Read one of the following articles and post a comment:
A World Transformed: how Other Countries are Preparing Students for the Interconnected World of the 21st Century by Vivien Stewart pdf on our class blog
Global Education On a Dime: A Low-Cost Way to Connect, http://www.edutopia.org/global-education-international-exchange
How to Teach with Technology: Language Arts, by Shari Wargo http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-language-arts-lessons
Be sure to say which article you read:-)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I read the article How tot Teach Technology: Language Arts. It was a great synopsis of a lot of the programs we've been introduced to in class. The article gives some simple examples of how EASILY technology can enhance our curriculum. And, once we get the hang of it, it can even make our lives easier! I'd love to eventually get our classroom newsletter online and incorporate some of the great programs. --Nadine
ReplyDeleteI love the different ways technology is used in the article How to Teach Technology: Language Arts. It makes sense that students would have more ownership over their work using fun and interactive tools. I would never have thought to use Skype with interactive writing. Technology definitely provides a unique opportunity for students to work collaboratively on a global level. I am excited to learn more about voicethread and how I can use it in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI read the article Global Education On a Dime: A Low Cost Way to Connect by Mark Nichol. I liked this article because the ways that teachers and students connect to other students is simple! With all of the resources available to educators , a feeling of "aaah.... to much" seems to be creeping into my brain. This article lists numerous ways to bring the world to your classroom on a very basic level. Learning about a product that is made overseas and used locally is a great way to bring the global community message home. The logistics involved in communicating with another group of individuals across the world also seems daunting. Synchronizing schedules itself seems overwhelming but the author gives some methods to deal with this as well.
ReplyDeleteI read How to Teach with Technology: Language Arts by Sara Bernard.
ReplyDeleteI chose the article because new MA Language Arts standards heavily incorporates the use of technology within the standards. I thought the ideas were useful. I always feel like, if the world were perfect you could try a million different things! I think the idea of using Skype to collaborate with a class in Florida is pretty neat. We often communicate with family via skype...I think my class would enjoy trying it out in the classroom. I’m also interested in trying out Photo Story. I love that there are so many interesting and useful ways to use technology in the classroom...I just wish we had more time!
Jenn
I read "A World Transformed" by Vivien Stewart and found it very interesting, yet somehow unsurprising. The article highlights how other countries have been preparing their schools for global education. Overall, it seems the US is lagging pretty far behind! European countries are teaching foreign languages and world geography early. In the US, we don't teach those subjects until high school, middle school if some are lucky. Also, Asian languages usually aren't among the choices even though they are some of the dominant languages in the broader world. Other countries are encouraging foreign study and exchange among both their teachers and their students, but the US ranks low in foreign exchange rates. I found it interesting when the article mentioned that Asian students are finding Australia a more attractive option for them over the US as a place for higher education and such, partly due to the fact that Australia highly promotes educating students about Asia. I can understand- I would much rather go somewhere where I know that the people are knowledgeable and understanding about my country. It seems we tend to begin focusing our global education efforts when students reach high school, but at this point it's too little and too late. Many other countries require global teaching in their schools at an early age, but the US does not.
ReplyDeleteAnother part of the article that I found very interesting was how the average child across the world spends hours each day on the computer and watching TV. Many countries are focusing efforts on (interesting new word!) "edutainment" since this seems to be the way of the future, but the US yet again is ranking low in this area. I loved a line in the article that said "schools in many countries are being encouraged to use technology to help students learn "with" and not just "about" their peers in other nations." I think that is kind of the key to this whole class, and it would be great if a global education class were required for all new teachers in the future (with professional development for the old, like us!) so teachers can get on board right away. - Erin S.
I read Global Education on a Dime. I really liked this article's reminder that the most important part of global education programs is providing meaningful content and the opportunity to develop skills. The technology just provides access. Even if your school doesn't have the latest and greatest technologies, it can still provide a meaningful global experience. I also thought it was interesting that they said that incorporating hands-on, local resources (like local businesses, cultural organizations, international students) was important to helping students connect their projects to the real world. Overall, I got some great insights and ideas from this article.
ReplyDeleteI read "Global Education On a Dime: A Low-Cost Way to Connect." I agree with Elinor above that content not technology should be the focus. I think we (and myself very much included) gets very impressed and wrapped up with the technology piece and trying to be fancy. Rather than just focusing on what the technology is I need to be sure not to lose the teaching points. I thought it was also interesting that they mentioned the wiki, in particular, because teachers could monitor what the students were writing or sharing. Which is a concern of mine. I with that online penpals would be possible in Kindergarten, but I am not sure how it would work (particularily cause they aren't readers yet.) It does make me consider how I could find another class to do a class penpal where the teachers would share the information with his/her students.
ReplyDeleteI also read A World Transformed and agree with you, Erin, that there were few surprises in this article. Yes, many countries now have initiatives to promote global citizenship, yet I was hoping for some more examples of how these initiatives play out in actual classrooms around the world. I also think more data, while the author admitted little was available, would have been helpful to shed light on this topic.
ReplyDeletePerhaps most alarming is our lack of focus on international languages in American education. Even though Needham is now emphasizing global competency, our elementary Spanish program has been cut (and it doesn’t seem likely to return anytime soon). Of course there are budgetary issues, but I think if we, as a district, are to develop citizens of the world, then we really ought to try our best to enable our students to communicate with others across the globe.
-Andrea
It is great to read an article from the perspective of students! "How to Teach with Technology: Language Arts" really hits home. What a testament to appealing to all kinds of learners!
ReplyDeleteHeather
I read the article "Global Education on a dime: A Low Cost Way to Connect", which was fantastic. I loved the low cost ideas it gave to help develop a global education program in your classroom. It was neat to read this article having had experience with many of the programs it talked about since we have been talking about them in class, for example Google Earth and ePals. This article gave a great list of resources. I also liked how the article gave nontechnology suggestions, such as having a senior citizen who immigrated to the country come and talk to your class. Thanks for more great ideas!
ReplyDeleteI read Global Education on a Dime: A Low-Cost Way to Connect. I think that it is wonderful that there are so many free global resources available to teachers. The resources listed in this article are great! I had never thought about the logistics of arranging a live international videoconference. I don't think it is necessary to have "face-to-face interactions" in order to make a global project/experience meaningful.
ReplyDelete-Amanda
I read Global Education on a Dime: A Low-Cost Way to Connect. I thought this was a great article with lots of valuble information. This article mentioned how important it was to find "real-world resources in or near a school to create strong global-education prgroms, especially if they don't have cutting-edge technology or deep pockets." We are so fortunate to have access to such wonderful technology. Without classes, like the one we are taking now, many teachers would not know how to use a Wiki, VoiceThread or Google Docs. It is so important for teachers to take these classes and utilize these amazing resources. So THANK YOU Kathy and Karen for sharing these resources with us!
ReplyDelete-Nicole
I read the article A World Transformed: How Other Countries are Preparing Students for the Interconnected World of the 21st Century by Vivien Stewart. This was a great article, and very appropriate for me, as I had read the Thomas Friedman book, The World is Flat. This article was based on many of his ideas, and further explored his concerns. The main discussion is whether American students have the knowledge and skills to function effectively and be leaders in our increasingly interconnected world. According to Friedman's book, and a Harvard study, students urgently need a deeper understanding of the principles of science and a far greater grasp of international affairs. And, stronger foreign language skills. While higher education is moving to internationalize its curriculum, K-12 education trails far behind. The article also focused on the need for more student-directed work to supplement the traditional teacher-directed approaches. As this is an area that I personally need to focus on more, I found the article timely and useful. Great food for thought - and also stresses the need for courses like the one we are currently taking. And, for the kinds of curriculum activities we are currently planning with our class projects.
ReplyDeleteElise