March 9, 2012 - 9:30 – 10:20 AM CT, 10:30 – 11:20 AM CT, & 11:30 AM – 12:20 PM CT

Audience: Grades 9th- college sophomores

The Education Department of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum will be hosting three free videoconferences entitled, “The Biography: Writing Techniques by James McGrath Morris, Biographical Author”. This Distance Learning program is a collaboration with the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference and provides an opportunity to enter the national student essay contest by participating in these programs. This event and contest is for grades 9th – college sophomores. Join us in an interactive presentation by James McGrath Morris.

Here is the registration form: The Biography: Writing Techniques, March 9, 2012

Please note: In order to be considered an “interactive” site, you must choose the videoconference option and you must submit up to 5 questions on the registration form by February 29, 2012. Have your questions ready before filling out the registration form. All interactive sites will be notified of their questions chosen by March 5, 2012.

If you have any questions, please contact Kim Taylor, IVC Facilitator at Education Service Center Region VI.

February 21, 2012 - 9:00-9:50 AM

Audience: Middle School and High School Students

Region 7 will be connecting with representatives from Stephen F Austin’s Agriculture program on February 21, 2012 from 9:00am-9:50am. We’ll explore education requirements, career opportunities, recommendations for preparing in high school for this field, and give students the opportunity to ask questions to our guests. This is a FREE videoconference opportunity for schools who are a part of their local ESC videoconference service agreement.

We’ll explore education requirements, career opportunities, recommendations for preparing in high school for this field, and give students the opportunity to ask questions to our guests. This is a FREE videoconference opportunity for schools who are a part of their local ESC videoconference service agreement.

To register for this program click here.

Additional information can be found on the Region 7 website by clicking here.

February 28, 2012 - 10:30 – 11:30 AM CT & 12:00 – 1:00 PM CT

Audience: grades 3-8

The Education Department of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum will be hosting two free videoconferences entitled, “FORGOTTEN HEROES – THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS.” This storytelling event is for grades 3-8. Join us in an interactive presentation that features the legacy and history of the African American Cavalry and Infantry Regiment. The “Texas Story” is an important historical record of the 9th Calvary and 24th and 25th Infantry. Registration will close February 27, 2012.

To register please click the following link.

FORGOTTEN HEROES-THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS

Please note: In order to be considered an “interactive” site, you must choose the videoconference option and you must submit up to 5 questions on the registration form by February 21, 2012. Have your questions ready before filling out the registration form. All interactive sites will be notified of their questions chosen by February 24, 2012.

If you have any questions, please contact Kimberly Taylor, Distance Learning Content Administrator at Education Service Center Region VI.

Winners of the 1st Annual TETN Team Challenge

I am working with two Baylor alumni as they travel around the world. The program is called The Global Encounter Experience* and it is AMAZING! The two guys, Toby and David, are literally traveling around the world starting in New Zealand and will visit places like China, Vietnam, Nepal, Egypt, Cambodia, and many more. We are virtually traveling along with them using technology. We communicate through live webcasts, pre-recorded videos, e-mail, discussion forums, and even online polls (such as this week's poll -"What random act of kindness can Toby and David provide while in New Zealand?").

We are also sharing our experience with other schools. We will be working closely with a school in New Jersey as we see and experience the different countries. Using Skype we will be discussing the experience and what we have learned. There are also many other schools participating. Schools in Taiwan, England, and others such as patients at Cook's Children's Hospital are following along as well.

We have a workbook and online program that we are using as the curriculum for this project. The program, itself, naturally lends itself to multisensory instruction and is literally allowing us to tear down the walls of the classroom and giving students access to THE WORLD!

Because the guys will only be traveling for a year (they left December 31st and will return on December 30th), the clock is ticking. The hope is that The Global Encounter Experience* will give students an opportunity to use critical thinking and real world problem solving skills while gaining cultural awareness. We also hope that they will experience empathy for others as we visit orphanages in Nepal and other countries that are less fortunate than us. I believe that many students will be forever changed because of this experience.

This is such an amazing experience and I know that other schools can benefit from this program as well. The only cost to follow along is the cost for the workbooks and that is simply because they have to pay to have them printed. However, if you just want to follow them using the website and no workbooks, there is not cost at all. However, the workbooks are amazing and our kids LOVE them. Also, purchasing the workbooks allow your students access to several educational videos and discussion forums with Toby and David.

The website is www.global-encounter.com and my blog is at www.bisdizone.blogspot.com if you would like to see how I am using this in my classroom. The news segment that Channel 6 did is on my blog as well. You can also see their itinerary on their website so you will know which places will be visited.

Andi McNair

Bosqueville Elementary

Waco, Texas

Live from Dublin, Texas...Five Web tools, five ways to help your community! Join Cindi from the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame as she visits with Dublin High School students on-site at Old Doc's Soda Shop and Dublin Bottling Works. Learn how the students researched, produced, created, problem solved and published digital content to support their local cultural treasures. The Dublin students would like to teach your students how they use Web 2.0 and social media tools, create video podcasts about museum artifacts, and produce QR codes for tourists and visitors to access. Learn how you can make a difference and apply your curriculum content to your local community just like they did!

This conference will include real-time interaction elements. Students will get the most out of this program if they have access to laptops, cell phones, or other Internet-enabled device. (Recommended but not required)

Hosts: Dublin High School, Connect2Texas content provider National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame and ESC Region XI

Date: Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Times: 10:30-11:30 AM and 1:30-2:30 PM

Audience: Grades 7-12

Cost: Free

Register: Register with the host here:

10:30 session

1:30 session

Request Interaction: If you would like for your site to be considered as an interactive site, please complete this form.

Back channel: If your site would like to ask questions during the conference, they can be posted on our back channels. Click here for the back channel session at 10:30 and here for the back channel session at 1:30.

Deadline: Register by Feb. 10. Interactive sites will be notified on or by Feb. 13.

Please email questions and feedback to JoAnn Roe, Educational Consultant, Educational Technology Department, Education Service Center Region XI.

Don't miss this exciting opportunity on May 3, 2012 from 6am EDT to 6:00pm EDT (UTC -4) to interact with schools from around the world. The schedule of VJ Teams and content themes is now posted on the website. This is your students' chance to interact with VJ teams as an interactive presenting site around a particular content theme in front of a live global audience!

This year's VJ Teams and content themes are:

• Exotic Presentations from Asia to America, led by National Dali High School, Taiwan - for students ages 12+

• 2012 Olympic Games, led by Carpenter's Primary School, UK - for students ages 5-14

• Here, There and Everywhere, led by Clyst St. Mary's Primary School, UK - for students ages 9-11

• Student Collaborations: Creating World Music, led by Bolles School, Florida, USA - for students ages 12-17

• Wonders!, led by Burghill School, Hereford, UK - for ages 9-13

• E-medica, Ways To Learn Together, led by Secondary Medical School, Split, Croatia - for ages 12+

• Improving the Health of our Waterways, led by Pennsylvania, USA - for ages 5-18

• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, led by Weaver Lake, Minnesota, USA - for ages 9-11 and more from Australia, New Zealand and other areas of the world!!!

How to Register to Be a General Participant Site: Just one easy step!!

1. Please go to: http://www.megaconferencejr.org and create your account to register as a general participant site or login with your existing account. (Note: If you registered last year, you may login using your username and password from last year. However please be sure to update your information by clicking on the links at the top of the form.)

How to Submit an Interactive Presentation Proposal

1. Please register for Megaconference Jr at http://www.megaconferencejr.org (see paragraph above).

2. Review the posted schedule using the "Schedule 2012" tab. All times are listed as UTC -4. To see what your local presenting time would be please use the Time Zone Converter at: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

3. If you would like to be an interactive site with one of the VJ teams and give a presentation related to that theme, go to the "Interactive Proposal Submission Form" tab at the top of the Megaconference Jr. website. Complete the form by selecting the VJ session of your choice under the "VJ Team" pull-down menu. When you have completed the other required fields, click "Submit". You will be notified of acceptance of your presentation by March 10, 2012. ** There are a limited number of interactive spots for each content theme time block so be sure to sign up your school to get involved ASAP. **

How to Be a View Only Site

Sites do not need to register if they only want to view the live webstream on the day of the event. Details on how to view the live stream will be posted closer to May 3, 2012.

Timeline:

General Registration Opens and Call for Interactive Proposals - January 18, 2012

Deadline for Interactive Proposals - March 3, 2012

Notification of Proposal Acceptance - March 10, 2012

General Registration Closes - April 5, 2012

Testing and Rehearsals - January through April

Also, be sure to sign up for the Megaconference Jr. list-serv at to stay tuned for all the most recent announcements about this year's event. To subscribe, go to: http://www.megaconferencejr.org/content/contact-information

Numerous events can cause network disruptions, but none are more severe or abrupt than an optical fiber cut. Optical fiber is a flexible fiber made of glass that uses light to transport high bandwidth network data over long distances. Telecommunications networks, like TETN, aggregate or combine data from several customers onto a single fiber pair for transport to the Internet or Internet2.

Optical fiber may be aerial, connected from pole-to-pole, or buried in the ground. There are various reasons that fiber cuts occur, from squirrels chewing through aerial cable to gunfire (http://blog.level3.com/2011/08/04/the-10-most-bizarre-and-annoying-causes-of-fiber-cuts/). Both of which, incidentally, have occurred to sections of fiber on TETN’s network.

By far the most common cause is construction crews digging with something similar to a backhoe. The crews normally “call before they dig (http://www.texas811.org/)” to make sure it’s safe. For those occasions when they don’t call or the buried fiber location isn’t documented properly the result is a broken fibers connection like the one below.

Crews, normally from that fiber paths owner, are dispatched out to locate and repair the break. The picture above is a recent fiber break that effected a TETN connection near TAMU. A temporary splice was put in place until a permanent fix could be arranged.

TETN works to establish redundant network paths to mitigate this risk of fiber cuts such as these. But as long as there are construction sites near fiber pathways and ravenous squirrels, fiber cuts will continue to be an issue.

Contributed by Lee Williams, TETN Network Engineer

February 28, 2012  8AM – 10AM CST & 11AM - 1PM CST

Audience: Students Grades 6-12

They were the first African American aviators in the United States Armed Forces. These brave men overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen’s achievements, together with the men and women who supported them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. Military. 

In January, Lucas Films, will premiere its highly anticipated movie Red Tails, an epic story about these heroic pilots who despite tremendous adversity flew with distinction and gained the admiration and respect of the bomber squadrons they were bound to protect. 

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in conjunction with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and the Penn Hills School District will present a panel consisting of national and local historians and several members of the Tuskegee Airmen.  Help us close out African American History Month with an engaging presentation and discussion about this inspiring group of aviators. February 28, 2012 from 9AM – 11AM EST and 12PM - 2PM EST. 

To register for the live webcast, please visit the online registration form at http://tuskegee.pennhillswiki.com/Registration

This post's content is from http://tuskegee.pennhillswiki.com. For more information visit the Penn Hills High School wiki.

January 13, 2011 - 9:00-9:45 CST

Audience: Grades 3-5

Who was a father, a minister, an advisor to Presidents, and a Civil Rights leader? Martin Luther King, Jr., of course! We celebrate his legacy every January on Martin Luther King Day. In this program students will learn about King's important role in America's Civil Rights Movement by analyzing photographs and documents held at the National Archives.

To register click here.  For more information, contact Lori Hamm-Neckar, Distance Learning Technician at Region Eleven Telecommunications Network (RETN)