“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
― Benjamin Franklin
It is inevitable. The signs are already creeping up to the forefront as we close out the first four days of the 123VC Jazz workshop and are thinking about EVERYTHING we need to do to start another school year on top of all of the family and other personal commitments. That overwhelmed, anxiety ridden feeling of knowing that there is too much to do and not enough time to get it all done. It happens to all of us at one time or another, more or less. When it does happen, try to pause, take a few deep breaths, and remind yourself that it is all right and you are not alone. Tomorrow is another day and we will do what we can to try to do what we know is best and ask for help. Basically, do what you can to apply what you have learned and experienced so far from 123VC Jazz as you now know for a fact that these are resources that will benefit all learners at all levels in many different ways. Not doing that is not just an excuse for mailing it in, but a huge waste of time for yourself and everyone else that you have interacted with during the week.
Today we spent some time comparing and contrasting various video communications models, from using mobile devices to computers to room systems.
Both sites did a 6 word summary of the week for roll call that led in to a powerful, fourth video conferencing collaborative project model with the ASK Process.
After lunch we kicked off some reflection and planning time by reviewing the Changing Education Paradigms video together.
We then moved into our last small group project planning session before closing things out with each group doing a commercial pitch for their project and watching the 2015 123VC Jazz video together.
As you think back on the activities over the last four days, please review the questions below and post a comment.
*How will you share videoconferencing with others? What will you tell them about it?
*How did you grow or change any of your personal perceptions this week?
*What will you do to overcome the challenges you will face that will try to get you off track from applying what you learned over the last four days?
IT IS RECOMMENDED TO WRITE YOUR REFLECTION IN A WORD DOCUMENT & COPY/PASTE TO THE RESPONSE BOX.
123VC! Jazz Reflections 
After this week I am excited to go to go back to my school and dive into the projects we presented. I am a lot more confident in my ability to write and present a VC project.
By: Julie on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:01 pm
I will be sharing this information with my 4th grade team. Explain to them the benefits of using video conference. This is an awesome tool to use in the classroom. Now, I understand the different ways to use video conference in the classroom.
By: Jose on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:02 pm
How will you share videoconferencing with others? What will you tell them about it?
how easy it can be, and how I’d love to work with them on a project. With my friends on campus and in GT. I’ll talk about the sites,
*How did you grow or change any of your personal perceptions this week?
Switching mediums is not as difficult as I thought. There have been many changes in videoconferencing since I first began using it.
*What will you do to overcome the challenges you will face that will try to get you off track from applying what you learned over the last four days?
Stay focused on the plan I put together, plan!!!!, get others get interested too.
By: Jolene Lanier on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:03 pm
I haven’t done any switching mediums yet and am a little nervous to try, but would like to. I am having fun finding ways to connect my class with the world and they are learning to speak more clearly and be less insecure in talking with others. The engagement is high and they are eager to share. My biggest challenge is time and making a place for everything, but it’s about juggling and that’s what we do everyday anyway!
By: Jolene Lanier on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:32 pm
I feel like I can really do this!!!! it does not feel overwhelming or out of my reach. I will be sure to encourage other teachers to attend VC training and use more technology. I will definitely be working with tech specialist on campus and district level in addition to outside resources. Thank you
By: Crystal on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:03 pm
I still have work to do. I will give myself a deadline of Dec. 15th to set up a video conference.
By: Crystal on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:27 pm
*I will take Video Conferencing with baby steps and hopefully others will see how it is not challenging and it can be done, if they see me do it I hope they can follow in my steps.
*To overcome my challenges I will take baby steps and make my technology goals reachable, that way I don’t get discouraged. One goal at a time, one step at a time and I will get far by the end of the year.
By: Rosa on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:04 pm
As I am reading last summer’s post, I am coming back to the sense of taking baby steps. I am committed to video conferencing but this year I am feeling overwhelmed with all the beginning of the year routines that I am trying to stay afloat. I will take baby steps and once again try to commit to my goals and I know that as the year progresses I will be able to accomplish our summer video conferencing goals.
By: Rosa Gomez on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:38 pm
I think I became more open to the idea of video conferencing after seeing all of the applications of it. There is so much I can do with it and now I feel like I have the resources and support to make it work.
By: JR on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:07 pm
I am still loving the idea of video conferences and I am determined to do more than one this year!
By: JR on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:26 pm
I will share what I’ve learned first with my team and then with others as I try to implement it as much as possible. I will tell them that it’s doable. It can be done and it’s not just another thing we have to do. It’s engaging and fun and helps children connect on a global level with others.
My goal is to focus on one VC per month so that I don’t get overwhelmed. That’s easy to do with the beginning of school. But just focusing on one month at a time, I hope to focus my energy and not have fifteen VCs I want to get done, and none of them actually get done.
By: Nicole Unthank on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:07 pm
Again, I want to make a goal to complete one a month. Maybe I should change my goal to be one per grading period.
I will share with my team.
By: Nicole on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:27 pm
I will share with others on my team and let them know what we are doing. I will also connect with my partner to touch on science topics that students need.
I see now the different ideas and connections That I can make with my students across various platforms. I will stand my ground and stick to my plans. As long as I am following our TEKS then we are good to go!
By: Katie Jo on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:07 pm
I totally agree sharing this will grow our students and us as teachers.
By: Natasha R. Williams on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:09 pm
I still think that we need to connect across the curriculum. If we can make cross curricular connections, the need to alter schedules becomes less of a big deal. Everyone and their subject can be covered.
By: Katie Jo on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:26 pm
I am excited about video conferencing. I am a huge fan of them and was involved in a lot the last school year. I believe it is such a powerful tool to use with your students to get them to dive deeper into their curriculum. I will definitely share with my third grade group. I grew because I know how to use the equipment now and the site to go to do my own. As with everything there will be challenges, but we have a wealth of resources to aid us when we get lost or confused and I will be using it!!
By: Natasha R. Williams on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:08 pm
I knew there would be challenges as I stated at the end of this class, but I am still going to incorporate video conferences into my year. All I need to have is the information to sign us up!!!
By: Natasha on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:33 pm
Wow. What an amazing training. I was skeptical at first but now I am excited to present this in the fall for both my choir as well a music classes. I may also look for things for CLC as well. This has opened my eyes to many new presentations.
By: David J on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:08 pm
I will tell my coworkers to sign up for this wonderful 4 day workshop.I am no longer afraid to jump in to videoconferencing. I see how it can be used to enhance my lessons and projects. I will work with those in the district that are well versed in technology. Thanks for a great week.
By: Catherine on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:12 pm
Am eager to share my project with Houston. the children and I completed phase 1. We are preparing to share with the faculty this month. Next week we are doing a video conference with the zoo in Texas on bats. Great stuff!
By: Catherine on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 4:02 pm
*How will you share videoconferencing with others? What will you tell them about it?
I will share my information about this PD during our first week back at school. We always talk about the PD’s we had over the summer.
I will tell them I had one of the best PD’s I’ve had since I have been in Alief!!
*How did you grow or change any of your personal perceptions this week?
I have grown tremendously, I am more tech savvy!!! I can even teach someone some things I have learned.
I *What will you do to overcome the challenges you will face that will try to get you off track from applying what you learned over the last four days?
Become more confident, practice more, keep up with my group members, and don’t be afraid to try!!
By: Demetris on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:14 pm
Wow, that seems like so long ago!!!
Well, I haven’t accomplished everything I have wanted to do, but I have told several co-workers about the awesome experience I had this summer. I will be doing more!!!
By: Demetris on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:33 pm
Such a powerful and useful tool – VIDEOCONFERENCING! I look forward to sharing this form of technology with my peers! Word of mouth and proof – so powerful.
“Technology-wise” I have grown tremendously. I feel more confident about my ability to incorporate technology in my classroom this school year.
In order to overcome any challenges I will face, I will most definitely “HOLLER” (Texas Style) at someone. Ken, Gerard, all of my 123 Buddies from Conference 2015, I will be calling you. Seriously, I will continue to practice using the technology prior to introducing this concept to my students. “Practice makes perfect”!
By: Stephanie on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:14 pm
I will definitely share the list of content providers with other teachers in my campus. We already have the technology and all we need to do now is to find people to connect with.
This week I realized that video conferencing can feel so natural. At first I thought video conferencing in classrooms would feel “staged” but it didn’t feel that way at all.
I think it’s important to keep in touch with people in the conference to keep track. We all need to support each other since we know how easy it is to be bogged down by other stuff during the school year. I am looking forward to the follow-up session to keep me on track.
By: Maria Golucino on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:15 pm
1) I’ve been sharing the opportunities for video conferencing with my campus specialists and will continue to do so throughout the year.
2) I am feeling more confident now about video conferencing because connecting today was such a breeze. It eased some concerns about having to cancel a video conference and disappointing students because you cannot connect.
3) It was great to see everyone today and I’m looking forward to the next follow-up session.
By: Maria Golucino on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:34 pm
I will share the video conferencing with the principal, my peers at school. I’m feel empowered using video conferencing in my classroom. I especially like the collaboration with other teachers outside of my district, the virtual field trips and the resources that are available.
By: Lucinda on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:15 pm
I have shared my video conferencing with my principal and my peers at school. I happy to reconnect with members of the 123 JVC group. I have connected with Stephanie do a video conferencing project, and very motivated in getting this project started.
By: Lucinda on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:30 pm
Videoconferencing is not as difficult as I originally that it would be. I have learned more than I ever would have imagined. I have so much knowledge to bring back to my district. I am excited to use my new skills. I am more confident with my skills. I know that we have Robin at OCS to help and Amy to guide me along the way. Thanks to Amy and Ken for a great workshop. I am thoroughly impressed with what we learned over four days.
By: Denise Lapine on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:18 pm
Excited to present to fellow teachers at Rockwell. Looking into different videoconferences for my first graders. Thanks for all of the help and support.
By: Denise Lapine on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 4:05 pm
The most challenging thing to overcome is time. We were very crunched for time. Those apprehensive feelings were starting to creep back up. It was a gentle reminder that planning and preparation are keys to success.
By: J. Baker on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:19 pm
Time is still a challenge, as well as content, but after hearing about other videoconferencing experiences, I am still motivated.
By: J. Baker on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:32 pm
Glad I came with 3 colleagues. I think it will make it much easier to go back next school year and follow through with many more video conferences in our building. Hoping that the excitement created with this class continues and catches on to others in my building.
I feel that I am much more knowledgeable on different video conferencing techniques and websites. The binder and handouts we were given will be a HUGE help when going back to do future video conferences.
By: Robin Hess on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:19 pm
I have continued enjoying and improving upon my video conference experiences. Since the last time we met I have created a tutorial for my staff that they can use to show them how to do a video conference in case I am not here on the day of a video conference (GASP!) I have also put together a website with video conferencing resources.
I continue to enjoy my discussions and planning with my 1st grade team. I am proud that all 3 of them have a video conference “in the works” during the next month or two.
I look forward to sharing my/our knowledge with the rest of our staff and hope that they too catch the video conference bug 🙂
Today was a nice chance to reconnect with Amy, Ken and the others in our group.
By: Robin Hess on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 4:19 pm
I will incorporate the information from this conference into my class. I will also try to conduct a professional development seminar on videoconferencing.
The conference opened my eyes to the power of video conferencing in teaching and learning. It not only has the potential of making teaching and learning more interesting and meaningful. I will call Aimee to assist me in overcoming challenges to using video conferencing but only after when I am at the end of my rope.
By: denisebuchananshaver on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:21 pm
As a person on the tech committee and one who likes to help others integrate technology into their curriculum and lesson plans I’m very excited to help introduce VC to our campus. There are a plethora of benefits and with the relative ease of being able to connect to anyone around the world the possibilities are endless.
I thought VC was more stagnant than it is. I’ve discovered there are so many ways to introduce activities and play, communicate, share and compete with others than I initially thought of.
I’m a pretty determined person. Once I’ve made up my mind thats it and given the tools I’ve been provided with I’m sure I’m going to implement this into my class even if others are resistant. I’ve learned that when students are learning and their success is evident in other’s classes, teachers will eventually want to come aboard to get the same results! 🙂
By: Miss_Prentis on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:23 pm
It is necessary to STAY the course! You are your own worse enemy, not others; focus on making sure you’re doing what you need to follow-thru on the plan. Your classroom is your domain and your responsibility. Get on it! 🙂
By: Miss_Prentis on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 5:28 pm
Video Conferencing opens a whole new window for student learning
Every student does not need a computer so it is more user friendly
Share with other colleagues the ability to differentiate
Field Trips can now happen in the classroom
By: Amy on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 3:26 pm
I have really enjoyed learning about videoconferencing this past week and look forward to implementing the plans that my team and I made! I am sure it will be wonderful for all of our students!
Thank you for making this such a worthwhile and fun learning experience!
I can’t wait to share about this workshop and will strongly encourage other teachers in our building to attend!
By: Maggie on Thursday, July 23, 2015
at 6:23 pm
I am excited to share about video conferencing with my colleagues here at Rockwell Elementary. I hope to share my class’ Monster Match video conferencing experience.Thanks for the support and help.
By: Maggie on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 4:06 pm
Videoconferencing has taken off for me and my county! I am having a great time and learning a lot! Thanks for giving me the jump start with JAZZ123! My teachers are really enjoying the videoconferences that we are finding together. This was a wonderful opportunity!
By: Melissa on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
at 4:01 pm