Of the list provided, the two websites I enjoyed the most were: www.globalschoolnet.org and www.k12science.org/collabprojs.html. Both of these are global sites for educators. They allow educators and students to connect with students around the world. Both sites listed above are easy to navigate, user-friendly and eye-pleasing. Included in both sites is an annual "global science fair" where classrooms enter their own internet science project and compete against schools around the world. In globalschool.net students can reach out and contact students similar to them in distant lands. Deaf students in the United States are able to connect with and contact deaf students in Mexico, Canada, Denmark...anywhere that has an internet connection. K12science is a collection of science projects focusing on worldwide data. Common science projects are listed, and students collect their own data and compare their data to data across the globe. One example is water usage. Student collect data on how much water they consume in one day and compare their numbers with students across the globe.
Research has shown that students who are able to connect with others on a global level perform better on standardized testing. Granting students the opportunity to make connections globally will help to expand students' minds and will allow them to think outside of just their own community. Global connections give students the opportunity to recognize and understand their place in the world. Students are able to collaborate with students in places most of us will never visit.
Using the internet tool Skype, global connections are taken to a whole new level. Skype allows students to have direct contact and communication with their peers globally. If time zones permit it, students can chat one on one with their peers. This puts a whole new meaning on the term 'pen-pals'. Using Skype, students get video and audio of their peers in other cultures/countries. They can connect globally to other lessons in other classrooms or chat one on one with a peer.
We do not live in isolation. We rely on the majority of the world for our own survival. In the new age of technology, global connections are made even easier. This promises a brighter future filled with cross-cultural ideas and increased positive foreign relations.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right that "Global connections give students the opportunity to recognize and understand their place in the world." This is a concept that is hard to grasp until you have traveled or communicated with people from other spots on the globe. I think your choice of Skype for a global project would be a great choice although, as you point out, time zones might limit your choice of partners.
Dr. Burgos