John L. Hensey Students Meet Frankie & Favorite Author Via Skype

My mom (award-winning author, Barbara Techel) and I were so excited to meet with Mrs. Burd's early childhood class recently and I didn't even have to leave the comfort of my home... we were able to meet via the wonderful technology of Skype!  The full story is below from the Washington Times Reporter by Brandon Schatsick.

Photo by Washington Times

Students in Kim Burd’s class at John L. Hensey School were able to meet face-to-face with the author of one of their favorite books who lives in Wisconsin April 7; nevermind the fact that they met with more than 150 miles separating them.

Burd’s early childhood class recently finished reading “Frankie: The Walk ‘n Roll Dog” about a miniature dachshund who ruptured a disk in her back, becoming permanently paralyzed in that area. Frankie’s owner and author of the book, Barbara Techel found a dog cart for Frankie and decided to chronicle the every day life of a dog in said cart.

“It’s about a real animal with real challenges ... the message is about never giving up and you have to put your best paw forward,” Burd said. 

The class was able to meet with Techel and Frankie through the class’ new interactive board from PolyVision and a computer program called Skype. 

Burd said it was all thanks to a grant that allows schools to implement new technology in the classroom.

“I just got this technology in my room and for me to be able to learn that with the children ... they loved seeing everything very big on the wall,” Burd said of the projected Techel holding Frankie on the other end of the connection. “They wanted to go up and pet Frankie like she was actually there.” 

Frankie, a trained therapy dog, often accompanies Techel as they visit hospitals and schools to teach people about overcoming challenges. Although Techel couldn’t make it to Washington, Burd, who uses Techel’s website www.joyfulpaws.com for teaching assistance with the book, thought it would be worth a shot to see if the two of them could set up a Skype date.

“Isn’t this great?” Techel said to the class, referring to the Internet meeting. “With Frankie being in a wheelchair ... and Frankie’s almost 12 years old, for me to travel with her it’s not necessarily a good thing because I don’t want to over-stress her ... I’m so glad we can meet kids like you via Skype.”

“She provides (lesson plans, etc.) for teachers to use her book as a learning tool ... she’s made it very fun to want to do this as a teacher with the kids and all of the positive things you can teach them (through Frankie’s story),” Burd said. “(Meeting with her via Skype) was just the icing on the cake.”

During the meeting, kids asked questions about where Frankie sleeps (in bed with Techel and her husband), if his cart works in the grass (it works rather well actually, Techel said) and they showed her pictures they colored of Frankie..

Photo by Washington Times

“That looks like Frankie; you got the colors right and everything,” Techel said upon seeing them on her computer screen. 

Techel then had a fashion show with Frankie putting on a couple of her favorite hats including a cowgirl hat, biker helmet and floppy summer hat.

“We’ve done all kinds of neat things, but to be able to visit with someone like that and make it a lesson, was very powerful to see that.”

xxx

Teachers!  If you are interested in having me and my author Mom, Barbara Techel, visit your classroom via Skype check out our free downloadable Skype e-book to help you plan a visit with us!  We'd love to meet you and your students.

Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Dog Skype's with Siren the Fire Safety Dog & Tango

Skyping, and sharing my positive message with classrooms across the US and Canada is one of my favorite things to do-- so imagine how excited I was to team up with Siren the Fire Safety Dog and his brother and talk with Ms. Karen's class in Canada!  We set it up a group Skype call as a Q & A session and the kids had great questions for all us techie dogs.

One of the students, Becca, was the photographer and got some great photos from the point of them seeing all of us on the screen in their classroom.

A special thank you to Becca for your great photography and Ms. Karen for inviting us into her classroom, as well as Siren and Tango's Mom for setting up the group Skype call.

How to Use Skype in the Classroom

As a dog (and my author Mom, Barbara Techel) who love to Skype with kids across the US And Canada I wanted to share this helpful article on all the different ways you can use Skype in the classroom.  Ain't technology grand?
If you'd like to Skype with me check out my website teacher page for a free ebook on planning a Skype visit!

Getting ready for a Skype call!

Article reprint from Smart Schools, Smart Tools:

Skype is a free and easy way for teachers to enrich their classrooms and students with a world beyond their campuses. Skype allows students to learn from other students and cultures and expand their knowledge in different ways.

One such project can be talking to museum curators and science experts via Skype. Student works can be posted on student blogs for experts to comment on the work.

Using Skype, students can receive encouragement from peers and teachers from all over the world. They can collaborate, share resources, plan and track the progress of the project with other schools as well.

Below are some ideas to teach students in the most dynamic ways:

1. See Me, Hear Me: Skype in the Classroom. Students with the opportunity to chat with a book author via Skype.
2. Videoconferencing in the Classroom with Skype. A teacher who used the movie “Hoop Dreams” to teach about social equality. The movie’s executive producer participated in a Skype session with students.
3. Field trips. For students who are not able to participate in a field trip, they can use Skype to bring the field trip into the classroom.
4. Using Skype in the languages classroom.Help students study foreign languages from native speakers.
5. After school help. Help students needing extra attention after school.
6. Interviews. Students can interview other teachers or students, sending the Skype feed to the classroom for all to watch.
7. Guest lecturers. Have guest lecturers come to your classroom via Skype.
8. Connect special needs students. Students who cannot attend class because of special needs won’t need to miss special events in the classroom with Skype.
9. Foreign culture lessons. Allows students to see first-hand what people’s homes, schools, clothing, weather, and more looks like. If a festival takes place, Skype can bring it to the classroom too.
10. Connect with families from around the world.
11. Present a performance. Put on a play, or demonstrate a science experiment. Share the fruits of students’ works with Skype.
12. Professional development. Teachers can use Skype for conference presentations.
13. Innovative teacher uses Skype and Wikis to involve parents. An example of a teacher who helped share information using Skype and the PBS program called “Growing Up Online.”
14. Receive teaching feedback. Ask an experienced or mentor teacher to give you feedback via Skype.
15. Skype in the Classroom. Offers help on how to set up Skype, tips on finding other teachers on Skype and technical objects.
16. Skype Tutorials for Teachers, Authors, Librarians. >Find a handful of video and text tutorials here to get started with Skype.
17. Classroom Collaboration with Skype. This is a primer that offers help using Skype, and using it in the classroom.
18. Using skype in the classroom. A teacher describes using Skype and how to best prepare for class using Skype as a great educational opportunity.

Sources:

“50 Awesome Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom.” Retrieved December 3, 2010 fromhttp://www.teachingdegree.org/2009/06/30/50-awesome-ways-to-use-skype-in-the-classroom/

Stephenson, Neil. “The Many Roles of Skype in the Classroom.” Retrieved December 3, 2010from http://www.iste.org/connect/iste-connects/blog-detail/09-02-15/The_Many_Roles_of_Skype_in_the_Classroom.aspx

Teaching Guide to Expand on Valuable Life Lessons of Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Dog

We are very happy to announce the addition of our Teaching Guide to further expand on our Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Dog book series.

So how can Frankie help your students?

•successfully overcome challeges
•make positive choices
•be more compassionate
•understand the meaning and rewards of giving back

Our guide is designed for grades 2-5, though many of the activities can be tweaked to include younger or older students, as well.

To further enhance Frankie's lessons in a way that will have your students remembering Frankie for a long time to come, we suggest a visit with her in-person or via Skype. Frankie, our little Ambassador of Inspiration has proven in past visits to leave an everlasting, positive impact on students of all ages.

It is our hope and dream that Frankie's valuable life lessons will positively impact children around the world and instill in them that they can be the best they can be no matter what obstacles they face in life.

Get your copy of our free downloadable Teaching Guide now!

For more information on planning an in-person or Skype visit with Frankie please visit our website for free downlable e-books on planning a visit.