Save the date - Megaconference Jr. 2009 wi l be held on February 19, 2009!!
Please help us circulate this Call for Proposals for the upcoming Megaconference Jr. 2009 to those who may be interested in your areas.
- Deadline for presenter proposals - November 30, 2008
We look forward to your involvement!
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WHAT IS MEGACONFERENCE JR.?
Megaconference Jr., now in its sixth year, is a project designed to give students in elementary and secondary schools around the world the opportunity to communicate, collaborate and contribute to each other's learning in real time, using advanced multi-point video conferencing technology. Presenters design and conduct videoconference-based presentations and activities focused on both academic and cultural issues. Participants are able to address questions to presenters and to collaborate with geographically diverse peers in collaborative learning activities, thus building international cultural awareness.
HOW IS THIS YEAR DIFFERENT?
As we celebrate our sixth year of the Megaconference Jr. we would like to thank everyone for making this such a successful event. We continue to exceeded all of our original goals and objectives. We continue to make connections, build collaborations and begin to understand our cultural differences and similarities. With our new understandings we hope to continue to build respect for our differences and a willingness to work together to find answers and solutions to the questions of our times. We encourage you to look at your community, region or nation and identify issues that not only affect you but others around the world. In particular, how does technology impact how we can achieve these goals and build a global community. As you begin planning your presentations and proposals for this year you might want to think of these ideas and how technology can impact not just how we can discuss the challenges of our day but also how we can solve them, together. Of course, we always welcome presentations dealin with cultural exchanges, music/art/video exchanges and projects or innovative classroom practices in addition to those featuring innovative use of technology.
ALSO THIS YEAR...
We are ver excited to announce that Danica McKellar will appear live at this year's Megaconference Jr. 2009 event.
Best known for her roles on The Wonder Years and The West Wing, Danica McKellar is also an internationally-recognized mathematician and two-time New York Times bestselling author. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA with a degree in Mathematics, Danica has been honored in Britain's esteemed Journal of Physics and the New York Times for her work in mathematics, most notably for her role as co-author of a ground-breaking mathematical physics theorem which bears her name (The Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem). Danica has written two bestselling books about math for middle school girls. Math Doesn’t Suck was such a success that Danica has written the highly anticipated sequel Kiss My Math which was r leased in August of 2008.
Danica will talk about her career and books and interact live with students during the annual Megaconference Jr. to be held Feb. 19, 2009. Danica will be live starting at 1pm EST. St. Clair County RESA, a founding partner in Megaconference Jr. and Chair of the Technical Committee, is responsible for making Danica's participation possible.
WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE?
The event will be on February 19, 2009, and it w ll run from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm EST (UTC-5). The 12-hour duration will make it possible for schools from many time zones to participate during their regular school hours. We strongly encourage schools to open up participation to parents, administrators, and the community and to stay connected for as long as possible so that they can actively participate with sites from around the world in different time-zones. Museums and libraries are especially encouraged to invite children, library patrons, and the community at large to participate during non-school hours.
HOW CAN I CONTRIBUTE?
You can propose a 20-25 min. interactive presentation or showcase an interesting collaboration project that you have been doing in your school. You can also suggest activities that could be organized at "downtimes" between the blocks of presentations. You can also sign up as an "Interactive" site once the final schedule is posted. Or, you can join us as participants with no special presentation given from your site.
WHO CAN BE A PRESENTER?
Students, students, and more students (with a little help from their teachers and tech folks, of course) can be presenters. Presentations with multiple sites (of students!) are strongly encouraged.
HOW DO I SUBMIT A PROPOSAL?
The proposal submission process has been streamlined again this year to ensure a successful conference for all. Anyone who wishes to submit a proposal can register as a presenter for Megaconference Jr. 2009 at
http://www.megaconferencejr.org/?id=registrationHOW WILL PROPOSALS BE EVALUATED?
Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:
1. Title: The title is catchy and unique and related to the objective of the presentation.
2. Presentation is Related to Theme: Student presentations should focus on academic or cultural issues and incorporate global awareness and collaboration.
3. Collaboration/Interactivity: The ideal presentation should include collaboration with students in another geographic location. If your project includes another site please identify that in the "Overview" section of the proposal submission form.
4. Creativity/Uniqueness: The presentation is delivered in a crea ive way and presents a different or unique topic.
5. Multimedia/Technology: Students use a variety of media and technology resources and appropriate distance learning activities.
WHAT TECHNOLOGY DO I NEED TO PARTICIPATE?
Most sites will need Internet2 or comparable high-speed connection and access to H.323 video-conferencing equipment. Presentations must be made sing H.323 technology, preferably at 768 Kbps or higher, and they will be made from the presenter's location. Presentations with multiple remote presenters are encouraged (see evaluation criteria above).
WOULD I BE ABLE TO REHEARSE?
Yes, all presenters will be required to hold at least one dress rehearsal, preferably with their interactive sites, prior to the event to rehearse and refine their presentations.
HOW TO REGISTER AND SUBMIT A PROPOSAL:
Presenter registration and subsequent proposal submission should be completed online at:
http://megaconferencejr.org/?id=registrationDEADLINE:
Submit your presenter proposal(s) by November 30, 2008.
(If you are unable to submit by this date due to special circumstances such as extended holiday break, please let us know and we will do everything possible to accommodate your schedule.)
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Please forward this message to anyone you feel would be interested in being a presenter site, anywhere in the world.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR TEAMS:
We're still in need of volunteers to join our five teams to help make this year's event the best ever. If you are interested in volunteering to be a part of planning the Megaconfernece Jr. planning teams, please see
http://www.megaconferencejr.org/?id=callforteamsLOGO CONTEST
We're looking for a new student-created logo for the 2009 Megaconference Jr. event. If you would like to submit your entry, please do so by Dec. 1, 2008. Designs should be submitted in digital file format (.gif, .jpg, .png, etc). The winning students' art will be featured on the MegaJr. website and in future print and online materials. Please send art work in digital format to Sue Rutkofske at <
rutkofske.susan@sccresa.org>.
Megaconference Jr. 2009 Planning Timeline:
* Planning Committees Operating: by September 30, 2008
* Call for Proposals Out: by October 20, 2008
* Presentation and Activity Proposals Deadline: November 30, 2008
* Event General Registration Open: November 17, 2008
* Technical Testing with Presenters/VJs: Starting December 8, 2008
* Notification of Acceptance: December 15, 2009
* Interactives Registration Opens: December 22, 2009
* Presenter and Interactives Dress Rehearsals: Starting January 5, 2009
* Interactive Registration Closes: January 16, 2009
* General Registration Closes: January 30, 2009
* Megaconference Jr. Event: February 19, 2009
Check out the Megaconference Jr. 2008 website at
http://megaconferencejr.org/And, join the online discussion on the Megaconference Jr. blog at
http://megaconferencejr.blogspot.com//
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Jennifer Oxenford
Associate Director, MAGPI
jmacdoug@magpi.net215-898-0341 (office)
267-322-0036 (cell)
http://www.magpi.net/215-74MAGPI (215-746-2474)
