Hey Everyone!

Today marks my last blog post for my GEN2108 class. The final topic for discussion is going to be about some of the case studies from the final chapter in our textbook.

Case Study 4.3 was very interesting! It was titled THINK Global Student: Learning to Be Global While Living Globally. TGS for short “moves around the world and implements place-based learning to its fullest extent” (Lindsay 231). The school itself consists of 12 teachers and 60 students in grades 9-12. Something I found really interesting was the school literally moves to a new location each semester. When it gets to the new location the curriculum and learning outcomes are then changed to have them based on things from the new location. The idea of having a school move each semester is something I hadn’t really heard of before reading about TGS. Though it is something I would be open to being a part of.

To connect with THINK Global school…
Their website is linked here: https://thinkglobalschool.org/
As well as their Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/TGSTHINKGlobal

Another Case Study that I enjoyed was Case Study 4.8. It was titled VIF International Education and VIF Learning Center. VIF International Education has been around for over 25 years. They are important because they advocate for global education. How they do this is so cool. They do it by “bringing international teachers into schools in the USA and by also creating global education programs” (Lindsay 235). VIF “supports global-ready teachers through many programs and provision of facilities for further connections and learning” (Lindsay 235).This idea is so cool to me because it brings more cultural awareness to the schools in America, all while creating and supporting global learning.

To connect with VIF International  Education…
Their Website is linked here: https://www.participatelearning.com/
As well as their Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/vifprogram

Thank you for reading!

Hey Everyone!

Something that is new to me would be the idea of using virtual reality in the classroom. Not only is virtual reality a fun new way of learning, but it also helps with the success of global learning. A neat aspect of virtual learning in the classroom is being able to see so many different places and experience so many different places all while staying in the comfort of your home or school. This benefits global learning because global learning is all about online collaboration from different places all over the world.

One platform that is very useful for using virtual reality in the classroom is Google Earth Virtual Tours. It allows the participant to see different places from their own home or school. As well as, allows students to create their own virtual tour for others to explore. This could be a lesson plan idea for many teachers so they can incorporate virtual learning in the classroom. Here is a very interesting link that shows you examples of Google Earth Virtual Tours: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/google-earth-virtual-tours/

Google Earth Tours reminds me somewhat of My Google Maps, though Tours involves virtual reality. Google Earth Tours allows you to experience different locations in the same way as My Google Maps does. You are able to see a street view, a description, and more pictures. You are also able to share the tours with other people which is a neat part of Google Earth Tours. While doing my research I came across a Google Earth Tour on the International Year of the Reef. It was very cool to be able to see something so far from me so up close. With this tour you are able to even learn about the global threats to the coral reefs which was kind of mind blowing to read. I was even able to explore Cancun and see the beautiful landscapes. This experience made me want to visit Cancun to see everything up close and personal and to be able to actually touch everything I saw in Google Earth Tours. Overall, I think that using Google Earth Tours in the classroom would be a very good resource because it is a fun way of learning about places that are far away from you.

Here is a video that teaches you how to create a Google Earth Tour

Thank you for reading!

Hey everybody!

Today I will be talking about my experience with a Digital Storytelling website. I used the free account on the website Animoto. The website itself was very easy to use but I couldn’t figure out how to save my video to my computer to save my life. Eventually I figured it out, it just took me like 15 minutes. In order to save the video, you have to preview your video and then click on the render button from there. I wasn’t aware of this and got kind of frustrated in the process.

For this assignment I chose to tell the short story of the birth of my little sister Morgan. You can watch the final project below. I actually really enjoyed using this website and feel like with more time and better features (if you paid for an account) you could make some really amazing videos. I made a pretty great video with the free account, yes it could be better, but it got the idea across for this assignment. I figured my video would be about my little sister because she is honestly my entire world and then some. Everything I do in life is for her. She is legally only my half-sister but I treat her as if she is my child. Morgan is 13 years younger than me and most days I forget this. She is so smart, and wise beyond her years. I have so many amazing memories with her and I cannot wait for the future to create even more memories. When more memories are made, I can create yet another digital storybook on the same site and share it with her in the future. I think that the Animoto website is a perfect place for this, beings it was very easy to use and I can even teach her how to use it.

Thank you for reading!

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Hey Everyone!

Today I am going to be talking about three points I visited on the National Geographic website for the Out Of Eden Walk. If you want to visit any of the mentioned places they will be linked if you click on the milestone number.  If you want to explore different places of your own… the main website is linked here https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/out-of-eden-walk/

The first place I visited was Milestone 60:The Teacher. Milestone 60 marked day 2050 and mile 5900 of the journey. When I first read the introduction for this milestone I was taken back by the statement telling the viewer that the rooms they stayed in were like prison cells; though I continued to explore the milestone. Next I looked at the encounters, the encounter was from a retired teacher named Kaptan Singh Rawat. He says that teaching “was good because you are educating someone. Teaching is good for your soul.” These lines warmed my heart because I want to be a teacher and am so passionate about it.

The next place I visited was Milestone 48: Love Songs. Milestone 48 marked day 1653 and mile 4700 of the journey. First I read the introduction, and then went to look through the pictures which amazed me, they are literally out in the middle of nowhere. After that I decided to look at the encounter with Nurperi Orozbayava who is 17 years old and a university student who tracks the animals there. It was interesting to read that she wanted to go to America or Russia.

The last place I visited was Milestone 52: Police. Milestone 52 marked day 1675 and mile 5100 of the journey. At first I read the introduction, looked at the pictures and noticed the different clothing the police there wore compared to the clothing the police wear here in America. I then read the encounter with the police officer, which was short and sweet. The officer said he enjoyed his work because he got to help people.

All of these milestones made me very thankful for where I live and the things I have in life. Seeing many of the pictures not only of these milestones, but some of the other milestones re-ensured that I don’t have it half as bad as I think; even on my worst day someone has it worse than me.

As always, thank you for reading my thoughts. If you get free time be sure to check out some of these milestones and let me know your reactions in the comments.