Going Global With ePals

While navigating through the ePals  website, I kept thinking about global collaboration. 
This resource gives a new meaning to the term "pen pals".  In our technologically fueled world this FREE resource puts similar minds together, even while countries apart.   And while ePals offers many opportunities for collaboration, I found an useful feature for learning about cultural differences.

 

The feature I found most useful was "Choose a project.  Find a classroom.  Collaborate!" It was wonderful to see how students can work together and learn from each other.  There are many countries to select and the ideas for projects are very interesting.  One particular project idea I liked was "why do we celebrate?".  This project is a fantastic resource for teaching about cultures and foreign languages.  With this project students can find out first hand about a cultural celebration by asking a student from another country.  

As a librarian, this feature would be beneficial to assist students while they are learning about different countries.  I would also take it a step further and integrate an ePals project with a class to bring awareness to multiculturalism.  Having students establish communication and collaborating on online projects can enhance their technology skills and prepare them for working with more Web 2.0 tools.

More Digital Stories

Make a video of your own at Animoto.
 
In a previous post I discussed the many ways digital storytelling can be used in the classroom.  Using digital storytelling is a great way to have your students acquire and use technology skills, practice on their writing and be creative.  Web tools for digital storytelling include Animoto, Slideroll and Stupeflix.  All of these sites are great for creating short stories with music, photos, and text.

There are many ways of using digital storytelling for teaching.  Students in English class could re-enact scenes from a book and arrange them as a short story.  (An activity such as this one would demonstrate their comprehension of the material being read in class).  Include Poetry in your slides along relevant images to increase understanding of the writer's work.  And instead of writing assignments, encourage the students to use digital storytelling when writing essays on vacations and class trips.

Include the students' ideas in what they would like to create with digital storytelling.  Have them brainstorm in groups and create a "storyboard" for their project.  If you are teaching History include photos from your travels and discuss the sights with your students.

Using digital stories in the classroom can open a whole new world for many students.  Here teachers have the opportunity to bring cities and countries the students have never visited.  It is a creative way of starting great discussions with your students.  I guarantee they will love using these digital storytelling tools.

My Re-Introduction to the World of Twitter

When I first began to use Twitter, it was to "keep up" with organizations that were of interest to me.  I seldom used it and did not know the many ways in which Twitter could be used educationally. Clearly there is more to Twitter than meets the eye.  And I just found many great ways of putting Twitter to use within the classroom setting and beyond. 

The amount of people who use Twitter grows more and more each day.  Fortunately for me, many educators are finding original and interesting ways of integrating micro-blogging in the classroom.  28 Creative Ways Teachers Are Using Twitter has great ideas for educators interested in combining Twitter and the classroom.  

 

Some of the ideas were the following:

• Having students Tweet instead of raising their hands in class.  This could help students with disability issues.  It can also help students have the confidence to participate in class.

• Twitter can be used by educators to give class announcements.  (If the professor is late, there is a class visitor or changes in the class schedule.  All of these topics can be announced via Twitter).

• Students can notify their teachers about their completed assignments.

• Preschool teachers can keep parents involved in their child's day by Tweeting daily activities.

And while the list goes on I thought of other ways to use Twitter in the educational setting.  My ideas were:

• PTA meetings could be summarized and Tweeted to parents who could not attend meetings.  

• Principals could Tweet positive activities going on live at their schools (we are always focusing on negative student behavior)

• Teachers could Tweet vocabulary words to their students relevant to what they are learning and students could Tweet full sentences back, using the vocabulary words.  

There is so much possibilities for learning with Twitter.  And one is never to old to learn something new.
Take me for example.  As I mentioned before, I am fairly new to Twitter so it was interesting for me to read What is a Hashtag? 

This article "schooled" me on how to use the famous # sign.  Needless to say I put the Hashtag to use while searching on Twitter and had a better success on my results.  I still have not used it on a Tweet, but I am planning to use it while at a conference.  Wish me luck!

Connecting Others to The World

One of our goals as educators is to share knowledge and help students develop critical thinking minds.  We also want our students to grow and expand their knowledge of the world we live in.  Consider the following  analogy, teachers are like radio towers and students are the radio stations.  And what do radio towers provide? Radio towers provide radio stations with the power to be connected to the world.  However the only way we can provide a good connection to our students is by staying current and relevant in today's digital world.  The importance of continual learning was reiterated again by George Siemens' Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age.

I liked Siemens' concept that "learning is a continual process, lasting for a lifetime".  And as educators it is our responsibility to remain connected to the digital world through education.  No longer can we use the excuse of schedules and location because online classes and work related experience credit offer alternative ways to "attend class".   The nature of knowledge is changing and the way of obtaining that knowledge is changing too.  According to Siemens, "the average individual has to continue to stay current over a course of a lifetime".   Imagine that!  A lifetime of learning.  In other words, a teacher's education should not end with a teacher's certificate or a master's degree.  It should continue (with emphasis on the word "continue") to grow, in order to provide students and fellow educators fresh and new ideas.

Resourceful Website Helps Educators Stay Connected

When I read Steven W. Anderson's post on the blog, Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom, I thought he had read my mind.  His post, Find New Resources For Your Classroom With eduTecher gives information about a great online resource that educators can use.  As educators we are always trying to find new information for our students and ways to use technology.  However, we don't always have the time to sit searching through the numerous websites that offer such information.

Enter the website eduTecher.  This website contains a generous amount of technology resources, educational links and even tutorial videos for teachers.  The resources are free and can be used by anyone.  The eduTecher site contains so much information, it has filters such as grades and subject.  I plan to spend some quality time exploring this exciting website. 

Exciting News From Our Neighbors Up North!

It is always exciting when schools decide to put the focus on providing the best education possible for their students.  Such is the case with the New Brunswick public school system.  In the video 21st Century Education in New Brunswick, Canada, the words appearing on the screen speak volumes. 

New Brunswick's approach to preparing their students for the future begins at a young age.  The schools take advantage of the fact that 2nd graders can "keyboard 60 words a minute", text, use Twitter and Facebook.  They provide (anytime, anywhere) accessible learning for their students.  They make community service a high school graduation requirement and the teachers stay relevant to keep the students involved and engaged.  And the results of these efforts?  The schools will produce young men and women prepared for the world and full of knowledge acquired through experiences and applied opportunity.

I really liked the ideas in this video.  Some of the ideas were innovative concepts that I have not yet seen in schools.  I hope we can take notice and begin to prepare our students for a better future. 
Take a look and judge for yourself.