Teachers Connect: Linda DeGrand (Distance Learning Systems) and Grace Repass, DPI, Raleigh

Teachers: George Phelps, DPI, Raleigh

Judy: Judy Paxon and Joe Poletti at West Carteret High School, Carteret County

Carole Stern: NC School of Science and Math, Durham County

Cameron Park: Cameron Park Elementary, Orange County

Mt. Pleasant: Presenters at Mt Pleasant High School, Cabarrus County

J.N. Fries: J.N. Fries Middle School, Cabarrus County

<Teachers>: Hello, Carole. Carole - can you read this?
<Carole Stern>: Yes, this is pretty exciting.
<Teachers>: Not getting your video
<Teachers Connect>: Hi Carole, glad you are connected.
<Teachers>: Are you set to transmit?
<Carole Stern>: I do not have a camera installed
<Teachers>: ok - that explains it. :)
<Carole Stern>: I will try to get one for the next session
<Teachers>: ok - we are glad to have you join us either way. Hello, Shirley!
<Carole Stern>: I am only seeing text right now. Since this is the first time I have ever connected, I have to experiment to see where the video image should be on my screen
<Teachers Connect>: Hi Shirley
<Cameron Park>: Hello Grace
<Teachers>: Carole- Look on your menu bar - should be under View - show all
<Cameron Park>: I just had a group of kindergarten children wowed by looking at this screen
<Teachers Connect>: Shirley, we are excited about having Monty and his team coming on shortly!
<Cameron Park>: We really enjoyed chatting with him last time
<Teachers>: hello Mt Pleasant, J.N. Fries
<Mt. Pleasant>: Hello JN Fries
<Teachers Connect>: Hi Monty, this is Grace, and I have Linda DeGrand, in Distance Learning here at DPI is with me.
<Mt. Pleasant>: Hello Grace and Linda!!!! We are here having a great time.

<Teachers Connect>: I see Polly and Tony. Who else have you got there?
<Mt. Pleasant>: We have Bill Welch, with the power tie on, our Physics Teacher, and Tony Almond, our Chemistry teacher, behind Polly, our Inclusion Bio. and P. Science teacher
<Mt. Pleasant>: Where is Cameron Park?
<Cameron Park>: Cameron Park is in Hillsborough NC. We are an elementary school
<Mt. Pleasant>: Do you have any team teaching classes there?
<Cameron Park>: Yes we have some team teaching
<Mt. Pleasant>: What classes or grade levels?
<Cameron Park>: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 5th team teach. Where is Mt. Pleasant?
<Mt. Pleasant>: Close to Concord NC or about 20 miles Northeast of Charlotte. Cameron Park...tell us about your team teaching...thanks Cameron Park
<Cameron Park>: For example, 2-2nd grade teachers are in graduate school and half the students in each class are teams. They do literature and science activities together. They assign the same homework and plan units together. We also have older students paired up with younger students as reading buddies.
<Mt. Pleasant>: We have several teams here. Some are a combination of English/History and some are Math/Physics...(Bill) and 4 teams here consist of total inclusion classes with a Special Ed. teacher and an academic teacher in each area....
<Mt. Pleasant>: We have had great success. We have about 16 co-taught classes here.

<J.N. Fries>: Teachers Connect, how can we participate in video conferencing with schools in the state? Would we always use this IP address are would there be another one?
<Teachers>: This site is available for education use. To reserve it, you will need to contact Molly Monroe at NCSU. All of our videoconferences are through this IP. Molly asks you schedule through her -- mostly so she can be sure that it is up and running.
<Mt. Pleasant>: In December, we had students on and some teaching fellows from NCSU. The 3rd grade kids asked Monty about radioactive dating!!!! Our 3rd grade students are still talking about that experience.
<Teachers Connect>: You can also conference one computer to one computer through individual IP addresses.

<Mt. Pleasant>: J.N. Fries, how much team teaching do you do? And what about the collegiality? Is everyone listening? Does your school culture promote the sharing of ideas?
<J.N. Fries>: All three of our grade levels are involved in team teaching; it is actually a middle school concept -- yes we do promote the sharing of ideas
<Mt. Pleasant>: Great...we've shared a lot with cooperative learning, microscale chemistry, time-management, and instructional design.
<Cameron Park>: Once a month our 2nd grade classes have rotation days where all the children rotate through the 2nd grade classes and learn about a theme, for example weather day
<Mt. Pleasant>: Actually, Tony developed all of this great stuff, and we stole it from him.
<Cameron Park>: All our grade levels plan together
<J.N. Fries>: Monty brilliant answer
<Mt. Pleasant>: That is the way to do it, Cameron Park. It is very important.

<J.N. Fries>: Judy we can't see you yet and we would love to know who you are and where you are from
<Mt. Pleasant>: What school, Judy? And welcome!!!!
<Judy>: I am the Technology Coordinator at East Carteret High School. I am visiting Joe today to learn new stuff.
<Teachers Connect>: Hi Judy, are you with Joe at West Carteret?
<Mt. Pleasant>: Is Joe there? Joe, are you planning to sign on in the future to Teacher's Connect? Have you before?
<Judy>: Yes Joe is here.

<Mt. Pleasant>: We have overcome the traditional setting in high school of isolated classes and isolated departments. We keep our doors open and move in and out of each others classrooms, share materials, and ideas !!!
<J.N. Fries>: Mt Pleasant, is your satellite system up and going full time?
<Mt. Pleasant>: It is up and working great!!
<J.N. Fries>: What has been the most unique experience that you've encountered while traveling around the state?
<Mt. Pleasant>: Monty says," There have been a lot!!! "
<Mt. Pleasant>: The thing that amazes me is the number of great schools with teachers working very hard. There's also a lot of conflict and uncertainty, mostly due to accountability issues and all the settling out of the excellent schools act provisions

<J.N. Fries>: I am certain that teachers are in a state of panic with the new evaluation process as well
<Mt. Pleasant>: Evaluation is an issue with the portfolios for licensure
<J.N. Fries>: Has the state board approved the process yet or will it be approved next month?
<Mt. Pleasant>: Next week is the vote!!
<J.N. Fries>: Is peer evaluation a component of the new process or is it another initiative?
<Mt. Pleasant>: There are also a lot of issues with science and social studies in 3-8, k-2 testing, and earth / environmental science as the 3rd required science for graduation
<J.N. Fries>: Is peer evaluation a component of the new process or is it another initiative?
<Teachers Connect>: On May 28, Mamie Blevins, who deals with mentoring and teacher portfolio assessment will be on the Town Meeting with us. Get all your questions ready!!
<Cameron Park>: We will be signing off now. I have a class to teach
<J.N. Fries>: Thanks--Can we get a reminder of this date and the time?
<Teachers Connect>: Thanks for being a part, Shirley!
<Mt. Pleasant>: As sands through the hourglass, so are the hours of our day. As time comes to a close, and since we are feeling very collegial, is there something that anyone wants to say.
<Mt. Pleasant>: Will any of you be back at 3:00?
<J.N. Fries>: See Ya, It was nice seeing you and talking to you
<Teachers Connect>: Check the Teachers Connect website for a complete schedule of all of the Town Meetings: http://www.ofps.dpi.state.nc.us/OFPS/tc/
<J.N. Fries>: Teachers Connect your picture is great.
<Teachers Connect>: Monty, Polly, Tony, and Bill - THANKS! You all were great. We'll see you at 3
<J.N. Fries>: Fries will be back at 3 Thanks for the info.
<Teachers Connect>: Fries, we appreciate you participation! Cabarrus County is for sure at the top!
<Carole Stern>: Hi, I've been a quiet observer. This is a great way to get together and it was a lot easier than I expected. Thanks for setting this up. I will get a camera installed before the next session.