Jen Wagner and I are so thrilled to be sharing our thoughts about globally collaborative projects at the wonderful K12 Online conference this October. Here’s the title and description of our session:
Connecting Classrooms Across Continents: Planning and Implementing Globally Collaborative Projects
Ready to “flatten” your classroom walls? Looking to take web 2.0 tools to the next level by developing exciting and authentic projects that allow your students to interact with partners around the world? It may be time to tackle a globally collaborative project in your classroom!
Globally collaborative projects are an exciting way to engage your students in authentic and meaningful learning across cultures and continents. Successfully combining a variety of web 2.0 tools (like blogs, wikis, Skype, IM, social networks, etc) can remove the barriers of time and distance to connect your class with others around the world. Not only do students love to meet their far-flung peers, but learning to collaborate and create in an entirely online and inter-cultural environment will clearly be a critical skill for their future.
Learn how to develop a successful global project – from design and planning to implementation and product, see examples of engaging projects from all grade levels, as well as participate in a real time globally collaborative project with Kim and Jennifer!
Although this project will be aimed at elementary school classrooms, teachers of all levels will find inspiration and applicable and practical ideas throughout this video presentation that will incorporate a wide-range of web 2.0 tools!
We would absolutely love to have the voice of the community within our presentation, so we are hoping that you can spare a few moments to add to this quick VoiceThread about the benefits of global collaborations in the classroom:
If you don’t feel comfortable adding to a VoiceThread just yet, please feel free to leave your comment here. Our focus questions are:
- How does your classroom go global?
- What are the beneifits of global collaborations?
- Please share some highs and lows of global collaborations.
- Spread the love – please share a link to a great project!
Thank you so much for adding your insights to our presentation (all credit for the comments of course will go to the commenters)!
We would also love to hear about any specific issues you would like to see addressed within the focus of this presentation. If you have any feedback, please feel free to share it here!
Hello Kim, (I’m sorry but I had a connection problem when trying to post my comment so I don’t know if it got through, better twice than none ok?)
I’m really happy to discover your work, basically for 2 reasons (I could list much more but let’s make it short ok?):
1) It’s VERY interesting & clearly explained.
2) It’s 100% compatible with my deepest thougths & you will help me so much to lay it down on epaper in something understandable… (if you check my blog you will see I get lost sometimes…)
My PhD line is social software sustainable tourism as a North-South & South-South codevelopment tool, specially interested in the african case for personal, profesional, geographical, well, many reasons.
I’m dreaming of african classes & entrepreneurs connected to the world, but first we need electricty & then computers, isn’t it? This is why I’m spotting Fair Tourism & Ecotourism as a strategic development tool, up to the deepest bush of Africa. Who is going to come & give a hand to those “lost places”, if not adventurer travelers? But I guess you also know the dark side of tourism, dont you? This is why we need education, comunication, collaboration, transparency… sounds familiar to you isn’t it?
I don’t want to bother, so if you are interested please feel free to join us at http://www.conectafrica.ning.com, it’s starting to be a friendly place, even if we speak too much spanish, it will evoluate thanks to people like you ;)
Hope we’ll talk soon,
Best regards
Stef
CEO http://www.conectafrica.ning.com
(& sorry again if you get the comment twice ;)