MACUL Journal Article, March 2003

TWICE connects readers across America via two-way videoconferencing
By Debbie Glasgow and Diane Zoellmer

TWICE is a group of Michigan educators and technicians dedicated to promoting and supporting collaborative connections using two-way interactive video for the benefit of students.

Two-way videoconferencing is not just for virtual field trips to content providers, or sharing classes between districts. The power of videoconferencing can also be utilized to develop school-to-school collaborations and projects.

The TWICE Read Across America (RAA) project is a good example how the use of videoconferencing technology can create a collaborative project. TWICE (Two way Interactive Connections in Education) sponsors and organizes this special project in conjunction with the National Education Association’s “Read Across America” day in March.

NEA’s Read Across America encourages everyone to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday by reading. Now in its sixth year, this annual reading motivation and awareness program estimates that over 40 million readers participated last year. NEA promotes the TWICE project on its Website at http://www.nea.org/readacross/twice.html and states, “Thanks to TWICE, NEA’s Read Across America has gone hi-tech.”

The TWICE Read Across America Project promotes reading also, but at a distance. Using two-way interactive video, one class reads to another class and is then read to by the first class, each taking approximately 15 minutes to read their selected piece. What they read is their choice i.e., a Dr. Seuss book (this event is in honor of his birthday), a book about their community, a poem or an original story their class wrote.

After each class has a chance to read to the other, students have the opportunity to find out about the other class. They are always amazed to learn how similar and/or different they are.

This project is open to all K-12 students in public and private schools in the continental United States. However, they must have access to ISDN (H.320) or IP (H.323) codec equipment to participate. Individual schools are responsible to negotiate test calls and line fees.

The Read Across America project started at Berrien RESA, at the suggestion of a local teacher. The first event involved five classes from Berrien County schools. In 2001, a Distance Learning Coordinator from Chicago learned of the project and suggested that Berrien County expand the program nationally.

Janine Lim, Instructional Technology Coordinator at the Berrien RESA approached the newly organized TWICE board about taking on Read Across America as a national project, in cooperation with the NEA.

March 2002 was the first year for the TWICE RAA project. Last year, classes from 18 states read to each other using two-way interactive video connections on March 1. The map on the TWICE Website at http://www.twice.cc/read2002report.html shows all the state connections and lists all of the schools that were involved.

This March, based on feedback from the first year, the project was expanded to the whole week of Dr. Seuss’ birthday (March 3-7). Over 580 classes participated in 2003, representing 12 states — Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

In January and February, teachers and technology coordinators registered at the TWICE Website (http://www.twice.cc/readacross.html) for the RAA project. TWICE project coordinators then begin the process of matching schools across the country based on requested time and grade level. Once the pairings were made, participants were notified that they could start the connection process, beginning with a test connection. This essential step ensures that everything goes smoothly at the time of their actual connection.

TWICE will be sponsoring this project again in 2004, so plan to participate!

TWICE (http://www.twice.cc) is a group of Michigan educators and technicians dedicated to promoting and supporting collaborative connections using two-way interactive video for the benefit of students. Collaborative Project Co-Chairs are Debbie Glasgow, Technology Coordinator for the Midland County Educational Service Agency, and Diane Zoellmer, Coordinator of Instructional Technology for the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District.