Skype in the Classroom

Skype can break down the classroom walls.  Here are two guest speakers and two virtual field trips that I would love to bring to our school community:

Guest Speakers

Peter Raymundo – Writer and Illustrator of the Third Grade Mermaid chapter book series, published by Scholastic Press. Former Walt Disney animator, having worked on numerous classic movies such as Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo and Stitch, and The Princess and the Frog. It is not only his passion to create books to be enjoyed by young readers, but also to help inspire them to create stories of their own.

BYkids – give a voice to children all over the world by providing kids with the training and tools to make short documentaries about their lives. Renowned filmmakers mentor these young people in the art of filmmaking.  BYkids hopes to awaken the youth’s global citizenry and to activate their ability to tell their own stories.

Virtual Field Trips

Do You See Me Like I See Me?: Cultural Perspectives In Western American Art – High School students will explore how culture, individuality, technique, and place in history influence an artist’s production. Presenters will engage students using artwork from the Whitney Western Art Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West as a tool to introduce students to historical and contemporary reflections of Plains Indian life. We will show European views of Native life, as well as American Indian perspectives of their own experiences.

Debating Yellowstone’s Big Issues – Students apply the dual mandates of the National Park Service — providing for the enjoyment of the people and preserving for future generations — to current challenges facing the park. Students will debate issues such as wolf reintroduction, raging wildfires, and proliferating invasive species.