A field trip to The Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio could cost hundreds of dollars and require a lot of fundraisers for students in Hanford. But on Monday, 85 students at Hanford West High School had the opportunity to visit the museum and learn about African art from the comfort of their classroom without spending a dime.

With the help of a live videoconference, Alaina Irwin's honor geography classes studied the history and cultural influence of African art with staff from The Cleveland Museum of Art.

"It was really cool," said 14-year-old freshmen Andrew Wynne. "It was like having a field trip right in class."

Wynne was among the many students who asked questions and talked to the museum's distant learning instructor Arielle Levine who was back in Ohio.

"Hopefully we can have more of them in the future," Wynne said of the video class.

Wynne and other students were able to see and talk to the instructor on a large screen. At the same time, the instructor was able to see and hear the students back in their Hanford classroom.

In order to break the ice, Levine told students that it may seem a little weird to talk to somebody on a television screen while also seeing themselves on it. But she said they would get used to it very quickly.

During the live videoconference, Levine asked students questions about the African art she was showing.

Among the items Levine showed and discussed was a Senufo tribe art piece called "Mother and Child" figure from the Ivory Coast of Africa. Another art piece was a "Seated Male Figure," a pottery item from the Jenne area in Mali, Africa.

During the lesson, students provided Levine with feedback making the videoconference very interactive.

"I enjoyed it a lot," said junior Tharreus Williams, 16. "Such an advance technology is a good way for kids to learn different perspectives."

He said he liked the art piece about the mother and the child figure because it showed "how the mothers have a lot of power in their society."

Williams, who works on the school's newspaper, said he attended the videoconference because he wanted learn about African art and incorporate some of the information in his article on Black History Month.

Monday's lesson was the first distance learning videoconference carried out at the Hanford Joint Union High School District, said Janet Adams, curriculum technology consultant for the Kings County Office of Education.

She said a trip to the museum could cost money, but thanks to this kind of technology people can easily be connected to other parts of the world.

Irwin, the honors class teacher, said she loved watching her students get involved in the videoconference.

"Students got to talk to her, it was amazing," she said of their interaction with the museum instructor. "Hopefully this will be an example for teachers to explore with technology even if they are afraid of it. It opens up the students' minds and helps them experience new things."

The reporter can be reached at 582-0471, ext. 3054.

(Feb. 6, 2007)