Tips for Success: Global Collaborations in the Classroom

This guest post comes to us courtesy of Paige Badgett (@PTPIPaige), Director of the School & Classroom Program, at People to People International (PTPI).

The benefits of exposing your students to their counterparts in another country are endless. Each year, teachers participating in PTPI’s School & Classroom Program are matched with a partner teacher in another country and then receive a Program Manual with tips for success, global collaboration best practices, and project ideas. We are happy to share our Tips for Success with this great forum of educators today!

• Communicate.  Stay in touch with your partner teacher.  This is the key to success. Be honest and clear about your intentions and expectations.

• Contact your partner teacher in a timely manner.  When beginning a partnership, introduce yourself to your partner teacher as soon as possible.

• If you do not receive a response to an email message, resend your message.  The reason is often that the message was not received.  Often spam filters get in the way. Try again.

• Share school and holiday schedules. As a holiday nears, provide your departure and return dates.  Learn the difference between your time zone and that of your partner.

• Guarantee positive representation of you and your country.  Remember that you and your students represent your country.  Students should neatly compose letters and projects using their best spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

• Ensure language is cross-cultural.  Consider what needs explanation or description for an audience from another culture.  Slang and colloquial language needs to be used carefully and meanings should be explained as needed.

• Learn about international mail and customs policies for your partner’s country. International mail requires different postage than domestic mail.  Your post office can help you with postage rates for airmail, the preferred method to send letters and parcels.

• Ask questions. If you are unsure how to proceed on any matter, ask.  Be honest with your partner teacher when you are confused about any communication discrepancies.

• Be a responsible partner.  If for any reason you can no longer collaborate, please inform your partner so a new classroom can be assigned.  When a partnership is ended without explanation, students tend to take this personally, questioning whether their partner disliked them. Most importantly, if you plan to continue working together, stay in touch with your partner teacher during the summer or winter breaks to assure them of your continued interest.

• Record your partnership. Take pictures of your students writing letters, opening letters, and working on projects with their partner.

Join our growing community of educators from 127 countries by registering for the School & Classroom Program today! People to People International connects people of all countries and cultures because we believe that understanding one another is the best way to create peace.

For more information about this program or to register for the 2013-2014 school year, please contact me at classroom@ptpi.org or follow me on Twitter! Check out past posts from Paige here and here!

Early Childhood Reflections (May #globalclassroom Archives)

Skype Connections in Grade 3/4 via @RobynThiessen

Totally agree with @robynthiessen “Once you go flat, you never go back!!”Power of authentic audience and purpose #globalclassroom

— Tasha Cowdy (@tashacowdy) May 12, 2013

Children love to learn from other kids. That is where I have seen the power of being connected. #globalclassroom

— Matt Gomez (@mattBgomez) May 11, 2013

Learning from my chats w/ #globalclassroom #edchat #ntchat #ptchat &more. Can’t begin 2tell u how you’ve impacted me as a person & educator

— Faige Meller (@dubioseducator) May 12, 2013

The May #globalclassroom chats were some of the liveliest and productive we’ve had in some time. With contributions from leading early childhood educators around the world, it is hard to sum up the true impact of these chats …

I highly recommend exploring the archives for great links, resources, and ideas for integrarating global perspectives into the early years.

Archives

• Chat 1
• Chat 2
• Chat 3

Thank you to our moderators – @WarwickLanguage, @learningmurd, @MrsMorgansClass, and first time #globalclassroom moderators @tashacowdy & @tori1074.

Connecting & Collaborating in Early Childhood (May #globalclassroom Chat)

To celebrate the publication of our first Global Classroom Project feature article, in the K-3 Class Ideas magazine here in Australia, this month’s #globalclassroom chat is dedicated to exploring the possibilities for global connections and collaboration in Early Childhood (K-3). (You can read the article here.)

Guiding Questions

We are lucky enough to have some amazing early childhood educators in the #globalclassroom community, and its time to give their stories and experiences centre stage. If you know of an early childhood educator, please let them know about these chats! We’d always enjoy meeting new faces!

• What online communities and projects do early childhood teachers find useful for connecting and collaborating globally?

• How do we ensure that our students have the skills and understanding necessary to participate in a global collaboration project?

• What strategies and tools can we use to support very young children’s participation in global projects?

• Can you share your stories and advice for K-3 teachers interested in exploring the possibilities of global connections?

• What options are there for K-3 classrooms without reliable Internet connections to get involved in global projects?

Chat Schedule & Times

Chat 1 ~ Saturday, May 11th, 10:00 – 11:00 UTC

• 11:00 London, 12:00 (noon) Cape Town, 15:30 New Delhi, 18:00 Perth, 20:00 Sydney, 22:00 Auckland
• Click here to find out when this is in YOUR timezone.

Chat 2 ~ Saturday, May 11th, 18:00 – 19:00 UTC

• 11:00 Los Angeles, 14:00 New York, 19:00 London, 20:00 Cape Town, 06:00 SUNDAY – Auckland
• Click here to find out when this is in YOUR timezone.

Chat 3 ~ Sunday, May 12th, 01:00 – 02:00 UTC (Saturday in N & S America!)

• Saturday night – 18:00 Los Angeles, 21:00 New York
• Sunday – 06:30 New Dehli, 09:00 Perth, 11:00 Sydney, 13:00 Auckland
• Click here to find out when this is in YOUR timezone.

Two Years. A World of Global Classroom Stories.

Signing into Twitter earlier this morning, I was surprised to realise that today, May 5, marks two years since @Deb_Frazier sent the following tweet, ultimately leading to us co-founding  The Global Classroom Project community.

So where have the past few years taken us?

2011

Our first ever project involved 6 teachers from 5 countries, and centred around one project – the “Global Classroom VoiceThread”. It was Deb’s first global project, and my second; and at the time, we had no idea what we’d started.

As I’ve blogged elsewhere, this was a time when I was about to teach a Grade 6 class for four weeks, and saw a ‘retweet’ of Deb’s request late on a Saturday night …

The project proved to be a great success, and you’re welcome to explore our students’ work (and the VoiceThread) at http://globalclassroom2011.wikispaces.com. I wrote about my experiences here, and you can read Deb’s side of the story here.

2011-12

When Deb Frazier suggested that we try our hand at running a second #globalclassroom project, I was keen to be involved in some way, even though I didn’t have my own class. With Deb thinking we’d try and involve more teachers, across 6 continents, we created a Google Doc and waited to see if anyone would be interested …

Well, with 50 signups in the space of a week, it seemed that a LOT of people were interested! So, a naive Australian relief teacher with time on his hands decided that he’d try and create a community like Flat Classroom Projects, run by teachers for teachers.

Through a collaborative process involving a group of educators spread across the globe, we set up our collaborative spaces, and set out into the great unknown. Little did we know what http://globalclassroom2011-12.wikispaces.com would become.

By the end of the 2011-12 project, we’d grown to involve over 300 teachers from 41 countries; and hosted a wide range of K-12 projects. Some major project milestones included the launch of the #globalclassroom chats in November 2011, and our #globalclassroom lead teachers’ presentation at the Global Education Conference.

It was also a big year for me personally, as I made my first ‘live’ presentation at the Australian Computers in Education Conference in late 2012 (with the help of my my good friend Nigel Mitchell).

2012-13

Our 2012-13 project was launched in November 2012, and is set to conclude in late June 2013. It’s been a great and rewarding time for the #globalclassroom, and I look forward to learning more about what’s been happening when we organise our “Looking Forwards, Looking Back” webinars over the coming months. Who knows what the next few years will bring. (http://globalclassroom2012-13.wikispaces.com)

What’s your #globalclassroom story?

Two years ago, I was not a particularly happy teacher … yet, my #globalclassroom journey has taken me to places I’d never thought possible. I’m a better person, and a better teacher, because of the friendships and collaborative connections I’ve made through through The Global Classroom Project. And I’ve loved every minute.

But, this project isn’t about my story. It never has been.

The Global Classroom Project is a testament to the power of community, and as such, is home to a world of stories.

We’d like to take this opportunity to invite #globalclassroom teachers around the world to share their stories – on their blogs, Twitter, and in the comments below. If you’re interested in guest posting, please let us know via Twitter (@gcporganisers), or in the comments below.

Signs that you are a Connected Educator

This is a guest post from @JosePopoff, an amazing Science educator from Honduras. He blogs at http://www.josepopoff.com/, and this post was originally published here.

Yes, I know.  You have probably read an article with a like title before.  But I promise you I have not read any and this is a list I came up from my own personal experience and that of those other amazing educators that I take pride of being connected with.

So, you are a connected educator and let´s face it, something in you  has changed.  You don´t even speak the same way you did when your classroom had those wooden or brick walls that you have brought down.  I collected some symptoms that you may have been through since you decided to go international.  In no particular order, here they are:

You are on Twitter.  I’ve read remarkable teachers tweet that this social network has expanded their knowledge in a few months much more than five years of college preparation.  They can’t be wrong.

1. You find tremendous value in global connections and understand how great and valuable these experiences are for your students.
2. To you, the world is flat!  Period.
3. You blog and comment on blogs.  You’ve understood that blogging is an amazing way of sharing  your  knowledge and experiences with the world and building together.
4. You make an extra effort to report your measurements in at least two units.  This one is especially easy if you are a Science teacher.  But you are sensitive enough to understand that, unfortunately, not all of us are familiar with the same units.
5. Every time you meet a teacher from a foreign country you think: “Mystery Skype!”  Or am I the only one?
6. Remember when you used your fingers to count and add in elementary school?  Now you use them to count time zones and figure out how many hours ahead or behind your new contact is from you.  You know you do!
7. Your plans for the future include visiting some members of your PLN.  Of course you are already practicing all your “oh, you look so much better in person’s, “you look so much younger”s,  ”I didn’t recognize you’s, etc.,  for when that moment comes.
8. You have realized how international the English language is.  Of course, you respect those who speak it with funny accents because that means they speak at least two languages.
9. Every time a teacher asks you to connect, well, let´s just say we all pretty much know what the answer to that is.
10. You have substituted your “Good morning” and “Good evening” with “Good morning/afternoon/evening!” or simply “Hello”.
11. You belong to at least one global community.  Where else would you get all those amazing connections from otherwise?
12. If you are on the move and have to make a stop, first thing you do is look for a wi-fi hotspot.
13. You do not own a Blackberry, or if you do, you want another phone since you discovered that RIM does not have a Skype application.  What!?  Ok, maybe that´s just me.
14. Have to get up at 5 am to get the kids ready?  Ugh, what a drag! Have to get up at 4 am to Skype with a class in Japan?  No problem!
15. The verb you use the most in your spoken and written language is “skype” and most of its conjugate forms.  The funniest thing is that “skype” is not even a verb!  Luckily, “hanging out” is a verb.
16. You are watching less TV.  I mean, when was the last connection you made through FOX, right?

If you are manifesting any of these symptoms, please go to your nearest local teacher and infect them!

I was going to write as sign #16 “You write a comment to this blog post”, but of course I am not going to write such a presumptuous remark.  But, can you think of any other sign I missed here?  Add it, join the fun, and keep rocking it in this international endeavour.  Thank God the world is such a small place!

Asking Better Questions … Helping Change Perspectives

This is a guest post from #globalclassroom teacher @LParisi. Lisa blogs at http://thelisaparisi.com, and this post was originally published here.  

I belong to an amazing group called The Global Classroom Project.  I love this group.  The teachers have fabulous ideas, talk about the ups and downs of global connections, and seek out collaborators.  If you haven’t looked at the site, you must check it out.

Recently, a blog was posted by Michael Graffin as a reposting of a blog created by a student in Honduras. The class had just completed a mystery skype call, and this student was discussing the awkward, nearly offensive questions asked by the mystery class, which turned out to be in Texas. The two questions in point: “Do you guys use cell phones?” and “How does your house look like?”  You can read her blog to see her view about these questions.

This started a conversation in the Google group about being careful how we communicate with each other and what questions we ask.  So I just want to put in my two cents on the subject.  (You should note that I already talked online with Michael about my response. He, as usual, invites conversation.)

My purpose for Going Global with my class is an idealistic one.  I hope that my kids do a better job than we have.  I want them to understand, accept, and connect with others, regardless of language, religion, race, gender, etc.  I want them to learn that we are all people, deserving of respect and consideration.  And I want them to remember this when it comes time to work with others, have discussions with others, argue with others.  We are all people!

When I was growing up, in the 60s, we were just starting to talk about differences as positive.  ”Be yourself.”    ”Love who you are and love the one you’re with.”  But, along with loving each other, I was taught not to insult anyone.  And it was insulting to stare, to ask questions, to recognize differences.  So we never even looked at each other.  Really.  If a person of color walked into the restaurant where I was eating, in my very white neighborhood, everyone would look away.  To make eye contact might indicate that you were afraid of them or didn’t want them there.  So, in order to show our respect, we just didn’t look.  Strange but true.  I wasn’t taught to do this.  It was modeled for me.

Did this work?  Of course not.  I learned that people are different and deserve different treatment from one another.  Poor and rich, black and white, abled and disabled.  Labels were important.  They defined for us how to act and how to treat each other.

But I have grown up.  I have learned that this is not the way.  And I have taken it upon myself to model differently for my students and my own child.  I ask questions.  I talk about clothing, jewelry, political beliefs, religious practices.  I ask questions.  And I keep talking.  And I make eye contact.  And I smile.  And I invite people to sit down with me.  And I make plans to go to dinner, the movies, a book club.  And I ask questions.

My students recently did a Mystery Skype call with a class in Texas.  Once we figured out the states we came from, the questions started flying.  They thought we were all gangsters (New Yorkers are usually depicted that way).  We thought they were all cowboys.  After finding out the truth was quite the opposite, we laughed about our misconceptions.

What did we learn?  That Texan students like the same music we do, watch the same movies and tv shows, and shop at the same stores.  Hmmm.  Not so different.  The accents were certainly different but not much else was.  And my students now have a new understanding of Texans and other Southerners.

I work in a very multicultural climate.  We often have conversations about similarities with our religious rituals, our family dinners, and our weekend responsibilities.  We are so different and yet so similar. I don’t ever want my students to stop asking questions.  Eventually, their questions will get more mature, less “insulting”.  And, maybe someday, they won’t need to ask questions about each other.  They will just accept and understand.

What do you think?

Building and Maintaining a Global Perspective~ My Global Experience

The one post that forever changed my perspective on life and teaching, I can never go back, nor do I want to.

On May 5, 2011 Wanted! A Global Classroom~.was published along with a simple tweet. These humble beginnings led to global connections that are far beyond what I could have ever dreamed possible!

In Awe of Twitter~

Shortly after sharing this post on twitter I was on my way to making connections and building a global PLN. I watched in awe as the connections became a reality. I was new to Twitter at the time and had no idea what to expect. Twitter has amazing people who are there just to support and learn from one another. One such tweep is @mgraffin from Perth, Australia. Michael saw my tweet and kept it alive on the other side of the globe! Michael retweeted my tweet as I slept, making it possible for me to reach the global audience I was seeking.

The Global Classroom Begins~

Quickly, teachers like @surreallyno (Romania), @claudiaru (Guatemala), @mgraffin (Australia) and @ICT_Integrator (Cape Town) were joining my first global project! This was an amazing experience and has forever changed the way I teach and my perspective on education and society.

A Whole New World~

The students in my class became familiar with countries around the world and saw themselves as part of a global community. Often kids referred to their friends in Romania or Mrs. Stadler in Cape Town as easily and as frequently as they referred to teachers in our building. As our global classroom continued to grow the students shared more about their daily lives and asked more questions to learn about others. It quickly became obvious (even to my first graders) there were far more similarities than differences in this global community.

There’s No Looking Back~

I knew I could not go back to teaching within my four walls. We had experienced the possibilities of expanding our community, of sharing with others and  bringing others in. The students valued diversity and recognize similarities in other cultures. We learned to see people above all else, we experienced the value of collaborating in a global community. As 1st graders we came to expect to talk with people in Romania, Australia, Cape Town and other countries throughout the world.

Imagine yourself having global connections in first grade! Where would you be now?

Life Presses the Pause Button~

As lives events unfolded I found myself stepping out of this amazing project for a bit, not sure how I could manage my ever changing personal life, new curriculum and the Global Classroom. Fortunately, Michael and the entire Global Classroom community have continued to flourish. As I have begun to dip my toe back into the global waters I find my PLN still here, still willing to connect and learn as one!

You are amazing people!

A New Humble Beginning~

Last week my kids and I began a new global project, Lunches Around the World. We would love to have you join us! If you would like to join us you can tweet us @Frazier1st, tell us what you had for lunch yesterday and send a picture, we will upload your picture into the VoiceThread. We will then invite you to visit the VoiceThread and add your audio comment!

We hope you will dip your toes into our Global Waters! Click on the photo below to view our VoiceThread.

The Global Classroom has blossomed into a plethora of opportunities, taking on an even bigger reach thanks to the dedication and perseverance of Michael Graffin and the participants of this global community!

You are all amazing educators and are making a difference in our children, our communities and our world~  I can never express my THANKS adequately!