While watching the "Flat Classroom" video, I took note of a couple of inspiring messages both by Vicki: “Get on, get rid of excuses, and make it work” and “Build a tool belt”. The latter is in regards to the idea that learning one digital or technical skill is not enough. We need to "mash" them together in order to have a great mixture. I kept these two motivators in mind as I decided to check out iEARN. Wow! I really wish I would have known about this site last school year. As some of you may know, I teach a self-contained classroom. My classroom has 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who have a hard time behaviorally in a general education setting. One reason I wish I would have known about iEARN is that one of my 8th graders informed me of a social injustice going on in Northern Nigeria in Africa. We could have done one of the projects to inform more people around the world of the "Invisible Children". I will also be looking into ePals, as that seems like that may be a viable resource. This also brings up another point that was on the Flat Classroom slides that I found inspiring and it relates to administration: "Remove the obstacle or be the obstacle." My student had a friend in Africa that we communicated with back and forth; however, this was done via instant messaging from her home and letting me know what was said the following day. Any questions we had for her friend would then be sent that night or not depending on if she remembered. We do not allow instant messaging, face book, or emails for our students. I am working on getting some of our strong filters turned off. It was comforting to know that inappropriate usage of technology will occur. Yes, I say comforting in the sense that we can be reassured that it will occur and by that we will be proactive and quick to catch it and provide consequences. Knowing that it does happen will increase the likelihood of catching it.
The second reason I wish I would have known about some of these tools is that some of my students may be the only one working on a certain subject at a certain time. I have to teach them what they are missing when they need it. Last year, I had 6th, 7th, and 8th grade sciences going during the same hour. It would have been so wonderful to offer them the world, rather than independent learning.
Ok, the 5 Ws of iEARN -
What is the global purpose? Well, I copied and pasted 15 different projects that I think my students would be engaged with. As I think about it realistically, 15 are most likely out of the question. Three different projects per each student would be more appropriate. In all honesty, I may get to view all 15 of the projects I picked as I work with three grade levels and all core courses. So in a large view, all of the projects I picked have a common global purpose: connection, awareness, collaboration, creativity, and digital awareness. For instance, the project For Me, Writing is Something Awesome, from Bat-Chen Diaries: The purpose of the project is to expose children to the values of writing a diary; to encourage young children to write in a reflective and personal manner and express their anxieties, fears and concerns as well as their hopes and dreams-- hopefully this will lead to getting acquainted with others. (iEARN)
I would use this tool in conjunction with historical fictional readings such as Letters from Rifka, Anne Frank’s Diary, Out of the Dust, Love that Dog and others. Many of the students in my classroom have dramatic issues. Through metacognition, thinking about their thinking, unlearning and relearning new behaviors, and using the project mentioned above; my students may be much more motivated and encouraged to help themselves and others along the way
Who would my students be interacting with? They would be interacting with 12-14 year old students from around the world. iEARN has an age category for each of their projects which is another outstanding feature.
Where do most people live who participate in this project? I am not sure of that. Each of the 15 projects I picked are global connections. It will be interesting to learn who they and where the collaborators are from.
I will become involved in iEARN at the beginning of the year and continue it for as long as it is available. I am so excited for this opportunity to provide digital and global connectedness.
Why would I want or not want to join? I want to join to provide engaging, meaningful, lifelong learning, and above all hope, for my students. I also want to share their success with other staff members and begin building a school district with fewer obstacles and more experiences. I already shared the site with one of our high school Spanish teachers. She had no idea, and I told her how it would be useful in her classroom. Her first question, “What does it cost?” I was proud to respond, “Dedication!”
Thank you for this opportunity. I will make it a point to look further into each of my 15 choices as well as some of the other tools like ePals. I also want to learn Skype, as this is the second time I have heard it mentioned. I am glad to have also learned about edtech talk from the video. It sounds like that will be beneficial for me.
Thank you, Joey, for your contribution!
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