When it comes down to being a global collaborator, it is important to communicate effectively. Poor communicating leads to a failed learning experience. Not only does communicating need to be done in a timely matter but it is important to understand what platform is being communicated on. Participants should be put on a schedule that tells them exactly when to meet. The next thing that must be discussed is what will be talked about during meetups. Some typical purposes are a cultural exchange, inquiry, and exploration into a topic or topics, and shared outcomes. Creating these two guidelines will help facilitators successfully organize events in their community.
This week in my Web Tools: Global Learning class, I was introduced to Google MyMaps. This new tool opened me up to see even more opportunities for people to share and expand information. As a kid I always enjoyed exploring on Google Earth. I though it was so neat how I could see a bird’s eye view of my town and then Disney World or Philadelphia. It amazes me how technology even reaches the different planets so we can see an image of when the planets look like in outer space. MyMaps gives people the ability to share trip plans or places across the world in the blink of an eye. It was very quick for me to identify the different points of interest and places I stayed during my roadtrip with my family. MyMaps can be incorporated in a classroom by creating an assignment where the student will have to research or investigate a certain city or point of interst and right up a report about the place. If the teacher is technologically savvy enough, he or she could create a scavanger hunt for the kids to find out more about their country or city. This is definetly an awesome application that I will use in the future as a teacher.
A topic I found of interest in the last couple of weeks was Collaborative Learning. I first learned about this learning in my Practices and Techniques class where we were taught how to construct a lesson plan based on collaborative learning. In this setting, the teacher acts as a facilitator while the students work together and teach each other the lesson. This builds on the communication skills they need to develop to become effective leaders in the classroom. When I revisited the topic in my Web Tools class I got to see another side of Collaborative Learning that dives deeper into what can be taught. We were given a checklist from Katie Grubb, a Mandarin language educator, in Australia. In her checklist, she describes how the leader of a Collaborative Learning lesson must:
Make sure everyone in the group have a clear understanding of what to do.
Ensure everyone has access to the digital tools.
Comment and give constructive feedback to every post in the group.
Create smaller questions and tasks that group members can complete to contribute to the larger project.
Create checklists for students as well.
Have an alternative assignment or means of communication ready if all else fails to work.
Collaborative learning is an excellent example of how teachers can engage their students inside and out of the classroom. Including interaction while outside the classroom can improve their technical and communication skills. This lesson also gives students the ability to become responsible for their own work and grow leadership skills. Below is a quick video on how collaborative learning works!
One show I binge watched my freshman and sophomore year of college was on Netflix. Roughly 90 percent of the show is told in spanish with english subtitles. Only some charachters like the two American DEA agents spoke english but were able to speak spanish when need be. Narcos was a series documentary called Narcos about the rise and fall of Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar. The first season was all about the Columbian drug cartel. Then the second season was about the Mexican drug cartel. It was both very entertaining and informative. Most of the series is based off fact and the filming is done beautifully. Basically the show revolved around two American DEA agents who surveyed and investigated Pablo Escobar and his drug cartel. The two agents were very head strong and determined to catch Escobar but were delayed and obstructed by the government. Some government officials and police officers were corupt by having a hand in the Cartel’s wallet. Aside from the plot and storyline a lot can be said about the culture of Columbia and lifestyles certain individuals lived. People who lived in Columbia during Escobar’s reign did not live in wealth and were more or less in poverty. The drug trade did benefit the economy in a way that illegal money was circulated throughout various forms of government. The climate in Columbia is primarily hot and humid since its surrounded by forest and mountains. I think this show gives a good understanding of how people of all backgrounds lived in Columbia. It also gives a realistic taste of how people talked and coexisted during the time. Speaking in spanish also gives an opportunity for people to learn the language in a realistic way.
Seeing this other side of Twitter
that I had not yet discovered maybe me put into perspective, first how big the world really is and second how many opportunities there really are for people to connect. It is very neat to see how there are always at least 30-50 people on each hashtag discussing their topics. These conversations affected the way I thought about learning by opening up a new door to global learning. I now have a new tool to expand my teaching capabilities. As far as valuable information that I had gained from this experience I learned different techniques and other questions I had about my future and the experiences shared with others. In a Twitter chat from two weeks ago, I participated in an Education chat from Washington State. I thought it was very cool when I noticed how popular and how much this certain group really cared about what I thought despite living on the other side of the country. I think this experience is something all teachers should see for themselves at some point. It has been very rewarding so far and I highly recommend.
