Interactive Videoconferencing @ University School

Vanderbilt Virtual School Black History Month at USN

Our 5th grade students are participating along with several other schools across the country in an Interactive Videoconferencing series offered by Vanderbilt Virtual School and focused on Black History. The series, as outlined by the VVS website, consists of five program presentations with opportunities to ask questions of the presenters. The classes will participate in the first four, but they'll have to miss the last opportunity due to scheduling complications.

This a wonderful series and we thank VVS Director Patsy Partin for putting it together and making it available. Thanks also to Tandberg Corporation for their loan of the fabulous Edge95 codec that makes our crystal clear connections possible!

From the VVS website:

"BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2010 "
For students in grades 5 -12
SPRING CATALOG 2010

Tuesday, February 2
Dr. Frank Dobson
“From Slavery To Freedom: Stories of Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and Harriet Tubman”

Tuesday, February 9
Howard Gentry
“Breaking the Color Barrier”

Tuesday, February 16
Dr. Frank Dobson
"Life and Legacy of Paul Laurence Dunbar"

Tuesday, February 23
James Nixon
"Black History of the Blues"

Thursday, February 25
David Mills
Unholy: The Slaves Bible

Labels: distance learning, IVC, learning, middle school, tandberg, teaching, USN

posted by Scott Merrick @ 1:37 PM 0 comments

USN to Join Forces with Tandberg in Promising Loaner Program

We are lucky to know Jan Zanetis, Education Marketing Manager for the Tandberg Corporation, with whom we sealed a deal this week to place a $14,000 Tandberg codec in our school for a run at Virtual Field Trips from IVC content providers the last two months of this school year. Next year, we hope to get the unit back in exchange for five online content offerings from our school to the world. More on that later, and keep an eye out here for ongoing documentation as we take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!

Thanks, Jan!

Labels: interactive videoconferencing, IVC, learning, teaching, University School of Nashville

posted by Scott Merrick @ 3:45 AM 0 comments

"Out of These Doors" 7th Graders Visit Cleveland...in Their Classroom!

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's IVC outreach program goes out to a broad audience every year. Their 2006 Annual fiscal report claims that their educational programs, both in house and over distance, reach over 50,000 students a year. It's not hard to see why, after facilitating University School of Nashville's experience with their "On the Road" series program, "Rock and Roll through the Ages" videoconference. Here's a slideshow of pics:



and here's a very brief video from the interaction, in which R&R Educational Coordinator John Goehrke welcomes our students as the R&R Hall of Fame's very first IVC in the state of Tennessee!

Labels: IVC, learning, Merrick, teaching, USN, videoconference, videoconferencing

posted by Scott Merrick @ 11:20 AM 0 comments