History and Education

It is no surprise that Global Collaboration is becoming vital in education and is being encouraged by almost every part of the educational spectrum. That being said, there are
Rules, guidelines or norms to keep in mind when collaborating with others from around especially with the use of technology. These norms should be understood in order to provide the best global collaboration for your classroom.
Today I would like to discuss two norms of global collaboration, they include:

1. Be Prepared
2. Have a Purpose

These two norms are a great place to start, for educators who wish to enrich their classrooms through global collaboration. It may seem intimidating at first but gaining an understanding of what is expected will make it much easier to conduct a collaborative lesson and reach different parts of the globe.

For starters, Being prepared, the 1st Norm…

Being prepared to collaborate is very important in order to be successful and to stay stress-free throughout the experience, some Objectives should be kept in mind, including:

Have a plan for connecting

As an educator, you should have a laid out plan for connecting with your desired educator, institution, or anywhere else your teaching may take you. Some Actions to consider and do:

• Consult with PLN and PLC to find like-minded partners for global collaboration.
• Determine What common tools you will use to connect and collaborate.
• Test all the tools beforehand.
• Work out time zones differences and what is possible.

Taking the time to plan out your activity will provide the best results and prevent any potential errors that could corrupt the lesson or prevent learning. Furthermore, to provide even better results try following these Guided Questions, so to lead you in the right direction.

• Is it Clear who this global project is for?
• Is it clear how participants will join?
• Is it clear how participants will connect?
• What common tools will be used?
• What time zone will participants be working in?

2. Determine how you will communicate

Actions:

• Work out how teachers will communicate during the collaboration
• Decide what communication activities will be taking place
• Work out student communication protocols
• Determine the expectations for communication

Guided Questions:

• Is it clear how teachers will communicate during the project?
• Are there any synchronous communication activities pre-planned?
• Are there any asynchronous communication activities pre-planned?
• What are the communication protocols during the project?
• What are the communication expectations during the project?

It is important to have an understanding of our the collaboration will take place, what tools are being used, who is being contacted and how everything will be played out. This will allow everything to run smoothly with little to no issues.

On to the 2nd Norm…

The most important part about norm 2 is realizing the purpose of global collaboration. As an instructor, you need to be able to acknowledge what is trying to be achieved and what learning experiences you are trying to foster. Some Typical Purposes and Guided Questions include:

Purposes:

• Cultural Exchange
• Inquiry and exploration into a topic or topics
• Global Project, short or long, curriculum-based
• Shared outcomes, students summit
• Artifact exchange and/or co-creation

Guided Questions:

• Is the purpose of the project clear?
• Is the length of the collaboration clear? Is it a set length or flexible?
• What are the shared inputs from participants?
• What are the share outcomes?
• Will there be an artifact exchange? Will there be co-creation of outcomes?

Finding and understanding the purpose of the collaboration, and making it clear to your students, will allow the most knowledge to flourish. Not only this but the purpose and reasoning behind the collaboration will determine the amount of planning needed, how the activities will run, and what technology will be needed to express the purpose further.

All in all, global collaboration is an important sector of the classroom and should be utilized whenever possible and when it will promote the most success in learning. There are much more things to know about collaborating online, these are just two things to think about when preparing to collaborate.

Check out this video by Julie Lindsay, discussing the remaining norms,

Buy her book here!!!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1564843726/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_8TULCbEKEYRDS

Go Collaborate!!!

While reading The Global Educator, which is written and constructed renowned educator Julie, Lindsay, I can not help but acknowledge the many terms and new ideas that emerge on every page. That being said, in part two of the book, which is entitled “Leadership for Global Education”, a very interesting term appears and is called “Teacherpreneur” a mixture of, yea you guessed it, “Teacher” and “Entrepreneur”. At first, I was slightly mind boggled by the name and found it extremely interesting to connect those two concepts together in order to create a new type of profession or job or title. I decided to look into the term and hopefully understand it better and discover ways to incorporate the ideology into my own life, so I will be expressing this term today and hopefully find some ways to spread its use in the life of all educators.

For starters, The Global Educator defines Teacherpreneur as follows:

Teacherprenuer: a leader who “takes all the best practices in education and the latest advances in technology and uses them to blaze new trails in teaching and learning that focus on connection and collaboration.

This definition opens up new perspectives for current and pursuing educators, it gives the idea that teaching is no longer just standing in front of a classroom, it is composed of much more. Teacherpreneurs contain some of the following qualities:

• A Champion for change and realizer of the vision
• Able to introduce new methods of publication and sharing
• Adept at building and facilitating communities
• A researcher
• Innovates from within
• Able to work within and beyond the school culture
• Takes on the roles of manager, director, mentor, and guide as needed.
• Among many more.

It is clear, through these qualities, that becoming a Teacherpreneur is easily attainable. The Global Educator also states that:

“The first step toward being a Teacherpreneur is to be a connected and collaborative educator and education leader using online technologies. The next steps include learning curriculum reform, leading online and offline discussions. Leading new approaches to professional learning, and working to connect students and teachers with the world for meaningful learning. It is “leading by example” method, not a “do as I say” leadership approach, that ensures success”

Applying these steps to your career and modifying the forms in which you interact with your students, school, and even your local and global atmosphere will grant you the title as a Teacherpreneur.

As an educator myself, I will study this subject more and vow to try harder in my career and go above and beyond to make a difference in my classroom and maybe even around the world.

Watch this video to learn more:

Purchase The Global Educator Here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1564843726/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_KEALCb191P3PS

Since the introduction of cellular telephones, there has been controversy on the use of them. Even to this day, there are still signs in public areas which advise patrons to silence phones and in some cases, even digital photography is prohibited. There are in fact particular places where the disuse of phones is understood or even expected. Yet in schools the controversy continues, across the country a school’s rules vary on their use of phones, with some approving them, others banning them, and some finding a balance.

   In reference to global education, The use of technology is extremely important and educators are finding more and more ways to include technology in the classroom. This Is because technology is the single most efficient way of connecting others and making global impacts. This brings me back to the use of cellular devices. Cellphones, modernly referred to as smartphones, have evolved in momentous ways. They are no longer simple “lift and speak” devices. They are in themselves computers with the capability of easily reaching out to other parts of the world in seconds. Their interface has increased dramatically and their ease of use attracts all types of people. That being said, it is fair to argue that we have reached a time in society where technology is literally at the touch of a finger. With more and more innovative devices coming to existence, there is no point in fighting them or disregarding their ability.

   Students of all ages have access to mobile technology, let it be smartphones or tablets. And the new generations of students will be born into this age where these innovations are almost natural to them. This poses the question to, Why ban them in School? There can be many arguments that these devices also pose dangers, but banning them or limiting their use will halt any chance of teaching productivity in these devices.

   It is possible for educators of all subjects to put use to these devices in countless ways, through various applications and online resources. Including applications such as:

ED Puzzle

Flip Grid

Google Classroom

Remind

Homework Apps

Skype, and so much more.

All these applications and more, allow students to utilize their devices in the most efficient ways; proving that smartphones are much more than just Snapchat and Instagram. Teachers are able to accomplish multiple things by promoting the use of smartphones and tablets in the classroom, Including saving money on school-owned devices (requiring less), teaching new software, and spreading knowledge through new modalities, among other things.

This is why I recommend the use of smartphones in the classroom, as educators we need to adapt to our surroundings, there is no point in fighting something that is is not going anywhere anytime soon. Smartphones and technology are going to keep advancing and the only way to get ahead of it is to utilize it to educate our students. Moreover, students are going to be on their devices anyway so why not have them be on it to complete their homework and learn new information.

Take a look at this video from a school in Switzerland and their use of smartphones and technology in the classroom.  

Also, check out this article shared by an educator on Twitter, and give them a follow.

https://twitter.com/corisel/status/1099972142609850368

Thank you for reading my blog, As Always follow me on Twitter!!

@mrjoshtorres

It is no surprise that Netflix has become one of the most popular entertainment provider and streamer. It has been able to reach a mass amount of people and has made a respectable name for itself in the entertainment industry. That being said, one of the greatest parts of Netflix is the opportunity and availability to view films or television shows in other languages.

This has opened a new whelm of possibilities for global connections and understanding. Although these films and tv shows are made for entertainment, they can also be used on an educational level. Most of these titles are produced in different countries, taking on the tone of the country, easily expressing the cultures and way of life. Not only this but the production of these various films or tv shows are so authentic that the viewer is able to witness different dialects unique to the location. That being said, it is clear that in the educational perspective, the possibilities are endless. 

I took to Netflix to see the available choices in which to analyze. Given my interest in history and entertainment, I choose the TV show by the name of Celia. A show which showcases the life of real-life Singer Celia Cruz, a young black singer in 1950s Cuba.

Watch on Netflix!! 

https://www.netflix.com/watch/80128576?trackId=13752290&tctx=0%2C0%2C9731e895-a148-41ae-b7c8-84987c78c170-47960467%2C%2C

The show and its setting were extremely interesting to witness, I have always wondered what Cuba was like, especially in that time period given that it was around the time of the Cuban revolution and the time of Fidel Castro. The show allowed me to see the types of people in the time period and the culture in which they lived. This includes ways of speaking, dialect, types of clothing, and even the infrastructure in which they lived, including buildings, housing, and scenery.

Although, it was a different time in history, the culture was still different in comparison to American culture. People spoke in a different matter and the day to to day life varied greatly. One of the most interesting things I witnessed was the leisure time available to the people of Cuba. (Then again this is entertainment so it may be skewed). On the other hand, the way of travel was similar to Americans, with the use of train and cars, and in comparison to the time frame, it seems similar my our culture here in America. 

Moreover, the scenery of the setting was also a great thing to view. Cuba is a country situated in the Caribbean, south of The United States. It is a tropical region so most of what is seen in the show tend to give off tropical vibes, including things such as beaches, high amount of sunlight and even characters who wore light clothing, compared to heavy clothing worn in some places in America. The scenery is just a small part of what makes the series beneficial, considering that the time period in which it is set in a lot of political issues are brought up as well. Fidel Castro had a huge effect on the lives of citizens of Cuba and this is most likely to be seen in the following episodes and seasons. 

In conclusion, The Tv Show which is available on Netflix opens the door to a new world, one that has connections that are similar, but yet very different in many ways. It may be enlightening to see something like this in order to grasp the reality of the different cultures and experiences around the world. It will provide a greater perspective on global learning and global education. 

Check out The Trailer,

https://youtu.be/Q3vcYF4Hi5U

As Always, Follow my Journey on Twitter

@mrjoshtorres