Over the Back Fence
Update November 2013
The Over the Back Fence (OtBF) project continues to grow. We are aware of the need to provide regular updates to a growing audience of people interested in this project. The Kick the Can Over the Back Fence e-mail news is distributed to about 100 participating schools, teachers and other connected people. It is felt that that information could also be made available, along with stories, pictures and other useful information, for the students and communities involved in our programme. We encourage members of the OtBF community to contribute stories, photographs and help spread the word about good things that OtBF is accomplishing.
UPDATES:
New Zealand: The 2013 school year is winding down. The OtBF senior students (Years 11-12-13 (15-18 years of age) are on study leave preparing for their external national examinations. To maintain the continuity of weekly lessons, we have been meeting with classrooms and also promoting exchanges between those classrooms both here in New Zealand and overseas.
On November 6 we hosted a 'secret' location Skype between students in Tauriko (Tauranga, NZ) and Ware (Central Massachussets). The students had to ask questions to try and help determine where the other students were. The students in Ware scored high marks by asking the question "What highway is your school located on?" This quickly led to the discovery of Tauriko School. The "q and a" finished up with Tauriko and Ware students exchanging PowerPoint slide shows about their respective locations. The students at Ware have also participated in another great lesson provided by the students at Reporoa School. The Reporoa students broadcast their own lesson on healthy exercise to Ware, Rutaki and Rosmini students.
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| Students across three countries share lessons |
Note: Due to summer holidays, New Zealand based lessons (unless by arrangement) will end on the 29th of November.
We plan to start meeting with classes again from February 17, 2014.
2014 Schedule: (Note all these are New Zealand times)
• Tuesdays 9:15, 9:25, 9:35
• Wednesdays 10:00, 10:10, 10:20, 10:30, 1:40, 1:50, 2:00
• Thursdays 2:25, 2:35, 2:45
• Fridays 9:15, 9:25, 9:35
We are also working on an additional schedule (yet to be confirmed).
• Monday 9:15, 9:25, 9:35, 11:20, 11:30, 11:40, 12:10, 12:20, 12:30, 12.40
• Tuesday 2:25, 2:35, 2:45
• Thursday 9:15, 9:25, 9:35
(Note: Discussion with another NZ secondary school about co-hosting OtBF may open up other lesson times. Stay tuned.)
If your school/classroom, or you know of another classroom that might be interested in participating in OtBF select one of the above times (make sure you check the time differences) and then send an email to: G. Wood at Rosmini College.
Thanks to our 2013 New Zealand classrooms in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, King Country, Taranaki, and Wairarapa for making 2013 a wonderful OtBF year. The programme continues to grow and become more refined as we find out how to work together, blending the variables of students and technology. Many thank you's to the teachers who have made it through or are still working through the connectivity upgrades.
2014 Goal: By October, OtBF will be connected with 30 schools throughout New Zealand and work in partnership with at least one other secondary school to develop a second OtBF Hub.
Cook Islands:
OtBF is continuing to grow in the Cook Islands. Our first Cook Island OtBF teacher, Ms. Kristina Crouch was a teacher and Deputy-Principal at Rutaki School is now working with the Cook Island Ministry of Education as Principal of Te Kura Uira developing connectivity between classrooms on islands spread across the huge distances that make up this island nation. Kristina's mission will provide students access to educational resources, expertise and opportunities. We are currently planning to link 30+ junior high school age students from four different outer island schools with Rosmini College students and lessons on a regular schedule. With Kristina's departure for the CI MoE, Rutaki School continues to link with OtBF.
Far away from Rutaki (Rarotonga) is Omoka School (omoka.simplesite.com/). Situated on the northern island of Penryhn the Omoka School children have been connecting with Rosmini twice a week. Omoka students are also participating in an environmental health focused Wiki based inquiry project with Year 8 students in Fiji, Melbourne (Holy Family School) and at Rosmini. The students at Omoka have been looking closely at the effect of rubbish, particularly plastics, on their island environment. Activities have included a beach clean up that netted over 30 kg's of waste. An inventory of the 2,100 items retrieved off the Penrhyn beaches found that about 60% of the waste was plastics. In October Omoka students joined fellow water pollution group students at Rosmini and Nabua Sanatan (Fiji) to listen to Ms. Emily Penn
Far away from Rutaki (Rarotonga) is Omoka School (omoka.simplesite.com/). Situated on the northern island of Penryhn the Omoka School children have been connecting with Rosmini twice a week. Omoka students are also participating in an environmental health focused Wiki based inquiry project with Year 8 students in Fiji, Melbourne (Holy Family School) and at Rosmini. The students at Omoka have been looking closely at the effect of rubbish, particularly plastics, on their island environment. Activities have included a beach clean up that netted over 30 kg's of waste. An inventory of the 2,100 items retrieved off the Penrhyn beaches found that about 60% of the waste was plastics. In October Omoka students joined fellow water pollution group students at Rosmini and Nabua Sanatan (Fiji) to listen to Ms. Emily Penn  |
| Emily Penn Skyping with students in Fiji, Cook Islands and New Zealand (October 2013) |
2014 Goal: By October, OtBF will be connected with 10 schools in the Cook Islands.
Fiji:
OtBF has also developed a regular lesson schedule with the Nabua Sanatan School in Suva. Nabua Sanatan is a one laptop per student school. It has been heartening and most interesting to observe Nabua Sanatan students overcome the challenges associated with setting up this type of project and then connecting with us. It has been very evident over the past six months that the Nabua Sanatan students have grown in confidence and skill. Nabua Sanatan students have also presented two excellent lessons to some OtBF schools in New Zealand and are active participants in the environmental health inquiry project.
2014 Goal: By October, OtBF will be connected with 5 schools in Fiji.
Other Pacific Nations:
2014 Goal: By October, OtBF will be connected with 2 schools each in Tonga, Samoa and at least two other Pacific nations.
Australia:
OtBF has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the Silverton Primary School (www.silverton-ps.vic.edu.au/), Noble Park, Melbourne. Each week a group of enthused students under the tutorship of Ms. Nicola Tyme have joined our OtBF lessons and reported that information on to their classmates in the weekly year-level assembly. Silverton School is fortunate to have excellent UFB capacity and each week our link reminds us of what will be possible as connectivity improves for schools.
Just to the east of Noble Park is Doveton, located on the eastern border of Dandenong. At Holy Family School (www.hfdoveton.catholic.edu.au/). Ms. Julie Fedderson's students have been part of the OtBF group since July and are also partners in the environmental health inquiry project.
Several Australian secondary schools have expressed possible interest to be part of the OtBF partnership.2014 Goal: By October, OtBF will be connected with 5 schools in Fiji.
Other Pacific Nations:
2014 Goal: By October, OtBF will be connected with 2 schools each in Tonga, Samoa and at least two other Pacific nations.
Australia:
OtBF has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the Silverton Primary School (www.silverton-ps.vic.edu.au/), Noble Park, Melbourne. Each week a group of enthused students under the tutorship of Ms. Nicola Tyme have joined our OtBF lessons and reported that information on to their classmates in the weekly year-level assembly. Silverton School is fortunate to have excellent UFB capacity and each week our link reminds us of what will be possible as connectivity improves for schools.
Just to the east of Noble Park is Doveton, located on the eastern border of Dandenong. At Holy Family School (www.hfdoveton.catholic.edu.au/). Ms. Julie Fedderson's students have been part of the OtBF group since July and are also partners in the environmental health inquiry project.
Noble Park and Dandenong are located east of downtown Melbourne.
2014 Goal: By October, OtBF will be connected with 10 schools in Australia and be working with at least two secondary schools to broadcast lessons.
India:
We have recently been working with the Rayat International School (http://rayatschool.com/gallery/?albumID=32) located in Bharthla, Rail, Punjab. Students will share their project findings on November 20. Discussion has also been taking place to help set up another OtBF hub at Rayat International School, serving schools in that region.
Map: Rayat International School is located in the eastern province of Rupnagar, North of Dehli.
2014 Goal: By October, OtBF will be working with at least two Indian secondary schools to deliver OtBF lessons.
USA:
Ms. Jodie Deinhamer's students at Coppell High School (www.coppellisd.com/chs), Dallas Texas have been busy extending OtBF through their Health without Borders project (See: iTune Health Without Borders, or see Skype in the classroom -- Health without Borders.)
Coppell is located in the top centre of this map of Dallas/Fort Worth area
Since August OtBF has also hosted a weekly lesson with four delightful home schooled students located in Ware Massachusetts. These students (given a little more flexibility in their connection schedule) have met OtBF students at Rutaki, Omoka, Uruti, Tauriko, and participated in lessons provided by the Rosmini College OtBF students. We have all learned a lot about living in the New England rural areas, and look forward to a long-term relationship.
Ware, Massachusett's can be located on this map in central Massachussets.2014 Goal: By October, OtBF will be connected with five U.S. schools and have at least two high schools involved in the broadcast of Health without Borders or OtBF lessons.
Finland:
Kuoppanummen Koulukeska is the high school located in Nummela (west of Helsinki) Finland.
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| Nummela-Rosmini College students link |
2014 Goal: By October, OtBF will be working with two Finnish schools.
Other:
• OtBF HUB partnerships are being developed.
2014 Goal: By October, OtBF will be working with OtBF Hubs in Africa, Asia, and Europe to, if need, provide OtBF lessons 24 hours a day.
• U-Learn Conference, Hamilton New Zealand, October 2013
Using Skype in Your Classroom to Promote Thinking and Collaboration Across
the Globe
Presentors, Geoff. Wood, HoD-Health--Rosmini College,
Takapuna, Auckland.
Kirstina Crouch, Principal of Te Kura Uira, Ministry of
Education, Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
Jodie
Deinhamer, Senior Teacher, Coppell High School, Dallas, Texas.
Pirjo Levaniemi, Lead Teacher--Kuoppanummen
Koulukeska, Finland.
Lawrence
Bruya, Professor Emeritis, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
were linked by Skype to discuss how they use Skype of connect their students with other students around the world. The illustrate the resource students in: Massachusett's; Reno, Nevada (at a conference); and Melbourne, Australia joined the presentation and shared their feelings about using this resource.The next day, conference attendees heard an update on OtBF from Geoff Wood and Ms Rachel Roberts who linked OtBF to the Virtual Learning Network ( http://primary.vln.school.nz/). In the next session Jodie Deinhamer (and Coppell High School students), Kristina Crouch and Geoff Wood shared a their vision for 2014 and beyond.
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