Granny+Cam

= = = Resources Needed =
 * =="Granny"==
 * Our //granny// is retired school teacher, Mrs. Sue Sheffer. Your //granny// doesn't have to be a //granny!// A granny can be anyone who is willing to volunteer some of their time to virtually work with students.
 * ==Time==
 * We spent approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour a week to Skype with our granny. Students were assigned weekly to Skype for 10-15 minutes each.
 * ==Skype Account==
 * Our class has a Skype account that we can all log into.
 * ==Computer==
 * We used a Mac that had a built in camera and microphone. An external camera or microphone may be needed.
 * ==Headphones==
 * We used a headset with a mouthpiece so that outside noise was minimized.

=Description of Project=
 * ==Overview:==
 * This project was a bit different from a typical classroom project. Students Skyped with Mrs. Sheffer every week and typically met with her at least once a month.
 * ==Purpose:==

=Our Granny In Action= media type="custom" key="19675710"
 * ==Priceless!==

=A Project Was Born= Mrs. Sheffer introduced the students to primary documents and we spent a lot of time exploring girlonawhaleship.org. Students thought it would be cool to create their own piece of history and primary artifact. From that came our Digital Time Capsule.
 * Mrs. Sheffer came into the classroom to assist students in uploading images of their primary documents.
 * Students wrote about themselves and created presentations for their page of the site.
 * Mrs. Sheffer conferenced with each of them about their site and students revised and edited it as they were speaking.
 * Our Project: Digital Time Capsule

=What Did The Kids Have To Say About The Granny Cam?=









=Preparation:=
 * Mrs. Sheffer & I communicated via email about the students needs. I would send her a list of students to work with and what they would be working on.
 * Mrs. Sheffer conferenced individually with the students and provided feedback to me via email.
 * Before students started working with Mrs. Sheffer...
 * She spent one-on-one time with each student establishing trust and building a relationship with them, For example, when one student's dog passed away this past year he wanted to talk to Mrs. Sheffer about it (she loves dogs). Another example was that Mrs. Sheffer brought in an article for a student who was a WWII buff about WWII and even scheduled a time/place for him to interview a veteran. The span of what she did was far more than academic. Because of the relationships she formed, she was able to work on academics.

Other Resources: 50 State Challenge - many elementary classrooms to connect with across the globe!