Fairfield Minuteman – A virtual visit at Burr School
Very nice to hear about the virtual visit from the other side!
An Australian children’s author talked to the students at Burr Elementary School this spring using Skype, the software application that allows one to call free using computers and a video camera.
A large, about 6 by 6 foot, SMART Board set up in the library, provided the screen on which the students could see author Wendy Orr, whose book, “Nim’s Island,” had been read by many of the children in the school.
The book has also been made into a major motion picture starring Jodie Foster and child star, Abigail Breslin, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in “Little Miss Sunshine.”
When children filed into the Library at 9:30 on the first Friday morning in May, it was already 11:30 in the evening for the author, who stayed up to talk to them and who pointed out to the children that it was almost Saturday in Australia.
“It’s also fall, not spring,” she said.
While the image on a Smart Board was fuzzier than the image might have been on a smaller screen, the live video did gave children a chance to see inside her office, with its many books and her sleeping dog-a perk not possible with most author talks.
The pooch somewhat reluctantly woke up to see the Connecticut children visible on Wendy Orr’s computer, as the web cam on the library’s Apple computer sent the children’s images to Australia.
To read the rest of the article:
Wendy Orr is a Canadian-born Australian writer. Her books for children and adults have been published in 27 countries and won awards around the world. Nim’s Island and Nim at Sea have also become feature films, starring Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin (Nim’s Island) and Bindi Irwin (Return to Nim’s Island.) Her latest book is Cuckoo’s Flight, a companion to the highly acclaimed Bronze Age novels Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance. Read full bio
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Brenton :-)