My colleagues and I would like to try some collaborative projects between elementary and secondary students. Our buildings are not close, so in-person events are impossible during the school day. Do you have any suggestions for projects involving students from different grade levels?
—Cindy, Roswell, Georgia
I’ve always envied school districts with facilities close enough for students to go back and forth. I thought it would be interesting for my middle-school students to work with elementary students and be mentored by high school students. However, I found out face-to-face interactions were difficult to coordinate even in districts with a single campus due to different schedules and the reluctance of some principals to have students leave the building during the day.
In the “old days,” we tried pen-pals or email-pals, sending projects and materials back and forth between schools. Although there was initial interest, the time lag and lack of face-to-face opportunities for feedback led to the gradual demise of these programs.
New web-based tools and Internet accessibility have rekindled interest in inter-school projects. Possibilities for collaborations might include having older students create podcasts or videos, which can be posted on school-friendly sites such as TeacherTube.
Another possibility is computer-based video conferencing. The logistics are fairly simple now: a computer with a camera and microphone (some computers have these built in; if not they are inexpensive to add), Internet access, and software such as Skype (the software is free to download and access between Skype accounts is free; visit www.skype.com). Personally, I’m hooked on video conferencing—communicating with colleagues across the United States and in Australia and “attending” meetings online rather than traveling several hours to a site.
Before you start, brainstorm some possible types of collaborations to make sure a project is worth the time and effort and accomplishes an academic purpose. A once-and-done demonstration event is easy to do, but an ongoing collaboration requires thought and planning. Older students could teach a brief science lesson, answer questions, demonstrate how to use scientific equipment, then watch the younger ones practice or offer advice on science investigations. Younger students could initiate a question and answer session on science topics or high school science courses. Older students get the opportunity to summarize their own learning and work with younger students, who could benefit from these role models. Students at both levels could communicate in other languages. The article “Skype in the Classroom: Technology Brings Students Together” shows an example of an inter-school project.
Some schools may have sites such as Skype blocked or not allow software to be downloaded. It’s interesting that schools are so concerned with the possibility of students accessing inappropriate sites or images that legitimate academic projects are discouraged. Perhaps if you had a rationale for using web conferencing (focused on science learning) and a detailed plan for the event (including proper supervision), a small crack in the firewall could be arranged for your project. Present your case to your information technology director or principal.
Test your connection with a colleague first to iron out any bumps. The first time you try an online conference, there will probably be a lot of oh-wows and giggles, particularly if the students are unfamiliar with the process. Give yourself permission to make a few mistakes or fumbles, too. (It took me a few times until I figured out how to display my image!) Once the initial giggles and fumbles are over, focused events can begin.
After you get hooked up, the possibilities are virtually endless—including a student on extended medical leave in class activities, connecting several classes for an event, interviewing a scientist, inviting interested elementary or middle school students to “sit in” on a high school discussion (or vice versa), holding online parent conferences, engaging in professional development with teachers in other schools, hosting virtual visits by parents or other teachers. To find potential collaborators beyond your own school, use resources such as the NSTA Communities or the NSTA listserves.
Starting in the January 2010 issue of The Science Teacher, “Science 2.0″ will discuss tools for sharing and creating content via Web 2.0. If you don’t get a hard copy of this journal in the mail, you can check out the column online.
Resources:
50 Awesome Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom
The Many Roles of Skype in the Classroom
Skype in Schools
Skype in the Classroom
Using Skype in the Classroom
Related posts:
One Comment
Hello,
My name is Cecily Anderson, and I currently work for Baltimore County
Public Schools in Maryland. I’m writing in response to the article
titled, “Collaboration via Videoconference” published on page 20 of the
NSTA Reports dated February, 2010. This article was brought to my
attention as I am currently in the final week of an action research
project that involves high school students teaching middle school
students via web-conferencing and wikis. I believe that I can provide
for you a real-life model of the types of proposed activities described
in that article.
Here a brief description of the project:
Catonsville Middle School’s MSA Reading & Math Blast! In Brief:
The MSA Reading & Math Blast! is an action-research project designed to use 21st century technology and peer educators to increase student
engagement and raise student achievement in math and reading as measured by the MSA exam.
The participants include: eighty-five members of the Baltimore County
Public Schools community, including principals and educators from
Catonsville Middle School, Eastern Technical High School, and George
Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. The peer educators
are students in Eastern Tech’s Maryland Teacher Academy and Carver
Center’s Literary Arts Prime. The middle school student target group
consists of thirty students currently enrolled in grades 6-8 who scored
Basic in reading and/ or math on the 2009 MSA exams.
The Blast takes place at both high schools and at Catonsville Middle
School via web-conferencing and an interactive wiki once per week during
school hours. Students participating in Eastern Tech’s teaching prime
focus on math skills, and Literary Arts students attending Carver Center
teach the middle school students reading skills. Both sessions utilize
the use of a wiki, and interactive white boards and chat features as
well as group and individual conferencing made possible through the use
of web cameras.
Student progress is measured by a series of quantitative and qualitative
data points including, but not limited to: classroom and web-session
assessments, surveys, and observations. Data points are examined by the
CMS Triangulation Team.
This program is a model of 21st Century learning for BCPS as it removes
the physical barriers of schools, utilizes untapped resources (our
partnerships and our students), and connects BCPS in a collective effort
to raise student achievement that has not been done in this way before
now.
We have also chosen to expand the project to include students at the
middle school level teaching students at the elementary school level
using a similar format. That part of the project is in its initial
planning phase, but is scheduled to begin in early March.
I would love the opportunity to discuss this project with other educators who are currently using web-conferencing in instruction, or who are interested in hearing more.
Thanks so much,
Cecily Anderson
Baltimore County Public Schools
Teacher of the Year
Canderson7@bcps.org