Building one’s local and/or global network requires little effort in today’s world thanks to social media and other technological tools. Whether you are an educator looking to connect with other like-minded educators or you want to connect your students to the world, there are ample opportunities to do so. Here are three tools that do just that and ways in which one could use them in their classroom to enhance teaching and learning.
Blogging consists of sharing one’s thoughts and ideas through posts. Within these posts you can add keywords or terms that allow other users to connect with you blog on a more personal level. Weebly, Wordpress, and Blogger are three platforms teachers can easily set up for their students to do just that. Through blogging, students have an outlet to share their insights and ideas. Whether it be local issues of global issues, students become part of the conversation. This is particularly useful in rural areas where students may feel secluded from the rest of the world. Another great feature of these tools is that students can comment on the posts of others. As a teacher, generating conversation among our students is something we strive for and by allowing students to do respond to one another’s post, we are doing just that.
The motto of iEarn is to learn with the world, not just about it. iEarn is a non-profit organization whose goal is to connect educators and students with others around the world to collaborate using technology. They want to see students change the world and believe that through collaboration they can do just that. Currently it is the largest non-profit organization of its kind with over 30,000 schools and youth organizations taking part in collaborative projects (Bates, 2014). iEarn also boasts a safe environment for students and schools to engage with one another on these collaborative projects which means schools can feel ensured that they are using a reputable tool. From solving the world's hunger crisis to analyzing climate changes, students collaborate with others to work toward solving some of our biggest issues. The image below shows the goals of the collaborative projects students all over the world partake in.
TakingItGlobal is “one of the world's leading networks of young people learning about, engaging with, and working towards tackling global challenges (“About TakingItGlobal”). The main users of TakingItGlobal are the youth of the world for the sole reason that today’s youth will be responsible for tackling some of the major challenges we face in society today. Besides empowering students to take a stance and make a change, the vision of TakingItGlobal is to help students understand and empathize with the world around them. Their educational website (http://www.tigweb.org/tiged/) offers many resources and suggestions for how to use TakingItGlobal in the classroom and with your students. Registering your school is simple and free. Once you have registered then you may search for collaborative projects that suit the needs of your students. Teachers can even partake in professional development courses offered through the site to help them better understand how to use TakingItGlobal in the classroom.
References:
Bates, L. (2014 April 30). 5 great tools to make global classroom connections. Fractus Learning. Retrieved from http://www.fractuslearning.com/2013/05/31/global-classroom-connections/
Singmaster, H. (2015 April 16). Technology ideas and tools to connect students to the world. Education Week. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2015/04/technology_tools_to_prepare_your_students_for_the_21st_century.html
TakingItGlobal about. Retrieved from http://www.tigweb.org/
iEarn about. Retrieved from https://iearn.org/about
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