Viewing the Future: Aligning Internet2 Video to K-12 Curriculum

Merit Network, Inc., Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

The Collections project, Viewing the Future: Aligning Internet2 Video to K-12 Curriculum, is using the high quality Internet2 video resources from the University of Washington's UWTV and ResearchChannel to build a collection of STEM materials for the K-12 community. These resources are being aligned to state and national curriculum standards, including relevant classroom assessments. The project is allowing teachers to attach feedback and contexts-of-use, and to place descriptive records for the Internet2 resources into Merit Network's widely used and scalable Michigan Teacher Network (MTN), and to disseminate further project work through the University of Washington's Pacific Lighthouse project. This project is developing the means to transfer curricular material in new and exciting ways and is aiding K-12 educators engage in a community of shared practice. Viewing the Future is building on the networking performance of Internet2 for the delivery of video, including traditional video as well as simulations, animations, virtual reality movies, images with audio sound tracks, remote control of microscopes and other instrumentation, and other types of digital media objects. Access is not limited to only those schools with Internet2 capabilities. For all educators, this project is allowing teachers and students to identify and to utilize video relevant to learning needs. Even with the most exciting multimedia enhancements to learning resources, K-12 educators must still respond to state and national teaching and learning standards in order to prepare students for high-stakes assessments. This project is moving beyond solely generating rich, item level descriptions of Internet2 video based on IEEE/LOM metadata toward making available previously uncollected and uncategorized Internet2 video resources. The project is scaffolding additional use of Internet video by capturing teacher feedback and contexts-of-use, is supporting classroom integration of resources through online professional development, is using existing dissemination initiatives to reach many K-12 educators, and is adhering to standards and protocols of the ever-increasing NSDL environment. Viewing the Future is building capacity in all partner organizations to collect, describe, and support innovative teaching resources on a sustained basis. By leveraging existing Internet2 connectivity applications to serve all K-12 users, the proposed project is also forming the basis for increasing priority and use of broadband connectivity and applications in teaching and learning.