TRECC Helps Naperville Students Meet Peers from around the World
released 06.06.05
Contact
Trish Barker
NCSA Public Information Specialist
tlbarker@ncsa.uiuc.edu
217.265.8013
CHAMPAIGN, IL —
Students at a Naperville, Illinois, junior high school met peers from around the world during a globe-spanning videoconference facilitated 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 May 19, 92 geography students went "Around the World in 24 Hours," connecting with their counterparts in Tehran, Iran; Hamilton, Bermuda; Calgary, Canada; Fukuoka, Japan; Melbourne, Australia; Bangkok, Thailand; and Bandung, India. Discussion among the students ranged from fun and trivial (What fast food restaurants do you have?) to serious and political (What do you think of your government? What things are not tolerated in your community?).
Komlanc was able to save Naperville Community Unit School District 203 thousands of dollars by providing free videoconferencing equipment and user support. Last year, the district used a $50,000 videoconferencing system from a vendor for the "Around the World" event.
According to Komlanc, the videoconferencing system from the Educators' Knowledge Center she manages is available to all educators in Illinois. Since last year the program 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 Educators' Knowledge Center is 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.
