Overseas Learning at Home; BNL Students Participate in Live Video

By Carly Nation, Bedford Times-Mail (Indiana)

3/11/06

London instructor Mike Griffith discussed the holocaust with some Bedford North Lawrence High School students Friday, and he didn't even have to make a flight to the U.S.

Before holding up a book about Auschwitz, Griffith showed students some pictures of his hometown. He also sat in front of a skyline of London, so students could visualize from where he was speaking.

Griffith and the students were interacting via a videoconference with technology that is somewhat new to the North Lawrence Community Schools system.

“This is the fifth or sixth session of this type in the school system,” said Nathan Lowery, BNL computer technician. “But this is the first one we've tried to do on this scale.”

When literary interpretation teacher Brian Hawkins wanted a guest speaker, he started his search in Bloomington. But after some of those opportunities fell through, he decided to look at the school's videoconference option.

“We have all of these providers, and I found a program that matched with what we were talking about,” Hawkins said.

The program was through a United Kingdom provider, Global-Leap Lessons. And, Hawkins found a European teacher discussing the holocaust aided in the lesson.

Student Katy Schulenburg said hearing Griffith's discussion gave the topic a little more validity in her mind. And, she enjoyed the videoconference because he was “in person.”

“I definitely think it made it a little more interesting and engaging,” Hawkins said.

The class, which is a dual credit course through Indiana University, is currently reading and discussing the book “The Devil's Arithmetic” by Jane Yolen. The book discusses aspects of the holocaust.

Student teacher Will Ganz said the videoconference helped make the lesson more personal for students and offers a new type of learning.

“I think doing this type of conference breaks a lot of barriers in learning,” he said. “This guy - this is his specialty. Can you imagine bringing in someone like that to the school?”

The conference cost $150, which Lowery said will be paid out of the student technology fees.