Reflections from Marist
When I decided to join the VC team, I knew that we were going to be creating a website jointly with teams from across the globe, but I had no idea how we were going to communicate effectively and share and edit files without deleting other peoples work.I had previous experience with designing webpages and making graphics, but in terms with transferring ideas and files, I was a beginner. During the last six months, I have acquired and refined a number of skills, like web designing, animations and transferring files, but by far the biggest skills I have gained are the concept of trading ideas, communicating with fellow VC members and collaborating to build a truly awesome website.
The site has been growing and changing slowly like a flower blossoming into this brilliant masterpiece, which is the result of months of hard work and dedication from all the students of Penshurst Marist, Percy Julian and Gakushuin, and I am very proud to be a part of this special team of minds, VC-03.
From this virtual experience, I will take away with me the power of collaboration, and the new friendships that have developed will last a lifetime. Next time I think something is too hard to achieve, I will always look back to the Virtual Classroom team and think to myself, I have helped create something so big and so wonderful, nothing is impossible.
Peter P.
I have been a part of Virtual Classroom now for 3 years. When I first started, I had limited Internet and HTML knowledge. Through the past 3 years I have learnt an enormous amount of information about the Internet and about how websites are created. It is interesting how over the past 3 years the technology has changed. In 1997, our website contained HTML and nothing else. In 1998 we started experimenting with JavaScript's, RealPlayer and Macromedia Flash. In 1999 we extended our knowledge in Java, Flash, Real and even HTML. From not being able to create a website, I now run a website and create websites for online businesses. Virtual Classroom has not only taught me and thousands of students around the world how to create websites, but also to be able to work as a team, and work around language barriers.
Daniel F.
During my time in VC03, I began to unravel the secrets into operating Flash, Dreamweaver and Fireworks. Virtual Classroom is more than just a competition which competes against other schools to see who is the best of the best. It is a time which allows us to broaden our knowledge about web page design, but the most important thing of all is that, it allows us to communicate with each other (the teams in different parts of the globe).
Chris K
This year was my first full year of virtual classroom, and it turned out all right. The start of Virtual Classroom was a bit of déjà vu, as I had been part of last year's team but didn't really do much with it. Once it was off and running I started to settle in. The project has helped me to work more as a team and utilize different types of communication to get our message across to the other countries, while still keeping the same idea through to the completion of the web site.
Before the project finished I had picked up on a couple of skills including using graphics and running through the web pages and correcting any minor mistakes made by other team members. The completion of the project has opened my eyes to the amount of teamwork involved in formatting the end product. It may have taken a while to get the idea up and on to the web but the end product was great. The collaboration with the three teams was amazing when it came to working out the layout and items to be put on the web pages.
Virtual Classroom was a big help for me and I will definitely be doing it next year.
Laurence S
This is the first time I have participated in Virtual Classroom. It was a new experience for me but a fun one at that. I found it hard at the start to get ideas across to schools around the globe with them having totally different ideas and different cultures but Virtual Classroom has given me the skills to work with people from around the world.
Virtual Classroom has given me better communication skills with other people. It has helped my teamwork skills. It helped me with making better webpages and got me starting using Flash well. Virtual Classroom is a very fun experience, which has taught me a lot, and I'll be sure to be part of it next year.
Chris B
This is the first time I have participated in Virtual Classroom so I didn't know what to expect. It was a very good experience. It involved lots of teamwork and I learned many new skills.
It took us a little while to figure out what we were going to do but we finally decided to do Great Celebrations (which ended up being called "Castles, Parcels and Metatarsals") with the theme of a castle, hence the name "Castles etc…." Our site has grown greatly since we started and it looks great and has great content.
When I joined, I had no idea how we could communicate effectively with the other countries. We communicated in many different ways including Video Conference. I had a lot of fun participating in Virtual Classroom and I shall definitely do it again.
Ashley C
This is my second year in Virtual Classroom with Marist Penshurst College. I have learnt a lot of skills over these 2 years, and I am hoping to do it yet another year.
I have been on the Internet a lot more than I use to do and spending a lot more time on a Computer then what I also did. I have enjoyed working with other schools over the world and it has been lots of fun!
Some of the things I have done in VC are: Graphics, Music, Writing, Gathering Information and some other stuff. This year has been a longer and more hectic year as we have had more people. I have learnt to improve my skills even more, by typing faster, designing better webpages, music skills, I now have the confidence to go for a job using these skills and these skills are going to be very important in the near future.
VC has been really fun over the years and I would definitely want to do it again. We came very close last year by coming 3rd In the world which I think was very good, especially as we faced some very talented schools.
I decided to make some Midi Files for fun and for VC. They turned out pretty good. We used one on the rolling credits page. Last year I also did some very good graphics which were almost good enough for a business. They helped us with the site as well.
I would like to thank all the teachers involved over the years, Percy Julian Junior High, Marist Penshurst, Gakushuin Girls' High School and the sponsors of the contest, AT&T Asia Pacific. I hope that Virtual Classroom will continue for many more years as it is a good project to involve people all over the world.
Rhyees W
Hi, my name is David C. I'm 14 and I'm in year 8 at Marist College Penshurst. Well there's a lot to say about Virtual Classroom but I'll say it in one word. It was excellent. When I first wanted to join Virtual Classroom I thought that everything would be hard to do and to understand. But I was wrong. I knew how to do most things, and I learnt some more tricks along the way. Virtual Classroom is good. It lets you relate to other people in other countries and you learn a lot of computer stuff. I found it very interesting working with other schools across the other side of the world. I learnt a lot about each student like his or her abilities, interest, hobbies etc. When we started the competition with the other schools I was a bit nervous. I didn't know what to say in our groups we were in. I know a fair bit about computers and a lot of the basic stuff as well. But I would like to call myself an ideas man more than a practical man. We first started giving ideas on what we did. There were thousands of suggestions. But one day I thought about it and I came up with a suggestion. I posted the suggestion and everyone liked it and that made me happy that my suggestion was the one we would do. We all worked on the idea posted and it turned out brilliant. I came up with a lot of ideas throughout the whole Virtual Classroom and I once remember Mr. Betcher calling me "the ideas man". So we worked on the idea and it turned out great. I was located into 3 groups which were. Setsubun, Sporting, Valentines Day and I made a webpage for the Anzac group on recipes and I also wrote the quiz questions for the Australian Day group plus all the other work and ideas I posted in my own group. Over the whole Virtual Classroom competition I think it went very well and I liked meeting new people even people from my school. I found out hidden talents I had on the computer that I didn't know, and I also learnt a lot as well. One of the best things was exchanging gifts with other countries and learning more about their country. I want to say a big thank you to the 2 other schools we worked with overseas ... you are the greatest and thank you for all the teachers making this chance of a lifetime come true. But most of all I would like to say thank you to the people in my group, our coordinator Shinobu, the Virtual Classroom staff and last but not least the most important of all the teachers, from Marist College, Percy Julian and Gakushuin. Well that's all and I'm very happy I did Virtual Class room and I will continue doing it and I hope The Virtual Class room contest will always go on. Cheers.
David C
Hi! Jarrett here, just writing to say how awesome VC has been for me. I have done VC every year since it was introduced to our school. I've met and become very good friends with many people around the world thanks to VC, I've learnt how how to work tons of programs through my involvement in VC (e.g., Flash, Pagemill, Shockwave and many more).
Also using hardware has become so much easier since I joined VC. Before VC I couldn't scan or take photos on a digital camera. The teachers realized I couldn't do it but instead of just working around the problem, they fixed the problem by teaching me how. Three years now I've been in VC and I feel bad because it has come time for me to leave this school. Unfortunately, my new school doesn't do this competition (yet) which is an even bigger drawback. VC 1997 was the first time I used a computer, I enjoyed it so much that 1998 I elected computer studies as one of my school subjects. Now I'm in Year 11 and doing all computer courses. Thanks Virtual Classroom I owe it all to you.
Jarrett B
The virtual classroom experience has taught me that teamwork is very important in completing something and making it good. This project is new to me this year but I have found it interesting and entertaining. Our group worked well together and created the best site we possibly could.
Vincent J
This year was my first year doing virtual classroom, and it has taught me a lot. Before virtual classroom I had very limited knowledge about Java, flash etc. I'm not an expert with these technology but at least I've learnt the basics of it. But the most important thing about virtual classroom was it taught me how to communicate my ideas with the other people.
Chris H