ESC REGION 12 OFFERS PROGRAM FOR EDUCATORS TO JAZZ UP THE CLASSROOM WITH VIDEOCONFERENCING
WACO, TEXAS—The Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12 is hosting 123VC: Jazzing Up Your Curriculum with Videoconferencing July 30-Aug. 3, 2007 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The first conference held in June included 15 local teachers. ESC Region 12 expects to have another 20 participate in this second session. It is conducted through live, interactive videoconferencing and will include educators participating from Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, New York and Texas. During the week, teachers learn how to participate in collaborative projects and incorporate multimedia technologies such as Moodle, blogging and Wikis into their curriculum to increase student interest.
Shirley Boyd, district videoconference site manager for Killeen ISD, participated in last year’s event. The school district uses videoconferencing for field trips and to provide health science students the opportunity to view surgical procedures.
“We have (taken) virtual trips to museums and zoos. We have also participated in student projects and in the COSI Total Knee replacement surgery,” she said. “This conference brings opportunities to the classrooms that many of our students may never have (without) the technology of videoconferencing.”
Elizabeth Smith, a teacher for Gatesville ISD, also incorporates this technology into her curriculum.
“I showed my classes a podcast of two World War II survivors who spoke via distance learning. It was so impressive to actually have these people talk about the history we were studying,” she said. “Also, I did Read Around the Planet and thought my students really enjoyed meeting a class from Canada.”
ESC Region 12 was the recipient of the 2007 Center of Science and Industry (COSI) Excellence in Education through Technology Award for its videoconferencing program.
The course is free for Edlink12 members, a grant-funded telecommunications network managed by ESC Region 12, and $395 for non-members. Registration information is available on the ESC Region 12 Web site; www.esc12.net.
About ESC Region 12
One of 20 centers throughout Texas, the Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12 provides professional training and technical assistance for the purpose of improving student performance for all students. Based in Waco, with offices in, Corsicana, Goldthwaite, Hillsboro, Nolanville and Teague, the ESC Region 12’s service area includes Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Lampasas, Limestone, Mills, McLennan and Navarro counties.
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