11.11.11

First, I just want to let everyone know how incredibly excited we are to embark on this class project!! The link that follows will take you to a YouTube video that was shown today during class, before the initial introduction of the project.
Dancing Video
This video was used to illustrate commonalities across the globe in an accessible way for our fourth graders. After watching the video, and getting a little silly with our own dances, we discussed things that are common across cultures, such as smiling and dancing. 


In studying the uniqueness of the innumerable cultures across the globe, Mrs. TeamTeacher and I want to highlight ways in which the foreign cultures are relatable to our own unique American culture. Even more specifically, how they are relatable to the topics included in our curriculum. 


The project on which we will be working for the next couple of units will actually end up being only a small fragment of a much larger collaborative effort. The project is called "One Day on Earth." The final result, created by thousands of videos sent in by participants just like us from all over the world, is a montage that provides a glimpse into the infinitely unique experiences that occur across the globe everyday. Please feel free to browse the following website in order to better familiarize yourself with the project in its entirety. 
onedayonearth.org 
Also, the following link will direct you to the video that our class watched today in order to bring the concept to life, and help us begin to brainstorm how we would like to present our class or our culture to the world. 
One Day on Earth
As I previously mentioned, this project will span the next couple of units that we will be studying, culminating on November, 11th (11.11.11), the day on which we will video the way we experience the world on a regular basis. Specific details concerning the logistics of this project will be provided at a later date. We have just begun to broach the topic and are still in the process of deciding, with the students input, how exactly we can tie our curriculum to this project in fun and meaningful learning experiences. We will keep you posted! 
I hope after watching and exploring the provided links you are as excited about this endeavor as we are!! We look forward to hearing your feedback and ideas!! 


:)

Our Views on the Important Role of Technology

PARENTS this post is for YOU!! 

The following link will take you to a video that discusses how technology can impact learners in a classroom, entitled Myths and Opportunities: Technology in the Classroom. 
The video is a little bit lengthy (about 13 minutes) but it does a wonderful job of providing some insight into why my team teacher and I are so eager to bring technology into our classrooms and make it a central part of our students' learning experience. It is very fitting because it also ties in the importance of global consciousness and involvement, a topic about which I personally am very passionate. 


Myths and Opportunities: Technology in the Classroom 


Not every single one of Mr. November's ideas will relate directly to our class, but many of them will be adapted or utilized in an indirect way. 
The two points he made that really spoke directly to how Mrs. TeamTeacher and I feel about technology in the classroom are as follows:
1) "In some ways I think we need to go back to the design of schools where lots of ideas from lots of perspectives are in one place." 
This is directly relatable to our usage of this blog. As was explained in my initial post we hope to utilize this resource to connect our students not only to the local community, but also to the national and global communities. It is a more abstract, and modern means of approaching the very same ends as he mentioned in the video. 
2) The clip from about 11:58-12:36 in which he details the importance of moving from "an industrial model, to a model of worker as collaborator"also is directly aligned with our views. We hope to not only expose our students to a greater degree of what the world has to offer via technology, but also to arouse in them an initiative to become lifelong explorers and learners.  


I hope this has been enlightening for you, as far as getting us all on the same page, and explaining exactly why we feel so strongly about ensuring that our students have a positive and beneficial experience with technology in our classroom. 


We will be discussing this topic with the students tomorrow during class along with brainstorming different ideas about ways in which we can make use of specific technologies with which students may be familiar.


As always, we welcome your feedback!! 
:)

Welcome!

Welcome to our "global learners" blog!! 

This is my first experience with blogging and I am so excited to get started and see what might be in store for us! 
I hope to use this resource as a tool to increase communication and expose my students to new means of learning, specifically concerning what we cover in class and how that relates to the global environment and its happenings. 


The following is a link to a YouTube video which was shown in class today preceding a discussion regarding the general theme of our classroom this year: Global Awareness. 
Be The Change That You Want To See
In keeping with this theme, I hope to increase the awareness of my fourth graders concerning the global environment, their place in it, and most importantly, their ability to effect positive change. When studying each of the mandatory AKS we will always strive to place the concepts in a greater, more global context. The ultimate goal being to broaden our view of what the world has to offer and what we have to offer the world. 


Ideally, this site will serve as a resource through which our learning can go beyond the walls of our school. I also hope it encourages the involvement of those who are a part of our extended fourth grade family, this includes our parents, our brothers and sisters, and other community members. 
I have explained the basics of navigating the site and what will be expected of my students as far as their involvement with it today during class, and will also be sending home a letter reiterating this in greater detail. 


I hope everyone is ready to get involved and start exploring together!


:)