Alan Cameron's Edublog Learning in the 3rd Millennium 

Last week students in Northern Valley Schools, New Jersey welcomed 24 students and 4 staff from Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. Families of students in Demarest and Old Tappan schools kindly hosted young people from Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie for the week of 5-12 April. This was our reciprocal visit to the USA following the American students’ visit to Dumfries & Galloway in April 2013.

SATURDAY

We had a good flight on United Airlines from Glasgow to Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday 5th April. It was a very pleasant surprise to be met by Northern Valley friends greeting us warmly at the airport. From there we headed for Demarest High School to meet all host families. In the evening we went to the Ice Skating Rink at the Palisades Centre.

SUNDAY

Sunday was a day for host families to spend some quality time with the new arrivals. Our students were involved in a wide range of activities with their hosts. The weather was superb today and I was delighted to take part in a game of golf at River Vale Country Club.

A beautiful day for a game of golf!

Later that afternoon our chaperone group enjoy a traditional thanksgiving-style meal at Steve and Elaine O’Neill’s house.

Fiona and Chris enjoying the sunshine!

Elaine & Steve hosted us for a delicious thanksgiving style meal.

Kay, Evan and April on Sunday afternoon.

Claudia, Susan and Nancy

MONDAY

Today we all meet up at Demarest at 7.45am and take a private coach to New York City. Highlight of the day is a boat trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. In the afternoon we visit the Reflecting Pools commemorating those lost in the World Trade Center tragedy.

Standing at 1776 feet, the Freedom Tower

Fiona on Liberty Island at the Statue of Liberty

Reflecting Pool at the World Trade Center site

TUESDAY

Today we have a very full and exciting day, starting in Central Park at the ‘Imagine’ commemoration for John Lennon.

Strawberry Fields in Central Park, New York remembering John Lennon

We then head for the Museum of Natural History and then an opportunity for shopping at Times Square.

At the Museum of Natural History

Our dinner at Ellen’s Stardust Diner features our waiters and waitresses also starring as Broadway singers in their own right!

Waiters and waitresses take their chance to sing on Broadway!

After our meal we head to the Broadway show, ”Wicked”, which is for many of our group a highlight of the week. A truly excellent show.

Everyone enjoyed the show!

Wednesday

Today, we all go to school, either at Old Tappan or Demarest. It’s very interesting to visit a range of classes in a New Jersey school. The schools are very well equipped with technology and other resources. In the evening, all the chaperones enjoyed a lovely meal at Claudia and Evan Cooper’s house. Claudia’s cooking is wonderful. I even took a picture of breakfast!

Strawberrys, pancakes and bacon….mmm….

Thursday

Today our group takes on the challenge of the Project Adventure ropes course. Everyone has their own challenges and successes on this, with beautiful weather today helping all to enjoy the outdoor activities. In the evening we have a formal reception at Old Tappan with a few speeches and exchanges of gifts.

All smiles at the evening reception

Superintendent Dr Chris Nagy, a great advocate for the Northern Valley / Dumfries & Galloway partnership

Some cool dudes

Our Northern Valley hosts

Friday

Another very full day starting at the Empire State Building with wonderful 360 views of New York and New Jersey from the top.

From the top of the Empire State Building looking towards the Freedom Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

We then go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This massive museum houses a huge range of amazing artefacts.

Famous painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware in December 1776 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the evening we all board ‘The Spirit of New Jersey’ for an evening cruise and dinner. We enjoyed fantastic views of New York from the boat and also of the illuminated Statue of Liberty.

Everyone looking forward to the evening cruise and dinner

Chaperone team USA/Scotland prepare to board ‘The Spirit of New Jersey’

This has been a week we’ll never forget! Many thanks to all our friends and families in Northern Valley, New Jersey.

Great views of New York City by night from the boat

Whether you’re from Scotland, the USA or anywhere else in the world, everyone (of all ages) likes to get together and just have fun! The 48 kids and 9 chaperones that made up our New Jersey / Dumfries & Galloway exchange group had a great time at Cream O’ Galloway, Xscape and on the water at Loch Ken. The pictures say it all!

Young people from Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland and Northern Valley, New Jersey shared a week-long exchange with visits to a variety of cultural places of interest. They also had great fun at Xscape in Glasgow on the snow and kayaking at Loch Ken. The weather was great, although a tumble into the loch felt more than a little refreshing!

Almost a 1000 kids in Dumfries & Galloway schools were totally captivated, thrilled and amazed to hear Chris Lubbe share stories from his life in South Africa. I had the pleasure of hosting Chris from Sunday 3rd through to Thursday 7th March when we visited 13 schools across the region (10 in person, 3 by video-link). To hear Chris tell stories about how he became a member of the illegal ANC party in a struggle with Nelson Mandela to free the country of the shocking apartheid system of inequality and brutality was truly amazing and inspiring for all, young and old, who listened to him.

Chris received a very warm welcome in schools and also spoke one evening in a hotel at an open meeting, and on another occasion with some friends at my house. Through all his stories of the harsh laws and unfairness of apartheid, Chris’s message to young people in schools was uplifting, encouraging all to forgive each other, to be kind to each other and to show love and concern for everyone we meet in life. Chris was so well received everywhere he went that there is now a great demand for him to return to Dumfries & Galloway soon!

Today was a beautiful day to drive from Dumfries up to Penpont and observe the 18th of 18 video conference lessons Heather Reid has delivered live and interactive from the Glasgow Science Centre in recent weeks. 10 schools have been involved in this project in partnership with the Glasgow Science Centre and already I’ve been discussing with Heather further plans for developing learning and teaching through video-links. The teachers and pupils have made a great success of this opportunity with Heather. It’s now important to take time to review progress and fully evaluate how we can develop pedagogy in this new area of distance learning. One thing we can say though. It works!!

John Maxwell Geddes is one of Scotland’s leading composers. In addition to composing, he has lectured at many universities throughout Europe, the United States, and Russia, and has held various conducting posts, including that of principal guest conductor of the Dumfries and Galloway Regional Orchestra. John studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, and following his graduation, worked as a school teacher until winning a scholarship that enabled him to study in Copenhagen with Niels Viggo Bentszon.
 John has had a long association with Dumfries & Galloway and we’re delighted to have such a distinguished composer working with us on composing projects for young people in 4 primary schools in the region. The weather this week has been cold and clear and after a busy day, John and I took a trip in the sunshine down to Kippford on the Solway coast.

On Thursday and Friday of this past week schools were delighted to have a visit from Professor Stephen Heppell. We’re very grateful for his support as we look to enhance learning through the use of mini iPads in certain schools. Pupil-led proposals from 18 schools were received for the use of mini iPads in learning and are now being considered by Stephen. During Thursday and Friday, he met with pupils in 5 schools, 4 in person and one over video conference. The outcomes of his deliberations are being eagerly anticipated!

We’re now into Heather Reid’s 4th day of science lessons to Dumfries & Galloway schools live via interactive video conference from the Glasgow Science Centre. Young people from 10 primary schools across the 100 mile+ wide region have enjoyed a fantastic opportunity to learn about climate change, renewable energies and weather related issues with Heather presenting direct into classrooms live from the Glasgow Science Centre. Today it was the turn of young people from Lincluden in Dumfries. With the support of their teacher Miss Agnew, the P5 class engaged in discussion with Heather and each other in groups as they considered the causes and consequences of carbon emissions.

Every Thursday one of our tutors, Grant Golding, delivers brass lessons (trumpet, trombone) to young people in primary schools across Dumfries & Galloway. Grant has been working as a virtual tutor with Dumfries & Galloway for 7 years. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in delivering live interactive lessons in HD quality to students in remote rural schools on a weekly basis.

Since November 2005, instrumental music lessons have been delivered to young people across Dumfries & Galloway via live video conferencing. Brian Renwick (woodwind tutor) is seen hear giving a flute lesson to a pupil. In addition to visiting certain schools, Brian also delivers lessons live from Lochside Education Centre in Dumfries to pupils in schools across the region.