Fun with global learning…AGAIN?!

A guest post from Kimberley Rivett (@krivett), an eLearning Teacher in New Zealand and inspirational member of the #globalclassroom community

Ah yes, this whole ‘going global’ experience just gets better and better. We have spent almost a full year communicating using a range of means from blogs to wikis to Edmodo to Skype and what is our lasting impression?

My students reflected on their year of global interaction and the comments were amazing. Many used language such as ‘collaboration’ and ‘knowing the wider world’ while others talk about the knowledge of another place and seeing the world through someone else’s lens. They are changed, forever, by this experience.

We have gone from one class in America as our global pals to having quadblogs, posting our Flat Stanleys away to buddies last year and then sending our class mascots, the Gruffalos, to Lebanon and Singapore this year. We sent a New Zealand mascot, the beautiful Fantail to America and received Chiplet, the chipmunk in return.

The class have learned about communicating and questioning, reflecting and reviewing, writing and reading, blogging and commenting, creating and editing videos about favourite things, making slideshows and posters and much, much, more, all because they have an authentic learning experience and they are engaged by it.

The Global Classroom Project ignited a tiny spark and the litmus has been burning out of control ever since!

So, where to from here? We are currently exploring our ‘where to next?’ idea, so we will keep you posted…perhaps we need to work out a way to communicate with the space station…

Humanising the classroom

I was preparing a presentation for differentiating mathematics using technology recently, and ended up editing a TED talk by Salman Khan.

What struck me was Khan’s idea that technology can humanise the classroom – which, as Khan acknowledges, is in some ways counterintuitive. Indeed, when I talk to teachers about technology in the classroom, they have visions of a very inhuman scenario, where students have their eyes glued to the screens, interacting with noone. I’d argue that many things that currently happen in traditional classrooms are dehumanizing; however, we don’t see them this way because that’s how classrooms have always been. I’d also argue that technology can humanize these experiences. Here are four things I’ve invested time and effort into that have humanized the classroom.

Humanizing instruction

As Khan points out, the traditional classroom is predicated on the idea of teacher-led instruction. Teachers give a one-size-fits-all lecture; teachers choose when this occurs and around what topics. And teachers are the ones who decide when the class moves on to the next topic. This dehumanising experience can be humanised through the use of video. By allowing students to experience the instruction that they require for their own specific learning needs; by allowing students to pause and rewind instruction when they don’t understand; and by allowing them to move forward to a new concept in their own time depending their individual progress allows us to humanise instruction in a way not possible without technology.

 

Humanizing showing understanding

In a traditional classroom, the way students show their understanding is similarly one-size-fits-all. The worksheet, test, exam, essay, poster and other traditional methods of assessment restrict student choice and may alienate students without certain skills; for example, a lack of literacy skills may hinder a student showing their potentially excellent understanding of Mathematics. Technology allows students to show their understanding in new ways, gives them far more choices, and removes the dehumanising necessity for one-size-fits-all assessment.

 

Humanizing writing

The purpose of writing is to communicate. To communicate requires an audience. Writing without an audience is like public speaking to an empty room – a dehumanizing experience. Yet this is exactly what happens in a traditional classroom – students write in writing books where the audience is close to zero. Technology can humanize this experience of writing by providing an audience of hundreds or thousands, spread around the world, allowing students to connect to peers and be exposed to feedback and new writing styles and, at the same time, cultural understandings. Our Writers’ Club does exactly this, and has led to very real human interactions around the world. This is what real writing should be about.

 

Humanizing research

Technology has taken us from books to google as a source of information. However, anyone who has done research in the real world knows that research comes as much from other humans as it is from secondary sources. Nevertheless, we persist in ignoring this more authentic source of research for the reference books and googling. Technology can humanise research by linking students to real life experts who can assist students to use their research with greater purpose, and be a more realistic representation of research in the 21st century.

New Project Announcement: Crazy Crazes (Grades 4 – 7) June 2012 – June 2013

Karen Stadler from Cape Town, South Africa is keen to get her Grade 4s connected with the global community.  Each year the Grade 4s at her school do a Crazy Crazes project where they look at the current crazes in their school, and amongst their peers in South Africa. They also interview their parents and grandparents to find out what was fashionable and the craze of the day when they were children. This project only happens later in their school year (September), but they would like to open it up to the world right now!

They’d like to invite children from classes (Grades 4 – 7; ages 9 – 12) around the world to give them an idea of what is popular and fashionable in their part of the world. They are asking the following questions:

• What games are you playing with your friends at school/home?
• Are you collecting cards/stickers/toys?
• Is there a particular pastime that is popular at the moment?
• What about favourite TV programmes or characters?
• Are there any popular books that you are reading?
• Is there any particular style of clothing or brand that is very popular?
• Any other exciting crazes where you are?

They would love you to share your experiences with them!

Although the American and European schools are coming to the end of their school year, the project will run until June 2013, so there will be time for them to take part in the new school year.

In the meantime, if there are any Southern Hemisphere schools (Australia, New Zealand, South America etc.) out there who would like to participate, feel free to join in!

Please email Mrs Stadler or tweet her @ICT_Integrator if you might be interested in participating in this global learning project, or if you have anything you’d like to share. Alternatively, go to the Global Classroom Wiki for more details about the project.

Teachers Teaching Teachers About Global Projects

What a great name for a virtual conference, Teachers Teaching Teachers about Technology (4t2012)! This conference title spoke to me immediately. This is exactly the kind of collaborative climate I try to create in my own work with teachers, and here was a virtual conference I could participate in that would expand the circle of teachers teaching each other to a national and global level. I quickly tweeted my #globalclassroom tweeps and asked who else would like to co-present about The Global Classroom Project.

Two great colleagues jumped on it: @tdallen5 and @Elle_Gifted. We co-wrote the presentation over Google Docs, not the least deterred that we lived in three different states: Virginia, Illinois, and Mississipi. I also contacted some teachers I’m lucky enough to work with in my own school division (http://mskcherry.weebly.com/ and http://communicationandrelationships.weebly.com/) to see if they could participate as well and speak first-hand about their experiences with global learning projects. Despite calling @tdallen5 an hour earlier than she was expecting me once (darn those time zones!) and at least one teacher being thwarted from participating by state testing, we are set to present Tuesday, May 22^nd at 2:30pm EST. And, of course, none of that would have been possible without the help of @mgraffin who not only connected us in the first place, but proofed our presentation and helped us connect with even more resources!

In addition to loving the fact that putting together this presentation was in itself a global project, it was a great chance to reflect again on why I am so passionate about global projects. Listening this past Thursday to one teacher practicing online with the moderator (who was in Michigan), I was reminded how much we have to gain by letting students communicate with their peers around the world.

Communicating with others fosters self-reflection

• American students were stunned to learn that their friends andHong Kongwere planning to study over their winter vacation
• Two girls connected about how hard it is to change when you get headed down the wrong track

Students rise to the occasion when there is an authentic audience

• English Language Learners in theUnited Statespracticed their speeches over and over again to make sure that their friends inHong Kongcould understand them
• Students revised their “finished” writing when they knew students elsewhere would be reading and listening to their workTeachers grow from global collaboration too

I am so grateful to Global Classroom Project for:

• helping me create a PLN where I can send out a tweet and end up presenting wi
• th peers across the country in a virtual conference
• providing a place where teachers can create their own project and connect with teachers across the world
• keeping me motivated and inspired to make global project a part of as many classrooms as I can

And, finally, for helping teacher teach teachers about global projects!

A News Update from the #GlobalClassroom Coordinator

This is a modified version of my original post at mgraffin.edublogs.org.

Global Classroom 2011-12 is coming to an end

Nine months after the official launch of the Global Classroom Project (2011-12), we are planning for its’ conclusion. There are feedback surveys to prepare, a few VoiceThreads to create, a wiki showcase to work on, and the final webinar(s) to organise …

Yet, as I look back, I’m happy. This project, and the people I work with, have helped me through the ups and downs of the past year, and led to some amazing new opportunities and connections. It has been a wonderful experience, and I’m certainly looking forward to taking a few months break!

I’d like to encourage #globalclassroom teachers to take the opportunity to share their endeavours, classrooms, and students’ learning experiences with the world via the Global Classroom Mementos wiki. It is time to celebrate our achievements in Global Classroom 2011-12.

There will be a final webinar presentation in late June 2012, and possibly a skype conference – but details are still being worked out.

We’ll be back for 2012-13

Any idea that the #globalclassroom project would be a one-off venture disappeared long ago. With the growth and increasing diversity of our educational community, we are rapidly becoming a major player in the global education sphere.

We will be officially launching our 2012-13 project in late September 2012, although some projects (e.g. Brenda Hallowes’ London 2012 project, and the #globalclassroom scrapbooks) will continue through the remainder of our Southern Hemisphere school year.

There will be a few noticeable changes in our administration, and hopefully an expansion of our global teacher management team. I am particularly keen to capitalise on the experience and training of our #flatclassroom certified teachers, so if you’re interested in helping run the 2012-13 project, please let us know!

In other news …

Finally, for those interested, I recently the iEARN Australia management team, where I’ll help run the Australian branch of the world’s largest and longest established global collaboration network.

I am really looking forward to working with the international iEARN community; exploring best practices in global education, making new connections, and helping raise awareness about the benefits of global education within the wider Australian educational community.

Until next time, …

May 2012 – #globalclassroom Chat Archives

The seventh monthly #globalclassroom chat hosted several incredibly lively conversations about inquiry learning and global collaboration.

As Laurie Renton (@RentonL) so succinctly writes;

The process of choosing a topic, selecting questions to ask, participating in and moderating the #globalclassroom chat, was an eye opening and rewarding experience.

This chat reinforced, for me, the POWER of my online PLN, and the inspiration that Twitter connections provide for my professional growth as an educator.  It was exciting to discover the number of people who are also interested in global inquiry projects and their openness and eagerness to share their discoveries with others.

Creating a meaningful and sustainable global inquiry project is no easy feat.  Fostering buy in and personalisation for students, fitting it meaningfully into your daily curricular student learner outcomes is tricky, although it IS possible. This occurs when you are able to connect with experts who are willing to continue a meaningful relationship to enhance your journey, through Skype, blogging, and other such communication tools.

Finding the PERFECT global project to fit your needs IS possible when you nurture it, connect with others, inquire through your PLN and allow your students to ask questions to further enrich the journey and learning experiences.  It IS worthy work.

The Archives are now available

Thankyou to Laurie Renton and Jennifer Fenton for helping to organise this month’s #globalclassroom chats. A special mention goes to @WorldVUSE, who although relatively new to Twitter, successfully took on the challenge of moderating their first Twitter chat!

This month’s archives have been saved using Storify, and you can find the links here, or follow the direct links below.

• Chat #1 – May 1
• Chat #2 – May 13
• Chat #3 – May 15

Announcing the Global Classroom Memento Project

We believe our global connections are changing education and our lives.

As we commemorate the first anniversary of the Global Classroom Project, we are realising that our rich and diverse global connections are having an incredible impact on our classrooms, and our very lives.

We come from different countries, cultures, and economic situations, yet we are learning with the world beyond our classroom walls; building respect, understanding, and a sense of our common humanity.

We are making new friends, and building a true global community.

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Vajrasattva

It is time to share our stories with the world, celebrating our learning and achievements in Global Classroom 2011-12

From a remote village in Nepal to inner city New York, the Global Classroom Memento Project will connect and celebrate global classrooms across 6 continents, from very diverse linguistic, cultural, and economic backgrounds.

What makes this project a little different from anything we’ve ever done before is the focus on creating digital and physical artefacts of global collaboration.

We have our official memento wiki, and three Global Classroom Scrapbooks which are travelling around the world. These scrapbooks will visit at least 15 countries over the next nine months, visiting diverse places including Brasil, Romania, Guatemala, United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Nepal, India, United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand … and hopefully many more.

How can you get involved?

The Wiki – A Digital Celebration of Global Classroom 2011-12

Teachers, and students are invited to join the official Global Classroom Mementos Wiki, and establish a “Class Page” in a similar style to what we did in Global Classroom 2011.

We’d love to learn a little about your class, your country, and community. We particularly want to encourage your students to share their favourite stories, learning, art, photos, and digital artefacts, created through their involvement in The Global Classroom Project over the past year.

The Travelling Memento Scrapbooks

Two #globalclassroom scrapbooks are on the road, currently embarking on their second journey legs through South America and Europe. The third will leave Australia in a few months time, to coincide with the beginning of the Northern Hemisphere 2012-13 school year. You can follow their journey here.

This part of the project is invitation-only at this stage, as postage and materials proved to be more expensive than anticipated. I have recently launched a PayPal fundraiser to help cover the costs of this inaugural project, and I would sincerely appreciate a small donation to help ensure the long-term viability of this unique educational opportunity.

Your support will go a long way to making the memento scrapbooks a permanent, special celebration of our work in The Global Classroom Project over the years to come.

Thankyou.

Michael Graffin

Global Classroom Co-Founder
Perth, Western Australia

mgraffin.edublogs.org

Flattening your classroom, flattening your own world

I have been having a great time reading Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay. This book is an excellent resource for anyone considering global projects or for any teacher who is just interested in expanding their own classroom view. The book itself models a collaborative global project in every way imaginable. Here are some of the ways it does this:

Photo by Clive Darr

• Whenever a classroom project example is given, or a powerful quote from a teacher or expert is provided, the authors encourage the reader to follow that person on Twitter. I have loved this. There is really no better example of how flat our world is than just clicking the “Follow” button under someone’s name. You now can follow their thoughts, find out who they are following, and even mention them in your own Tweets.
• Along with the book are 15 Flat Classroom Challenges. These challenges encourage you to set up RSS like Google Reader (check!), start a blog(check!), join a collaborative network like Google Teacher Academy or Apple Distinguished Educators (check!), from there the challenges get more, well, um, challenging. But I love this idea. To encourage readers to take on the challenge, the authors suggest tweeting as you complete the challenges or posting on the Flat Classroom Ning. This helps make it all feel more like a fun scavenger hunt instead of homework. I love this idea so much I am considering how to make it a part of some of the local professional development I do.
• There is a virtual book group! I was so glad I checked Twitter at the moment an announcement about the book club came across my stream. The book club meets once a week for an hour via Blackboard Collaborate. Ben and Neil fromEngaging Educators moderate and either Vicki or Julie (the authors) are always there. This is a great opportunity to share your own reflections while reading the book as well as to ask questions of amazing teachers that have been living and breathing global collaboration for years now.
• More! QR codes that link to student projects, Flat Classroom Diaries that give you glimpses into the personal stories behind different global projects, and a professional development toolkit that I haven’t checked out yet.

There are many, many aspects of this book that I am finding inspiring, stimulating and thought-provoking and I hope to blog more about these in the future. For now I’d like to say that I am so thrilled to see a professional learning tool that really models what it values. If we want teachers to start to use technology in transforming ways, we need to do more to model professional learning experiences that mirror what teachers can be doing with students. That is what is knocking me out about this book. By encouraging teachers to tweet, blog, connect, comment and engage with this book, the authors are really showing what learning in the 21st century looks like. To quote Vicki Davis during our last book club, “Learning is not about consuming, it is about contributing and creating.” Kudos to Julie and her for writing a book that doesn’t just talk about that idea, but lives it.

Ownership

This photo is of my brother and I in 1994. This is our first car, which we shared ownership over. If you can believe it, I’m the guy on the left! The colour of the car, if you’re interested, is “Cypress Metallic Green”.

If there’s one thing I’ve been acutely aware of since working with teachers, it’s making sure I don’t rob teachers of a sense of ownership. I think this is because I know how I feel when I am doing something I perceive I don’t have ownership over. I’m someone who really needs to be involved in something or else I disengage in it.

This raises some interesting questions for the kind of work I do now. Often I am leading the use of technology in classrooms – which means I am usually creating something : communities, websites, tutorials, ideas… which I assume others will find of benefit to them. But always gnawing at the back of my head is, “how do I give people ownership over the things I create? How would I feel if I was on the other side of the fence?”. On the other hand, I feel that sometimes you DO need someone to take the lead and kick things off, and I do acknowledge that not everyone is like me, and some teachers do indeed appreciate being given strong direction.

This issue has been raising its head with our Writers’ Club. The idea is that I create blogs for students of the teachers that join, and they instantly become part of a global community. Which is fine for those who have never had their kids blogging. But what about teachers who are already blogging with their kids? Do they need to abandon their work to join our community? And does this then represent a lose-lose situation, where we miss out on being involved with teachers who already have significant expertise with blogging and global education, and they miss out on being part of a vibrant community?

For a long time, I wrestled with the idea. I talked at length to my colleague in Shanghai, Toni Olivieri-Barton, about it, and I came to the conclusion that, eventually, the audience factor would win, and teachers would be convinced to start afresh on the Writers’ Club.

But this ignores the need for the teachers to have ownership.

So when Denton Avenue from New York joined, ready with their blogs, I decided to give them accounts but let them have their own blogs as well. And it works. The students with their own blogs simply put their blog address into their profile, so that when their profile is clicked on by a Writers’ Club member, they see the student’s blog address and can visit and comment on their blog, outside the Writers’ Club. The security of the site is still maintained, the students with their own blogs benefit because they are able to participate in the community and drive readers to their blogs by doing so; and the current members of the Writers’ Club benefit by having new things to read and have a greater audience for their own work.

It’s not ideal – it would be simpler if everyone had a blog on the Writers’ Club. But if I can convince those teachers already doing great stuff that this work won’t replace what they do but enhance it, and I can bring even more students from around the world together, then it is for the best.

Earth Day Reflections

Courtesy of Lisa Durff (@durff) comes an opportunity to listen to, share and contribute to the ‘Earth Day’ Reflections VoiceThread, created several years ago by EarthCast. 

Well worth sharing with your students. Thanks Lisa!

http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=1954278