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Passaic Valley Regional High School Little Falls, New Jersey, USA

Dr. Victor J, Joganow, Superintendent,
John Wallace, Principal
Matthew Conforth, Director of Technology
Danielle Vigilante, Teacher

The all night videoconference event with students in other countries was the idea of Principal John Wallace. Permission for the event was granted by Superintendent Viktor J. Joganow and the Passaic Valley Board of Education. Director of Technology, Matthew Conforth was given the challenge of organizing the project along with creating the theme. Conforth recalled the speech made by the Secretary of State and thought it made an excellent focal point for the project. It was decided to involve students in the Passaic Valley Junior Statesman Club under the direction of Danielle Vigilante because of the cultural diversity of the club and their previous involvement in a United Nations Project on Human Rights organized by Global Education Motivators.

E-mail: pvmconforth@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.pvhs.k12.nj.us/

GEM is an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) in association with the United Nations Department of Public Information.

Founded in 1981, GEM's mission of promoting a global perspective in all aspects of learning has never been more important. Our interdependent global community demands it.

GEM was one of the first educational organizations to focus on developing global education programs for both schools and the local community. GEM was founded by educators and is directed today by educators, servicing schools and communities throughout the United States and abroad.

GEM offers a variety of videoconferencing programs for students ages K-12, as well as university level programs. Topics of programs include, but are not limited to, the following; the UN in your World, UN/Global Issues, From Independence to Interdependence, African Perspectives, GEMSTONES, From Words to Deeds, Landmines, as well as Staff Development.

Please visit www.gem-ngo.org or e-mail cusimano@chc.edu for more information about GEM and its programs.

This program was made possible in part by the support of Verizon, New Jersey. Passaic Valley High School will be connecting to sites internationally by using the ACCESS NEW JERSEY Video Portal. The Access New Jersey Portal provides a statewide video conferencing network for all K-12 schools throughout New Jersey.

Portal Facts.
  • Over 300 registered New Jersey schools participate with the ANJ Portal.
  • The Access New Jersey Portal has been in existence for the last four years.
  • The Portal is funded by monies that come out of the Access New Jersey Program.

This 24 hour event will be staffed and coordinated by Daniel Cleary, Stephen Antonucci and Eric Kulmala, members of the Video Portal team. NJIT will be connected to the ANJ Portal so that the Program can be streamed on the World Wide Web.

ANJ Portal website: www.accessnewjersey.net
Phone: 973-497-9765

NJEDge.Net's partnership in the Around the World Project will enrich the experience of the participating students by supplementing the live video conferencing with an online website and course. The website gives the ability of parents to view the video and the course creates an ongoing opportunity for the students from each country to continue their conversation.

NJEDge.Net promotes New Jersey's colleges and universities integration of technology into instruction, research and public service through an enhanced statewide data/video network.

Email : prupis@njedge.net Website : www.njedge.net


With its four-pronged mission of education, research, service and economic development , New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) plays a critical role in shaping New Jersey's future. As a major public technological university, NJIT is an important conduit through which technology flows into society. The university's educational programs prepare students to be leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. University researchers seek new knowledge to improve processes and products for industry. Through public and private partnerships and economic development efforts, the university helps to grow new business ventures that fuel the economy.

Website : www.njit.edu


The second largest and fastest growing university in New Jersey, Montclair State offers the advantages of a large university--a broad undergraduate curriculum with a global focus, a wide variety of superior graduate programs and a diverse faculty and student body--combined with a small college's attention to students. Montclair State's outstanding faculty is committed to learning through creative teaching informed by scholarship and service. All programs foster critical thinking, understanding and problem-solving, preparing students for lifelong learning.

E-mail: obrienj@mail.montclair.edu
Website: http://www.montclair.edu

Some of the school partnerships were made possible with the assistance and cooperation of Global Leap. Visit them at http://www.global-leap.com

Mike Griffith, formally Assistant Headteacher at Arbour Vale School in Slough, UK, set up Global Leap to support schools in developing videoconferencing in the classroom. Global Leap is the name that his students at Arbour Vale School chose for their 16-hour marathon global videoconferencing event on February 29th 2000. During a day of curriculum based videoconference events, pupils linked with classrooms in Australia, South Africa, Japan, Israel, Germany, Belgium, France, Iceland, Finland, Kosovo, USA and Peru. The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, joined us to answer questions from classrooms around the world, and to launch the Global Leap website. Read the Global Leap story in full story

Since then Mike has continued to work with schools to support teachers across the UK. In October 2001 he took time out from his role as Assistant Head Teacher at Arbour Vale School, to work in association with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to look at the curriculum application and implications of videoconferencing on standards and teaching and learning in schools.

Mike is currently managing a DfES project "Videoconferencing in the Classroom" to evaluate the use of videoconferencing in the curriculum and is developing pilot projects with a range of museums and galleries to provide curriculum links for schools. He also works with schools to develop international links.

 

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