Tools for Global Communication

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Having a French pen pal was one of my favorite memories as a student in the classroom.  The thought of having someone to converse with all the way over in France just seemed so cool to me at the time.   I was so engaged in the process of being able to connect with another student and ask questions back and forth.  While having pen pals fosters communication both locally and globally, many other classrooms are taking it a step forward by incorporating technology.  Using technology to enhance the communication in the classroom allows for immediate access to the world around us.  Why is this such an important aspect of the 21st century classroom? Well, enhancing global communication in the classroom prepares today’s student to meet the demands of a competitive, global workforce.  

The internet today provides an amplitude of resources for educators to enhance global communication in the classroom.  Take for instance Twitter.  Twitter allows for immediate global connection with individuals around the world.  Teachers and students can easily find people to connect with to enhance content in the classroom and collaboration.  

Skype is another tool that allows classrooms to hold video chats.  These chats can be with others around the world or perhaps even an interview with a scientist or historian.  Ronan (2015) suggests combining both Twitter and Skype to take part in #mysteryskype which connects classrooms from different countries with one another.  Their objective is to figure out where the other is located via Skype after connecting through Twitter.  

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Google also offers many tools to enhance communication.  Google Hangouts is free and allows teachers and classrooms to connect worldwide.  Together students can collaborate on projects, hold video conferences and chat one-on-one.  The Google Hangouts Guide for Teachers demonstrates how teachers can get started and offers many ideas on how to use it to enhance global communication in the classroom.  

Video streaming providers like Youtube and Ustream allow for educators to connect their classrooms with live happenings around the world.  From watching baby chicks hatch to seeing NASA’s latest announcement on space exploration, students are instantly connected with the world around them.  Students can even upload their own presentations or hold live demonstrations for others to watch around the world.  Again, sign-up for both services is free and easy to do.  

Another valuable resource which I have recently discovered for enhancing global communication is World View: Technology Tools to Enhance Global Education.  This site breaks tools and resources into three categories for easy integration into the classroom: content, context, and contact.  

Reference:

Ronan, A. (28 January 2015).  5 tech tool combos for taking your classroom global. Edudemic. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/5-tool-combinations-for-globalizing-class/

Digital Citizenship-Never Too Early To Begin

http://mattbgomez.com/we-should-be-doing-more-than-teaching-digital-citizenship/

Digital citizenship, in my opinion, should be taught early and often.  If I could have it my way, as young as kindergarten when we start teaching the students concepts of “stranger danger”.  Let’s be honest, these kids are on the internet whether we want to believe it or not at this young age anyways.  The concept of knowing how to act and behave online can be overlooked by many teachers or adults with the simple assumption that the children know how they should behave and act.  In my own experience, many times I have also overheard “teacher room talk” with suggestions that perhaps the parents need to look at their child and what they are doing online.  The blame can be put on all sorts of people, but that will not solve the matter at hand of how do we teach children the importance of protecting themselves through respecting themselves online?  I feel that there is a strong need for children to learn what their digital footprints implies, how it can follow them their whole life, and how to protect it.  

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3rgi6e

As far as my own digital footprint is concerned, I try to stay private about most things and avoid posting images of myself/social life.  I do have this blog of course for professional and educational purposes, and I also have a Twitter for the same purposes,l as well as to stay up-to-date on current events and news.  However, I steer clear of photo sharing sites such as Facebook and Instagram.  Don’t get me wrong, I understand how some people use these social sites to stay in touch with friends and family or for other means, but it’s just not for me.  I know that somewhere out there in “internet database world” there are images of me, but nothing that I must say I regret or would pose a threat for me.  Now I understand what people could do with these photos could pose a potential threat but that is where an individual must take a stand and be proactive about what it is they want people to know about them via the world wide web and keep a watchful eye.