collaborate, communicate, create
Global Projects
DeforestACTION Live Event March 2012!
Mar 8th
DeforestACTION is a global movement of youth and schools taking action to stop deforestation and create a permanent habitat for orangutans and other species that depend on forest ecosystems. The program connects youth, students and educators in collaborative learning and action through the use of online educational resources and is currently focused on the forests of Indonesia, where widespread illegal deforestation has made the country the number three emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world.
On March 28th, join DeforestACTION for an exciting online collaborative learning event!
Let them take you deep into the heart the Borneo jungle to connect with orangutans, hear from Dr. Willie Smits and the Eco Warriors about the work they are doing with the Masarang Foundation, and speak with other schools around the world taking action to stop deforestation. There will also be some incredible updates and surprises!
This live event will take place on Wednesday, March 28th, 2012 as follows:
1) Asia
Pacific (GMT/UTC-01:00; Jakarta-08:00am; Sydney-12:00pm)
2) North/South America (GMT/UTC-16:00; Calgary 9:00am; Sao Paolo – 14:00pm )
3) Europe, Middle East and Africa (GMT/UTC 09:00; London – 9:00am; Abu Dhabi – 1:00pm)
Register here: http://www.tigurl.org/march2012
Support DeforestACTION and help empower youth around the world to understand and act on one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time.
Visit www.deforestaction.org to sign-up!
DeforestAction: A Project To Make A Real Difference
Feb 21st
Are you looking for a chance to participate in a global collaborative project established by school students to halt the destruction of important rainforests, create a permanent home for orangutans, and save the planet? On March 3, DeforestAction is running three really exciting online events for schools, direct from deep in the jungles of Indonesia.
Students in Victorian schools can log in to meet orangutans, hear from Dr.Willie Smits about how he is restoring rainforests, and be invited to join a global movement to halt deforestation, and to connect with other schools around the world on engaging and meaningful project based learning activities. The teachers and students will also be offered an opportunity to have their school feature in a major 3D motion picture and 6 part documentary.
To become a participant school you need register and check to see which session time best suits you and your class. Upon registration, teachers will be provided a full teacher resource kit and further details.
Check out this video from Dallas Primary School which was created as part of their involvement with DeforestAction during 2011.
Podcast About Blogging
Jan 24th
Last week, Chris Betcher interviewed Linda Yollis and Kathleen Morris (McGeady) about classroom blogging and collaboration on The Virtual Staffroom podcast.
Topics covered include: tips for beginning bloggers, global projects with blogs, cyber safety, keyboarding, commenting skills, parent involvement and more.
Click here to find the podcast or look up “The Virtual Staffroom” in iTunes.
Unfamiliar with podcasts? A podcast is an audio file available on the internet that you can
listen to on your iPod or MP3 player, on your computer or over the internet. It is basically
like a series of radio shows. The word podcast comes from iPod and broadcast.
Podcasts are a fantastic source of self paced PD. Why not give them a try?
A Reflection on the Benefits of Classroom Blogging
Jan 17th
Cross posted from Kathleen Morris’ blog – Integrating Technology in the Primary Classroom.
Most of you will know how passionate I am about blogging in the classroom. Since I started blogging with my students in 2008, I have come to realise how enormous the benefits are.
The diagram below summarises the most powerful benefits I’ve found from blogging:
- Improved Literacy Skills: I wrote about the improvement in my students’ literacy skills in this post. Not only were skills improved, but engagement levels increased. Reluctant writers wanted to write for a purpose and students were using blogs to purposefully communicate and converse with others.
- Authentic Audience: In the traditional classroom, the only audience of student work was the teacher and sometimes classmates and parents. Blogs provide a much larger audience for student work and an avenue for feedback and self-improvement through commenting.
- Sense of Classroom Community: Creating a class blog requires teamwork and collaboration. Students and teachers learn and share their learning together. A real sense of classroom community can be developed through blogging and establishing a class identity.
- Global Connections: I have found this to be one of the most exciting benefits of blogging. Blogging can help flatten the classroom walls and we have got to know many classes across five continents who we call our “blogging buddies”. The benefits of these connections are priceless. A sense of understanding and tolerance develops and students can learn a lot about the world in which they live. We’ve used blogs to undertake global collaborative projects such as Collaboration Corner and the Uganadan Global Project.
- ICT Skills: Blogging assists students to become more ICT literate which is an important 21st century skill. Through blogging, we’re able to incidentally discuss many ICT skills such as keyboard shortcuts, researching online and troubleshooting.
- Home- School Partnerships: I have received many comments from parents and families who love using the class blog as a “window into our classroom”. Through commenting, families can be a part of what is happening in our classroom and have real time access to their child’s education.
- Appropriate Online Behaviours: Everyone will agree that teaching students to be safe online is an important issue. You can’t just do one off lessons on cyber safety. Cyber safety is not a separate subject. Through being heavily involved in blogging, my Grade Two class has opportunities almost every day to discuss cyber safety issues and appropriate online behaviours in an authentic setting.
- Confidence: I have found that students really take pride in their work that goes on the blog and want to do their best for their impending audience. Students can gain self-confidence from being part of a class blog and demonstrating their achievements.
Overall, blogging is a platform for everything. It is a fantastic place to start for teachers and students who want to learn about technology. Additionally, there are so many wonderful Web 2.0 tools out there which have so much more value when you can embed them in a blog.
Have you witnessed any of these benefits in your classroom?
What other benefits can students and teachers get out of blogging?
Ugandan Global Project
Nov 9th
At the start of Term Four, I launched an exciting global project with my grade two students.
As I have previously blogged about, I have found global projects to be one of the richest ways to use technology in the classroom.
My class has collaborated globally with others both informally and in a more structured way such as through our Collaboration Corner blog project with Mrs Yollis’ class and skyping with experts, however I felt like there was something missing.
I wanted my students to be able to use these global connections for a greater good; to raise their social conscience, help others and learn more about the world in which they live while acting collaboratively for a common purpose.
The idea…
One day in August this year, I was reading my Runner’s World magazine, when I came across an article about a woman who ran to raise money for the women of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This article planted a seed and I got to thinking that I could have my students do a run/walk “alongside” their global buddies to raise money for children less fortunate than themselves.
The cause….
It didn’t take long to find a worthy cause to support. The African Rural Schools Foundation strives to provide affordable education to disadvantaged students in Uganda while also supporting children who are affected or orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
The foundation is doing amazing work, running the ABC Divine Foundation Primary School in Mutundwe, Uganda, Africa. There are over 400 students who attend the school, about half live there and many of those are orphans.
Rev. Renee Waun, the founding sponsor of the Foundation from the USA, has been more than helpful in getting our idea off the ground. She has been an excellent link to the Ugandan students and has provided invaluable information and support.
The partners…
When I shared the idea with some of the teachers of classes we collaborate with across the world, they were very keen to jump on board with the project. We have spanned our Ugandan Global Project across four continents- Africa, Australia, North America and Asia.
The partners of our project include
* The African Rural Schools Project and students at The ABC Divine Foundation Primary School in Mutundwe, Uganda, Africa.
* 2KM in Leopold, Victoria, Australia
* 2KJ in Leopold, Victoria, Australia
* Mrs Yollis’ class in Los Angeles, California, USA
* Mrs Ranney’s class in Los Angeles, California, USA
* Mr Salsich’s class in Connecticut, USA
* Team Toa, Shanghai International School, China
Photo courtesy of Renee Waun
Mrs Yollis and her students made this fantastic video to launch the project.
Mission
To raise the social conscience and global awareness of our students through fundraising for The ABC Divine Foundation Primary School in Mutundwe, Uganda, Africa
The Goal
Primary school “blogging buddies” from around the world will collaborate together to raise money to help purchase land adjacent to The ABC Divine Foundation Primary School in Mutundwe, Uganda, Africa. The land will be used as a play area for the school. Read more about the goal here.
We exceeded our goal raising a massive $20,000 and earning enough money to make a BIG difference to the lives of many Ugandan students.
The Run/Walk
Each class completed a one hour run/walk around their school or community at 10am on Friday 22nd October 2010.
The one hour walk signifies the effort the Ugandan students make to get an education. Many students travel long distances to get to school and some live so far away they have to stay at the school.
From the school director: “Many families in rural areas live in abject poverty, with no school within a 6-mile walk. In areas where schools are available these poor families cannot afford the fees, and so their children grow up without any education at all.” Read more from the school director here.
Students collected donations from their friends and families for completing the run/walk which have been passed on to the Ugandan school.
The Blog
http://ugandanglobalproject.blogspot.com/
The Ugandan Global Project Blog has been a place for students to share and learn about each other. Posts have included: cultural and geographic information, “a day in the life”, songs, the run/walk events, time zones, currencies and fundraising efforts.
The Benefits
Through participating in this project, our students have been able to
• Help people less fortunate than themselves
• Develop their social conscience
• Improve their fitness
• Learn more about the world in which they live
• Develop their friendships with their blogging buddies
• Improve their understanding of different cultures and ways of life
• Improve their ICT skills
• Feel good and have fun!
Photo courtesy of Renee Waun
Leave a comment! What you think about our global project?
Have you been involved in any global projects? What did you students get out of it?
Through the door to Technoscience……..
Jul 12th
Heather Blakey, Queen of Globalteacher and Hostess of Soul Food cafe, came to visit us today – what an inspiration! It is three years since we last met and her first visit was the catalyst for my blog at Technoscience. That was the beginning of my e-journey, which has included wallowing in wikis, nestling in nings and winging across the world wide web! It’s been a steep learning curve at times and sometimes I wondered whether using web 2.0 tools in maths and science was like knitting with a knife and fork – great tools but for a different purpose.
Since then, I have seen students excited by learning and engaged in “communication, collaboration and creation”. We have opened the doors to the world, by providing opportunitites to connect with students all over the world, interact with experts and seek information from a much greater range of sources. Some of the projects that students have participated in include:
- On-line Science Fair, in which students in Year 7 and 9 investigated a science project and posted it on a wiki for discussion with students in New York and Philadelphia.
- Extraordinary Animal Project, with Mr Ardito’s class in New York, which involved students creating a Voicethread about Australian and American animals.
- Sharing Paper Airoplane data on TeacherTube and a Google Docs spreadsheet.
- And our latest project, Potato Olympics, with St. Aloysius Catholic College in Tasmania.
This July, I attended the “Slide2Learn” conference in Shepparton, all about using iPod Touch in the classroom. So now I am on the next phase of my e-journey! What an exciting time to be a teacher! Thanks Heather for opening the door and starting me on my e-journey.
Halloween 2009
Sep 25th
School resumes soon and October is the perfect time to engage in a countdown to Halloween. For five years the Soul Food Cafe, created and managed by Heather Blakey, has featured a collaborative blog where community members can post Halloween style posts using a range of multi media applications.
This year Global Teacher and Global Student bloggers are invited to join in the party atmosphere at Once Upon a Midnight. We have set up a guest username and password for this project. To login and post all you need to do is sign in as gtguest and gt09. All posts and comments are screened and moderated. International members are perched on watch towers checking to make sure that everything is kept in order. Because this is a generic user name and password contributors must make sure to identify themselves. This post by Russell Blackie from the Connect Team is an example.
We would also appreciate an email contact so that we can follow up and dispense prizes. Putting a link to your blog will bring readership to your door and result in a lot more dots on your cluster maps.
The Halloween Blog is hosted by WordPress. The system being used is identical to Global Teacher and Global Student so it is user friendly for these communities. This is an opportunity to respond to quirky posts, access an international audience, work with an intergenerational group of writers and artists and learn more about collaborative blogging.
For more information simply email heatherblakey at fastmail.fm Otherwise! Bring Your Own Pumkin!
Postscript! No pumpkins were endangered in the making of this blog.
And you need to house your images and videos in outside sources. This system would blow up otherwise and we wouldn’t want splattered pumpkin everywhere, now would we?
Netbooks Project
May 22nd
Netbooks is a blog container that has been created to contain Global Projects that are being undertaken as a part of the Victorian Government Netbook Project. In a 1-to-1 learning program, each learner has a portable, networked, digital device such as a notebook, tablet PC, netbook or other networked hand-held device that can connect each learner with their teacher and other learners or experts, with real-world contexts for learning, multimedia resources, software for learning and online tools and applications.
The projects that are featured here include two pilot projects that are being undertaken with Great Western Primary and Camperdown College, schools who responded to the ePals/iEarn invitation to engage in Global Projects.
This container will not only provide a place to store shared curriculum ideas but will be a place where participants can publish work and communicate with others.
Educating for Global Citizenship
Apr 21st
Interested in participating in a Global Project and looking for something manageable? Try ‘Educating for Global Citizenship’! It’s a wiki set up to allow students and teachers from around the world to share their experience about what makes a safe and peaceful school.
Participants can add pictures, stories and messages about what makes safe and peaceful schools and contribute to discussions.
Email Gary Shaw from Multicultural Education if you’d like to join the project. A page for your school will be created and you can get started! shaw.gary.r@edumail.vic.gov.au
The Teddy Bear Exchange Project
Mar 31st
Have you joined a Global Project yet? You could try the Teddy Bear Exchange Project with iEarn like 2KM from Leopold PS. Visit their blog to read the emails they’ve shared with a school in Canada!
Try these sites for other Global Projects:
Or look on the left hand margin of Global Teacher under ‘Global Projects’. Feeling inspired? Develop a rich project and enter the Connect/SLAV Web 2.0 Competition.
