Starting Out with iEARN Global Projects

iEARN is the world’s largest global education community, providing a range of projects, and fantastic professional learning opportunities for K-12 teachers.

For more information, please visit http://www.iearn.org/, or tweet @iEARNUSA or @iEARNAustralia.

This post originally appeared on the iEARN USA blog under the title “Global Projects to Start the School Year“.

If you haven’t already visited our brand new Collaboration Centre here’s a video (with a catchy song) to get you in the mood for the new school year!

Following the video are some recommended projects that are active throughout the school year, but our members find successful for engaging their students in global collaborative project work at the start of the year.

My Name Around the world: On-going for a few years now, the My Name Project is a popular project for introducing students to global collaboration. The theme motivates them to use their creativity in writing by posting an acrostic poem of their name and sharing it with their peers around the world.

Side by Side: The visual impact of this project is moving – and fun, but it also creates a space to learn about other cultures. We launched ourAugust Campaign around it’s theme.

Learning Circles: Registration is open now. Circles start in September and run through December. If you’re interested in working with a select grouping  of teachers and students from around the world committed to a specific timeframe and working on assigned weekly activities, this is the place to start.

Public Art: Art in this form is one of the most powerful ways to engage a community in reflection and dialogue. By researching, sharing and discussing local public artwork using Web 2.0 tools, your students will have a greater appreciation for the messages conveyed and their impact.

Teddy Bear: Don’t we love to send and receive a package in the mail! This visiting bear allows your students to learn about life in another country with a partner class and share your culture in a hands-on exciting way.

Holiday Card Exchange: Your students will learn about holidays and dates observed around the world by creating cards to send to their peers through postal mailings.

All iEARN global projects correlate to the Common Core State Standards. Visit our Professional Development page for sample project lesson plans by iEARN educators who have aligned their collaborations and curriculum to the standards.

For the full listing of projects in the coming year, visit the Collaboration Centre.

Also, remember to check into the iEARN Teacher’s Lounge to find partners, get updates on classroom activities across all projects, ask questions, share your learning and feel part of a global family of learners.

We’re looking forward to seeing the ways you bring the world into your classroom this year! 

Musings on Assessing Global Collaboration

The March #globalclassroom chats proved to be incredibly lively and valuable discussions about the merits and challenges of assessing and communicating the impact of global collaboration.

I was quite taken aback by the diverse responses to this topic, and prompted by @WarwickLanguage and my early reflections on the Flat Classroom book, I’ve taken the unusual step of including a proper summary of the March #globalclassroom chats.

Here we go.

Assessment can be a tricky issue.

Many teachers expressed concern about the need to assess global collaboration, fearing that too great an emphasis on “measuring” the impact of global collaboration would detract from the learning and building of the global relationships.

As @WarwickLanguage wrote in her chat summary, “there was a perception that the impact of these activities is clear, but not always measurable, showing itself in student focus, engagement, and enjoyment.”

@SNskole: The greatest gain for our students is they start to feel like world citizens. Breaking down ignorance stone by stone.

We need to share our stories, reflections, and pedagogy

A common theme of these chats was the need for teachers and, particularly students, to share their stories and reflections on the impacts of global connections and collaboration on their learning.

Suggestions included videoing students’ stories (@carmenstack), showcasing student work on co-created blogs and wikis, exploring Visible Thinking routines (@whatedsaid), and building school administrators’ understanding of our work.

For me, one tweet stood out:

@Kubikhan: What about peer-to-peer evaluation in #globalclassroom? Much can be gained from knowing another culture values your work, and knowing why.

This idea, seconded by @terriharings, is something I’d like to see developed through the #globalclassroom project as a whole. It is indeed “powerful to partner across the sea”, and this form of assessment would have an incredible impact on our students (and teachers) learning & worldviews.

There is a need for action-research in this area

Raised by @brettelockyer in the Sunday chat, this issues features in the Flat Classroom book, which I am reading at the moment. There is a need to study the long-term impacts of global collaboration on teachers and students, exploring how our global connections change our teaching, learning, and personal worldviews.

@iEARNUSA kindly dug into their archives, sharing a variety of research studies they have been involved in, and I suspect that this an area in which I may well conduct my own research one day.

So, in conclusion:

@davidweldridge:We shouldn’t obsess about assessment, but offer multiple opportunities for developing learning and understand our context. #globalclassroom

@hechternacht: The more you are connected, the more you see the impact. The relationship grows as eyes are opened. #globalclassroom

Thankyou

Thankyou to everyone who made the March #globalclassroom chats such an engaging, thought-provoking learning experience. A particular thank-you goes to our moderators, past and present, with special mentions for @iEARNUSA, who has done so much to make these chats a success, and @WarwickLanguage who helped write the chat summary.

The March #globalclassroom chat archive is now available on our wiki, and we’d love to hear your thoughts, reflections on the topic in the comments below.

Click here for the March Archives

See you next month!