Fourth-graders Connect During Digital Experience

Submitted by Elwood Public Schools

Fourth-grade students at James H. Boyd Intermediate School in the Elwood Union Free School District went “Around New York State in 60 Minutes” during a collaborative videoconference project on Oct. 3, 6 and 7.

Facilitated by New York State BOCES Distance Learning Consortium, fourth-grade students from western New York, central New York, the Hudson River region and the New York City/Long Island region connected through a four-way videoconference. In an effort to fulfill fourth-grade social studies curricula, classes from each region conducted a 5-7 minute presentation which included visual clues and information related to geography, history, economics, social/political and current events in relation to their region. The project also focuses on events in history that occurred in the region and how they affected the development of New York State.

During the presentations, students collaboratively researched information on the Internet and transcribed clues to help decipher the region of each participating class. After each class presented, classes took turns to reveal their region, school district name and town/city.

“I think this opportunity is valuable to our fourth-grade students,” Elwood’s instructional technology specialist Krista Albrecht said. “Hearing about places and people from different regions helps prepare our students for what lies ahead in the fourth-grade social studies curriculum.”