Global Classroom 2012-13 Launch – Slides and Recording

Well, it is hard to believe that after 6 weeks of solid preparation, we formally launched our 2012-13 project at the Global Education Conference 2012.

Our Global Classroom Stories and Project Launch presentation was attended by a (record) 27 participants, from 10 countries across 5 continents (6 if we put Trinidad in South America); and hosted speakers from all over the world.

The presentation was one of our best -

• Enabling emerging #globalclassroom leaders to share their stories with the world
• Formalising our emerging relationship with Govinda Panthy & the Open World Cause, as we look forward to helping raise funds to build the SAV School, Nepal
• Recognising our inaugural group of “Global Classroom Lead Teachers“
• Marking the formal launch of Global Classroom 2012-13

 

But perhaps the most emotional moment was when we handed over the microphone to some of our #globalclassroom students – from Elkanah House, in Cape Town, South Africa.

THANK YOU to Sarah, Abigail, Tyra, and Matthew – you did yourselves proud! And thank you to their wonderful teacher, Karen Stadler (@ICT_Integrator) who made it all possible.

Slides and Recording

The presentation was recorded in BlackBoard Collaborate – please watch (and feel free to share) the recording link:

http://bit.ly/GCPLaunch2012-13

Global Classroom Stories & Launch (#GlobalEd12) from Michael

Project Announcement: Kids Speak (K-3 Project)

Another new Global Classroom Project – this time “Authentic Voices of Children World Wide- Kids Speak ~2011-2012”!

Mrs Frazier and her class are once again launching their Kids Speak VoiceThread project. Students will work collaboratively in ONE shared VoiceThread to ask questions and share life experiences that enable the student to grasp the project goals. Students and teachers are encouraged to post questions, videos, documents, and/or photos to the shared VoiceThread. All work will be authentic and child created.

Project Coordinator: Deb Frazier, USA

Duration: September 2011 – June 2012

Grade Level / Age Group: Pre-K to Grade 3 (5-9 years old).

Contact: DM @frazierde on Twitter, email globalclassroomorganisers@gmail.com or leave a comment below this post!

Click on the image below to see last year’s project:

Project Announcement: VoiceThread Hero Project (Grades 2 – 12 Project)

Today we are announcing the commencement of a new Global Classroom Project – The VoiceThread Hero Project!

The 6th graders from Joliet, Illinois, USA, have researched qualities of a hero and chose a hero that fits their descriptions. They are making use of Voicethread and are looking for classes who would like to participate in their project. Grades 2 – 12 welcome (ages 7 to 18).

Project Coordinator: Theresa Allen, USA

Duration: November 2011 – June 2012

Contact: Tweet @tdallen5, email  tallen@csrn.org  or leave a comment below this post!

Click on this image to access the Voicethread:

And It Begins … #globalclassroom

Today, we marked the official launch of The Global Classroom Project: 2011-12; hosting a Launch Webinar attended by 20 teachers from Australia, Canada, France, Brazil, and the United States of America. 

In our Launch Webinar, we:

• Explored our history, philosophy, and community goals
• Explained how teachers & students can get involved in the #globalclassroom community
• Explored the purpose of our blog, wiki, and online discussion groups
• Hosted a special presentation about Edmodo in Global Classroom (by @tdallen5 & MrsSchmidtB4)
• Saw teachers making connections with teachers around the world – and in their own backyards!
• Celebrated the launch of our very first global projects!

Launching Global Classroom 2011-12

• Are you interested in flattening your classroom walls & creating a global classroom?
• Are you curious about the Global Classroom Project: 2011-12?
• Not sure how it all works? Wondering how you can get involved?

Then, please join us for the Global Classroom 2011-12 Launch this weekend!

Brought to you by Deb Frazier, Michael Graffin, and members of the Global Classroom Organisation Team, this recorded webinar is a fantastic opportunity for you to:

• Make global connections with other teachers around the world
• Learn more about our #globalclassroom community & discussion platforms
• Share project ideas
• Have your questions answered, and
• Share the excitement as we launch our first global projects!

A Global Learning Community is Born

As we look forward to the official webinar launch of Global Classroom (2011-12) in two weeks time, we’re celebrating the creation of our project blog with a post about the origins & vision for the Global Classroom Project.

Our Beginnings

The Global Classroom was born in the minds of Deb Frazier’s (@frazierde) young students:

“Our first grade class [in Ohio, USA] was thinking about the ways people around the world meet their needs. We began to do some research, diving into books about various cultures.

While sharing new learning about India, Puju, whose family is from India, commented “My dad says that’s not really true.”

From there we knew we needed more than books.

We needed to talk with people in other cultures to really discover the many ways in which they meet their needs.”

And thus, the Global Classroom came to be … Deb published a blog post on Primary Perspective, and shared it on Twitter. A few retweets brought together 6 teachers from 5 countries, and led to the creation of an amazing global project:

“Through Twitter, we worked collaboratively to connect our classrooms using one single VoiceThread.To date, this VoiceThread has had over 1,000 views and nearly 200 comments from kids all around the world! Not too bad for a project which was developed and ran for only four weeks due to the end of the American school year!

The power kids felt in being free to question their learning gave them ownership and motivation. The questions and the voices of children gave Global Classroom authenticity.

VoiceThread and the Global Classroom Wiki made a powerful impact on kids around the globe!”