Podcasting and Publishing Partnerships Across Cultures
My students need one Microsoft LifeCam VX6000 and one headphone/microphone combo for podcasting (audio and visual) and videoconferencing/sharing published work with another school in U.S. or another culture.
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I am teaching 5th graders at a public school in Portland, Oregon. Our students are enthusiastic learners overall and eager to tackle new challenges. Although many of our students come from families at the upper socioeconomic range, they are often very unaware of how others around the world (or even just across town)live and operate.
I had the opportunity several years ago to live overseas for three years in Almaty, Kazakhstan, a Central Asian republic of the former Soviet Union. While there, my wife and I came to appreciate the values and world view of others from another culture. Additionally, our family learned a lot about who we are as Americans, in terms of values we place on time, hospitality, etc. I returned to my classroom four years later with a burning desire to teach kids to learn about and appreciate the culture and geography of other places around the world.
I use a lot of technology in my classroom already (Smartboard, LCD projector, laptop, etc.), but I would like to move that one step further by linking up with classrooms around the world or in different socioeconomic regions of the U.S. and share poetry, podcasts, and other videoconferencing opportunities available today. I recently went to a conference where a teacher was talking about bringing together kids from the Bronx and peers from a Midwest suburb as they shared poetry and other writing. I can imagine using my Smartboard to provide a widescreen experience to all the kids, as they watch and listen to others from schools we might partner with.
I am requesting a Microsoft LifeCam VX6000 and a headset/microphone combo so we can record podcasts and conduct classroom video conferences where writing, theatrical performances (e.g., Shakespeare scenes), and other creative opportunities can be explored.
By funding us, you can help fifth graders in a Southwest Portland elementary school cross cultural lines and gain a better understanding of the people who make up this world and even our own neighbors in this culturally and economically diverse city.
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