Read Across Rhode Island 2007

Slide Heard 'Round the World - 2007

Immersion Presents: Secrets of the Gulf

Immersion Presents: Ancient Eruptions!

Read Across Rhode Island 2006

Slide Heard 'Round the World - 2006

Megaconference Jr., 2005

School to Career Week

Read Across Rhode Island - 2005

North Kingstown High School talks to NASA

Slide Heard 'Round the World - 2005

The Governor's Math/Science Initiative Videoconference

Women & Infants Hospital - Virtual Job Shadow

Jason Expedition:Disappearing Wetlands

Titanic Live!

Megaconference Jr.

Read Across Rhode Island - 2004

Dental Virtual Job Shadowing

Slides Heard Around the World - 2004

Virtual Classroom

Read Across America

JASON XV - Rainforest at the Crossroads

TVbyGirls - Girls and Women in the Media

The Slide Heard Round the World - International Trombone Week

Virtual Job Shadowing - Open Heart Surgery

Earthwatch Teachers - Manatee Project

Virtual Job Shadowing

Virtual Field Trip

Earthwatch Teachers - Caring for Chimpanzees

"On the Rhode"

Earthwatch Teachers - Wild Dolphin Societies

Read across Rhode Island presented a videoconference with Ron McLarty author of The Memory of Running, to Rhode Island schools and libraries on May 4th.

The conference was hosted by Woonsocket High School and featured readings from The Memory of Running and a question and answer session in which he spoke about his creative philosophy, his memories of living in Rhode Island and his acting career.

View archived stream

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On April 5th The Slide Heard 'Round the World Included a streamed collection of performances presented by Trombone Professor Russ Widener at Wichita State University.

These archived performances can be viewed on the internet by clicking here and following the instructions provided.

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Immersion Project: Secrets of the Gulf!

Between March 5th and 9th, 2007, The Office of Marine Programs (OMP) at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography invited Rhode Island schools to participate in live broadcasts featuring undersea exploration of the Flowergarden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico. Over the course of a week the broadcast featured the discovery of brine rivers and waterfalls and mud volcanoes.

To learn more about the Immersion Presents: Secrets of the Gulf expedition and view live streams -- go to: http://www.immersionpresents.org/

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Dr. Ballard's 2006 expedition will include explorations of the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, and Sea of Crete aboard URI's Research Vessol, Endeavor. During this part of the expedition, scientists will be studying a volcanic eruption that happened about 3600 years ago on the Greek island of Thera. They will be using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) developed by the Institute for Exploration to look at volcanic materials on the seafloor. They want to understand better what happened during the ancient eruption.

Many Rhode Island schools viewed the live broadcasts and witnessed many of the volcanic materials that were found on the seafloor.

To learn more about the Immersion Presents: Ancient Eruptions! expedition and view live streams -- go to: http://www.immersionpresents.org/

Read Across Rhode Island 2006

Shadow Divers was the 2006 Read Across Rhode Island book. The author of Shadow Divers, Rob Kurson and the two main characters, Richie Kohler and John Chatterton, participated in a very exciting videoconference to discuss the book on Friday, May 5th.

Rob Kurson, Richie Kohler and John Chatterton were at Barrington High School. The remote videoconference audience included eight high schools and two libraries: Chariho Regional, East Providence, Narragansett, North Providence, Tiverton, Westerly and Woonsocket High Schools and Cumberland & East Greenwich Libraries. All sites were able to ask questions of the author and divers. View archived stream.

This year, the Slide Heard 'Round the World included an interactive videoconference masterclass on Monday April 3rd led by Matt McGarrell (Brown University) and David Schwartz (author, composer, and trombonist), who were located at Wheaton College in Massachusetts.

Other sites and participants included Wickford Middle School, East Providence High School and Western Michigan University who hosted a local high school trombonist. This masterclass was broadcast live over the internet giving our students world-wide coverage.

This archived masterclass can be viewed on the internet by clicking here and following the instructions provided.

Megaconference Jr. is a live videoconference with students around the world. Some of the Peer Leadership students at Davisville Middle School participated in this event. The group was selected to lead an Internet Cafe discussion on the topic of bullying. The students explained the bullying prevention program at DMS and how art, drama, and music can be used to stop bullying. They then led a discussion about the existence of bullying in other parts of the country and the world and what steps students in other cultures are taking to deal with this issue. Students from many states and from countries as far away as Singapore and China participated in this even.

Several Rhode Island High Schools participated in videoconferences during School to Career Week. There were nine different videoconferences held during the day on May 9, 10 and 11. The presenters spoke about their careers and how they got to where they are today. They suggested that the students look for their passion in life sooner rather than later. The students had the opportunity to ask questions to each presenter during the Q&A session.

North Kingstown High School hosted the videoconfernces. The other participating schools included Barrington High School, Chariho Career and Technical Center, Coventry High School, Cranston East, Cranston West, East Providence High School, Exeter/West Greenwich High School, Scituate High School and Riverview Academy.

Several schools, libraries and book clubs participated in the third annual Read Across Rhode Island videoconference. Westerly High School hosted Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner. Participating sites included Portsmouth High School, Woonsocket High School, Chariho Regional High School, Scituate High School, East Greenwich High School, Providence Academy of International Studies, Cumberland Public Library, East Greenwich Free Library, and a book club at Fidelity Investments.

Khaled Hosseini discussed his debut novel during the live videoconference . The participants at the remote sites asked Hosseini some wonderful questions during the Question/Answer session.

The Kite Runner is the first Afghan novel to be written in English and opens in Kabul in the mid-1970s. Raised in the same household but separated by class, two young boys, Amir andhis best friend Hassan, are inseparable until a tragic event changes their relationship forever. Their intertwined lives and their fates reflect the eventual tragedy taking place in the world around them.

On Thursday, May 5, 2005, students from North Kingstown High School remotely learned about the opportunities available at NASA. The high school students interacted with the two college students (one was a NKHS graduate) participating the NASA Internship Program. They were able to ask questions to learn more about the program and what life is like at NASA.

The third annual Slide Heard Round the World!, an Internet2 celebration of all things trombone, was held during International Trombone Week (ITW), April 3-9, 2005.

On Wednesday, April 6, several students from Wickford Middle School performed during a masterclass participated held by Matt McGarrell (Brown University), David Schwartz, and AustinBones, of the University of Texas.

To view the stream and to learn more about this event, go to http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/IT_S/internet2/trombone.

The event was hosted and coordinated by Colleen Wheeler, trombonist, technology specialist at Wheaton College and former public school music teacher.

On February 15, 2005, Governor and Mrs. Carcieri met with students at West Warwick High School while students from Woonsocket High School, North Kingstown High School, and Mt. Hope High School participated remotely via videoconference. As part of the Governor's Blue-Ribbon Panel on Math & Science Education, they wanted the input of students as it moves forward with identifying program and performance gaps in mathematics and science education and developing solutions so that RI's students can excel in these critical subjects.

On February 9, 2005, high school students from Warwick, Cranston, Burrillville, North Smithfield, Bristol-Warren and Providence schools participated in a virtual job shadow with Women & Infants Hospital. The students were able to observe and ask questions of an ultrasound technician while performing a fetal ultrasound. The interactive disussion gave students the opportunity to learn first hand the personal skills, educational requirements and professional certifications necessary for a career as an ultrasound technician.

Dr. Rober Ballard and his interdisciplinary team of scientists, teachers, and student Argonauts embarked on an exciting journey of discovery to explore the wetlands region of Louisiana. During this expedition, the team explored how wetlands have shaped the unique biology and ecology of this region.

JASON Expedition: Disappearing Wetlands! ran live broadcasts of the Expedition from January 31st - February 6th. Many Rhode Island schools remotely viewed the broadcasts including East Providence High School, Kickemuit Middle School, Wickford Middle School, Rocky Hill School, Rhode Island School for the Deaf, Narragansett Pier Middle School, and West Warwick High School.

Titanic Live!

In June 2004, Dr. Robert Ballard took us along as he went back to RMS Titanic to assess the state of the wreck for the first time since his discovery of her in 1985. Titanic Live! is a groundbreaking two-way, virtual experience of this historic mission, broadcast via live satellite, Internet2 and the Internet, to thousands of children throughout the United States.

Using state-of-the-art imagery and equipment, they inspected the ship to see how it has withstood both natural changes and human exploration over the past two decades.

The Titanic Live! broadcasts were brought live to over 20 Rhode Island K-12 schools. The RINET MCU Bridge was used to connect the sites with the live feed from The Office of Marine Programs at University of Rhode Island, one of the immersion sites involved in the project.

Megaconference Jr.

On May 6, 2004, 118 schools from all over the world participated in the first Megaconference Jr. This new event is designed to give students in elementary and secondary schools around the world the opportunity to communicate, collaborate and contribute to each other’s learning in real time, using advanced multi-point video conferencing technology. Five Rhode Island K-12 participated in Megaconference Jr. this year including Wickford Middle School, Cranston East High School, Shea High School, West Warwick High School and Horgan Elementary School. Wickford Middle School was chosen to present in the conference.

Bronson V. and Alison L. from Wickford Middle School presented their research on steroids in baseball to a world wide audience via videoconferencing during Megaconference Jr. They were selected by their team teachers because of the excellent job they did researching this topic and developing a compelling presentation. They represented their team, the school and our district very well. We are all proud of them!

Learn more about the Megaconference Jr.. or view the archived streams of the event.

Read Across Rhode Island - 2004

On May 7, eight Rhode Island schools virtually connected to hear Susan Monk Kidd speak on her writing and the development of the plot and characters of "The Secret Life of Bees." Tolman High School of Pawtucket graciously hosted the author in their school library. Other schools participating include Burrillville High School, Mt. Hope High School, Ponaganset High School, Portsmouth High School, Shea High School, Thompson Middle School and Deering Jr. High School.

Dental Virtual Job Shadowing

Three Rhode Island High Schools virtually participated in a fantastic job shadowing videoconference with Dental Professionals from Community College of Rhode Island on April 27, 2004. Students from Cranston West, Central Falls and Newport Career and Technical Schools virtually watched a brief videotape and then were able to follow along during a real dental examination. The students were able to interact with the Dental Professionals to ask questions about the dental career path.

Second Annual Slide Heard Around the World - 2004

The 2nd annual Slide Heard Round the World!, an Internet2 celebration of all things trombone, was held during International Trombone Week (ITW), April 5-9, 2004. This event was a virtual gathering of trombonists through advanced technology.

This year, more than two hundred people were involved including students from Mount Hope High School, Scituate High School (MA), Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, University of Texas (AustinBones), Wichita State University and Mississippi State University. The Slide's 2004 schedule included a variety of performances, masterclasses, and lectures.

The event was hosted and coordinated by Colleen Wheeler, trombonist, technology specialist at Wheaton College and former public school music teacher

Virtual Classroom

Roger Williams University organized Rhode Island's first High School/Post Secondary virtual classroom event. Students from Mt. Hope High School Academy of Information Technology virtually attended a college class on Web Design. They are currently studying this subject in their class at MHHS. Several of Roger Williams' esteemed faculty members volunteered to participate in the introduction of college level content to the high school audience.

The high school students are in the midst of selecting one of several concentrations in IT and introducing them to college content via Video Conferencing has stirred excitement. Roger Williams plans to participate in more virtual classrooms.

Read Across America

In celebration of the National Education Association's Read Across America event we participated in this videoconference. Miss Almon's and Mrs. Melchar's second grade classes were matched with a Kindergarten class from Michigan.

Each class made a brief presentation that was followed by an opportunity to exchange information about their schools and communities. Our classes presented a wonderful poem written by Miss Almon based on Horton Hears a Who by Seuss. The classes came to the library to research and write about our school and community.

JASON XV - Rainforest at the Crossroads

Real Science. Real Time. Real Learning.

Get ready to explore the rainforests of Panama with Dr. Robert D. Ballard and the Jason Project January 26th through February 6th 2004.

Jason XV will examine the microclimates and seasonality of rainforests, from canopy to forest floor, while exploring the complex food webs that tie species of plants and animals together with their environment in unique and exciting ways. We will investigate the interconnectedness of these fascinating systems and the
methods that researchers use to study them. As student and teacher Argonauts model the work of researchers, they will apply what they have learned to their own local region and gain proficiency in a range of core science disciplines, including the biological, physical, Earth and space sciences, as well as mathematics, social sciences, geography, language arts and humanities.

Take a field trip to the Jason Broadcast at URI's Narragansett Bay Campus and/or take a virtual field trip (via videoconferencing). For more information, contact Maryann Scholl (MSCHOLL@GSO.URI.EDU or 874-6211).

URI will offer additional Jason curriculum to Jason trained teacher's classrooms (via videoconferencing) after the expedition.

The National Jason Project

On Wednesday, April 22, 2003 a group of sixth grade girls at Wickford Middle School participated in a videoconference which explored the images of girls and women in the media. The conference was conducted by Barbara Wiener and Kathy Kraemer of Minnesota who are working on a project called TVbyGirls. Ultimately they hope to produce a TV series about girls issues, produced by girls. This conference, entitled visual literacy is the first step in a process of raising awareness of the power of images and the way in which they are used to portray females in the media.

The Wickford Middle School TVbyGirls site

The Slide Heard 'Round the World! was the first-ever trombone master class conducted via videoconference over Internet 2. The April 10th event celebrated International Trombone Week (April 6-12, 2003) and brought together geographically-separate trombonists of varying skill levels, from middle school to professional. Trombonists at each site had the opportunity to perform etudes, exercises or other pieces, and receive expert coaching. Rhode Island students participated from Wickford Middle School, West Warwick High School, and North Providence High School.

Matthew McGarrell (trombonist and Brown University music faculty) and David Schwartz (trombonist and transcriber of a new and highly-acclaimed etude collection) led the master class from Wheaton College and were joined by Austinbones , graduate trombone quartet from the University of Texas at Austin. The event was hosted and coordinated by Colleen Wheeler, trombonist, technology specialist at Wheaton College and former public school music teacher.

The Wickford Middle School Slide Heard 'Round the World Site

On the morning of October 29, 2003 eight classes of science students from across the state virtually followed a team of physicians and nurses through a live open heart surgery ocurring at Rhode Island Hospital (RIH). RIH professionals addressed the students and fielded their questions during the triple bypass procedure. Students studied the surgical procedure, watched an intoductory video, then interacted in real-time with the surgical team (lead by Dr. Arun Singh) during the open heart surgery. Students participated from Barrington High School, Cumberland High School, East Greenwich High School, LaSalle Academy, Providence Health and Science HS, Newport Career and Technical Center, Ponaganset High School, Warwick Veterans Memorial High School as well as a class of surgical technicians from New England Institute of Technology.

Mrs. Denise Frederick of Wickford Middle School and Davisville Middle School in North Kingstown and Miss Audra Plante from Deering Middle School in West Warwick had the unique opportunity to study manatees live in the field with scientists at Mote Marine Laboratories in the Sarasota, Florida area. They communicated with their students through journals, digital pictures and data posted on their respective Web sites daily. There were also several opportunities for video-conferencing within the two week period.  In sharing this adventure together the teachers and students involved developed a new appreciation for this endangered species while observing first hand how the scientific method is used as an effective research and discovery tool.  In addition, students analyzed data and information gathered over the two week period in order to draw their own conclusions and develop an appropriate action plan for saving this endangered species.

On the morning of March 21, 2002 six Rhode Island high schools participated in a unique job shadowing experience. Science students from Central Falls High, Cumberland High, North Kingstown High, North Providence High, Warwick Veterans High, and West Warwick High took a virtual field trip inside a Kent Hospital operating room to witness orthopedic surgery. Through real-time, Internet videoconferencing, physicians and nurses addressed the students and fielded their questions during the surgical procedure. The hospital’s perioperative staff prepared curriculum information for teachers and students, including an outline of the procedure as well as a review of the types of medical professionals involved to further enhance the educational experience. In addition, a pre-operative session was held, and a post-operative session is planned. Collaboration between Kent Hospital, the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, and Rhode Island's School-to-Career program with RINET, Verizon, Cox, and OSHEAN working behind the scenes made this event a reality.

A videoconference between an Oceanography class in South Kinsgtown and a team of graduate students allowed the students in the classroom to interact with real scientists studying the ctenophore (comb jelly fish) population in Narragansett Bay. Ms. Kristin Klenk of South Kingstown High School hosted the videoconference with Dr. Barbara Sullivan, a marine research scientist, and her team at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography at the Narragansett Bay Campus. The conference was in fact a virtual field trip with a nearly 100 % attendance rate.

Mrs. Stella Neri (Deering Middle School, West Warwick, RI) served as a teacher-researcher at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI) at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, from March 3 to March 16, 2002.  Mrs. Neri communicated with her students via a web page, email and video conferences.

On the Rhode is a video conferencing project connecting middle school students from around the state as they showcase the communities in which they live. Conferences among participating schools to be held once a month during the spring of 2002. Summary of the first conference.

Mrs. Helen Johnson and Mrs. Pam Ellis (Quidnessett Elementary, North Kingstown, Rhode Island) participated in an Earthwatch Global Classroom project, January 13 - 26, 2002.  Mrs. Johnson worked at Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota, Florida joining a team of scientists as they collected data on the resident bottlenose dolphin population in Sarasota Bay.  She emailed daily journal accounts and photos and answered student questions.  A videoconference was held on January 24 between scientists at Mote and the students.  The topic was echolocation.

The teachers and program in Rhode Island are funded by Earthwatch Institute with a grant from The Rhode Island Foundation.

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