June 2008 — News
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Global Learning Initiative Helps Kansas Students Collaborate with Peers Around the World
We have also relied on other organizations to help put these programs together. ePals, for example, is an online community that facilitates e-mail exchanges between students in 191 different countries. Global Nomads is a not-for-profit that sets up and moderates international video exchanges. Among other things, they provide videoconferencing gear and connections to schools in poor nations who would not otherwise be able to participate. The state of Kansas has an aggressive technology program and provides funding for digital infrastructure. The district has been able to attract a number of corporate sponsors as well, including our videoconferencing equipment vendor, Conference Technologies Inc. (CTI).
Jim Keller, our superintendent, first ran into George Sherman and Mike Bradford of CTI while meeting with managers at Spirit Aerospace. The two were eventually able to design a system for the high school's new Global Learning Academy using a LifeSize high-definition conferencing codec, two cameras, two 60-inch plasma displays, touch-panel controls, and an installed sound system. They also arranged a CTI sponsorship to underwrite part of the cost of the system design, equipment and installation.
The benefits of high-definition conferencing gear may not be immediately obvious in a high school, but they are significant. "While it's true that the quality of what we're receiving is limited to a certain extent by what people send us," Keller said, "there's no doubt that the new system gets the most out of those transmissions. And then, too, our contact in China says he's seen quite a marked improvement in what we're sending out. He told me, 'this is just like watching TV.'"
Another advantage of our new system is that it uses IP-based digital transmission, rather than costly and less reliable ISDN lines. We are currently able to meet the district's videoconferencing, Internet, and Internet2 needs with just a 10 Mbps connection, although we will expand that to 20 Mbps by fall, when the high school begins its program.
We also plan to add a high-definition portable system to the elementary school by fall and dedicate the original system to the middle school. Though only the high school will have permanently-installed gear, the younger grades will use that room--which comfortably seats 40--when they bring larger groups together for conferences, and the district plans to make it available to the community as well.
Rigorous Standards
My students have responded so positively to the program that it's been easy to impose high standards for the privilege of participating. They have to know proper English before we're going to let them write an ePals message. If they don't know where Nicaragua is, or if they don't know how to do averages, then how can they join a class from Nicaragua in comparing average temperatures?
