Goal 13: Make a Global Connection of The 30 Goals Challenge for Educators
“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” – Socrates
This year with the 30 Goals Challenge for Educators, our 30 Goals Facebook community is voting on what some of the goals will be accomplishing. We are grabbing this from the list of goals from the previous 3 cycles. This year’s theme is, “This is MY Moment.” Each goal will focus on getting educators to believe their plans of action now will lead to positive changes and transformation in their teaching and learning environments. The community voted for this goal a few weeks ago.
My Take on the Goal
I strongly believe in global communication and make this apart of my curriculum, because I believe students need to develop important skills in collaborating and problem solving with peers worldwide. Each year, I also make new global connections with the various projects I curate online. This year I feel that the 30 Goals interviews and Facebook group have helped me get to know and learn from various teachers worldwide. I am happy to have made new connections with Sylvia Guinan, Theodora Pap, Sean Cole Hampton, Fabiana Casella, Roseli Serra, Hana Ticha, and Rose Bard to name a few.
When you begin a new project online and invite teachers worldwide to participate, you begin to gain perspective. Teachers in other countries deal with so much more than US teachers. They tend to get paid less, have less access to technology as well as standard needs, and provided less opportunities for rich professional development. Facing these challenges, they still manage to provide incredible learning opportunities for their students and they also are some of the best examples of continual learners I have met.
Short-term– Provide an opportunity for your students to connect with students or a subject matter expert in another country.
Long-term– Create a global collaboration project. Begin to think about how your global project can foster intercultural communication, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Free Online Global Conference
October 11-13th, 2013 you have the opportunity to meet and interact with teachers worldwide at the free online Reform Symposium eConference. We will be providing more information in the next week about how you can be inspired by the 20+ keynotes and expert panelists, musical acts, kid genius speakers, edInspire presenters, and 115 teacher presenters from around the world. Join the Future of Education community for free to stay updated or follow the #RSCON4 hashtag.
Incredible Global Projects to Give You Ideas
These are some fantastic examples of global projects I have found. Some no longer are taking place but their example is powerful:
- Read Aloud to the World– 3rd graders in Romania invite speakers worldwide to read to them on Skype and interview them
- Young Clovers Blog– Young learners in Lebanon connecting with kids worldwide. They send their teddy bear to adventures in other countries. You can be one of the classes who gets the teddy bear and blogs about its adventures.
- Around the World with 80 Schools by Langwitches
- Write Your Story
- The Monster Project
- The Global Read Aloud
- The Lunchbox Project
- The Global Hello Project
- Coffee Chug Wiki
- The Odyssey World Trek
- Voices of the World Ning– These global projects connect students with voice only in case you are not able to use student images.
- Glogsters From the World Wiki– Join other classes worldwide in sharing their countries’ culture and traditions through interactive posters. Created by @abfromz.
- Celebr8UandMeDigitally Wiki– Join other classes worldwide in celebrating their countries’ holidays and traditions. Created by @evab2001 @alexgfrancisco.
Where to Find Classes Worldwide to Connect
- The Skype for Educators Community is full of current global projects and allows you to post an invitation for your project
- The Epals Global Community– With classrooms in 200 countries and territories, ePals makes it easy to connect learners locally, nationally or internationally.
- The Global Classroom Projects Wiki is currently accepting new projects to begin October 2013. This incredible community hosts various projects for teachers like Edmodo penpals, digital scrapbooks, and mystery locations.
Internet Safety Information for Parents
- Accepted Use Policy Document by George Couros
- Internet Safety Information for Parents by Pernille Ripp
- Why the Internet is like the Mall: Internet Safety Lesson by Pernille Ripp
- Another Acceptable Use Policy Form
- Parent Release Form for Publishing Student Work Online
- Parent Release Form for Publishing Student Work Online PDF
Resources to Get You Started
- Prezi: Beyond the Classroom Walls: Effectively Managing Global Projects
- Prezi: Using Skype, blogs, and more to start a global project
- Several global project tools and resources listed in my wiki
- Goal 7: Make a Global Connection
- Goal 9: Make a Global Connection
- Do Our Students Realize They Live in the World?
- Getting Children Involved with Edtech and Voicethread
- Learning Beyond Walls: 21 Skype Resources
Challenge:
Attend the free Reform Symposium eConference and connect with educators worldwide there. Provide an opportunity for your students to connect with students or a subject matter expert in another country.
Please leave a comment that you accomplished this goal by either posting your own video reflection on Youtube, using the hashtag #30GoalsEdu, posting on the 30 Goals Facebook group, or adding a comment below! All goals are organized in this 30 Goals Livebinder.
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