The readings and videos for module 7 about global education were very interesting and thought-provoking. It would seem like with the widespread usage of the internet all over the world, expanding student citizenship would be the next thing to do. As one of ISTE’s NETS-S standards for students, to be a Global Collaborator, states-“Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.” (ISTE, 2009) The world students will grow up and work in is not just a Georgia or a North America world- it is an international world. Students will be doing business and collaborating with people all over the world. In order to prepare students for success and expand their worldviews, teachers must lead this process. “Teachers are ultimately responsible for infusing classroom instruction with global themes and international understanding.” (P21, 2014)
I found the video by Vicki Davis, co-founder of the Flat Classroom Project, informative and inspiring. It seems like many current trends in education come out of Silicon Valley, however, this was not true of the Flat Classroom idea. This innovative idea was amazing because Ms. Davis is from the small town of Camilla, Georgia. This goes to show that it does not matter where your class is located- you can reach out to the international community and begin a global collaboration. I have heard of E-Pals and Mystery Skype, but have never known a teacher to try this and have not seen it in action. For a year, I have been looking into this with our 7th grade social studies teachers. I have researched Mystery Skype and one of the 7th grade social studies teachers at my school is on board to work with me, however, I realize as the media specialist and future technology leader, I must be the one to lead this activity. The teacher has so many things to cover and it would be a great help to her if I would lead this. This module has inspired me to get to work on planning this Mystery Skype activity with our 7th grade social studies classes.
The video “The World Becomes What You Teach” was inspiring to me. The idea that “without knowledge of unhealthy and unjust systems, we cannot change them”, I believe in a way, this is what teachers are called to do. Children will change the future and teachers must be the ones to equip the children with the knowledge to see what needs changing. If a teacher can use the classroom to make global connections and get students thinking as global citizens instead of isolated Americans, I believe a tremendous amount of progress can be made in helping with social justice issues in the world. If students can move beyond awareness of social injustices and work to make change, this is a much bigger step. Working with students from other cultures to solve a problem or create something is a goal when students are global collaborators.
My question from these videos and texts is a technical one. How do we as teachers and media specialists lead these global collaboration projects and activities with students while still following student privacy laws and school district firewalls? Some school districts are stricter than others when it comes to this. When using technology as a tool to collaborate with students in a different part of the county or world, it seems like there would be many technical aspects that could pose a problem and cause a teacher to get discouraged.
In light of this module’s materials, I believe I can use technology in several ways to promote global collaboration. The above-mentioned project with 7th grade social studies that I have been researching but never got to- that is one of the big goals I would like to accomplish this year. I also believe since Google Hangouts and Skype are fairly new at my school, we could start small by pairing up with a class in the elementary school. For example, an 8th grade language arts could work with a 2nd grade class in some way. The best way for this to work is for it to be student-driven and have the 2nd grade students come up with what they want to know from 8th grade students. Last year, we paired up a group of 5th grade students with a group of 6th grade students for a Google Hangout so the 6th grade students could share information about what middle school was like and the 5th graders could ask questions. I would like to expand something like this beyond our school system to another part of the United States or world. This should also be an ongoing process and not just a one-time thing.
Technology brings people together and makes the world seem smaller. Students are growing up as citizens of the world and teachers must lead this charge by researching, preparing, and trying out classroom global connections. Technology makes this possible with websites such as Mystery Skype, Skype for Education, and Google Hangouts.
References
ISTE Standards for STUDENTS. (2018). Retrieved November 24, 2018, from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students
Framework for State Action on Global Education - p21.org. (2014). Retrieved November 25, 2018, from http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/Global_Education/P21_State_Framework_on_Global_Education_New_Logo.pdf
Weil, Z. (2014, June 10). How Do We Educate Global Problem Solvers? Retrieved November 25, 2018, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/educating-global-problem-solvers-zoe-weil
Learning, C. |. (2012, November 16). Retrieved November 25, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cnY-71ZvoE&t=1417s
Proflumadue. (2014, March 10). Retrieved November 25, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0txpPP4T-LA
I found the video by Vicki Davis, co-founder of the Flat Classroom Project, informative and inspiring. It seems like many current trends in education come out of Silicon Valley, however, this was not true of the Flat Classroom idea. This innovative idea was amazing because Ms. Davis is from the small town of Camilla, Georgia. This goes to show that it does not matter where your class is located- you can reach out to the international community and begin a global collaboration. I have heard of E-Pals and Mystery Skype, but have never known a teacher to try this and have not seen it in action. For a year, I have been looking into this with our 7th grade social studies teachers. I have researched Mystery Skype and one of the 7th grade social studies teachers at my school is on board to work with me, however, I realize as the media specialist and future technology leader, I must be the one to lead this activity. The teacher has so many things to cover and it would be a great help to her if I would lead this. This module has inspired me to get to work on planning this Mystery Skype activity with our 7th grade social studies classes.
The video “The World Becomes What You Teach” was inspiring to me. The idea that “without knowledge of unhealthy and unjust systems, we cannot change them”, I believe in a way, this is what teachers are called to do. Children will change the future and teachers must be the ones to equip the children with the knowledge to see what needs changing. If a teacher can use the classroom to make global connections and get students thinking as global citizens instead of isolated Americans, I believe a tremendous amount of progress can be made in helping with social justice issues in the world. If students can move beyond awareness of social injustices and work to make change, this is a much bigger step. Working with students from other cultures to solve a problem or create something is a goal when students are global collaborators.
My question from these videos and texts is a technical one. How do we as teachers and media specialists lead these global collaboration projects and activities with students while still following student privacy laws and school district firewalls? Some school districts are stricter than others when it comes to this. When using technology as a tool to collaborate with students in a different part of the county or world, it seems like there would be many technical aspects that could pose a problem and cause a teacher to get discouraged.
In light of this module’s materials, I believe I can use technology in several ways to promote global collaboration. The above-mentioned project with 7th grade social studies that I have been researching but never got to- that is one of the big goals I would like to accomplish this year. I also believe since Google Hangouts and Skype are fairly new at my school, we could start small by pairing up with a class in the elementary school. For example, an 8th grade language arts could work with a 2nd grade class in some way. The best way for this to work is for it to be student-driven and have the 2nd grade students come up with what they want to know from 8th grade students. Last year, we paired up a group of 5th grade students with a group of 6th grade students for a Google Hangout so the 6th grade students could share information about what middle school was like and the 5th graders could ask questions. I would like to expand something like this beyond our school system to another part of the United States or world. This should also be an ongoing process and not just a one-time thing.
Technology brings people together and makes the world seem smaller. Students are growing up as citizens of the world and teachers must lead this charge by researching, preparing, and trying out classroom global connections. Technology makes this possible with websites such as Mystery Skype, Skype for Education, and Google Hangouts.
References
ISTE Standards for STUDENTS. (2018). Retrieved November 24, 2018, from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students
Framework for State Action on Global Education - p21.org. (2014). Retrieved November 25, 2018, from http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/Global_Education/P21_State_Framework_on_Global_Education_New_Logo.pdf
Weil, Z. (2014, June 10). How Do We Educate Global Problem Solvers? Retrieved November 25, 2018, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/educating-global-problem-solvers-zoe-weil
Learning, C. |. (2012, November 16). Retrieved November 25, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cnY-71ZvoE&t=1417s
Proflumadue. (2014, March 10). Retrieved November 25, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0txpPP4T-LA