HSD Videoconferencing

The annual Read Around the Planet videoconferencing event has begun. At Hempfield we have many classes participating including ESL, German, Spanish, French, second grade and fifth grade. The first two events were held on Thursday February 25. Mrs. Goserud and Mrs. Snyder’s ESL classes shared books that they had created with Technology Specialist Ms. Reed to another ESL class in Peel School District, Ontario, Canada. The Canadian class shared a presentation on the provinces of Canada. Both classes enjoyed the interaction and we look forward to further communication with this district.

Frau Henrich’s German II classes videoconferenced with a grade 2 class from the  Calmant Science and Technology Magnet School in Pittsburgh. The German 2 class presented two children’s books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie substituting german vocabulary for the english words. The second graders really liked our student who acted the part of the mouse in the story. The second grade class then shared a presentation on Pittsburgh and their haiki poems that they had written for the event. The question and answer session was a good vocabulary test for the Hempfield students as the second graders wanted to know many German words!

We look forward to the rest of the RAP connections next week. You can follow the RAP event on Twitter using the hashtag #RAP2010.

On January 6th, Centerville Middle School students had a unique opportunity to speak with a Holocaust survivor. Mrs. Bonholtzer and Mrs. Waddington took their students via videoconference to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, CA. Through the museum’s Bridging the Gap Program, special speakers can share their powerful stories using videoconferencing technology to viewers all over the world. Our students spoke with a Mr. Peter Daniels who was a child in a concentration camp. He spoke of his painful experience growing up during this difficult time. Students took turns asking questions and interacted with Mr. Daniels. We all admired his courage to tell his story and share the memories of his childhood. Mr. Daniels’ message to us was that we all need to value each other and be tolerant of one another. A peaceful future depends on these actions. This was a very powerful videoconference for our students and teachers!

On January 28th, Mr. Juba took his 7th grade Cultures class on a virtual field trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art to learn about gods and heroes of Greece and Rome. Distance Learning at the Cleveland Museum of Art allows students to connect with the museum to enrich their studies through their collection of art and artifacts from around the world. This live, interactive videoconferencing event allowed our students to participate in a two-way conversation with the museum educator, Ms. Levine. She helped the students understand the importance of gods and heroes in their culture. Students compared gods and heroes of Greece and Rome and made connections to history and culture through learning about such figures as Heracles, Orestes, and Perseus.