Batavia Students ‘Travel’ to Budapest via Virtual Author Visit

• Editor's note: This Friday Feature is courtesy of School District 101. To see other Friday Features, visit the School District website and/or subscribe to the excellent BPS messenger email news and notification system.

Though his audience of more than 70 fifth graders was uncharacteristically silent, Derby knew everyone was fully engaged; anticipating the unpredictable antics of his lead character; and patiently awaiting the opportunity to connect and collaborate.

Connect and collaborate they did - even with oceans and continents between them.

The fifth graders’ literary adventure took them from Batavia to Budapest without leaving Alice Gustafson School, using the videoconferencing services and associated technology available via Google Hangouts.

“The best part was the whole idea of ‘hanging out’ with this popular author from Hungary.  Technology gave the students the opportunity to directly speak to an author 4,834 miles away with a 7 hour time difference,” said fifth grade teacher, Larke Curnock who organized the virtual visit.

According to Angie Sutherland, Instructional Technologist at Batavia Public Schools, Derby’s virtual visit is just one example of how the effective use of technology is making an impact in the classroom.

“Teachers in our district are utilizing technology to give their students exceptional experiences and learning opportunities. They’re opening doors for their students and providing opportunities that are unimaginable otherwise,” Sutherland explained.

For Derby to make an in-person visit to a classroom would have cost one thousand dollars, plus travel costs, which was out of the school’s price range.  So he hosted a Google Hangout for the students at a fraction of the cost.

“The great thing about it is that for one hundred dollars he not only gave us a wonderful learning experience for the kids, but he allowed us to record it and then share that link with families and parents who wanted to experience that same thing with their kids but couldn’t be there,” Sutherland said.

The virtual field trip with Derby extended learning opportunities beyond the walls of the classroom and personally connected the students with the literary expert.

“The Google Hangout was a perfect venue for the visit and much better than Skype,” Derby said. “I love Google Apps, YouTube, and cloud computing, and my students and I use it every day.”

The proper application of these solutions enabled Derby to receive feedback in the moment; without major technical glitches or lag.

“It was almost like he was there in person.  He provided them with that real-time feedback and answers to their questions,” Sutherland said.  “It really helped that he engaged them. He didn’t speak at them, he spoke with them.”

And while the virtual visit took place using the latest technology, the initial connection that would eventually set the wheels for the visit into motion happened years ago using much simpler methods.

“The fifth grade class five years ago loved the book, The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of School, so much that we wrote to Ken Derby in Hungary.  He responded to them warmly by sending them bookmarks and exchanging letters. I have been in touch with him ever since,” Curnock said.

So when Derby began conducting virtual author visits with classes around the world, Alice Gustafson School was fortunate to be one of the schools to participate.  During the visit, Derby gave the student’s an insider’s view of the publishing industry and taught them valuable life lessons.

“He showed us a manuscript that he sent to his publisher; and how they edited it, and asked him to revise and edit it some more,” Curnock explained. “It taught them that perseverance and hard work pays off; and to never get discouraged if you really want something.”

By drawing parallels between his professional writing assignments and the assignments students complete in school, Derby also demystified his world as a writer and made it more accessible and relatable to the students.

“It was such a wonderful experience for the students.  It taught them that authors are real people and that it is hard work, but worth it,” Curnock said.

Sutherland agrees.

“The chance to connect with an expert is very motivational for kids. They can see the expert as a real person and say, ‘I could become them.’ I think a lot of times our role models are put up on such pedestals that they seem unreachable.  This experience brings them down to the kids’ level and the students have the ability to see that anything is possible.”

In the week’s leading up to the videoconference, everyone collaborated to help prepare for Derby’s visit.

“He sent us some tips to make this a really positive experience for the kids and then we connected with him to get the details straight,” said Sutherland.  “And then the fifth grade teachers and I worked on practicing with Google Hangouts because they wanted to be comfortable with event.”

Curnock, along with Nichole Woodruff and Kristy Vanderloon collaborated with Sutherland; played with screen sharing, chatting and other features that would make it a really rich experience.

This collaboration demonstrates that teachers aren’t just learning about technology and its application in the classroom, they are putting their knowledge into action and taking students along on the journey.

And Sutherland is more than happy to go along for the ride.

“My job is so fantastic,” said Sutherland. “I get to be involved in all of these exciting opportunities; and work with the students and the teachers; and really see their learning happening.”

And their learning went beyond reading Derby’s books.

“They prepared for the visit by thinking of questions to ask beforehand, practicing how to speak clearly, and learning proper videoconferencing etiquette.  I just think they were phenomenal,” Sutherland said.

The students’ preparation did not go unnoticed, and in return, they received an unexpected surprise.

“The children went to his website a lot and right before our visit he announced on his site that everyone could download his new book for free in honor of visiting with his friends at AGS in Batavia, Illinois. The kids felt really special,” said Curnock.

Derby also had a positive experience working with Curnock and the students.

“The author visit was fantastic!” Derby said. “The kids were delightful, and it was clear to me that (Curnock) prepared them well.  I hope they had as much fun as I did, and I hope it was inspirational for them.”

According to Curnock, it was inspirational, indeed.

“It is so nice to have this personal connection with him and for the kids to feel that they make a difference; and can influence him as much as he motivates and influences them.”

SOURCE: School District 101