Speaking with a Park Interpreter by Videoconference

We had an exciting time on Tuesday, December 2, 2008 going into Room D with other First Grade students. That was because we were treated to a virtual field trip to one of our California beaches, Crystal Cove State Park. Through the generosity of Los Angeles Unified School District Educational Technology, we were able to check-out equipment to connect by videoconference with a park interpreter at the beach. This was part of the California State Parks PORTS Program, and the unit of study we focused on was on tidepools.

We were treated to a look at some tidepool creatures that call Crystal Cove State Park their home. Some of us connected before with the state park when we were in kindergarten (see: Videoconference with California State Parks), but many of us had not because we came from different kindergarten classes. This time, though, we learned more about how the plants and animals live and depend on the tidepool habitat.

This more than made up for having our Los Angeles Zoo field trip on November 26, 2008 cancelled because of rain.

Videoconference with California State Parks

Yesterday, we had Open House. Many people in our community came into our classroom to see the many things we are learning. Some of them even came in when we were spending some time learning about tide pools during a videoconference with a California State Park interpreter at Crystal Cove State Park. We were able to do this because of the assistance of LAUSD Educational Technology Group loaning the necessary equipment to hold this event.

Did you miss our Open House? Have no worries! That is why we are also sharing our classroom in this way. And below is your chance to see highlights of our videoconference session, which was edited using Windows Movie Maker and uploaded to TeacherTube.

Virtual Field Trip to Museum by Videoconference

On January 30, 2008, we had a special trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), but we never left our school. Instead, we used a videoconferencing unit to connect with Toni Guglielmo through the museum's Distance Learning Program. Toni Guglielmo is the LACMA program coordinator for their distance learning program, and she served as our guide on this day. We learned to look at paintings, and really focused on the various characteristics found in portraits such as emotion. For example, we looked closely at the English artist Thomas Lawrence's Portrait of Arthur Atherley as an Etonian (circa 1791) pictured on the right.

We learned that the boy in the painting was showing how proud he was to be a student at his school. Far in the background you can see his school, Eton. His pride showed in his face as well as by the way he positioned his arms. We all wanted to show our pride in our school, Delevan Drive Elementary School, too. So we also stood up with Toni Guglielmo's guidance and tried to stand as proud as the boy in the portrait. Our arms were positioned just like the arms of Arthur Atherley.

We had a great virtual trip to LACMA, and Toni Guglielmo also provided each of us an Arts for NexGen LACMA free youth membership. We received our membership enrollment forms this past Thursday, February 14, 2008. What a wonderful Valentine's Day gift that the museum provided our class!

Our next classroom videoconference will be just as exciting as we virtually attend a conference just for students called Megaconference Jr. That's this Thursday, February 21, 2008!