UPDATES: Read Across Arizona & Read Around the Planet

Read Across Arizona - It's a Wrap!!!

Last Thursday, Maricopa Elementary School's Kelly Tassone and her First Grade class bussed to the High School Distance Learning Lab and met with their partner from Copper Basin School of the Florence Unified School District. This conference was rescheduled several times as Copper Basin's ITv classroom was installed late 2006 but final steps were not completed until as late as two weeks ago! Ms Tassone's students presented an energetic rendition of 'The Gingerbread Man', read by one of three parents who also attended the event!

Read Around the Planet - Just Getting Started!!!

Registration was completed this past Friday. We registered 17 teachers who will conduct 19 conferences! RAP will now match our teachers to classrooms around the country (and potentially from around the world)! In February, our teachers will 'meet' their partners via email and begin to plan and rehearse for their big day!

This year we have a great variety of classes spanning Kindergarten through High School. We also reflect a variety of expertise.

Several participated in Read Across America last March; Several particpated in 10 hours Professional Development - integrating ITv into their curriculum- last Spring, by Jack Wallbrecht and myself, as representatives of the Pinal County ITv Consortium; a few participated in Read Across Arizona this past November; several are new to videoconferencing! How exciting is this? VERY!!! We are both continue to serve our experienced ITv teachers AND engage those who have never used it!