<<< Press Room Students Connect to the World without Leaving the Classroom No St. Clair County school district could afford to take their students on a field trip to Austrailia or Taiwan. May 10, 2006 - Thanks largely to the efforts of the St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency, all county schools now have the ability to take their students to different worlds without ever leaving their classrooms. The agency, which has been working on the effort for several years, last month was one of a few school groups nationwide to be have their work recognized. For its roles in the 2004 and 2005 Megaconference Junior video-conferencing events - which annually connects secondary-school classrooms around the world using Internet technology - the local agency won the inaugural IDEA Award. The award was presented April 21 by Internet2, a consortium of more than 200 universities that works with industry and government to develop and establish advanced network applications and technologies. The award is more proof that local students are benefiting from exploring different cultures from their desks, school officials said. "How else are you going to be able to bring the world into a classroom?" said Terry Harrington, RESA's assistant director of technology. Megaconference Having won an award for its megaconference work, the RESA again will come to the table May 18 to show off its work. About three St. Clair County schools will tune in, along with schools at 227 sites all over the globe, to see a series of short presentations scheduled throughout the day. The presentations will include a medieval Spanish dance, a discussion by Taiwanese students about their culture and a nanotechnology presentation by Australian math and science scholars. The event is designed to bring people oceans apart together, encourage future school collaborations and promote cultural exposure, said Sue Rutkofske, RESA education technology project manager. Chelsea DuPree, 15, a Port Huron Northern High School sophomore, sang about the Great Lakes for the event with her geography class last year. She and her classmates were able to answer questions posed from faraway places, she said. "It was all right," she said. The conference fits will with the agency's efforts to increase the use of Internet and technology to supplement or enhance curriculum, Rutkofske said. Everyday efforts While the megaconference is a highlight of the video-conferencing technology, local classrooms use it on a regular basis during the school year. On Friday, a Port Huron Northern High School class was able to speak with St. Clair County District Court Judge Cynthia Platzer without them leaving the classroom or the judge leaving her courtroom. Earlier this year, 90 county students were able to tune in and interact with a surgical team as they performed open-heart surgery. "How else would they be able to observe something like that?" Harrington said. Kelly Robbins, a fourth-grade teacher at Eddy Elementary School in St. Clair, said she tries to arrange videoconference presentations whenever she can. Her students were able to work on an experiment this year about matter and sound with a scientist from COSI Toledo - a hands-on science museum in that Ohio city. Robbins has also arranged for elementary school students to see manatees at the Columbus Zoo as well as speak with the zookeeper. The students also have interacted with classrooms in Texas and on the west side of Michigan. "It was so neat to listen to them ask questions about Texas," Robbins said. "It's funny to hear them discover similarities and differences." Broad reaches Since the conferencing technology was installed several years ago, about 9,000 students in St. Clair County have taken part in a video conference. There are also about 10 classrooms that video conference with other schools to pick up classes not offered in their district. "It's like a big classroom," said Chris Gaul, 14, a freshman at Port Huron Northern High School who shares his German class with another classroom outside the district. With a small sound delay, the students are able to ask Chris' teacher questions and actively participate in the lessons. "It lets you see what its like at the other classrooms," Chris said. Contact Danielle Quisenberry at (810) 989-6274 or dquisenberry@gannett.com. <<< Press Room