Ride the Next Wave
The Maturation of Videoconferencing
In the recent Wainhouse Research whitepaper, “The 2009 Update: Taking the Wraps off Videoconferencing in the U.S. Classroom,“ Alan Greenberg refers to the maturation of videoconferencing as ‘Waves.’
- Wave I mostly focused on offering classes and mentoring opportunities.
- Wave II “included access to content providers” to bring subject matter experts directly into the classroom.
- Wave III “will consist of increased content-provider-to individual-learner contact , as well as learner-to-learner collaborative projects and even student creation and delivery of content.”
Greenberg suggests that Wave I & II will not disappear, but will “co-exist and support” Wave III.
Meet Wave III: Student Creation and Delivery
The following article is a description of an ongoing project and current opportunity which focuses on students creating content and delivering it through videoconferencing.
KC3 – Kids Creating Community Content is a contest which challenges middle and high school teams to develop and present a videoconferencing program about their community. This global project, about to enter its third year, won the ISTE SIGTel Online Learning Award at NECC in 2008.
Students are asked to look at their community and focus on a specific topic. Topics from the past include the following:
- historical places, people, and sites
- local habitats and biomes
- natural resources
- regional ethnic traditions
- topics related to cultural diversity
- contemporary issues
Students use a variety of methods to gather information. Teams have:
- researched via the web.
- interviewed local residents.
- visited their public library.
- made onsite visits related to their project.
Many have captured their interviews or demonstrations using digital photos or video and highlighted those resources in their program.
Using videoconferencing technology as a tool, students ultimately share their final 30 – 45 minute program with a student classroom chosen to match their target audience description. Developing an engaging and informative program while aligning the content to national standards does not seem to daunt most students.
During January and February each team presents its completed program to their audience site. The project is recorded live and posted online where reviewers, using a rubric to match the project criteria, judge the video presentation as well as any supporting material created for the program.
Please view winning projects and their descriptions for 2008 and 2009.
Are You Willing to Ride Wave III?
Perhaps you would like to participate in this cutting edge project. Do
you know someone else who is ready to catch this wave? It is
a wonderful opportunity to engage students in authentic research,
presentation and technology skills.
Just Do It!
- This year’s KC3 contest will host both middle and high school divisions (grades 6-12). It also includes two new judging categories for new and returning schools. Whether or not your students take first place, they will definitely come out as winners from this experience.
- Three free informational webinars are offered this fall for teacher sponsors interested in participating in the contest. Register for all three now!
- September - Getting Off On the Right Foot
- October - Creating a Plan
- November - Telling Your Story
- Visit http://kc3.cilc.org to
- view the project overview, team requirements and program details
- access the student program submission form for the 2009-2010 contest
Other Opportunities
CILC is aware that KC3 is one of many Wave III projects.
Do you have a story or opportunity that matches the Wave III description to share with our e-News readers? Please contact Dawn at 866-474-5226.