It appears that the server for Collaborations Around the Planet and Read Around the Planet has been up and down today, November 13. Thanks for your patience. The issue was at the Internet Service Provider giving internet service to the ISD hosting the server. So please try again tomorrow!
Archive for November, 2007
Quicklinks: Read Around the Planet website and CAPspace login.
The Read Around the Planet tools for adding your equipment are ready. So here’s what you need to know.
Getting Started
- Make sure you’ve read through the Getting Ready for Read Around the Planet and finished those steps.
- Make sure you have written your “narrative” telling how you use/coordinate videoconferencing under My Settings, About Me. We use this to “promote” you in the system so you have the Admin button on the menu. Give us 48 hours to catch it. If we miss promoting you, email sue@twice.cc and let Sue know that you need the Admin button because you coordinate videoconferencing.
- If you are new to RAP, be sure to read the appropriate packet: Teacher, Coordinator, Tech.
Verification
Your building or district videoconference equipment must be verified with a RAP Verification Partner before your teachers can register for this activity. Equipment verification will help prevent classes from being mismatched due to technical incompatibilities. Verification does not eliminate the need for a test call to the partner school.
To start, each endpoint and MCU that will be used for RAP needs to be entered and verified.
- Click Admin, My Equipment.
- If possible Add MCU first (if applicable). The matching system will use the number of unique concurrent connections to make sure connections scheduled don’t exceed the ability of the MCU.
- Add Endpoints. Make sure you fill in all the fields marked with a star. Use a naming connection that works for your area, such as St. Joseph – Lincoln El Mobile.
- After adding equipment, you can attach an MCU to an endpoint, attach additional techs to the endpoint, and attach end users (i.e. teachers).
- For additional techs, you can add those who already have an account in the system, or list name, phone & email for techs who won’t ever login to see partner connection details after the match.
- Don’t worry too much about teachers at this point. If they are in the system, from last year; attach them. When registration starts, if teachers are registering themselves, they’ll need to be connected to verified equipment. But you’ll also be able to register for teachers without them needing to login in.
Then WAIT to be contacted for verification
This year, the verification coordinators will contact you for the test call. So please wait at least a week before you wonder if we noticed! Please try to enter all the equipment you’re responsible for, so that it can all be checked off in your test call with the Verification Partner.
If desired, you can also watch this video explaining how to add endpoints.
Just a quick update on Read Around the Planet. The tools for you (coordinators & techs) to add equipment are not quite ready yet. So watch for the RAP announcement to the listservs. We’ll send that out when everything is ready. Hopefully soon. In the meantime there are a few things you can work on. Read about it on the RAP website.
Today we have the first TWICE ASK program of the year with author Margaret Willey on her book Clever Beatrice. The book is a French Canadian folk tale retold in the Michigan Upper Pennisula setting. Students worked very hard preparing their questions following the ASK process. Here is a small sample of some of the interesting questions from today.
- Why wasn’t there a dad in the story?
- How did you come up with the idea of having a young girl brave enough to talk to a giant?
- How long did it take you to become famous?
- How did you choose the person to do the drawings for your book?
- Do you like writing children’s books?
We still have room in some of the spring TWICE ASK programs, so sign up if you want to join us. Non-TWICE members are welcome too!
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