Virtual Visits with the New York Hall of Science

Does your school have a Tandberg or Polycom unit but you don’t feel tech savy in using it? Starting this summer we will be offering free 30 minute professional development presentations on videoconferencing. We will cover topics dealing with our pedagogy on our “Virtual Visits”, different programs offered, ease in operating, and a Q&A session.

Are you interested in doing videoconferencing with your students but don’t have the expensive equipment. Well, you are in luck as! We will be also doing the same professional development presentations via an internet based application called Safari Montage Live. See how you can have Virtual Visit programs in your classroom with simple inexpensive equipment.

*For more information about booking, email anegron@nyscience.org

Read about our how our recent multiple Virtual Visits with the Woodhull Intermediate School went from the perspective of the school and other participants.

*Click here for full story.

Our Virtual Visit Unit Mathematica: Beyond Numbers is a two connection program. The first connection is where the students are led around the museum floor and engaged in multiple activities dealing with Math outside of numbers and formulas. The post connection allows for students to present their projects dealing with creating a game show where probability is involved. Students can choose whatever style of presentation their group desires. I have seen presentations in the form of video podcasts, skits, and formal powerpoint presentations.

Recently the Woodhull Intermediate School in Huntington New York wrapped up their post connection projects presentations and wow, there were some really good game show ideas. Most of the students took the opportunity to perform a short skit of their game show which they all did a fantastic job. Ideas ranged from a futuristic American Gladiators show to a cross between Wheel of Fortune and Deal or No Deal. Overall, the students had a fun time doing their presentations and hearing what their peers had come up with.

Based on the results from many experiments dealing with fiber analysis and blood sampling to name a few, a team of forensic scientists at PS 279 in the Bronx have finally found their culprit. This team have been working extremely hard for the past couple of weeks in making sure that the case of the jewel heist does not go unsolved.

Despite there not being a real jewel heist or team of forensic scientists, the students at PS 279 have been working with the Digital Learning Department for the past 12 weeks on this scientific roleplay situation. The program being taught at the school was one of our CSIT scenario’s dealing with Living Environment. The participating students worked in teams to perform various experiments and analysis that a real forensic scientist would do. Some of the feedback received by the students on the culminating day was that “there Monday’s are never going to be the same”.

Christmas came very early for our Digital Learning Department. We recently received our order of wireless headsets that we can now use while doing Virtual Visits via Safari Montage Live! For those who have never heard and/or used Safari Montage Live!, it is a internet based application that allows schools who don’t have Tandberg or Polycom systems to convert their desktop to a videoconferencing system.

We were recently able to put them in use for an Illustrious Illusions:Secrets Revealed Virtual Visit for a school in the Bronx. Previously we had to book these programs at a certain time when the museum floor was empty but now we can do them at whatever times works best for the school!

*Post a comment sharing your experience or questions about Safari Montage Live!

Over the past month or two, I have been instructing programs for Woodhull Intermediate School in Huntington New York. I had five Mathematica:Beyond Numbers and six Sports Challenges for their fifth and fourth grade classes respectively. Christine Amodeo, the School Media Specialist, has given me some really positive feedback from not only herself but all of the participating students. The students enjoyed the hands-on approach that all of our programs have to offer. As you can see in the picture below, even the visitors at the museum enjoy themselves during our Virtual Visits. I am really looking forward to hearing and seeing their post connection projects.Ill keep you updated on how they go!