by Marina Screpanti

I’m a Primary School teacher and I’m involved in many European projects, both Comenius and eTwinning. I teach English but I am fortunate to also teach PE, history, geography and technology so my teaching definitely has a wide range of topics. Lately my eTwinning partners (“V.O.I.C.E.” and “SUPERCITIZEN’S ALMANAC” projects’ partners) and I created a VIRTUAL CLASS with all of our students. The pupils worked together basically through playing, so they didn’t even realize that they are studying and acquiring competences and skills and connecting information. This new way of approach to studying is real and emotional and this helped them to improve their learning.

A new way where “fun” is the most important word and where effective and real “communication” is the winning key. I have experienced a lot of games and examples of communication via the virtual class. This has led to improving my pupils’ language competences and their self-confidence in the use of a foreign idiom. The virtual class allows you to work using video-conferencing or communicating through platforms like eTwinning on various activities such as working on the same ddocuments like google docs.

work on the same documents like google docs. If you would like to get an idea of how my students have worked on their virtual class, have a look at : http://new-twinspace.etwinning.net/c/portal/layout? p_l_id=20179680 . In this game both French and Italian students wrote their descriptions and then they exchanged them publishing them on the Twinspace (a special place online platform where partners can share materials and communicate).

During the video-conference, one French student sat in front of the webcam while the Italian students, were looking at the French descriptions, asked questions to the mysterious boy/girl about his/her family, likes/dislikes, hobbies trying to guess his/her name. In the descriptions, in fact, each student had to talk and write about the information above. After having guessed, it was the turn of an Italian pupil to be mysterious…. This game led students to use a common foreign language (which in our case was English) in a real communicative context, enhancing their speaking and listening competences, also improving their vocabulary but first of all having fun !

Another way our virtual class experienced is shown on http://new-twinspace.etwinning.net/c/portal/ layout?p_l_id=21272324 where Polish and Italian students tested their knowledge about Europe by creating a quiz for their European classmates. The questions and anwers have been shared through the eTwinning platform constantly opened in the classrooms. Have a look at it! The virtual class we created in V.O.I.C.E. also invented a way to help each other, in fact each country had to propose to the partner countries a way to solve one of their school problems asking for suggestions (click on……). To understand the positive impact of working in virtual classes, the best thing is to have a try! I recommend every teacher tries this new experience. It opens students’ minds and horizons !

For the last few years I have been co-ordinating school projects working together with lots of different European partners. The one major goal for which I have aimed over these years, is that the pupils, and their teachers, would find that – my European friends are not that different from me. All kids are the same, but different- In these projects I have always included the use of videocommunication, because I believe it is important that the pupils meet each other, even if it is only via screens. In my case, my pupils are too young to travel and actually meet with their peers, but given modern ICT-technology they can meet, without leaving home. For me who am Swedish, English has been the common language when video-communicating.

I work with pupils from ages 6 to 12 and although their English is not that good in their younger age, they learn quickly and by having recurring video-communication they are triggered to become better and better. They get a real hands on experience about the importance of good English. I also believe that videocommunication gives and encourages so many more ways to communicate other than just talking to each other. This is about speaking English. Now, about communication. The pupils need to overcome the nervousness and anxiety that comes with a “blind date” on the internet, and this one is with sound and moving pictures. This means that “my” Swedish pupils work with their questions and practice how to talk, discuss and prepare on their English in lessons. And, on the Skype conferences they go LIVE.

Skype is the program which I have used for the conferences. It is free, easy to navigate and another big advantage….many of the pupils can help me if I lose myself in the program. They are quite used to using Skype. Its not only about talking, they also see each other and each others classrooms. Similarities and differences, the diversity of Europe. Johan Eggers is a teacher in the primary school and kindergarten at Rodeby primary school (Sweden), responsible for the morning and afternoon centres, which he refers to as educarecentres. He is the co-ordinator of International School Projects. 5 The way I have used this is by having a Skype-relay with all partners and a given theme. The theme has been obligatory since I have always had a project to report back to. It is also nice to have the talk maybe divided into four parts. The first one would be establishing contact, greetings etc. The second one is about the theme questions from both parts. Then it would be time for the most popular part, the pupils own questions, time to discuss music, football teams etc. The fourth part is about closing and saying goodbye. During these talks which sometimes could involve 7 countries and over 100 pupils I have many golden memories. On one occasion I remember how my pupils, talking to our English partners about how the Swedish football player Zlatan Ibrahimovic crushed England with a bicycle kick from 30 metres.

Another memory is when my 5th graders tried to speak Croatian with the Croatian kids. Pupils discussing if One Direction is the best pop group ever or not. A great feeling of being together and European. And also very funny. On another occasion we had a Facetime conference via iPads and sang songs to each other and showed photos. This time without understanding a word each other said. Still it was great fun and a good learning experience. I encourage all to use video-communication as it enriches school and gives the pupils good practice in preparing their talks, language skills etc.

I think it is really important to be part of the online world, through blogs, discussions and groups not only to share our experience but also for networking, resource sharing, collobaration and professional development. Below are some online communities that I have found exteremly useful for collobarative knowledge building.

http://www.edweb.net/

It offers free professional learning communities and webinars. You can be part of current communities or create your own one and invite your colleagues to join in.

http://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-community

You can communicate with educators, innovators from many countries who influence education. You can create your own group and join many fascinating ones and become a part of an exciting community.

http://www.tigweb.org/

TIG Initiatives provides you a flexible and powerful online space to share what you’re working on with the world. It encourages collaboration with other motivated individuals and organizations. You can change your own design, add your own features and content, and even link it with social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter. Showcase and connect your ideas to a global community!

http://www.linkedin.com/home

Linkedin not only allows you to connect with your colleagues, you can also join many linekdin groups in your interest area and create your own groups.

https://twitter.com/

You can find what’s happening with the people and organisations, but also share your activities with them. I love it because it is the fastest way of communicating at the moment!!!

http://twbglobal.org/

Teachers without borders connects teachers to information and each other so that they can create lcoal change on a global scale.

I am Program Manager of Global Partners Junior, a technology driven education program that connects urban middle schoolers around the world. In this role, I have the privilege of working with educators from Accra to Vancouver to bring technology integration, global awareness, and project based learning to their classrooms. An incredibly diverse group of 2,500 students in 30 cities participate. Our many educators are equally diverse, creating the opportunity for an ongoing exchange of best practices from classrooms around the world. On any given day, I may speak with educators in Mumbai, Rio de Janiero, Hong Kong, Sydney, Bogota, London and New York, all of whom share the same goals for their students but have different pedagogical perspectives. As a former New York City public school teacher, I am constantly amazed and invigorated by this exchange of ideas.

So how does Global Partners Junior work? Each week, students meet for 2-4 hours in classrooms around the world and communicate online about topics relevant to all cultures using a shared curriculum. They research facts about their communities and international cities, exchange messages on our password-protected website at gpjunior.tiged.org, and create multimedia projects and video greetings. Now in its ninth year, this program was developed by New York City Global Partners, the nonprofit organization that connects the Mayor’s Office of the City of New York to cities around the world.

The curriculum topic that guides students’ interactions changes every year to keep the conversation exciting. Past topics have included local and global business, environmental sustainability, and city parks. Each curriculum is focused on issues relevant to urban youth and is developed by our staff in partnership with content area experts. The topic itself, while important, is less a central focus than a lens through which students can examine their own cities and draw comparisons with others.

For example, this year students are collaborating on the Urban Stages curriculum, which focuses on international theater production. Students explore elements of theater such as playwriting and set, costume and sound design, and share their learning with their international peers through blog posts, discussion forums, and video chats. They will create hundreds of multimedia projects throughout the year. Highlights so far include a student-designed website and podcast about local theaters in Toronto; a promotional video about current productions from Warsaw; and digitally designed storyboards of international folktales from New York City. Students constantly explore new technology resources, employing both video editing and digital design software and free online tools such as Prezi, SketchUp and VoiceThread to create dynamic representations of their research. For the culminating project, students will transform an underutilized space in their community into a theater and create an original performance.

One of the strengths of all Global Partners Junior curricula is that they are adaptable to an immense variety of classroom contexts and focuses. The program was developed in cooperation with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, and was originally offered by Parks afterschool programs. Global Partners has since expanded the program within New York City to include public schools and afterschool programs operated by the NYC Housing Authority, the New York Public Library, and the Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation. Each of these groups, along with our 75 international classes, brings its own personality and priorities to the shared curriculum; some classes focus more on introducing students to new technology tools, while others emphasize literacy skills and knowledge of global cultures.

Global Partners supports each educator in adapting and implementing the curriculum by providing student workbooks, lesson plans, enrichment activities and assessment tools. Our staff conducts professional development sessions for participating educators, focusing on topics such as technology integration, global awareness activities, and evaluation and assessment. These sessions typically take place by conference call or Skype, and are a fantastic opportunity for educators to ask questions, troubleshoot project ideas, and share the great resources and lesson plans that have been successful in their classrooms. 

I have also had the pleasure of visiting Global Partners Junior educators in Mumbai, Delhi, London, and Toronto. Many international educators have also visited New York City to participate in professional developments and get to know the Big Apple.  These visits are a great opportunity to observe the varied ways educators implement the program in their classrooms and adapt it to their local curricula and standards.

Next year’s program will focus on digital storytelling in cities around the world. Students will explore local and global fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and create multimedia projects to bring their own stories to life. We plan to add even more great international schools to the program and welcome applications. Already we have schools participating in Accra, Berlin, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Cuernavaca, Delhi, Dublin, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, Karachi, Lima, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, Mumbai, Paris, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vancouver, and Warsaw.

Enrollment for the 2013-14 Global Partners Junior program is open. For more information or to request an application, please contact: gpjunior@cityhall.nyc.gov. 

by Danielle Goldfarb-Bedrick

NYC Parks Computer Resource Centers (CRC’s), New York City, USA

For the past 13½ years I have been a technology educator at a recreation center that is located in a part of New York City that is considered “isolated” due to the fact that it’s on a peninsula and transportation outside of the peninsula is very limited, so much to the fact that there is only one train system and two bus systems that run in and out of the area.  Even with this knowledge, I would always find it odd that when we were able to have field trips for our afterschool youth to other parts of New York City, the children would be in complete awe of their surroundings.  It was as though they were visiting a foreign country for the very first time, taking in the sights, people, making notes mentally of what they saw and did whilst there.  It was after such field trips that I developed an Email Pal Project within the Parks & Recreation Computer Resource Centers.

The concept was for our children to pair off with other peers and have a general email exchange. The first year there was no set curriculum and the goal was only to work on the technology, literacy, and reading comprehension.  It was a huge success. We had a total of 20 children participating from each center and had paired them off with counterparts in the borough of Manhattan. Each child (with parental permission) was given their own free email address (we had used the Yahoo! email at the time). The program had run for a total of 6 months meeting once per week for an hour and a half.

Our recreation center is located in an area of New York City that is known for its low literacy rates, this program had helped immensely by reinforcing vocabulary, reading skills, reading confidence (reading better out loud to a group of peers), and reading comprehension.  To personally see firsthand a positive increase in literacy skills in a child is as though we’ve given them a gift that they can use to get ahead in life. It made me feel secure as an educator that these children will be prepared not only to move onto the next level of learning but also to have more potential and to have a secure future of success.

Of course this program developed technology skills. Each school year that we ran this program, I saw that the children who had poor or limited technology skills and through this program they are able to improve upon them, whether it be learning how to type, do basic internet searches for information, composing and sending an email, putting together a video or slide show as part of a project and then attaching it to an email were all necessary skills for a child to know how to do. The look on a child’s face when they learn something technology related that they didn’t know before is priceless to see and it makes them not only want to learn more but it enriches their overall life as well.

This type of program would not only work well for children but also with older individuals as well. We all realize as educators that technology leads the future and why not open every opportunity to individuals of every age.