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For districts that belong to the GST BOCES Distance Learning Service, we GST Distance Learningoffer a variety of connections free of charge. If you are not part of our service, please contact us to find out about pricing.

If you don't see something that fits with your area of expertise, please contact us to develop an interactive video conference that fits with your curriculum!

You can dial in to our GST Building 11 unit for our VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS. Ask your district distance learning contact for our IP address. Or feel free to email us (DL@gstboces.org), so we can arrange to contact you by video conference at a convenient time.

General

  • Ask the 'Techspert'
    Project Type: Connection to GST content provider
    Audience: Grades 2 - 12, Instructional Staff, Administrators
    Description: If you are working on a project with your students and you or your students have questions about a variety of technologies, list your questions, and connect to us at GST for the answers

    Technologies: ActivStudio, SMART, Internet Safety, Micosoft Office, Windows Movie Maker, Inspiration/Kidspiration, ToolboxPro, Web 2.0, PhotoShop, SourceForge Audacity; GarageBand, iPhoto, or iMovie (Mac)...

  • Intro to Interactive Video Conferencing
    Project Type: Connection to GST content provider
    Audience: Grades K - 5
    Duration: 30 minutes
    Description: For students who have never done video conferencing, we introduce them to the equipment and discuss appropriate etiquette for video conferencing. We play a very brief game of "Simon Says" to practice the skills they learned during the presentation. Then we do an activity related to vocabulary and content students are learning in the classroom, so they can practice the etiquette that we discussed.

    Classroom teacher helps choose students to answer questions and with basic classroom management. At least 1 week prior to the connection, classroom teacher sends 15 science, social studies, world language, or math vocabulary words and definitions to DL@gstboces.org so we can create the practice activity.

    Here is some feedback we have received about this particular connection:
  • Web Safety Lesson
    Project Type: Overview of online safety; Connection to GST
    Audience: Grades 3-5 or 6
    Description: Students receive an introduction to using online technologies safely and responsibly (chat, email, the World Wide Web...). The students watch a brief video, answer questions, and play the Web Safety Net game to work together and learn strategies for responding to a variety of scenarios they might encounter online. Our goal is to help students analyze situations and determine the best response for a given situation.

    Pre-Conference Materials (ZIP) - these activities must be done prior to this connection

English/Language Arts

  • Exploring Friendship & Respect with Media Literacy
    Project Type: Review; Connection to GST
    Audience: Grades 2-3
    Description: Students review the concepts of friendship and respect through media literacy questioning strategies

Math

  • MysteryQuest: Math
    Project Type: Connection with GST Content Provider, Review
    Audience: Grades 2 - 5
    Duration: 20 minutes
    Sample Activity (PDF)
    Description: At least 1 week prior to the connection, classroom teacher sends at least 15 math vocabulary words and definitions to DL@gstboces.org so we can create the activity. During the video conference, students will see a variety of pages on the screen with clues they use to figure out the mystery answers. See the sample activity. Classroom teacher helps choose students to answer questions and with basic classroom management.

Science

  • Pictionary Vocabulary
    Project Type:     GST Content Provider Session, Review
    Audience:     Grades K - 4
    Duration:     20 minutes
    Sample Activity     (PDF)
    :     At least 1 week prior to the connection, classroom teacher sends at least 15 math vocabulary words and definitions to DL@gstboces.org so we can create the activity. During the video conference, students will see a variety of images related to vocabulary they have learned on the screen and they guess which vocabulary word is associated with the group of images. See the sample activity. Classroom teacher helps choose students to answer questions and with basic classroom management.

  • VirtualBugs
    Project Type: Collaborative project (Connection to another class)
    Audience: PreK-1
    Description: This is a sample collaborative project that we helped two pre-K teachers develop. They used the wiki to list the lessons in their units and determine where to schedule class-to-class connections as well as share connections with the content provider they chose from Royal Botanical Gardens.

    Please feel free to contact us at DL@gstboces.org to ask us to develop content for your subject area preK to grade 12!

Social Studies

  • 5th Grade NYS Social Studies Exam Review
    Project Type: Review (Connection to GST Content Provider)
    Audience: Grade 5
    Description: We discuss test-taking strategies, watch a podcast about test strategies, and play a Jeopardy game using questions from past NYS Grade 5 Social Studies exams

    This is a podcast that is used as part of the connection. It has been saved as a smaller file size so it streams easily on the web. The video used during the conference is much better quality:


  • NYS Social Studies Standard 5 Civics, Citizenship, and Government
    Project Type:  Interpreting and Analyzing Campaign Ads (Connection to GST Content Provider)
    Audience:  9-12   (One 45 minute class with pre-activity work required)
    Description:  Students are asked to use their critical thinking skills to analyze selected political campaign ads and evaluate these ads for meaning, message, and persuasiveness.  Students use "The Six Questions" to assist them in the analysis of ads.  

  • NYS Social Studies Standard 5 Civics, Citizenship, and Government
    Project Type:      Connection to GST; Two Day Project - Interpreting and Analyzing Political Cartoons
    Audience:      9-12   (Two 45 minute classes with pre-activity work required for Day 2)
    Description:      Students review literary elements (symbolism, exaggeration, labeling, analogy, and irony) commonly used in political cartoons and evaluate current political cartoons for meaning, message, and persuasiveness.  Cartoons are purposefully pre-selected and focus exclusively on issues surrounding the 2008 presidential candidates and election.  This activity may also aid in strengthening students DBQ skills.

    Web link:      http://politicalcartoons.pbwiki.com/

  • NYS Social Studies Standard 5 Civics, Citizenship, and Government
    Project Type: Connection to GST
    Audience: Grades 2-3
    Description:  Students examine what it means to be a good citizen in the classroom, school, home, and community by examining qualities of known and unknown leaders.  Using political leaders from American history and the book entitled: Grace for President students identify and discuss characteristics often exhibited by a leader.

    Web link:  http://qualitiesofaleader.pbwiki.com/ 

  • More to come... Stop back soon!