Classroom Virtual Visits Project

 To see the all the Classroom Virtual Visit Web pages , click here

Facilitators:

I teach ESOL in Santa Ana College as well as work with teachers at my school in developing technology skills to apply to the classroom. We are a very big community college with about 36,000 non-credit ESOL students at around 60 different sites.

I teach low beginning ESOL and for this reason, my students' language level is too low to participate in this particular project. I will be helping Melinda Roberts (a teacher from my agency) to participate in this project.

David Rosen and I have lots of experience helping teachers use the Internet in collaborative ways and hope you will ask us any question you have.

Susan Gaer
Santa Ana College
Rancho Santiago College District
(714)564-5016
Fax (714)434-7920
sgaer@yahoo.com
 

David Rosen

I worked for many years at the Adult Literacy Resource Institute, a staff and program development center for adult educators in the greater Boston area.  I don't work directly with students.  I work with teachers, especially those interested in using technology in their classes and programs.  I have encouraged and supported many of the virtual visits that students and teachers have done in the Boston area and which are on the Virtual Visit Web Page. I have worked with Tom Macdonald and Akira Kamiya who have also contributed greatly to developing these -- both the concept and the actual Virtual Visits.

Susan Gaer and I had a conversation -- in real time on line at a MOO (SchMOOze University) where the idea of a classroom virtual visit emerged. Should you choose to do this ---- you are a ground breaker, at least in the U.S. All the fame and glory will be yours.  But all the hard work will also be yours -- and your students'.  Susan and I are available for ideas, advice, encouragement, but you are the front line of this adventure.

David J. Rosen
<djrosen1&comcast.net> (substitute @ for &)

Process

We are looking for adult education teachers who might want to
try out a new learning project: students  visiting each others'
classes -- virtually -- on the Web.

Here's how it works:

Each teacher introduces this idea to a class to see if the
students are interested.  Then,  over a few weeks the students
prepare to present their class to the other class(es) which may
be located in other parts of the country or the world.   Students
do this by thinking about, researching and writing about
themselves, their teacher(s) their program or school.  They also
take pictures: the outside and inside of the school building
where the program is housed, the community the school is
located in, pictures of themselves doing things in school.

They scan these pictures (unless, of course, they are already
digital) and perhaps scan some documents (covers of books,
learning contracts, certificates of completion, etc.)  which give
an idea of what they do in their program or school.

Web pages will be made to present each class to the other
class(es).  These could be made by the teacher, the students, a
volunteer, or someone else.  The set of Web pages is organized
as a visit through the building.  Maybe it starts with pictures of
the community, then of the outside of the building, then of the
classes.  On the way to the classroom maybe there are pictures
of specific teachers and students.  Each one writes a little
introduction (e.g. "Hello.  I'm Tran.  I'm from Viet Nam.
Welcome to our school.  The ESL Two classroom is down
the hall and to the right") Maybe some of the text is also
spoken in their own voices (using RealAudio).  It's important
that this virtual visit is as much like a real visit as possible,
that it's interesting and fun.

In the process of making these, students from different
programs exchange questions: "What do you want to know
about our class?  Our school? What do you want us to know
about yours?"  Maybe the students exchange email.  Maybe
they participate in a message board.  Maybe not.  Real time
exchanges may or may not be possible.

Here are some of the steps:

1.  First the students generate their questions about the other school(s) or class(es). They also make the list of things they want other students to know about them and their school.

2.  Next, a set of topics is developed: such as the local
geography, the community, the school, the students' first
languages/cultures/countries, etc. that students will collect
information on.

3.  They organize a tour story about their school, program and/or class.  What happens first, then what, then what.  They write down the steps of the tour.

4.  They photograph the community, the school, the class
(students, teachers, others).

5.  Students' and teachers' writings (results of students'
information gathering and their reflection) and photos will be put up on a Web page in the form of a Virtual Visit. For examples of Virtual Visits made by adult students and teachers, see:

 http://www.alri.org/visits/vv.html

6.  Each class virtually visits the other by going to its Web page. Students then email their questions, which are then answered by the other class.  The questions and answers are then posted on the Web Pages.

Are you interested?  If so, let us know.

Susan Gaer

David Rosen

3) Once you are on the e-list, post any questions you might have.

4) Introduce the idea to your students and get their buy-in.

5) Post your introduction to the e-list.  Let other teachers know where you are,
what kind and level of class you have, when you can begin and how many weeks or months your class is. Also let them know if your students have access to e-mail and want to keypal.

6) After your introductions, you can match up with another teacher or we will try and get you matched by language level/interest /geographic diversity.

Hope to see you on the classvv  e-list soon!

Sincerely

Susan Gaer and David Rosen
your facilitators

Classvv is short for classroom virtual visiting. You
have indicated that you -- and your students -- might be
interested in being involved with this project.

Think of yourself as being in a room with all of us who got this
message. We're going around introducing ourselves -- our
name, role in adult education, program or school, what we
teach (ESL/ESOL? ABE? GED?) who we teach -- what are the
characteristics of our students, and why we might like to be a
group of students and teacher(s) participating in this
project.  It is important to say quite a bit about your situation
so that everyone else will know if there could be an online
match between your class and theirs.

So, take a few minutes and give us all a good picture of you
and your situation and what kind of classroom virtual visit you
have in mind.

If you have decided this isn't for you,  you can remove your name
from the  e-list at any time.  Others may add themselves to this list
as we go along, and we'll ask them to introduce themselves in this
way, too.

If you're still not clear what a virtual visit is -- be sure to look
at the Web pages first, but then pose questions to the e- list.

The VV Web page addresses are:

 1) Examples of Classroom Virtual Visit Web pages

 2) Other Virtual Visit information:  http://www.alri.org/visits/vv.html
 

---------------------

David and I noticed that you might be a good match and we would
like you to explore this by email.

Please email each other and discuss these questions and see what
you think.

Questions to explore:
 

 When do your classes meet?

 West, your students are ESOL, could you describe
 their language level for East?

 East, what limitations do you students have, if any?

 What types of information do you need to introduce
  each other to your schools?
 

Have your classes think of a few questions to ask each other.

Please  CC David and me on this conversation between you both by
clicking on reply to all. This way we can best facilitate the
discussion and make for a very positive experience.

Susan Gaer

Maybe David will jump in here as well.

I think the first thing you will want to do is have students write
a letter. It could be a joint letter or you could divide the
students into groups and have them write parts of the letter
describing your school. This would be sent to the other group. The
receiving group would read it and ask questions and send it
back. It might be interesting to write about:

Maybe start off with

• a description of where they live, including the weather.
• Next a physical description of the school
• Next a description of the students
• Next a description of a typical day.

After the written description is finished. (What does finished
mean? I think students should decide this) Then the pictures could
be gathered and the Web page developed.  Once the web page is
finished, then students could access each others page and ask more
questions. We can place a bulletin board on your Web page for
questions and answers if you like. It is free and easy to do.

Meanwhile students could be coming individually familiar with each
other by writing email together. If we have a common time to meet
in real time we could do this as well and have the students chat.
Email could be very organized on who the student is and what they
are learning and where they work, something like that.

What do you think? The student email part is difficult to manage
unless students check there email at every class. For the ESOL
students (not sure about ABE) the writing is tedious and takes some
time. So the teacher needs to encourage them to write and help
them. It would be much better to write in a group, takes the
pressure off, but it is a management nightmare. The best way to go
with the email is to try and have students keep them short
(they don't need to tell their life story in one email) and ask of
their partner to answer.

Hope this helps. David jump in if you need to.

Susan Gaer

--------------------

I agree with Susan that group letters back and forth are a good
way to go -- perhaps a longish one from each class at first, but
then lots of short ones with questions and answers.  The students'
writing -- their questions and answers, becomes an important part
of the Web pages.  Each group letter might have one or two
questions, e.g.  "In our school we have someone to help us get
jobs, an employment counselor.  She helped Tomas get a job in the
cafeteria at a hospital near our school.  How do you find jobs in
your community?"

Back and forth -- comparison and contrast.  Geographic, cultural,
work, housing, holiday similarities and differences.

David

----------------------

Perhaps some of you who haven't taken the virtual visit plunge yet
-- and those who have -- are wondering what your students might
write to each other about.  Here are some of my thoughts.  I'd
like to hear yours.

David

David J. Rosen

 

    ===================

What could we talk about?

Adult learners -- no matter where they are -- have some
common interests, common problems to solve.  Here are a few:

Finding a job

How many different ways do you know to find a job?

Solving Problems at Work

 Does your boss -- or do other workers -- treat you unfairly?

 When that happens, what do you do?

Dealing with children

Do you have a child who gives you trouble? What kind of trouble?  What do you do?

 

Missing someone or some place

Do you ever miss some special person, or a special place?  What do you do when you feel like that?

Time for yourself

 

Work, family, school, religious and community duties: How do you make time for you?  For what you want and need?"

Last updated 10/29.04 by David J. Rosen