TRECC Connects Gifted Students with WCIA 'Whys Guy'
released 05.31.05
Contact
Trish Barker
NCSA Public Information Specialist
tlbarker@ncsa.uiuc.edu
217.265.8013
CHAMPAIGN, IL —
Fourth- and fifth-grade pupils from two Champaign elementary schools participated in feats of physics and interacted with a University of Illinois professor, all without leaving their classrooms thanks to videoconferencing technology provided by the Technology Research, Education and Commercialization Center (TRECC). This was just one of several videoconferencing events planned by Nancy Komlanc, TRECC's director of education and training.
On the morning of May 24, University of Illinois physics professor Mats Selen—also known as the 'Whys Guy' who appears every Wednesday on the WCIA Channel 3 morning show—demonstrated fascinating physics concepts at Loomis Lab on the University campus. Pupils in two classrooms at Kenwood and Dr. Howard schools joined Selen via videoconferencing, which enabled them to not only watch the demonstration, but also to ask questions, provide answers, and interact with Selen and one another. When Selen prepared to drop two cans of soda—one of Coke and one of Diet Coke—into a tub of water, he asked the students to hypothesize about which can would sink and why. The students called out their answers, and then watched as the can of Coke sank and the can of Diet Coke floated. Why? Well, the sugar in Coke makes it heavier; the Diet Coke, while less sweet, is more buoyant.
Susan Sheahan, enrichment specialist at Kenwood Elementary, and Debi Stapleton a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Dr. Howard, agreed that videoconferencing opens up valuable educational opportunities for students. By connecting with the University and Selen via videoconferencing, the pupils had the chance to see science—and a scientist—in action, helping their lessons and their potential science aspirations to come alive.
According to Komlanc, the videoconferencing system is available to all educators in Illinois. Since last year she has provided more than 125 Webcams to K-12 teachers and administrators throughout the state. The giveaway is meant to advance educators' technical capabilities, and the Webcams allow for easy, free videoconferencing.
The Webcam giveaway is tied to TRECC's Educators' Knowledge Center, a free, integrated set of online tools for sharing information and resources. Among other things, educators can swap lesson plans, textbook reviews, and ideas for interactive activities. They can collaborate on proposals and projects via a text chat service. They can also videoconference with colleagues in other buildings or other districts, using software and services provided by the Knowledge Center.
TRECC is a program of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, funded by the Office of Naval Research, and administered by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.
