GC Newport and St. Johnsbury Pilot Virtual Interactive Classes!

Global Campus Newport and Global Campus St. Johnsbury connected through interactive TV for two course offerings this spring term.

About twenty-five people from Newport and fifteen from St. Johnsbury gathered in front of the interactive TVs to experience the new phenomenon of teleconferenced classes. The groups cheered as we got connected, waving at each other and reconnecting with old friends. It was really exciting to see everyone and be able to hear what they were saying. The first few minutes of the class was devoted to smoothing out the technology. St. J had a bit of trouble moving their camera, and Newport was hard to hear, but eventually we smoothed out these bumps and began teaching.

Edna was ready to teach her class Dogs and Cats. This was Edna’s first time teaching, and she was really prepared. We put the microphone right up next to Edna to make sure St. Johnsbury could hear her class and zoomed in the camera so they could see her posters and visuals. Edna had two stacks of note cards – one about cats, one about dogs. She also had two different posters as well as drawings she had made. Her class had a great mix of interactive questions and facts. She asked the group to list some of the things their cats or dogs do that are pesky. People said their pets scratch, chew things, smell, and shed. She then told the group how to care for animals and the appropriate ways to keep a pet. Raymond commented from St. J that he had recently taught an animal class. He is teaching a second class at the Fairbanks museum, for which he has made a scavenger hunt for people to find different types of animals in the museum. There were many questions back and forth, from both campuses.

Next up, Allycia began handing out copies of her PowerPoint presentation for the group in Newport to read through. We made note that, next time, we will email class materials such as these to St. Johnsbury ahead of time so they can see the handout. Also a first time teacher, Allycia taught us the Ins and Outs of High School. Alycia had great poise. She told us some of the good times at Lake Region, and also some of the times that have been less fun. She told us about nice friends she has made and fun classes she has taken. People were pretty interested in high school stories. Sharilyn from St. J told us about her experiences and asked specific questions about what it’s like in Special Ed these days.

After feedback and questions, we spent about half an hour in discussion between the campuses. People asked questions about family connections, summer plans, classes and updated each other on their campus happenings. It was really neat to hear the exchanges and to see how excited people were to be talking to another campus. The group gave general feedback that the process of the interactive TV had been very smooth. St. J commented that they would love to offer some of their classes on interactive TV next term.

GC St. Johnsbury Presents Documentary Film, "Our Global Campus" at Green Mountain Film Festival

Global Campus St. Johnsbury screened their documentary film, Our Global Campus in the Green Mountain Film Festival, April 2, 2011.

This spring, Global Campus St. Johnsbury was honored to have their film, Our Global Campus, accepted into the Green Mountain Film Festival at Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury, VT. Campus participants arrived early at the screening to greet community members at the door and pass around information about their Global Campus.

Global Campus St. Johnsbury had spent the fall and winter terms working with volunteer filmmaker, Scott Miller, to learn camera work and some techniques in filmmaking. Campus participants brought the cameras home to film their lives and discuss their values and goals. They spent time documenting the different classes and special events held at Global Campus St. Johnsbury.

The screening was exciting for everyone, as it was the first time many of the GC St. Johnsbury participants had viewed the film in its final version. About thirty people gathered for the screening and the room was buzzing with excitement. As the group watched the film, there was lots of laughter and praise as different people’s film footage aired on the big screen. The film highlights the process of Global Campus and then goes more in-depth into the stories of seven participants who had been very active in the filming process throughout the year at Global Campus St. Johnsbury. It was neat to see the unique styles of filming and storytelling demonstrated through the different filmmakers’ work.

After the film finished screening, about five participants and volunteer film editor, Scott Miller, sat for a panel discussion where community members asked them about the process of making the film and their opinions about the outcome. It was really neat to see this panel discussion unfold and all the questions that came from the audience. At the end of the evening, Josh and Levi were signing autographs and answering more in-depth questions for audience members.

Back in the classroom, Global Campus St. Johnsbury is still filming, taking home cameras, and thinking about what else they want to do with filmmaking and where else they want to air their film. They have screened the film at four other venues – two in St. Johnsbury, one in Newport and one in Middlebury. At each event, campus participants attended as panelists and answered questions for the community. The campus has additional screenings planned for the summer.

GC Hardwick Visits State House in Montpelier, VT

Global Campus Hardwick organized a trip to Montpelier to tour the Statehouse and the Vermont History museum this spring.

Global Campus Hardwick planned a fun, interactive day in Montpelier learning about our state government and history. We gathered on the statehouse steps for lunch and to gather our thoughts before entering into the busy statehouse. The statehouse is quite hectic over the lunch hour and it was neat to see so many people bustling around with clipboards and getting ready for meetings. We met a guide, who walked us through the history of the building and showed us the Senate, House and other important rooms.

We learned that the VT statehouse is the oldest statehouse in the US. The architecture has been preserved inside so that it still looks the way it always has. The carpets have been redone, but the other building structures are the original architecture. Our guide noted that the chandelier in the Senate room was not typical for VT style; all the images on the chandelier have to do with the ocean, including Titan, dolphins, waves and sea creatures. He wondered if there had been a sale on chandeliers…

We learned about the structure of the senate, who sits where, and where the public is allowed to sit. Although the roof looks like it was under the dome, it is only made to look round. The dome is over the center of the building. Debbie told the group that her grandfather had been a part of the crew who worked on the construction of the dome. She was very proud. Next, we moved to the House, a much larger room. We noted that the Green Mountain Boys flag, which Diane had taught us about earlier this term, was flying over some of the desks in the room. It was neat to see all the papers lying about and a PowerPoint presentation on the screen.

We left the statehouse and walked next-door to the Vermont History Museum. We spent some time in a room full of Civil War artifacts. Our guide asked us to each pick an item that we found particularly intriguing, and then share with the group what we found interesting about this object. Annie picked a quilt, which had embroidered bible phrases on the squares. Our guide told us that women quilted hand-made quilts for the soldiers so that they would be warm and feel close to home while they were fighting. We also looked at a grey coat – the coat of the Confederate Soldiers. We learned that a Vermonter had taken the coat from a dead Confederate soldier and brought it back to VT. We saw a leather shoe with a piece of shrapnel shot into the bottom of the shoe. We could only imagine how painful that injury must have been.

We made our way to a milk room and then to a video of the 1927 flood. We learned that in 1927, VT got over 12 inches of rain, which is equivalent to twelve feet of snow. On our way out of town, we stopped to look at the lampposts, which have a red line marking the high water mark of 1927. It was WAY over our heads. And the most interesting part was this storm was in November.

Dynamic Course Offerings at GC Moretown!

Participants at GC Moretown are wrapping up their course offerings for the Spring Term and wanted to take a moment to look back and reflect on all the great classes over the last several months. Congratulations to all participants for making your campus such a success this semester! We'll be celebrating next week with a certificate day celebration and barbecue, join us!

Grace, "Chile", GC Moretown Spring 2011

Neil, "Working at a Hardware Store", GC Moretown Spring 2011

Robert, "My Life Story", GC Moretown Spring 2011

GC Bradford Participants Celebrate Succesful Semester!

Teaching Faculty, Student Participants, Resource Persons, and Campus Supporters gathered this afternoon to celebrate the completion of a dynamic teaching term at Global Campus Bradford. Participants were honored with certificates. Check out some of our classes from this semester!

Scott, "Trains", GC Bradford Spring Term 2011

Valorie, "MikMaq Nation", GC Bradford Spring Term 2011

GC Randolph Greens Up Randolph and then Celebrates!

Participants at Global Campus Randolph gathered at Pleasant Street House to celebrate another dynamic semester at their campus! The afternoon began with a picnic lunch in the sun followed by a class by Joe, Kim and Cheryl. They led us through their neighborhood picking up trash and enjoying the warm weather. Joe, Kim and Cheryl walk regularly in the warm months and always pick up along the way! After their class we congratulated each other on our great classes and accomplishments this term. Participants were honored with certificates and applause! Congratulations to all on your hard work!

Global Campus Springfield Helps the Victims of the Japan Tsunami

For one of its Community Service Projects this term, Global Campus Springfield made a pledge to make and sell fudge to benefit the tsunami victims in Japan. Everyone worked very hard and we raised over $250.00. The money raised was sent to Mercy Corps, a charity chosen because of its reputation for serving under served populations around the world. Great job people!

By Hudson Lamb, GC Springfield Participant

Global Campus Participants Invited to Present at the University of Vermont

On Tuesday April 12th, Global Campus Participants responded to a teaching invitation by traveling to the University of Vermont to present about their Global Campuses at a graduate class entitled, "The Culture of Disability", taught by Professor Deborah Lisi-Baker. Scott and Shawn from GC Bradford, Grace from GC Moretown, and Hudson from GC Springfield all spoke about the classes they have taught and how Global Campus has affected their lives in a positive way. Hudson shared how teaching has given him a new light, passion and direction in life. He also spoke about the importance of inclusion, especially for children, which resonated strongly with students in the class and what they have been studying. Shawn shared about the new relationships and friendships she has developed. All the participants spoke about the challenges of teaching as well as the great rewards. Many of the students could relate to the participants teaching struggles, such as gathering materials together and doing research.

The students in the class were quite impressed by the presenters and had many questions. In response to one of the student's questions, each presenter shared a snapshot of one of their classes. Shawn passed around her scrap books from her class on her life story and shared a few of her favorite memories. Hudson presented some of his powerful poetry. Scott shared a few artifacts from his upcoming class on Romania, Bulgaria and Tranyslvania, inspired by his fathers ancestry. Grace spoke about her class on Broadway Musicals that is coming up in a few weeks.

Professor Deborah Lisi-Baker and the Global Campus Participants were very excited at the prospect of future opportunities and collaboration! Congratulations to all the presenters!

Global Campuses Foundation Releases New Video!

Global Campuses Foundation is pleased to present a short DVD production produced by Lincoln Street Inc. highlighting the dynamic experiences of participants at Global Campus Springfield. Lincoln Street is one of GCF’s partnering human service agencies in Vermont, USA. Global Campus Springfield was developed and is administered by individuals who receive a variety of services from Lincoln Street. We are very pleased that this agency felt so impressed by the Global Campus Experience that they wanted to share about Global Campus Springfield with the larger community through this production. Please enjoy this window into another vibrant Global Campus. Global Campuses Foundation would like to thank everyone at Lincoln Street Inc. for your continued positive participation with Global Campus Springfield.

Please CLICK HERE to watch the video!

GC Moretown Supports Haiti Reconstruction

Participants at Global Campus Moretown donated over $2000 to support immediate relief efforts in Haiti last winter after the earthquake devastated the small island nation. This year they did it again! Participants organized a benefit event and raised over $1000 and collected clothing and supplies to send down with Mary Jane, a Resource Person at GC Moretown, who traveled to Haiti with a local aid group based in Waitsfield called AMURTEL. Mary Jane then returned a few weeks later to give a presentation at our campus, sharing her stories and experiences in Haiti and telling us how our donations were used! Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated in the project!