A few months ago Julie Lindsay inadvertently started a new meme about a day in the life of a global educator. Silvia Tosolino joined in and tagged me way back when, and somehow, I never found time to post. But, lately I’ve been thinking about that meme… I have a pretty good idea of what a day in the life of a global educator looks like, but what does a day in the life of a global student look like? Or, more importantly, how can we help our students become global learners?

global.jpgI’m thinking about all of those skills that we, as global educators, use every day: investigating, evaluating communicating, collaborating, creating, and reflecting. How are we incorporating these 21st Century skills into our classrooms to enable our students to be as global as we are? If we are practicing these skills every day, through the use of new and emerging technology, we have to make these tools and skills readily accessible to our students.

So, my new philosophy is this: If these tools help me learn, then most likely they will also help my students. Therefore, if these tools are a seamless part of my daily routines, then they should also be a seamless part of my students’ daily routines. As Justin and Dennis, so eloquently described in their curriculum 2.0: “It is our goal in developing an integrated curriculum to ensure that the way students learn with technology agrees with the way they live with technology.” What benefits us, can also benefit them, but they may need to be taught how. Sure, they all know myspace, but do they know how to develop a personal learning environment with their own blog?

So I’ve started changing my daily classroom routines over the last few months, but I still have a long way to go. Next on the list is social networking – if I’m benefiting from using social networks like the Global Education Collaborative, Classroom 2.0, NextGenTeachers, etc to make contacts with other like-minded educators, why shouldn’t my students have a social network to allow them to more easily communicate and connect with their international partners around the world? I’m thinking something like the Horizon Project Ning – a protected community, allowing only those who have been invited to participate, to keep the students safe (sometimes I get “friend” invites on Ning from very strange sources).

Certainly my blog will always be my hub, and maybe as adults, these networks (or groups or whatever) are not quite as important, but what about students that don’t have an audience on their blog and that don’t really understand, yet, how to develop readership? Or what about students that are blogging for school, but haven’t made the connection to their personal life yet? A Ning network might be a great way to open communication in a safe, easy environment that would allow students to explore not only blogging, but also sharing media, discussion forums, and those connections that naturally arise from putting yourself “out there.”

Today I asked my students if they would like to connect more with other students around the world. They answered with a resounding “yes!” But when I asked them how they can do that during the summer, without me to set it up, and they had no idea. They need a hub too, but they might not be ready for that on their own. A Ning network might be that perfect intermediary step they need to get started.

Anyone interested in testing it out with me?

Image 1: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/41/91118309_ba65b9806e.jpg
Image 2: http://www.risktaking.co.uk/images/skydivers.jpg

9 thoughts on “Developing the Global Student

  1. I’d love to take you up on it, but don’t see my students any more this year. I could, though, contact my star bloggers and invite them to jump in with other similar students.

    This is something I’ve been thinking about, too. Just as not all teachers are natural writers, collaborators, readers, networkers, neither are all students. So rather than go with an across-the-board global student push, I’m wondering if letting those already so inclined go ahead and set the example, and letting the word (or the example) of their journey open the eyes of their “student 1.0” peers, might not be a place to start.

    Enjoyed your thoughts, as usual. You really are one of my very favorite writers and thinkers.

    BTW, I ask again: are you working in high school in Bangkok next year? Yes or no, we still should put our heads together about leading collaboration further out of the computer lab, and penetrating further into the traditional core content area classes.

    Call me a geek, but I’d love to have discussions along these lines over summer break.

  2. This sounds really interesting and I have several students who would be keen to be involved. This may be a way for them to continue with their web 2.0 experiences as many will not get it next year when they move to secondary school.

  3. Hi !

    “….I have a pretty good idea of what a day in the life of a global educator looks like, but what does a day in the life of a global student look like? Or, more importantly, how can we help our students become global learners? ”

    Perhaps by BEING one helps. Would love for you to consider adding yourself as a “conduit” between your networks and this rambling rabble of world-educators …

    http://wikieducator.org/FLNW2/Participants

    http://wikieducator.org/FLNW2/Contributors

    Perhaps your class/es may like to build the sister-city concept with Graham and the many schools we will visit along the delta.

    :-)

    Please join WikiEducator, add your profile to FLNW2 contributors and joinyour Ning with our Google – http://groups.google.com/group/futureoflearning

  4. While I don’t have students this summer, I’d be happy to help or chime in with the Texas perspective ;)

    (so they’d know not all Texans wear boots and cowboy hats ;))

  5. Kim,

    I justed wanted to tell you I am learning a great deal from your blog. I have been very disappointed in our local school system for sometime. We are not up to speed from a tech perspective, but at the end of the day it is probably the least of concerns when the school lacks funds for basic curriculum. Perhaps it is my naive existence but there are quite a few things which you talk about that I was completely ignorant of. Thanks to you I am tuning in and learning a lot. And I am getting a lot of great ideas. Thank you!

  6. Hi Kim!

    Sorry I have been off grid for so long. There has been complications with the pregnancy. My leave replacement and I were just discussing this and I think Ning could be a great resource for my new Middle school tech classes. I know you are in Elementary school now but let me know if you are still interested in collaborating!

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