Tag Archives: global

Mar 25 2019
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Global Collaboration

Norms of Online Global Collaboration: “Be Prepared” and “Have a Purpose”

Within the text, “The Global Educator: Leveraging Technology for Collaborative Learning & Teaching” by Julie Lindsay, is a list of the “norms of online global collaboration” which are as follows:

  1. Be Prepared
  2. Have a Purpose
  3. Be able to Paraphrase
  4. Be able to Perceive
  5. Make sure you Participate
  6. Be Positive
  7. Be Productive
  8. Realize the Potential

For this blog post, I will focus on the first two, “Be Prepared” and “Have a Purpose”.

Before I go into the steps of preparing and having a purpose when it comes to a global collaboration lesson, I would like you to take a look at a few of these videos in which you can see the teacher and students effectively collaborating globally!

Be Prepared

As an educator, one of the most important parts of your job is preparation. Without adequate development of your units and lessons, you are bound to fail. This is quite the same when it comes to global collaboration. If you are planning to implement a global collaborator within your lessons, it is not as easy as just calling another teacher up across the globe. It is important that the educator has spoken far in advance with their partner to ensure that they are on the same page when it comes to the following: the tools they will be using, the content they are focusing on, the assignment they are working on, how many participants will join, what time zone they are working in, as well as any other details that are pertinent to the collaboration.

In order to be prepared, the two collaborators must use an effective form of communication. Some examples of this include email, text, Twitter direct messenger, facebook, Skype, and Google Hangouts. While communicating, both professionals must ensure they are using precise language that is clear, respectful, and easy to understand. One big issue when it comes to the preparation of collaboration that could make or break experience is whether the communication is effective or not. Here is a quick video on how miscommunication occurs.

Here is a link to some global collaboration tools that might make your life easier when planning these projects!

Have a Purpose

Of course, when planning a global collaboration it is important that you set a clear purpose. This is helpful for finding the correct collaborator as well as finding the right tools to assist your collaboration. Some ideas of purposes for your global collaboration can include:

  • teaching geographical skills by having a “mystery Hangout” on Google Hangouts with another class
  • teaching cultural information through discussions on FlipGrid
  • teaching a language through discussion over Skype

If you want more ideas for global collaboration ideas, click this link! 

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Let me know if you thought this post was helpful in the comments below and thanks for reading my blog!

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Mar 25 2019
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Reflection

Article Response: “15 Characteristics of a 21st-Century Teacher”

After reading this great article titled “15 Characteristics of a 21st-Century Teacher” by Tsisana Palmer from Edutopia that I will link below, I decided to summarize her thoughts and breakdown in this blog post!

Click here to read this article for yourself!

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In this article, Tsisana identifies fifteen characteristics of what she thinks a 21st-century teacher would be. I will list a few of my favorites and give my own descriptions as well as some media for your enjoyment! I would like to note again that this list was not created by me; however, the explanations are, I am merely appreciating and reflecting on Tsisana Palmer’s work!

Learner-Centered Classroom and Personalized Instructions

Also known as Student-Centered Learning, this is a type of teaching strategy in which the focus is placed on the students and not on the teacher. In this approach, the teacher is present to introduce the main ideas and current opportunities for the students to explore the topics further based on their interests. This approach has been shown to increase student intrinsic motivation as well as communication skills and transferable skills into the workforce.

Students as Producers

Tsisana describes how in today’s classrooms, instead of having students completing paper worksheets and written assignments to portray their knowledge, teachers should encourage students to create digital content such as blogs, videos, movies, infographics, and so much more! Here is a link to a list of 100 things students can create to demonstrate what they know. By getting rid of paper worksheets and written assignments and replacing them with assessment tools that have transferrable skills through technology, students are not only benefiting by learning the content, but also by gaining digital or creative skills.

Learn New Technologies

Teachers should be continually increasing their bank of knowledge when it comes to different programs and sites to be used in the classroom. The more exposure educators have with various modes of technology, the more choice they can provide their students with. Tsisana gave a link to www.lynda.com where educators can learn about new forms of tech.

Go Global

I have been learning about Global Education now for the past few weeks, and I find this to be one of the most important things new educators should be learning about. In integrating a global approach to our teaching style, we allow our students to gain an understanding of the world around them by interacting with it. Instead of reading about culture in China, students can actually speak to other students across the Globe and ask them questions directly. This style of teaching has benefits that are unending including communication, empathy, technology, and cultural awareness.

Code

Coding is becoming the language of the 21st-century, and so it is crucial that we are preparing our students for the jobs that will come with that. In learning to code, students are also increasing their understanding of computational thinking, and that skill can be transferred across the spectrum of subjects and professions.  Watch this video below on classrooms in England and how they are integrating coding standards into their teaching!

It is imperative to me as a future educator that I am helping my students develop the most useful skills following the times. These characteristics of a 21st-century teacher that Tsisana Palmer listed are great places to begin researching further to do just that.

 

Let me know what you think makes an educator “21st-century” in the comments below and thanks for checking out my blog!

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