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---Spanish teacher from Whitesboro Middle School
Our teleconferencing experience has been wonderful this year. My 7th period class meets with a student (recently emigrated from Mexico) now attending Fowler High School, every other Tuesday or Wednesday. The students take turns talking in Spanish on such topics as; school,family, weather, past-time activities, and favorite things. We usually name a topic a few days before the teleconfence and some possible questions and the students take it from there.
My 9th period class had the opportunity to teleconference with three professors from Barcelona, Spain. The professors were great. They spoke slowly and clearly and used vocabulary that was simple enough for most level one students to understand. They talked about Tourist Sites in Barcelona, teen-age activities in Spain, the weather in Spain, and compared the schools there to our schools here in the U.S. The students seemed to handle the teleconference well considering we only had 2 days to prepare and that our library was very busy and noisy that day. They expressed interest in doing it again.
...It's interesting. I like it because I can get to speak and know other people and I feel good about it. I have learned about video conferencing, audio, and video. I never did this in Mexico so everything is new to me.
I get to practice English when I video conference with Benny, Don, and other Living SchoolBook people. I feel more comfortable and speak better now.
Sam and other technical skills...
The photographs - I like to go to take those photos. I would like to learn how to do a "virtual reality" room with those photos.
The audio clips - I like it because I am learning while I am listening. I am learning about sound programs. I never used them before. I would like to learn how to put everything together.
About LSB computer resources...
I like the Silicon Graphics. When I came from Mexico, I looked for graphics, movies, etc. I knew that the best graphics were made from Silicon Graphics. The first thing, when I saw that computer, I was excited and surprised. I started to look at the software. Just Netscape 2 to get into the Internet, and then, by mistake, I found other things in there like stuff in the control panel. There was a time when I wanted to learn about UNIX systems. But, when I tried to learn about it on my own and from books, I stopped because it was really difficult.
I like the Macintosh because before I came from Mexico, I never even touched a Macintosh, just IBMs. I didn't know how to get around it. I taught myself how the Macintosh worked, then I became very interested. The difficulty is I like IBMs. The compatibility of Macintosh to be able to read IBM discs is good. I like video conferencing. Next year, I would like to continue. I would like to video conference with the school in Canada. It might be interesting. I want to learn how to program Macintoshs.
When the Gateway came, I like it because I like IBMs because the first really fast computer I used at Fowler was an IBM - it has Windows NT. It is a new system for me. I hope to learn how to use new programs that are installed. We could improve this computer with some programs. We are trying to make the Internet safer for this school by looking at Internet Explorer - a browser like Netscape which has a way to block out nasty, or with bad language sites.
I have been very involved this year with an idea I had about using a native Spanish speaking student with an introductory-level Foreign Language group. I noticed that many teens had very poor pronunciation and accent. My best friend is Mexican, and I noticed how my daughter's speaking mimicked hers. So, we hooked Sam up with Elaine's Spanish I Class. The kids were hesitant and timid at first, as was Sam, a young man who had only a few months of being in the U.S. under his belt. As our bi-weekly sessions progressed, the kids began to recognize each other and they were more apt to risk answering without first looking to the teacher for help. Sam's authentic accent was a challenge, but through time, kids appeared to understand him more easily.
Sam is a young man who has a gift for understanding technology. Living in a very poor urban community, cultivating this talent might be an opportunity for Sam to develop a lucrative future. His multi-faceted involvement with LSB projects is allowing him an opportunity of a lifetime. He has learned immeasurably for being on these machines almost daily. His self-esteem and confidence has improved, his speaking is much more understandable and confident. He has learned skills that will be helpful. He has now a part time job in a computer store after school, and still serves as a student and staff mentor, technician, and trouble-shooter.
I had this recent idea of "telementoring." We have a significant ESL population, and very few ethnically and culturally diverse staff. With Dara's help we now have a Taiwanese doctoral candidate that will begin a pen-pal to hopefully "telementoring" - (i.e. teleconferencing with a mentor) who will hook up with one of our South East Asian students.
As the Staff Development Facilitator, I continue to support all projects and to facilitate the use of this technology through training and access. I teleconference regularly with LSB staff and have developed a much greater depth and understanding of how this technology will interface with our "blocked" classes, moving in the direction of new standards of learning.