Videoconference Project: Memorial Day

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

Memorial Day- Who, What, When, Why, and How?

Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers;
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.

Funding: To fund this project, the VBISD will make the connections and pay the line fees between the schools so that there will be no line fees or any costs for the participating schools.

Description: This project is for middle school students in social studies classes. It will include two videoconferences, with students in two schools, having a period of 2-3 weeks in between to prepare for the subject matter and do worksheets and research using the Internet and/or libraries as a research tool. Students at each school will be divided into small groups of 5-6. Each group will work on a specific facet of Memorial Day subjects (see below for a sample list of subjects from which students might choose to develop content). One group of students will do the practice exercises for the project, but they will also be the tech support team and assist the other groups with their graphics (power points, graphics, operating the cameras, mikes, etc.- this is for the more "techie kids") rather than planning a formal presentation.

The First Videoconference: The first videoconference will be approximately 40 minutes in length, and will consist of the two instructors explaining the assignments, introducing the classes to each other, discussing what each group of students will be doing, and going over the equipment in the room.

Students will be given very brief areas of general information about Memorial Day, its origin and history, some of its symbols, its poetry and literature, how it is observed, and some information about wars that have been fought since Memorial Day was first initiated. Their assignment will be to prepare presentations to share regarding topics about Memorial Day and its significance- be it wars, MIA/POWs, the Poppy and other symbols of Memorial Day, like Taps, the bugle call of war, Memorial Day literature, war movies, interviews with war heroes or veterans, famous war stories, the American Legion, the National Moment of Remembrance, War Memorials, the VFW, Military Conflicts that have stopped short of declared wars, and the flag and its rules.

Each group will select (this is preferable) or be assigned a topic, and will research that topic on the Internet and/or in libraries to find out all that they can about the subject. This assignment should be done while the two sites are still connected so that two groups don't get exactly the same subject matter. Additionally, students will try to find a veteran (of any age) and interview them, and get their opinions about serving in a war, if they did. If possible, they will watch a movie that deals with a war and report on it in a short paragraph listing:

The name of the movie
What it is about
 How it portrayed war- as an evil act, or necessary for peace or freedom
 How they felt about the movie as a whole, and its lead characters

(This can be optional)

The Second Videoconference: In the first session, the teachers will lay out the assignments that the students will do to prepare for the videoconference #2, in which students will be presenting what they have learned from their research. In Videoconference #2, the students will be presenting their research in brief presentations, discussing their interviews with veterans, if they did them, discussing their movie, if they watched one, and have the time to present that information. These last two parts are subordinate to the first part of their assignment dealing with their research, and first the students should all go though their first part, talking about their research assignment. After each student presents their assignment, other students and teachers from both sides should make comments if they have some. Each group should take about 5-7 minutes or so, and then have a couple of minutes for questions and answers afterwards. The schools should rotate having their presenters speak, so that one side doesn?t have all of their presenters go first then have the second group go last. It should take about 60-70 minutes approximately to go through the presentations and questions and answers session.

GOAL: The students will understand the meaning and significance behind the Memorial Day Holiday, why it is observed, its historical background, and some of the symbolism behind it.

ROOM SET UP: The room should be set up with either desks, or tables and chairs, with enough seating for one class at both ends. Tech support should be available as needed.

CONNECTIONS: Will be made by the VBISD video bridge, but will need to have connection assistance from the coordinator at your school to make sure that video and audio checks are done and OK at your school.

COMMUNICATIONS: Deb Reda will email both teachers and technical coordinators at each school with dates and times, and will arrange for technical tests to be held to ensure that testing takes place at least 3 days before the initial hook-up for videoconference #1 is to take place. Next, the LEA technical coordinators will need to get with the classroom teachers who are participating and be sure ahead of time- preferably several days ahead- to run over equipment operations with the teacher so that the teacher can go over the operation of the equipment ahead of the class with the students ?in charge? of tech and graphic support, and to be sure that all of the equipment needed in the Distance Learning Lab is available and hooked up and operational within the room ahead of time.

TIME: The students will have two weeks between the first videoconference when the project is introduced until the second videoconference when the presentations are made to the other class. This gives them time for research, classroom discussions, and fun worksheets, as well as time to find and interview veterans, and rent and watch or find and watch a movie, and look for other kinds of information from family members, or governmental agencies.

WHO MAY PARTICIPATE: Students in middle schools- same grades meeting together would be best.

TYPE OF CONNECTION: ISDN/ 384K or T1/56K

RESOURCES : Here are just a few places to get you started.