WWU education students use video conferences to teach students in Hannibal and Taiwan

12/1/2011 Mary Ann Beahon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (573) 592-1127

 

William Woods University education students are using video conferencing this semester to teach Hannibal sixth-graders about the ancient civilizations of the Maya, Inca and Aztec. Students also use the same delivery method to teach language arts to Taiwanese seventh-graders.

The William Woods students participating in the joint learning project with Hannibal Middle School and Taiwan Young-Ming Middle School are enrolled in EDU 211, Educational Technology, taught by Dr. Roger Wen, associate professor of education and business.
 
In the past, Wen has used the same technology for WWU students to teach Taiwanese schoolchildren. He also has taken William Woods students to Taiwan for pre-student teaching experiences.
 
Using video conferencing, the WWU students are teaching social studies and language arts to a total of nine middle school classes this semester.
 
Students are also creating WebQuest, an inquiry-based online learning activity. WebQuest permits middle school students to conduct online research on specific topics designated for different class subjects. Students use their research to make PowerPoint presentations or Venn diagrams. Students are then able to present their research to their teachers and peers.
 
During the educational technology course, “Students have to learn how to create a website, but they create it so that it ties into the education setting. It allows for the integration of learning from technology to other content areas,” Wen explained.
 
“Applying such knowledge and skills to real teaching will certainly be a memorable experience for them,” Wen said. “Students are also able to use this experience and improve their own learning in the future and make themselves better teachers.” 
 
Katie Steiner, a 2009 WWU graduate, who teaches at Hannibal Middle School, helped coordinate the project. While a student at William Woods, Steiner participated with Wen in a similar video teaching experience with Taiwanese elementary children. She later traveled to Taiwan to meet the children and teach them in person.
 
“Allowing my sixth-grade students to connect and communicate with others using video conferencing opens the world to them,” Steiner said. “It makes learning about other cultures and people realistic.”
 
“Technology is something that can be a powerful tool to assist the teaching and learning processes. It is also a required standard for our students to meet if they want to be certified as teachers,” explained Wen.
 
“Learning how to use technology is one thing, but using it in a real teaching situation is another. Using technology like this will allow my students to remember it for a long time.”
 

CUTLINES:
William Woods University students Ilissa A Facchini of Tulare, Calif.; Isaiah Washington of Fulton, Mo.; and Nick Hoover of Kingdom City, Mo., teach a lesson.
 
Taiwanese seventh-graders learn language arts from William Woods University students using video conferencing.