• Introduction of Susan Lancaster and Commonwealth of KY Partnership
• Executive Update
• Upcoming Program Brief

10:30 a.m. – Grants and Funding Opportunities through IMLS

11:00 a.m. – Opportunities to Fund Student-Based Civic Engagement Programs in Pennsylvania though PENNCord

11:20 a.m. – Grants Opportunities through Tandberg

11:35 a.m. – Other Discount and Funding Opportunities

11:50 a.m. – Discussion

12:00 p.m. - Adjournment

• Commonwealth of Kentucky joins the MAGPI Community

• MAGPI Fellows Program

• Expedite/Polycom Discount Program for MAGPI Members

MAGPI is pleased to announce a new partnership with Expedite Videoconferencing (a certified Polycom re-seller) and Polycom for all MAGPI members and its affiliates. The program offers special discounts (up to 40% or more) and other benefits. Learn more about this exciting new discount program!

• Discussion

AGENDA FOR NOVEMBER 14, 2007

Welcome/Introductions

MUSE Beta Launch and Virtual Tour
Jennifer
Associate Director, MAGPI

Muse is a social networking tool (think Facebook or mySpace) that makes it much easier for the variety of K-20 community groups both in the United States and internationally – K12 teachers, museum curators, librarians, higher education faculty, etc. – to discover and connect with each other around the use of advanced network-enabled teaching and learning resources and applications. Learn about this exciting new tool, how to create an account and take a virtual tour of the new application!

Internet2 Member Meeting Update/ NLR-Internet2 Merger
Greg Palmer
Executive Director, MAGPI

Greg Palmer, MAGPI's Executive Director, will talk about highlights from the recent Internet2 Member Meeting and answer questions about the dissolution of the NLR-Internet2 Merger.

Pocono Mountain School District Internet2 Pioneers Program
Steve Spengler & Rosanne Ragnacci
Pocono Mountain School District

Learn more about how Pocono Mountain School District is engaging teachers in the MAGPI and Internet2 Communities through an innovative professional development program.

MAGPI/Polycom Pricing Contract
Jennifer Oxenford
Associate Director, MAGPI

Discussion

 

AGENDA for September 12, 2007

 

AGENDA FOR JUNE 13, 2007

Welcome/Introductions

Sites introduced themselves and spent 1-2 minutes talking about their latest projects.

Attendees:

Berks County Intermediate Unit, Bucks County Community College, CERMUSA, Chester County Intermediate Unit, Colonial Middle School, Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12, MAGPI, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Montgomery County IU, Perkiomen Valley School District, Pocono Mountain School District, School District of Philadelphia, Twin Valley School District, Wallenpaupack Area School District

The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) Content Bank

Director of Content Services
CILC

Julia Shildmyer-Heighway, Director of Content Services, gave an overview of several CILC services, including the Content Dollar Bank.  She shared how to best utilize free tools and resources via www.cilc.org.  CILC's website is a content destination renowned for programs that range from the arts to science to history - the possibilities are nearly limitless. Hundreds of single events and series are offered through partnerships with 140+ content providers. A "one-stop-shop" enables users to enhance classroom curriculum with outstanding programs, collaborations and professional development. 

The Content Dollar Bank:

Julia dicussed one of CILC's newest services, the Content Dollar Bank. For those who utilize this service, CILC will act as the financial coordinator for an organization's videoconferencing initiative. Setting up a CILC Content Dollar Bank allows an institution to have oversight of their expenditures for fee-based videoconferencing content, while CILC does the leg work. Those taking advantage of this service deposit their money into a restricted account that CILC creates for them, and then CILC takes care of the management and bill payment. Download more information about the Content Dollar Bank (Word Format). MAGPI is investigating the possibility of a MAGPI-member discount for this CILC service.

The CILC Symposium
Formerly the Keystone Conference

On November 13 and 14, 2007, CILC will sponsor a unique conference aimed at providing participants with an opportunity to network with colleagues and to share best practice uses, practical applications and emerging trends in interactive videoconferencing and collaborative technologies. The conference is being held on-site in Indiana (and is limited to the first 150 participants!); however, several seminars will be webcast. For more information, visit the symposium website.

Free, Online Webinar about CILC's new services and new website features

If you missed Julia's presentation at the User Group meeting and are interested in learning more about CILC, make sure to participate in one of their weekly, free informational webinars!

21st Century Skills Framework

Director of Ed. Research, Development and Technology
Chester County Intermediate Unit

Dr. John Branson took the group on a virtual tour of his developing collaborative space on teaching 21st Century Skills. John talked about the growing need for incorporating 21st Century skills into the curriculum and the possible role of advanced networking applications over MAGPI/Internet2 in that integration process. Concluding with a discussion of the 21st Century Skills Framework, John invited MAGPI members to visit his collaborative space and send their ideas/projects for inclusion on the website.

To visit John's site, follow these steps:

• Go to CCIU's Online Learning Community
• Click on "CCIU Communities" under Course Descriptions
• Click on "21st Century Skills"
• Log in as a guest

Some other possible sites of interest:

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has emerged as the leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education. The organization brings together the business community, education leaders, and policymakers to define a powerful vision for 21st century education to ensure every child's success as citizens and workers in the 21st century. The Partnership encourages schools, districts and states to advocate for the infusion of 21st century skills into education and provides tools and resources to help facilitate and drive change.

The Gateway to 21st Century Skills
State Affiliates and NEA have partnered with The Gateway to 21^st Century Skills in an effort to provide you with free, comprehensive resources that will make lesson planning easier. According to the website, this site will provide educators with:

• Access to thousands of quality learning resources through the latest in faceted search technology
• Reinforce core content with learning resources from NASA, PBS, National Science Foundation and over 700 other contributing education content providers
• Access to 21^st Century teaching tools, assessments and professional development
• Access to the Achievement Standards Network, a digitized version of every state's core academic standards

Pennsylvania's Classrooms of the Future Project
Pennsylvania’s Classrooms for the Future is a bold step toward large-scale high school reform that will deliver 21st Century instruction for the 21st Century learner. This $200 million, three-year initiative is designed to improve teaching and learning in Pennsylvania’s high schools by creating technology-enriched instructional settings in English, math, science, and social studies classes. In addition to assisting us to prepare our students for tomorrow’s postsecondary and workforce opportunities, Classrooms for the Future will support reform models for future classrooms across the nation. 

Discussion

Open Student Television Network: Jennifer Oxenford, MAGPI's Associate Director, discussed MAGPI's new partnership with the Open Student Television Network. OSTN is a leading provider of educational, foreign language, news and entertainment IPTV content and services. OSTN features the only 24/7 worldwide channel exclusively devoted to student-produced programming. OSTN now is delivered to 41 million subscribers at 4,500 university member campuses and 36 countries around the globe. OSTN can be viewed on televisions and personal computers.

In North America, OSTN uses both the Internet2 and National LambdaRail advanced nationwide networks to distribute programming to members. It uses ORION in Ontario, Canada and the GEANT2 Network, managed by DANTE, in the European Union. GEANT2 links to Asia via TEIN2, the Middle East and Africa via EuroMed, Latin and South America via ALICE and Australia via AARNet.

MAGPI will organize a virtual informational session with OSTN this fall. Look for more information in the near future!

2007-2008 MAGPI Programs. Heather Weisse, MAGPI Applications Coordinator, reviewed upcoming projects for the fall and discussed possible projects with those in attendance. In addition to continuing MAGPI's popular projects from the last two years (including the Stand Up, Speak Out, Lend a Hand! Project, the Creative Minds series, Cartooning with Blitz, Inner World Discovery and more), MAGPI is forging new, innovative partnerships with content partners such as The Philadelphia Theatre Company, One Book - Every Young Child, and Defenders of Wildlife. Heather also discussed the upcoming collaborations for International Education Week. MAGPI members have expressed interest in a Virtual Science Fair and Virtual Quiz Bowl. Heather will follow-up on each of these ideas. MAGPI is also exploring more professional development opportunities for educators in our K20 community.

Early fall programs to keep in mind (we're still lining up dates for several programs- - but here are those that have definitive dates):

I Haiku, Can You? Exploring Poetry with Mary Quattlebaum
October 26, 2007 * 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
For Students in Grades 3-5

Join us for an engaging presentation about poetry and the book-making process! Award-winning author Mary Quattlebaum will lead students in a discussion of poetry, using her book of poems, Family Reunion, and sports poems, shaped poems, and others to focus on rhythm, sound, and other poetic elements. Students will write a haiku and talk with Mary about their process. More information coming soon!

Banned Books Virtual Panel Discussion
Sometime during the week of October 1-5
For students in grades 9-12; Higher Education

A celebration of intellectual freedom and access! Join frequently banned authors and censorship experts for this unique videoconference event. Participants will hear aboutthe authors' experiences as frequently banned authors, come to understand the history of book banning in the United States and examine contemporary issues in intellectual freedom and access to information. More information coming soon!

An Inconvenient Truth
October 30, 2007 * 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
For students in grades 11-12; Higher Education

With nationally-renowned environmental defender Dick Whiteford as your guide, explore the science and urgency behind the messages in last year's blockbuster documentary, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. Dick will take you and your students through the traveling global warming show developed and made famous by former Vice President, Al Gore. More information coming soon!

Inner World Discovery
October 19, 2007 * 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
For Higher Education Students (introductory biology, pre-med, nursing, and physician assistant undergraduate students)
Other opportunities available this fall for high school students; please see dates below

Have your students explore the Immune System through this interactive multimedia videoconference presentation! Designed by St. Joseph's Medical Center emergency room doctor Phillip Silverstein, the “Inner World Discovery” program is a multimedia journey through the human body. With Dr. Silverstein as their guide, students participating in this session will experience the wonder, intricacies and elegance of the human body’s immune system. This interactive videoconference presentation with Dr. Silverstein will make the complexities of understanding the immune system accessible to students, and will make real the devastating effects of HIV.

Other Inner World presentations this fall:

• November 9, 2007 * 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. (For High School Students)
• December 7, 2007 * 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. (For High School Students)

Cartooning with Blitz
November 6, 2007 * 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
For students in grades 6-9

HE'S BACK! Bruce Blitz, creator and host of the national and international Television Series, "Blitz on Cartooning," will entertain students with anecdotes about his career and tips on cartooning. Blitz will demonstrate cartooning and lead students through drawing exercises as part of this exciting videoconference event!

 

AGENDA FOR APRIL 27, 2007

Introductions

Sites will have an opportunity to introduce themselves and spend 1-2 minutes talking about their latest Internet2/MAGPI-related projects.

Internet2 National K20 Database and Online Community
James Werle, Internet2 K20 Initiative Co-Chair
Jennifer Oxenford, MAGPI Associate Director

MAGPI Subscriber Feedback and Guidance Strategies
Greg Palmer, MAGPI Executive Director

Academic Year 2007-2008 MAGPI K20 Programs
Heather Weisse, MAGPI Applications Coordinator

Polycom Grant Assistance Program
Andrew Knox, Area Grant Manager

State budgets are shrinking and economic pressures continue to make life difficult for state and local governments. To make ends meet, states rely more and more on federal funds to implement telecommunications solutions. Grants, such as AFG and RUS, provide millions to state and local agencies to improve distance learning, communications, and emergency preparedness. Polycom monitors more than two dozen grant and funding sources and offers consultation and grant writing support for customers needing assistance with these programs. Here about this service from Andrew Knox, Area Grant Manager for Polycom.

For more information about Polycom's Grant Assistance Program, please visit: http://www.polycom.com/solutions/1,,pw-8653,FF.html.

Discussion

 

AGENDA/NOTES FOR DECEMBER 19, 2006

Introductions

Sites introduced themselves and spent 1-2 minutes talking about their latest projects.

Attendees:
Berks County IU, Chester County IU, MAGPI, Montgomery County IU and The University of Scranton

Discussion of MAGPI K20 Support Strategies

Jennifer Oxenford, MAGPI's Associate Director, led participants in a discussion of MAGPI's K20 Support Strategies. Implemented during 2006, MAGPI's K20 Support Strategies include: Curriculum Integration Professional Development Seminars, Videoconferencing/Internet2 Commons Training, MAGPI Newsletter, the MAGPI K20 User Group and monthly, discipline-specific virtual forums. Progess continues on the tri-state project database and MAGPI hopes to unveil a prototype sometime in April.

Communication of MAGPI's events/programs/opportunities continue to be problematic; however, it is hoped that the MAGPI e-newsletter and mailing lists will help streamline communication. To subscribe to the e-newsletter or mailing lists, please visit: http://newsweaver.co.uk/magpik20/.

Internet2 Update: Highlights from the 2006 Fall Member Meeting

Greg Palmer, MAGPI's Executive Director, and Jennifer Oxenford gave an overview of the Internet2 Fall Member Meeting, which took place from December 4-7, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. Highlights included:

First segment of the new Internet2 network goes live

On December 5, 2006, Internet2 unveiled the first major segment of its new nationwide advanced network. The consortium also announced that NYSERNet, the research and education network consortium serving New York State, has become the first regional network to connect to the new Internet2 Network infrastructure. The new segment, with an initial 100 Gigabit per second capacity between New York, Washington, D.C. and Chicago, marks the first milestone of an ambitious plan to increase the capacity and flexibility of nationwide advanced networking to serve the growing needs of the research and education community. See the Internet2 Press Release for more information

New resolutions regarding Internet2 Membership Structure

Beginning in the summer of 2006, the Internet2 Network Planning and Policy Advisory Council (NPPAC) been conducting a review of Internet2’s membership and network participation structures, with support from Internet2 staff and informed by input from the broader community. A summary of the goals and highlights of this work are available online. Based on input from key stakeholders in the community, NPPAC passed two key resolutions at its meeting on December 4, which will be considered by the Internet2 Board at its January, 2007 meeting. The first resolution recommends that implementation of a new membership structure for Internet2 be postponed to no sooner than January, 2009, and the second that a new membership category for state and regional networking organizations be created effective with the implementation of Internet2's new governance structure. The text of the resolutions can be found on the NPPAC website. See the NPPAC website for more information.

Governance and Nominations Committee Report

Internet2's Governance and Nominations Committee has completed their final report, which has been submitted to the Board of Trustees. Click to view the committee's final report.

SEGP Structure and Governance Survey Results

In November 2006, the Internet2 K20 Initiative conducted a SEGP Structure and Governance Survey. View the survey results.

Internet2 Neternship Program

Internet2's network based internship ("neternship") provides a small group of students the opportunity to interact with students and faculty from other campuses through a distributed programming project. During the course of the neternship, students will be introduced to collaborative tools that are currently in use across Internet2 and the commodity Internet. This is an opportunity for students to get hands on experience in advanced network programming fundamentals. The students will participate via independent study from their own campuses and join in a weekly "class" using the Internet2 Commons video conferencing infrastructure (H.323), AccessGrid, VRVS, and/or ConfXP. This project is a chance not only for students, but campuses to show that they are contributing to the advancement of networking as a whole. The tools and technologies created by the neterns will be publicized by Internet2, and their home campuses are encouraged to do so locally as well. Find more information by visiting the Neternship program website.

End of the Year Projects and What's Coming

Heather Weisse, MAGPI Applications Coordinator, talked about end-of-the-year projects, including the Stand Up. Speak Out. Lend a Hand! project and the Future Earth Institute "Global Warming: Is it Real?" Professional Development Seminar.

Heather also talked about upcoming projects, including:

• Partnership with the One Book, One Philadelphia project and author Dr. Carlos Eire.
• Partnership with the Philadelphia Opera Company on a critical listening virtual seminar
• Poetry workshops/events with author Mary Quattlebaum
• Evening "Virtual Open Mic" Festival
• Alex's Virtual Lemonade Stand 2007
• Partnership with NASA and re-envisioning the SWAC program

... and more. Stay tuned to MAGPI's Program Webpage for upcoming program announcements

Kim Breuninger (Chester County Intermediate Unit) suggested that MAGPI work with the IUs and content providers to develop professional development seminars that include project development components. Heather Weisse will follow-up with Kim to pursue this venture. If other IUs are interested, please send Heather an email.

Projects at Chester County Intermediate Unit

Kim Breuninger (Chester County Intermediate Unit) talked about two upcoming projects for which CCIU is seeking collaborators:

• Geography Bee (7th Grade Project)
• Around PA (4th Grade Project)

Both projects will be tied to the curriculum and involve videoconferencing. If you're interested in learning more, please contact Kim.

Kim also remided participants about Megaconference, Jr. which is scheduled for February 22, 2007. Call for proposals has gone out and registration for non-presenting sites will open sometime in January.

Discussion/Other

Sue Calvin (Berks County Intermediate Unit) talked about the IU's Internet2 Awareness Day.

Connie Wisdo (The University of Scranton) discussed planning the university's January 17th Internet2 Symposium.