Videoconference Project: What's the Disorder?


This project was created as an assignment in Planning Interactive Curriculum Connections, an online class offered by Berrien RESA and taught by Janine Lim.

Topic: Genetic Diseases

Schools Involved in K2K connection: Louisa High School and Fluvanna High School

Time: 2 class periods

Preparation and Procedures before the conference: Students at each school will be put into teams and choose a genetic disorder to research and then prepare a role-play scenario to explain its cause and effects. Each scenario will deal with a family coping with a genetic disorder. The scenario must contain a brief description of the family’s situation, their annual income, and insurance coverage. Each person on the team must have a role in the scenario. Each character must also have a one page paper (in character) conveying their information. For example, the doctor could write up a medical report for the patient or parent could write a journal or letter to a friend describing his or her emotions and concerns. Each team will turn in a portfolio with each of their character’s letters.
Information to research:
• physical symptoms of the disorder
• inheritance of the disorder (dominant or recessive, sex-linked, abnormal chromosome number, etc.)
• How common is it?
• available treatments and costs
• quality of life
• emotional, social, and financial effects on family and person affected

Additional requirements for research and role-play scenario:
• contact a health care professional, social worker or genetic counselor for information
• use technology in your presentation (video, power point, document camera, etc.)
• dress the part
• limit your scenario to 10 minutes

We will have a rehearsal prior to the videoconference in our distance learning classroom to make sure that all equipment if working properly and to set performance area for cameras.

Conference day: Students will perform their role play scenarios one school at a time. Sequence of teams will be set up prior to the videoconferencing. Since Fluvanna will be the host school we will ask Louisa if they would like to start first. There will probably be 4-5 teams at each school . After each performance, students will have 3-5 minutes to ask questions or make comments. We will probably get through 4 scenarios each day.

Connection: H.323 IP

Grading: Students will be graded using a rubric composed by both teachers involved prior to the videoconference.

Project by: Terrie Wood, twoodteachu@aol.com