Virtual Field Trips with Discovery Education
Discovery Education is a tool that allows students to travel without ever leaving their desks. This program is great to implement in a History or Social Studies classroom. Traveling is vital in education, however, not everyone has the resources to travel frequently, if at all. Many schools do not have the funding for field trips, but with Discovery Education, all students can have equal access to the benefits of travel.
Discovery Education has both live and on-demand virtual field trips. The on-demand feature allows teachers to use the same source for every class. The program includes multiple on-demand field trips involving important sites for teaching Social Studies or History to high schoolers. These trips include The City of U.S., 9/11: Day of Service, Magna Carta: The Story of Our Human Rights, and many more.
These virtual field trips with Discovery Education can be implemented into a history or social studies classroom to give students a visual source of learning. These field trips can be used to teach students about the White House, historical events, important documents that shape our world, and more.
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Samantha Pollina
Encouraging Travel as a Language Teacher
By: Dara Sborea
This week, we are exploring the Global Educator’s Toolbox. We were asked to choose the grade level where we will teach and to research and choose a tool that we feel will best fit into our own classroom one day soon.
The tool I chose to investigate is ACIS. This is an educational travel company that can bring students all over the world. While most educational travel companies simply bring students on tours, ACIS goes a step further. They immerse students in the country or countries they visit. Students tour, but they also have opportunities to participate in local events and with local populations.
ACIS was started in 1978 with the idea of immersing students in the culture of the language they are studying. I believe this is the best way to get language learners to practice what they are learning. Being surrounded by people speaking the language, as well as seeing the language all around, is the best way to truly learn a language.
ACIS has various tours throughout each country they provide educational tours and experiences in. This allows language learners to hear the language in various regions, which each have their own accents and dialects. It also enables language learners to see the culture of many regions.
In my own classroom, I plan to go on these types of trips with my students so they can practice what we learn in the classroom. While educational tours such as these are often expensive, they are actually quite economical compared to planning the same trip without an educational tour service. These trips will be open to students school-wide and even district-wide if my district allows. There is also the option through ASICS to join an already established tour, so if it happens that only a few students are able to participate, they will not have to miss out on a great opportunity. My plan is to organize fundraising events so that every student who wants to immerse themselves in the language and culture of France, or any other country, will have the chance to do so.
National Geography
The tool I loved and going to use in my classroom is the National Geographic Explorer Classroom.
This tool can be used for all grade students, K-12. This is fun and cool way to be able to communicate through different classrooms around the world through live video chat. Students can see and learn about all different types of animals around the world and is able to ask questions to the explorer. I picked this tool because it is an amazing way for students to “travel” the world while staying in the classroom. It is a cool tool to use when explaining geography to students and for students to actually see the world with their own eyes to understand geography. I am definitely going to use this in my classroom to show my students the real world without traveling. Instead of seeing pictures of animals and real world places, we can see them through video and being able to ask real world explorers questions that my students may have. This tool is bringing the whole world into my classroom. I think that is amazing and so cool that students are able to have this tool to help learn. This can definitely help students learn about the world and help change the world some day!
AFS USA is educating the world
Global collaboration in the classroom is one of the most useful tools teachers can utilize. Through AFS’ USA program, high schools can host exchange students and send their own students abroad, creating a cultural exchange of learning. Studying abroad early (in high school) makes you a well-rounded individual. In AFS’ mission statement, they make it clear that they are all about immersing students in other cultures, exposing them to different ideas, educational methods, and other ways of life. Immersion allows students to bridge cultural gaps, and when that happens, there is more understanding and acceptance.
AFS also provides educators with COVID-19 resources, to ensure that global education continues during unforeseen events.
If you are a teacher and use AFS to sponsor an exchange student from a foreign country, the program offers a variety of tools and resources to provide students with the best possible educational experience to bridge cultural gaps. For example, I would have students listen to their podcast called the AFS Exchange so they can interact with AF and learn the value of studying abroad before they make a decision. The podcast provides full-length episodes on life abroad, with each episode dedicated to being a student in different countries to provide students with a variety of options when choosing their exchange program. Not only are there episodes with titles like “Advice From Us to You” and “Egypt, Iceland, and How It All Began”, but there are episodes with members of the AFS program who are both exchange students and educators who host foreign students from countries around the world. They share their insights, advice, and global education tools so others can broaden their horizons.
The blog is another beneficial resource, which features a variety of guides for each country, as well as resources related to important current events like the guide for “AFS-USA Anti-Racism Resources Guide” and the guide for “Global Sustainability/Sostenibilidad Global in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin” that allows science and Spanish teachers to collaborate. Science and learning the Spanish language? Who would have thought those two subjects can complement each other? That’s one of the best parts about AFS; they help bridge not just cultural gaps but allow different subjects to complement each other in ways educators and students alike couldn’t have imagine before.
Their Global Educator Newsletter is another resource that provides students and teachers with all the information they need to know about AFS’ study abroad programs, including their virtual study abroad programs which allow you to “explore the world from home”. This was especially handy during COVID-19 when lockdowns prevented many from achieving their study-abroad goals; it kept the world connected through their computers.
With their mission statement that values immersion, promoting diversity is a major aspect of the program. It is what drives their dedication to educate the world through a shared program that links values from different backgrounds, beliefs, and identities. When teachers are able to share these resources with their students, even in a virtual setting from the classroom itself, we are on the path to a better world with more empathy and acceptance of our differences.
National Geographic Explorer Classroom
By Tiffany Imparato
This week I was challenged to research a learning tool that could be utilized within my future classroom. I decided to find a tool that can be fun and engaging since my target students will be K-6th; I chose National Geographic Explorer Classroom.
This is a fun interactive tool that is geared for student aged 4-14 years old. Classrooms can attend live events on varying subjects with special guests that help bring the classroom alive. Subjects include things like animals, the solar system, the ocean, and many other nature related topics. The events are ran by people who specialize within their given topic so that children can be delivered the best available information. Through video feed students can ask questions in real time with the specialist on camera or they can chat throughout the event through the chat option. The upbeat conversations appear to keep the students excited to learn from the explorer. I found a couple upcoming events that seemed interesting the first one focused upon the planetary system which reinforces science skills and STEM skills. This event was aimed towards children in grades 4-8. The next one that intrigued me was Tracking Elephant Seals which was lead by a marine biologist and gear for students in 4th -8th grade as well. This event appears to blend ocean life science and wildlife. I can imagine creating a whole module around one if these events having students research the topic, creating questions, and the writing summaries of their findings. I think that it is a fun way to introduce children to science and stem while working on research skills and writing skills as well. I can definitely envision utilizing this amazing service with my students. National Geographic’s goal is teach students how the world works so that they in return will treat the world better.
Collaboration On Slack
How To Slack?
Slack is a new messiging program that you should check out. you may have seen on the news or on the internet as the company of the program was valued at almost 20 billion Dollars. Here’s what we know on the trendy platform. Slack is an application for business messaging that sends information and post system that connects people with the things they need.
When Slack came founded there was no real competition. There are other messangers but Slack combined an intuitive UI with both group and person-to-person messaging. It also allows companies to have a measure of control over who can use it through the invitation system. Slack is an instant messaging system with lots of add-ins for other workplace tools. These work place tools can send files, messages, and videos with ease that can be public as well as private.
An intro video to Slack
Slack is ideal for businesses and as seen in the video ideally and basically replacing your email with a chat system. the goal of this platform is to allow collaboration and further productivity within a business you could use this from priavtly owned to corporate, or even teaching.
Teacher Collaboration
Collaboration is essential in daily life but in school’s changes. One year you are learning through books and worksheets, then you know to do your work on the computer, and just last year, students did their work at home on a live video feed with their teachers. With much collaboration, these teachers work together for the greater good, not for themselves but their students. It changes constantly and is continuously ongoing.
The wonderful thing for teachers is that they share the responsibility to learn. When you have more people around you, collaborate. If you think about it, we collaborate every day. The more people involved with a child’s education, the greater the student will become. You can see the differences n schools when there is no collaboration. It is not beneficial to students not to have this. Next to the parent’s teachers are the following best example they have.
Teachers make their plans together. They share a vision for their students. Teachers can come together and make more creative or interactive plans for the class. Without collaboration, teachers would not be happy. For students, you have to overcome the feeling of not going, and it’s not about you but your students.
Many staff feels that their days are long enough and do not want to join a meeting. Teachers lack time to work together. Some educators in a forum have a strong personality, which you do not want to be around. People have seen changes as people are creating PLN accounts on social networks. You can meet people all over the world. Now that we have video technology, we have better access to each.
Effective teacher collaboration requires a shared vision with staff. See if your goals are about eh same. Discuss your team’s goals and figure out how to reach their goals. You know your students better than any other teacher. Build a relationship with the staff let them know that you care for the students and that anything that is needed, you can always ask for help. You have now gained someone’s respect and trust. Your team should assign roles and responsibilities. Before the meeting, have a conflict management plan, keep your emotions under control and use professional judgment. Teachers are not only advance their skills but are an example to the students they educate.
Gimkit Ink
Gimkit is a game show for the classroom that requires knowledge, collaboration, and strategy to win. Created by a high school student.
Gimkit is a digital quiz game that uses questions and answers to help students learn. The platform can be used across a host of devices and, usefully, can be used by students on their own smartphones, tablets, or laptops.
This is a very minimal and easy-to-use system that is created by and maintained by students. Gimkit is very accessible for the K-12 age group, with intuitive controls. Questions are clear with multiple choice answer options in boxes that use lots of color for clarity. Students are able to submit questions that the teacher can allow to appear in the game being played.
Gimkit offers class-wide games, live, or individual games, at student pace, so it can be used as a classroom tool but also as a homework device. It can also be used as a rewards system to help keep students engaged so they want to come back for more.
Students are able to join a class game via the website or an email invite. They can also use a code that is shared via the LMS platform of choice by the teacher. All this is controlled via a central class account that is run by .the teacher. This allows not only for game controls but also for assessments
This article shows how students are redefining writing.
Students now have a new way to publish their work online and choose who they want to share. They have options to share with their teacher or the whole class. Students who are shy about publishing their work online can also publish under a pseudonym.
This new addition to the gimkit application is an excellent tool for sharing and collaborating with other students. Kits are live learning games for your class. They include all the content your students will learn in a game.
Collaboration in Education
What is Collaboration?
Based on my understanding collaboration is the ability of two or more people working together. Collaboration is something that is can used on a daily basis without us realizing it. We often share ideas with one another to get ideas across. In education educators collaborate on many things such as lesson plans, support, and reaching goals. With having the support from others in the field can allow more of a stress free and less harder working environment. Collaboration can be broken down into three main components such as: cooperating, coordinating, and co-creating.
An Example of Collaboration with Microsoft
Microsoft has came up with a partnership with Made by Dyslexia to focus on giving Dyslexia training. It was their mission to create support to educators to SPOT, SUPPORT & EMPOWER every student with dyslexia. The training consists of two levels of training. Level one focuses on giving parents and teachers the essentials when it comes to help learners with dyslexia. Level two will better your understanding on dyslexia, including specialist strategies, solutions, show you what to teach, how it helps, and how to do it properly. This training was developed to further help learners with dyslexia and give educators ways to transform their teaching.
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Microsoft Teams Software Update
A big part of Microsoft Teams is the broadcasting events around the world aspect. Before broadcasters produced events in local studios, and now they found a more efficient way to broadcast videos which is to remotely stream in live media feeds. This can be done from anywhere in the world if the broadcaster meets certain requirements. They are now trying to expand their portfolio with two industry leaders in the video and audio market to provide hardware-out functionality with Microsoft Teams.
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