Atlanta Urban Debate League E-Debate Teaching Project

Transcription

1 Atlanta Urban Debate League E-Debate Teaching Project Atlanta Urban Debate League... 1 Invitation to Participate... 2 School and Coach Expectations... 4 Technology Needs... 5 Downloading Skype... 6 Installing Skype... 8 Frequently Asked Questions... 10

2 Invitation to Participate Dear Principal and Coach, Your school has been given the opportunity to participate in the E-Debate Teaching Project with the debate program from Emory University. This innovative and educational program allows your students to gain invaluable debate instruction despite the challenges of distance and time. Debate is a powerful instructional tool and gives students the skill set necessary to succeed in every facet of their lives. The critical reading, writing, and oral communication skills enhances student competency both inside and outside the classroom. There is a wealth of peer-reviewed academic research indicating that urban debate moves the needle on the academic indicators and educational challenges facing students in Atlanta and metro-atlanta area. Specifically: High School Graduation. Debate is especially appealing to struggling students not reached by most other academic interventions. These students do not find their current education relevant, are not motivated to succeed, and on the verge of dropping out. The competitive, student-centered nature of debate is attractive to these students. For the first time, they have a reason and an opportunity to struggle with complicated text that speaks to their interests and invites their opinions. The trophies they win and the respect they earn from peers and adults motivates them, for the first time, to become the responsible and intelligent individuals they have always had the potential to be. As a result, students who join the debate team are 42% more likely to graduate from high school than those who do not. College Readiness. Debate helps students develop the academic skills necessary to succeed in college. Urban debaters improved both their Reading and English ACT scores by 15% and are 34% (English) and 74% (Reading) more likely to achieve the college readiness benchmarks after just two years in debate. After just one year in debate, 11 th graders' ability to read for accuracy increased more than three grade levels, and their ability to read for fluency and comprehension increased more than two grade levels. Closing the Achievement Gap. While all subgroups of students benefit from debate, research shows debate especially benefits African-American males and Latino students. Overall, urban debaters generally are 42% more likely to graduate from high school; African-American male debaters are 70% more likely. After two years in debate, Latino ACT scores were almost exactly the same as the average ACT score of the overall population, and their 12 th grade GPA was higher than that of debaters generally. Developing Leaders. Students on the debate team often feel that they are being asked 2

3 to participate in their own education for the first time. Their debate coaches, who are also their academic teachers, listen to them. The judges, often college students, graduate students, or business professionals, spend an hour to two hours listening to the speeches the debaters have prepared and their exchange of ideas, then spend five minutes giving careful notes on their performance. It is no surprise that 2/3 of the members of Congress were once debaters, and debaters are similarly represented at the highest levels of academia, business, and the law. If you are interested in being a part of this project, please look over the Expectations Document that is included to ensure you are able to fully participate. Thanks for taking the opportunity and time to read about this exciting project with Emory University. We hope you will seize the opportunity to bring the transformative power of debate to your students and your school. James Roland Program Director, National Debate Project Director of Community Outreach, Barkley Emory University Director, Atlanta Debate Center Debate Coach, Barkley Emory University (w) (c) 3

4 School and Coach Expectations Welcome! We are excited to launch this pilot program, and to have you and your school be a part of this innovative, engaging, and transformative project. In order, to ensure the quality of programming we have outlined below some expectations for school and coach participation. Find a classroom space that will be appropriate for the number of students you are serving on the debate team. It should have all the necessary technology needed to implement the project (see list of tech needs). For example, a laptop and smart board are necessary. An adult is expected to be available during instruction to assist with classroom management and instruction during the session and supplemental instruction after the session. An adult should prepare for online instruction in a way to ensure sessions start on time. An adult should keep an attendance log of the dates, time, and number of students served during each session. If online curriculum is available for the session being offered, we ask coaches read over the materials to enhance their understanding of debate and be valueadded to their students after the skype session. This is intended to be a supplemental tool for instruction, and coaches are strongly encouraged to find other opportunities to do in person/face to face instruction to prepare and teach students like practice debates, speaking drills, rebuttal redos, and learning the evidence packet. If you are using equipment supplied by the Atlanta Urban Debate League, you are responsible for the safe keeping of the equipment before, during, and after each session. If you have concerns or problems with instruction, we ask you communicate with James Roland at Jroland@atlantadebate.org or Kara Grant (KCgrant@emory.edu) so we may deal with them in an appropriate manner. 4

5 Technology Needs 1. The E-Debate Teaching Project uses Skype, a free online video conferencing program. The project requires access to a high-speed internet that will not cut out during an instructional period. Without a fast connection, users may experience asynchronous time delays, crashes, and video and audio freezes. 2. For those of you using computers that are not equipped with internal cameras, you will need to purchase a webcam. The webcam will allow the Skype instructor to see your students and better interact with them. For a list of Skype compatible webcams, checkout 3. We also ask that coaches participating in the E-Debate Teaching Project purchase an external microphone, regardless of whether or not the computer in use is equipped with an internal microphone. Here is a link to a recommended, reasonably priced Skype compatible microphone 4. Skype is compatible with the sound and video technology already established in your smart-rooms. Once debate coaches establish Skype accounts for their debate team, coaches will be able to broadcast video chats via the promethean board, allowing the entire squad to see the skype instructor and the instructor to see the squad. The promethean board will also allow the skype instructor to share files and images with the squad. 5. Some of the Skype curriculum may require debate coaches to have access to printers. Skype instructors may have notes, worksheet, and debate exercises for students to complete. The instructor will send these documents to debate coaches prior to the Skype sessions. 5

6 Downloading Skype 1. With your Internet browser open, enter in the address line to open the Home page of the Skype Web site. 2. Click the Download button on the Skype home page to open the Download page. Skype will begin the download to your computer. It will automatically determine the operating system and the Web browser that you are using. This screen will tell you what to do after the program downloads. If the download doesn t start automatically, you will be able to start it manually by clicking on Start Download Again. After you click to download the program, you may be prompted to save or open the program SkypeSetup.exe. Always choose to save the file to your hard drive. Do not open or run the program during the download process. Skype sometimes posts two types of downloads, the general public version and the next new beta version. If you are just starting out, it's best to download the general public version because it s more stable. In time, the beta version will become the public version, and you can upgrade. 6

7 3. Select Save to Disk. Choose an easy-to-remember location, such as the Windows Desktop, and click OK. Remember this location so that you can double-click the file after it is saved. 7

8 Installing Skype When your download is complete and the program is saved to disk, follow these steps to install the program: 1. Double-click the SkypeSetup program that you just saved or just click Run if you have that option. If a User Account Control windows pops up asking you for permission, just click Continue. 2. When the installer program launches, it asks you to choose a language; select it from a drop-down list. The installer program then asks you to read and accept the End User License Agreement. You need to accept this to continue the installation. The program may also ask if you want to install certain other programs or browser add-ons. You are under no obligation to install these. If you don t want the extras, just uncheck the box and click on Next. Click the Options button. On this page you have the choice to launch Skype as soon as the installation is complete. This box is already checked. If you don't want Skype to start up right away, deselect the box by clicking it. You also have the option to update the Skype Extras Manager and to install a Skype Plugin for the web browser (s) that you have installed on the computer. 8

9 3. Click I agree -- Install. Skype asks you to set up an account by entering a Name, a Skype Name, and Password. The next screen asks for your address, country, and city. If the Skype name you specified is already in use, you will get a chance to choose another name. Once you complete this, Skype is installed and automatically launches itself (unless you deselected the Launch Skype check box on the Options screen). 9

10 Frequently Asked Questions How do I create a Skype account? 1. Go to 2. Enter your profile details in the fields provided. The more information you enter, the easier it will be for your friends to find you on Skype. o Fields marked with a * are mandatory. o Make sure that you use a valid address, as you will need this if you forget your password. 3. Enter a Skype Name. This is the name people will use to contact you on Skype. Once created, you cannot change it. Your Skype Name must be between 6 and 32 characters. It must start with a letter and can contain only letters, numbers, and the following punctuation marks: o Full stop (.) comma (,) dash (-) underscore (_) 4. Enter a password. You will use this to sign in to Skype. Your password is case sensitive, must be between 6 and 20 characters, and must contain at least one letter and one number. 5. Read the Skype Terms of use and privacy policy and then click I agree. 6. Your Skype account is created, and you are signed in to it. I've forgotten my Skype name. How do I find out what it is? 1. Go to the sign-in page 2. Click Forgotten your Skype Name? 3. Enter the address you used when you first created your Skype account. 4. Click Get Skype Name. 5. Check your inbox for an from Skype entitled Your Skype Name token. The can take up to 30 minutes to reach you and it must be used within six hours. 6. Open the and click the temporary code link. If the temporary code link does not work, then try the second link entitled Skype Name recovery page. This takes you to a screen where you manually enter the temporary code contained in the . I forgot my password. How do I recover/change it? Change your password in three easy steps. 1. Go to 2. Fill in your address. 3. Skype will you a temporary code. 4. Use the code to change your password. How do I add a contact? 1. Sign in to Skype. 2. In the menu bar, click Contacts > Add a Contact. 10

11 3. Enter the , Phone number, Full name or Skype name of the person you want to add. 4. Once the Skype account of the person you want to add is displayed, click Add. How do I make a video call? 1. Sign in to Skype. 2. In your contact list, select the person you want to call. 3. Check that the person you want to call is online. If they are, will be displayed next to their name. 4. In the calling area, click. Your video call will begin when the person you are calling answers. How can I check that my webcam is working correctly? 1. Sign in to Skype. 2. In the menu bar, click Tools > Options Under General, select Video Settings. If you have a webcam connected, you should see a live picture from your webcam. If you can see the live picture, your webcam is working correctly. How do I configure Skype to work with a microphone? 1. Locate the menu bar in Skype. Click Call > Audio Settings. 11

12 2. Make sure that the device you want to use as your microphone is selected in the Microphone dropdown list. 3. Try speaking into the microphone and see if the volume indicator lights up. If it does, the microphone is working fine. 12