Hello all,
Vanderburg Elementary and Nanakuni Elementary conducted its first video conference in September. This was something of a harrowing experience. In late August and early September, our schools had made several attempts with the conferencing technologies to little or no success. I had been moved from my GATE room into what was then the school's computer room. This proved temporary. After several weeks the GATE classes moved once again to an outdoor portable classroom. In the space between our tests and inital formal conference, it was determined that the bandwidth to the school had been shortened sometime over the summer making video streaming next to impossible. Once resolved, the connections within the building remained relatively stable. The connections to the portable were less then adequate. More to follow.
During this first conference, the two classes involved (Mr. Nishiyama's fourth grade class and students from one of my two fifth grade groups) introduced themselves and their schools through photos of each facility. The presentation followed a typical video penpal format with students taking turns saying their names and holding up drawings and photos of their school. My students shared photos of the outside of the building and grounds, a typical classroom, the mural down the length of the main hallway depicting vegetation and wildlife from the world's rainforests, and, of course, photos of the John C. Vanderburg Rainforest Biosphere. The photos and accompaning discussion centered on the history, educational curriculum and artifact collections of the Biosphere. In January, 2002, John C. Vanderburg Elementary School opened the only school-based rainforest biosphere in the world. This thirty three hundred square foot, one point three million dollar facility serves as an environmental education laboratory for all of the students of the Clark County School District as well as countless others via our website www.mybiosphere.com. (currently under complete overhaul). Designed by students working with architects from Tate, Snyder, Kimsey, the biosphere features an entrance through a replica of an ancient Mayan temple ruin, an amphitheater, a computer lab, a grow lab, and a rainforest walk featuring over one hundred fifty tropical plants from rainforests across the globe. Artifacts include a collection of rainforest animal skulls including Baboon, Mountain Gorilla, Chimpanzees, Python, Horned Iguana, Toucan and McCaws and Jaguars. In addition the Mayan Temple houses a collection of woven masks from cultures throughout New Guinea, a collection of authentic Mayan artifacts spanning the complete history of the empire, a collection of pressed medicinal plants and bottled tinctures, and an interactive kiosk featuring information on Rainforest cultures, animated rainforest animals complete with sounds and a video picturebook titled 'The Last of My Kind' written by me and illustrated my several of my fourth grade students. Permanent residents include our mascot Iguana 'Iggy", two sulphur crested Cockatoos; Angel Baby and Ben, a blue and yellow MaCaw named Polly, a pair of red spotted geckos, a pair of white bellied tree frogs and fifteen pairs of rainforest zebra finches which fly freely throughout the space. Our newest addition is a five foot rainbow boa constrictor which the students have named 'Skittles'. Photos to follow. Bye for now.
Bill Gilluly, Henderson, Nevada

Attach file:

---

  waterfall.jpg (525.68 KB)


  hut.jpg (520.20 KB)


  Ben.jpg (422.04 KB)


  amphitheater.jpg (546.59 KB)


  Iggy.jpg (418.75 KB)


  temple 1.jpg (335.37 KB)


  dig.jpg (428.33 KB)


  dome.jpg (493.97 KB)