Netera, etc. • Adequate power for all equipment • Network drops Classroom Equipment • Smallest footprint possible • Ease of use for all users • Instantaneous • Always available • Reliable • Must closely approximate what a teacher would expect to do in a class • Minimal technical support • Lighting • Sound (Microphone placement)

8. Equipment • Each Learning Site Video Conferencing Suite • Polycom Viewstation FX • Polycom PVX with Logitech Quickcam Pro 5000 with a computer workstation • Elmo Document Camera • Smart Board and computer • 32 inch Sony TV • 2 Desktop projectors – ceiling mounted • Sony VPL CX6 • Nec VT670K • Projection screen • DVD/VCR combo • Double wide TV cart • Division Office • Polycom Global Management System server • Brigit Server • Polycom Accord MGC 50+ • Edgemarc 5300 • V2IU

9. Present and Future Directions • Grade 9 Social Studies – September 2005 to present • Math 31 – February 2006 to present • Junior High Outdoor Education – February to present • Administrator’s meetings • Superintendent meetings for zone 6 • Art Instruction – Fall 2006 • Second Language Instruction – September 2006 • Professional Development opportunities • Guest Lecturers, Authors, Scientists, Doctors, etc. • Therapy services ie. Speech therapy, behavioral obervations • Other curriculum areas with low enrollment ie. Physics 30 • Professional learning communities • Research for rural education methodology • Observation and evaluation of student teachers and new teachers • Invite community members to utilize the equipment for education and inservice

10. Prairie Rose School Division Profile • K-12 students = 3700 • Public Schools = 22; Colony Schools = 15 • Area covered = approx. 11,500 square miles • Endpoints = 23 suites, 48 desktops • MCU = 48 ports; Bridgit Server, 23 SW bridges • Smart Board = 21 for VC suites, 30 in classrooms • SuperNet Schools = 100/20 (all) • SuperNet Headend = 100/40 • Gateway = 20 Mbps full duplex Big Pipe