Evaluating Technology Tools for Global Learning

Web 2.0 allows teachers to connect their classrooms to schools around the world. This is a great way for students to learn global citizenship. There are many different tools and sites that teachers can use to connect to other teachers for their own personal learning network and to connect their students to other students and experts. 

Twitter is an amazing tool for teachers to meet and share with experts in the field of education. There are nightly Twitter Chats where people meet to discuss a relevant topic. Students could also use it as a source of informational articles when researching a subject or as a tool to have a local or global discussion or even a debate.  I created a video for EDU642 on using Twitter and Twubs, a related tool that allows following of hashtags and would be a great classroom tool.  There are several tools or apps that work with Twitter, like TweetDeck and Twitterfall.  Many schools use Twitter for student discussions. Here is a good article about how to get started using Twitter with students, by Steven W. Anderson. 

Sites like ePals and Global School Net allow teachers to connect their classes with others to work on projects and share email to learn about students from other parts of their world.  

Blogging is a great way to share your thoughts with the world. There are several blogging platforms, but all can be shared via the URL link with others.  A good tool for keeping up with several blog sites is Feedly.  Quadblogging is a program that links 4 classes together to alternate blogging and commenting over a 4-week period on each others' blogs. Read more about Quadblogging at Sylvia Tolisano's Langwitches blog. 

Google Hangouts and Skype allow for synchronous communication between groups but are tricky with time zones. Students can interact in real time with those from another class, even play Mystery Location as an icebreaker to guess where the other class is. YouTube allows asynchronous sharing, for example, the sister schools project between Hannah Senesh Community Day School in NYC and St Andrews Matale Hill Primary School in Uganda.

Edmodo is also a great tool for teachers and classrooms to connect.  There are many teacher communities where you can ask for opinions or help with a topic, or find other classes with which to connect. The Global Read Aloud project created by Pernille Ripp uses many tools, including blogs, wikis, Skype and Edmodo to connect teachers and classes so they can share reading and discussing the books of the year.

Site references:

Anderson, S. Blogging about the Web 2.0 Classroom  http://blog.web20classroom.org/2011/06/twitter-in-schools-getting-started.html

Global Classroom  http://globalclassroom2014-15.wikispaces.com/Mystery+Location+Skype

Global Connectedness in Education    https://sites.google.com/site/globalconnectednessineducation/sister-cities-sister-schools/website-design

Ripp, P. Global Read Aloud http://globalreadaloud.com

Tolisano, S.  Langwitches  http://langwitches.org/blog/2012/07/02/quad-blogging-reflection/

Moral and Legal Issues for Technology Integration

Public Domain photo from Pixabay

As Pernille Ripp says, going online is like going to the mall. Morality is the internal compass that keeps us doing the right thing.  If our morals tell us that we should treat others with respect, stand up for the underdog, and not steal others' ideas or property, we need to remember that these rules apply online as well as in real life.

© Common Sense Media

Students should be taught that if they wouldn't say mean things to another person's face, they shouldn't post them online either. They should also be careful of what they post about their friends, including photos. They should learn what a digital footprint is and how to leave positive footprints, or put their best foot forward, just as they do when they use manners in the real world.

  

holocausted.edu

Cyberbullying is an issue that is perpetuated when bystanders say nothing, or worse, get caught up in the situation and join in the bullying. Common Sense Media urges bystanders to become upstanders, who stand up for victims. 


Stealing is a moral and a legal issue and using others' words or creative work without permission or acknowledgement is no different than shoplifting.  Also impersonating another or lying about their age to get into places they shouldn't be, also pertains to using sites that are prohibited for under-aged children.

© coolcatteacher.com

Legally, teachers are responsible for the safety of their students in the classroom, on the playground and on the Internet. They should report suspected abuse or bullying including cyber bullying.  Before posting photos or sharing personal information, like students' names online, parent permission should be obtained.  Students should be taught that, just as they wouldn't give personal information to people they don't know, they should not give out information to online entities they do not know. Students should feel comfortable reporting bullying and cyberbullying to their teachers or someone they trust.  If teachers create an open and accepting environment their students will feel safe asking for help. 

.socialtechpop.com

Being a good digital citizen, or Netizen, means being safe and treating others with respect, putting your best footprint forward, and being ethical. We should all "Remember the Human".

                             

    ©  slideshare.net/facilitation

Sources:

Ripp, P. (2010). Why the Internet is like the mall. http://mrspripp.blogspot.com/2010/09/why-internet-is-like-mall.html

Images:

1. Mall image: http://pixabay.com/en/central-embassy-mall-store-498554/
2. Should I share poster:  https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/middlehigh_poster
3. Upstanders' logo:  http://www.holocaustedu.org/images/sized/images/uploads/Logo_Image_2-290x141.jpg
4. 5 Steps to Internet Safety:  http://www.coolcatteacher.com/links/free-download-5-steps-internet-safety/
5. Facebook Netiquette Image:  http://www.socialtechpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/829-facebook-etiquette.jpg
6. Slideshare presentation:  https://www.slideshare.net/efacilitation

Using Blended Learning to Promote Global Education

What is Blended Learning?



Blended learning combines traditional face-to-face pedagogy with online resources.  An increasing number of online tools allow students to work on student-centered projects and collaborate with groups both local and global.  Asynchronous technologies such as email and discussion forums allow students to work on their own schedule and interact with others from any area.  Synchronous technologies, such as online webinars, chat rooms, and web teleconferencing tools allow for immediate feedback and real-time face-to-face interaction with experts who can offer additional information on a subject (Bonk, 2009).

Using blended learning can promote global education by using Web 2.0 tools to communicate with people from other regions of the world to supplement classroom learning. Students can consult blogs, wikis, videos or podcasts, to name a few available tools, to supplement existing textbook and traditional classroom tools, and to communicate with global citizens to learn about other cultures. They can also learn to speak foreign languages, like at the Confucius Institute at Michigan State University (Bonk, 2009).

Students can participate in virtual field trips to global museums and other authentic sites, like Global School Net to learn more about a region they are studying.  Teachers can use Project Based Learning to initiate student directed Internet research and collaboration that is combined with face to face interaction in the classroom. They can arrange for video conferences with speakers from another culture using Skype or Google Hangouts, or direct students to YouTube videos showing life in other countries. 




The World Wide Web is a great tool to promote learning about places outside our own borders. 

Bonk, C. (2009). The World is Open. San Francisco, CA/Jossey-Bass.