Transcript for Going Global: Culture Shock, Convergence and the Future of Education

Hi My name is Kim Cofino. Welcome to the 4th Annual k12online Conference

I am absolutely honered to be kicking off this year's conference with my presentation

Going Global: Cultural Shock, Convergence and the Future of Education.

Here in downtown Bankok, where I've lived for the last three years.

I've realized that living oversees has taught me important skills, behaviors, and attitudes.

At the same time as a technology educator, I've realized

that many of those same skills, behaviors and attitudes

are the ones also refered to as 21st Century Traits.

In this presentation with collaboration help from educators

and students around the world.

We will explore the connections and parrallels between living oversees

Being globally minded and finally how today's students

wherever they may be located can go global with technology projects

Good Morning this is Steve Katz from Country Day School in Costa Rica.

"hello" from Beijing

"hello" this is Sara Paterson from Kree International School in Soeul South Korea.

"hello" my name is Susan Sedro and I teach in Signapore.

"hello" my name is Hazel and I am in Vietnam.

I am Beatriz and I live in Korea.

Hello I am Chrissy Hamier and I am grade five 5 at ISB Bankok.

Hello, my name is Karolina.

"hello" I am Clinton Amata I am in Hanoi Vietnam.

I am Kathy Lee and I am currently living in Korea.

Now that you have been introduced everyone, let's get started.

Please note that you can find all supporting resources, websites,

project examples, helpful tips, everything for this presentation on the wiki listed above

http://going-global.wikispaces.com

This presentation will be broken down into three parts

Culture Shock, Convergence, and the Future of Education.

Part 1: Culture Shock

I've only been able to live abroad and experience both the positive and negative

aspects of culture shock thanks to international schools

International Schools were developed to meet the needs of expatriat families

That is, families that have moved oversees, usually due to their employment or personal interest.

for example diplomats, executives of multinational corporations,

employees of non-profit organizations, or even just people who enjoy living abroad.

In my opinion this makes international schools especially exciting.

because we have families and teachers from all over the world spending each school day together.

Here at ISB for example we have students from over 50 countries.

The first two international schools were founded in Geneva Switzerland and Yokohama Japan.

There are now international school in every major city around the world.

In fact there are over 90 schools in Bankok alone which aim to provide an international education.

This schools exist for two main purposes,

for local and foreign families who want their children to receive an international education.

and for families who are only temporarily abroad

and who want their children

to receive an education compatible with that of their home country.

SERVICE LEARNING

Usually, because the curriculum of international schools is western

that is, either American, British, Canadian, New Zealand or Austrailian

they tend to hire teachers with certification from those countries.

This is how I found myself, in August of 2000, moving to Munich.

That fall, my husband Alex and I

moved from a small town in Connecticut in the United States to Munich, Germany

where I taught at Munich International School for 5 years.

From 2005 to 2207 we lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

and we worked at Mont' Kiari International school.

Since then I have been teaching at International School Bankok in Thailand.

One interesting thing about the expatriat or international population

is that although the majority of the people in the situation have chosen to be there

We often live in a way that is more or less insulated from the local culture

In living in a foreign nation but never really adapting to it

CULTURE SHOCK

in any case no matter what condition they live in all expatriats inevitably experience some form of culture shock

when traveling to or living in different countries

most people experience varing degrees of discomfort

when we realize how different other cultures and other countries really are

living overseas culture shock can extend for months or even years while you readjust your expectations

attitudes, behavior, and communication styles to adapt to the new culture

having had this expirence in three different countries over the last ten years

I know every time I go through the process of culture shock

I learned something new about myself and how to interact with others

Although I lived overseas in both western and eastern cultures

it's really been the last five years in Asia where the cultures are so different from my own personal upbringing

that I've been so energized by the dailly light in the place I'm living

cultural shock is not always negative and I find the collision to be inspiring

this presentation will focus mostly on Asia because I found it so different from my own upbringing

that really challange and energize my thinking

but I feel these sort of inshisghts will occur to anyone

who move into or explored cultures different from their own

now in my third cultural context outside my own

I realized that the lessons from cultural shock are more than personal adaptations.

That they are actually physical representations of cultural mindsets all around us.

Daily activities in unfamiliar or new places can be inspriing metaphores and

I've seen many things in Asia I feel mirror or symbolize attributes we want our schools to have.

Athough at first they may not seem to be obvious parallels to the educational world of technology,

I think that there is something we can learn about how to think about the schools of the future

from watching the ways that different people from different cultures interact.

These are some of the crucial emerging concepts for twenty first century education

that we'll be exploring in this section.

MOBILITY

In Asia everything seems to be constantly in motion

from street carts and market vendors to tuk-tuk taxi drivers

bieng able to pick up and change location at the drop of a hat is the name of the game.

For education the portablility of mobile computing devices

whether they be phones, laptops, netbooks, ipods or whater comes next

will enable learning to take place whenever whereever

I grew up hearing the phrase the customer is always right.

But, I must admit that the American version

pales in camparison to the individualization and customization of service provided here in South East Asia

no matter how outlandish the request or whether or not it's on the menu you'll find yourself leaving with just what you wanted.

In contrast to today's educational system where we find ourselves limited by

the physical availability of teachers, classroom space, and resources.

We should be striving to provide personalized learning experiences for each individual student.

Whether it be Arabic classes in a small town in the United States Or A.P. US History classes in Oman.

ADAPTABILITY

To a outside observer, Asian marketplaces and buildings can seem

to spring up expand immensly or dissapear overnight.

Even in the upscale malls, stores come and go at a very rapid pace.

Any roadside vendor who isn't getting enough business

will simply pack up and move to a more promising location.

Most schools on the other hand are more are far less able to adapt to change.

Everyone in the extended educational community

teachers, parents, board members ecetera

all remember their schools days and often end up being resistant

to update their viewpoint because "that's the way we've always done it"

Whether we like it or not, in the years since we were school children things have changed drastically.

Content and delivery methods have changed. What students want to learn has changed

and what they need to do with it has changed.

School need to find ways of more nimbly, realistically, and effectively adapting to the new status quo.

ALWAYS ON

A nice surprise when traveling in South East Asia is always the constan availability

of goods and services around the clock.

From speciality night markets to all night super sales at the malls

to 24 hour food deliveries. You'll never find yourself out of luck no matter what hour it is.

The ringing of the school bell every afternoon shouldn't mean that's when learning stops.

For the student who has a full time job or the one who wants to finish early

learning should take place whenever students are ready for it.

not simply during business hours.

Utilizing online learning, asynchronous communication, and differences between time zones

Students and teachers should always be able to find a schedule who meets their needs.

COLLABORATION

It often seems that nothing is accomplished alone in South East Asia.

A team of three clerks might run a single cash register.

and every bus driver seems to have one of more assistants along for the ride.

A simple thing like repairing a pot hole might require a small army of workers.

In the past, classroom teachers often worked in isolation.

and students would receive all their information from this single source.

Who in turn is the only person the students would share their work with.

Today's problems are too complex for one person to solve alone

and there is no reason for either teachers or students to work in solitude.

We need to be developing classroom and school wide stuctures

that encourage and reward collaboration and shared responsibility.

QUICKLY

Never mind the American concept of fast food

many foods in Asia can be prepared in a wok in less than a minute.

Roadside carts and stalls instantly serve stir fry noodles and

an astonishing variety of snacks to steady streams of passers by.

Most of today's educational institutions in contrast

operate more like someone laboriously preparing a pot roast.

Far too slow to change or accomplish new initiatives in a timely manner.

In order to survive schools need to focus on how to respond to new situations

and to rapidly meet students need in a fast moving world.

BLENDING OF OLD AND NEW

While all cultures adapt to change over time.

Today's Asian societies often seem particularly adept at combining traditional

ways of life with the newest technology and ideas.

From Buddhist monks chatting on cell pones Laos

to Kimono wearing in Tokyo typing on laptops.

No one in Asia seems to hesitate to incorporate technology into their lives when it is useful.

It is this blending of the traditional and technological that we should mirrored in our own classrooms.

Technology is far from the all or nothing destructive force teachers seem to fear

and in today's world opposition to technology integration is increasingly a disservice to students.

We should be working toward a blended approach

Using technological tools when appropriate to provide opportunities for

diverse learners or to accommodate distance, time or instructional needs.

This thoughtful integration of technology when combined with traditional methods for teaching

and learning can succeed in bringing together the best of both worlds.

JUST IN TIME DELIVERY

Well the preferred delivery vehicle in North America is the big 18 wheeler truck.

Along any road in South East Asia you are much more likely to find mopeds, motorcycles, bikes,

and a variety of smaller forms of transportation that can speed through traffic with any conceivable item for delivery.

From food to propane tanks to important documents to live animals.

These small vehicles are forever weaving in and out of traffic

making tiny deliveries that make it to their destinations just in time.

Like these networks of small maneuverable vehicles

Learning new skills needs to happen when the student is ready

instead of being delivered in huge quantities just in case the student needs to know it in the future.

This might mean designing authentic assessments that put important curricular content into context

or looking at the curriculum with eye to focus only on teaching and what most valuable and relevant today.

or re-imagining schools from the ground up to deliver

important knowledge and skills just when they need it

NO FIXED VALUES

Why there are exceptions, many of the markets and services

in Asia still adhere to the traditional practice of bargaining over prices

While this system can be frustrating to those of us who aren't used to it

and can also be enjoyable and empowering.

When something's value isn't arbitrarily set by a price tag

it ensures that both sides are satisfied

and that the price of the item reflects it's true value

to that individual customer at that time.

With it's rigid structures payment plans, scholarship applications

and student loans our educational system is too often

financially and ideologically inflexible.

With the availability of itunes-u, remote access to MIT labs and NASA resources.

and online universities offering new models of education

it is easy to see that an individualized learning plan

designed by the student sourced from a variety of financially viable options

and delivered in cost effective ways may

prevail over more traditional fixed value, fixed location

fixed length courses.

As other options become more prevalent,

will our current educational system be able to even maintain itself?

GLOBAL

I expected to arrive in Asia and find a world completely different from the one I knew

Well much is very different here I was astonished to find

that so many global brands, foods and technologies were available

In today's Asia, movies are released on the same day as they are in L.A.

International books stores offer literature in all conceivable languages

and restaurants groceries and department stores

overflow with goods from around the world.

A typical Thai teenager might wear American sneakers,

listen to South Korea pop music, and read Japanese comic books

While this globalization has both positive and negative aspects

it's fascinating to see how most countries in Asia

are able to quickly and smoothly incorporate foreign influences

while still trying to maintain their traditional cultural identities.

It's this sort of fusion or blended of cultural influences

that needs to be part of every child's education

The world is much larger than any one country and

students everywhere need the ability to critically analyze

appreciate and adopt aspects of other cultures

and in cases where cultures differ they need the global perspective

to respect others and work together in spite of those differences.

FLEXILBE

As you may have noticed, one characteristic shared across these metaphors

we've just discussed is a generally flexible approach

for whatever cultural, historical, or geographical reasons.

I've found that people in South East Asia seem remarkably able to change

to fit any situation they find themselves in.

As a foreigner living in Thailand being immersed in daily life here

has definitely inspired me to make connections about change,

flexibility, and adapation that I've never would have made if I hadn't left my home country.

I feel that one of the greatest benefits of this immersion

has been to help me become more flexible overall.

Both in my personal life and combined with constant professional growth

spurred by my personal learning network in terms of my ideas of what education can and should be.

Now that we have explored different ways that living in Asia

has inspired my thinking about the future of education.

Let's examine the characteristics and traits of individuals

who have actually grown up oversees to see what they have to teach us

about success in an increasingly connected world.

And thus beings Part 2: Convergence

Successful students and employees of the future will be those who've mastered

certain essential skills for working in the globally linked online community.

Skills like the flexibility and confidence to adapt to constantly and changing situations

or the communication skills to collaborate effectively with people from different countries and cultures

THIRD CULTURE KIDS

The best way to gain this skills used to be physically move to the other side of the planet

and some of the best examples of students who've mastered

these crucial 21st Century attributes might be expatriates,

international school students. and third culture kids.

A third culture kid one who's grown up entirely outside of their native or passport culture.

They are those people that have difficulty answering the question,

Where are you from?

For an example a child holding an American passport who's grown up in another country entirely

AT HOME BETWEEN WORLDS

A third cultural kid might also be one with parents from two cultures who doesn't feel at home in either.

Feeling like a citizen of all countries and none, as many third cultures do,

is a situation with many challenges.

But, it is also one who can end up extremely positive and rewarding.

IMMERSION

Being immersed in environments that are completely different from they have experienced before

provides opportunities for both students and teachers to develop unique attritbutes

than are currently and will continue to be critical for future success.

It is these unique experiences that enable to move between cultures

and customs with ease to adapt to new situations

to confront challenges and solve problems collaboratively

and communicate ideas across cultural or linguistic boundaries.

VOICES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Here is what some third cultural kids have to say about their experience and outlook.

THIRD CULTURE KIDS HAVE A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

My mother is from Brazil, my father from Finland

I live in Beijing

I've lived in Beijing for 15 years.

Beijing is my home

International schools have given me a lot because I've met lot's of people from different places

like one of my best friends is from Brazil.

and I don't know anyone else who is from Brazil. So, I thought that was really interesting

it's help me learn different languages too and I really like doing that.

There so many different cultures and ethnicities, that and everything.

Hello, my name is Ben and I am 7 years old.

Living oversees is cool because I make friends from all over the world.

You have different teachers and most of the teachers here are from different backgrounds themselves

they actually teach you some of their cultures in in the positive teaching.

Some are British, some are Australian, some are American and they all come from different places

Every class, like every teacher would have a different teaching style and we learn a little bit

So I think that's pretty cool. That's what I really like about it.

Teachers need to see what happens when a new student comes to school.

I remember being a new student myself at various schools or teaching at schools in the U.S.

there was always a couple of days or maybe even a week where that student really felt isolated.

But, here I think everybody knows what it feels like coming to a new school living in a different country

and so they're so accepting and so willing to welcome all of these new students into their classes.

The biggest thing I learned as an international student is how to

communicate with different people from different cultures.

In an international school all the students and all the teachers come from different cultures.

The school also offers us a lot of opportunities to interact with people from foreign cultures.

For example, speech and debate tournaments and all the sports tournaments we have with

other international school students and foreign school students

Last month, the school also offered us the opportunity to attend the flat classroom workshop.

Where we learned how to communicate and cooperate

with people from all around the world through technology.

And it was a great experience.

The world is getting smaller, flatter, more international and more cosmopolitan.

And the greatest thing about being an international school student is

that I am getting ready to be part of that smaller world.

Growing up oversees has taught me a lot of things

Well, so I really don't know any differently in many ways it has defined who I am.

It's made me a better person because, I mean before I lived abroad

I lived in the suburbs a lot. So, it was like

just a bunch of perfect communities.

And here is see that not all the world is really pretty

and a lot of people don't have as much as we do and they need our help.

THIRD CULTURE KIDS ARE ADAPTABLE AND FLEXIBLE

You can't live oversees and you certainly live in developing nations

without being flexible and that's anything can happen any day.

Anything from traffic because of a flood or royalty or whatever

that turns a ten minute drive into a two hour drive.

To the other side, which is you know, amazing people or adventures

you didn't expect to see.

Just down the corner or round the back alley.

You never know what you are going to see and find.

and that's always been exciting to be able to adapt to new situations

and people who don't speak your language

Just makes you flexible, it has made me flexible

and I don't see how anyone cannot be flexible living in this situation.

With my wider scope of culture

I will easily get used to new places around the world

and more easily absorb other cultures

This experience actually made it easier for me to

blend in and not be afraid of new experiences,

I was born in Germany but lived my teenage years in Argentina.

When I was 20 years old I moved to the U.S.A.

I guess I used to be what you call a third culture kid.

A kid who has had the experience of growing among worlds.

TCK's that is what they are called navigate with ease

between languages, customs, and traditions.

A kid who is used to flying by herself over the river

an ocean and through the woods in different countries to grandmother's house.

At this point, I am probably considered more of a third culture person not a kid anymore.

But, that does not mean I have it figured all out.

I continue to learn and experience

how to float between languages and cultures.

We also learn to be independent

From a very young age I was traveling by myself

working out airports, immigration,

baggage claim, you know finding my way in cabs and buses

and all sorts of things.

That's with independence comes a level of confidence

being able to make your own decisions

problem solve, communicate with hand signals and such.

You start pulling that off. You realize, you know what? I can do this. You develop a lot of confidence.

TOLERANCE, APPRECIATION and EMPATHY

Hi, I am Warren from a small island of Barbados.

and I am a Canadian citizen.

I am currently teaching a Canadian curriculum in a school Dali in China.

and on that very day I sat at lunch and watched

a young Korean girl and a young German girl

sitting and eating spaghetti with chopsticks.

And it just kind of hit me, that we do really live in a connected world.

As a third culture person, I will always have the feeling that I belong

to all of my cultures and none of them.

The one that I was born into, the one grew up in, the one that I lived in most of my life.

I feel connected but, at the same time as someone

who does not completely belong and move around in all three cultures

and languages with ease.

But, at the same time I feel a foreigner in each one of them.

I don't really know if Pakistan is my home any more.

Because where ever I go, I try to fit in.

Where ever my family is *inaudible*

Like there is a lot of different religions, a lot of realities and morals.

So, I learned a lot since moving from Pakistan.

International school for me, when I first came to Korea was like home.

Since I was more used to the Western culture than Korean.

I met many new friends that were like me

who lived abroad but were still Korean inside.

Some of the international schools students

I have met in the Hong Kong Flat Classroom conference

Were actually quiet similar to Korean international school students

because in fact were all multicultural and

they also had the Western culture and their Asian culture mixed and intertwined.

So, I find it very valuable to be able to meet

other students in other countries who are actually having the same experience

that we do in Korea.

Since I was multicultural, I was given the opportunity to absorb

many different things and meet many different friends.

I became more diverse and open minded about new ideas.

I understand religion and culture and traditions

a lot more and I feel privileged to have been able to

learn about them in ways that people often don't a chance to.

Finally, when you start living amongst other people and other cultures.

What starts out as maybe tolerance, and the learning to

and understand that people learn differently

I think that inevitably, as you grow older and more mature.

You start to realize that tolerance has turned into something better and greater

It turns into empathy,

appreciation and you know I think.

I don't necessarily know that growing up oversees as a young kid

I got that. I think that I started to be exposed to other cultures

I think that was important.

But certainly now, in reflection I've become

much more appreciative of varying cultures,

religions, and ways of thinking

that have just transformed who I am and what I want for the world.

AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES TO DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING

It's really great, because I mean you get to see different places you never knew existed.

Before we moved to Switzerland, I had no clue what that was

I thought that it was, like a food or something.

So, it just really opened my eyes.

Before I moved here, my whole life was going to be spent in Illinois

I had it all planned out, I was going to be in Illinois for the rest of my life.

And now I've lived here, it's like there so many other places to live and there are so many other places to go.

So, it's definitely changed a lot for me.

I am Jane Ross, I am Australian born but I spent many years in New Guinea as a child

I feel so influenced by by Indonesian cultures

I use my right hand out of habit and other body language

signals that are Indonesian and quiet foreign for Australians.

I attended boarding school in Australia

but, I always got to go home to Jakarta every couple of months.

By this time, I felt that I had two homes.

Later I married a Batak from Sumatra.

After first being adopted by a Batak clan

So that I could have a full traditional wedding

and continue the family line which is so important

Considering I married the I married the eldest son.

TRADITIONAL BATAK CEREMONY

You might ask, do I feel more Australian or Batak?

MY ELDEST SON - RIAM

Of course I still call Australia home. But sometimes I feel outside of my first culture.

MY DAUGHTER - TARULI

At later I learned the most of who I am whenever I return to Australia.

TRADITIONAL CEREMONIES CAN LAST A DAY

I always experience cultural shock when I go back to Australia

It's like I am watching what is happening, When I am actually experiencing first hand.

FUNERAL CEREMONY

It is by reconnecting to my first culture that I am able to see from an outside perspective

FUNERAL CEREMONIES LAST FOR DAYS

So, how has this impacted on my teaching?

I feel I am able to do things with a broader perspective.

Being fluent in Indonesian of course, has given me so many skills.

beyond the obvious ones,

Sometimes, that I don't fit in with either culture

The world wide web has redefined how we identify with culture.

CARRYING A 30KG OF PADI ON MY HEAD

To be able to connect on a daily basis with others from all over the world.

I HAD TO DANCE WITH SPIRIT

Compared to the past of just reading print in a book

has profoundly impacted on how we learn.

To be flexible, independent, adventurous, and appreciative of others

Yeah, that's what I got from my living oversees

and certainly it's what I would value in any learner anywhere

My children are not third culture kids.

They are growing up in the country that they were born in

I still understood the value of raising them bilingual though.

It was important to me to raise them with passports

that had stamps of countries from different continents.

and with the global awarenes

and some sort of appreciation.

If one does not have the luxury of a second or a third culture

surrounding their family and the assurance

that children will pick up another language

and culture by osmosis.

Then it becomes imperative to seek out opportunities

and experiences that will create these lasting impressions and memories.

If you'd of told me two years ago that

that I'd be living in a totally different country in a totally different culture.

I would have smiled and said, not possible.

But, possible it is.

And one of the reasons why I think

it's been a lot easier for me to

settle and become

I am immersed in another culture is those things

that we as educators firmly believe

are really important those things called adaptability,

and flexibility and global collaboration and communication.

Those are the things that I believe

that have made my transition from one culture to another

a little bit easier. And they have

also firmly cemented for me the importance

of exposing young students to

more global collaboration and communication opportunities.

within their lifetime.

This skills, behaviors, and attitudes are valuable

for anyone and will only become more important

in the future. Fortunately you don't need to move around the world

to obtain them. These types of formative international experiences

can now be available to all students no matter where they are

through globally collaborative projects.

Part 3: The future of Education.

GROW YOUR OWN PLN

The first step to bringing a global perspective into your classroom

no matter where you are in the world. Is to begin to develop your own personal learning network.

And ideally by filling in that personal learning network

with other educators who are living in different countries around the world.

A personal learning network is basically

a group of people who you collaborate with and learn from on a regular basis.

Not just in your face to face working environment

but, also online. The best thing about a personal learning network

is that it doesn't matter where you are in the world.

The people you choose to include become your colleagues who

are learning together with you, sharing ideas with you and

collaborating with you on similar concepts and at the same pace.

There a variety of tools you can use to grow your own PLN.

The key is you need to connect yourself to connect your class.

Although you can always utilize these technology tools

to connect your class to other students.

Before building your own network, I feel that you will personally

feel more confident, have a deeper understanding of the tools

and be able to provide a better and more seamless experience

for your students when you have first hand experience

of using these tools as an educator.

If you are watching this presentation, you have probably already developed your own

personal learning network. But I am also hoping you might

be willing to share this presentation with your colleagues

or with other educators who might be looking to start from scratch.

In my opinion, there are six steps you can take to begin to build your own personal learning network.

There is no right way to build a PLN.

This is just an overview of the way I might approach

it if I were doing it all over again.

I feel that an RSS feeds is a great foundation for building your own PLN.

I like to refer to reading RSS readers as learning by lurking.

There is no pressure to interact you can find the specific

voices that resonate with you personally and rotate through feeds

as quickly or as slowly as you need all in the comfort of a somewhat familiar environment.

Another great entry point in addition to RSS

is joining social networks especially those dedicated to education

There are a variety NING social networks that cater to education

topics, ranging from IVY bio to using interactive whiteboards

in the classroom to teaching Language Arts through the writers and readers workshop model.

The great thing about joining a social network is

that you know that everyone else who is there is looking to make connections and

learn and share with like minded educators.

So, it's like walking into teacher's lounge staffed with supportive

and resourceful colleagues.

Once you've started finding your needs within the thousands

helpful educators online. The next step is to express

yourself and start your own blog.

The great thing about a blog is that how you develop your online profile

Your blog can be a one stop shop for other educators wishing to learn

about you. As well as a place to share your thoughts, ideas

and reflections on your learning

Once you've given others the opportunity to get to know you a little bit more personally

through your blog and you found a network of people who are interested in the same things you are.

You'll probably want to connect with them more regularl

on a more personal level with is perfect for skype.

To continue to broaden your PLN or to connect with other

educators. You might want to attend online conferences like this one.

There are so many different opportunities to learn in online spaces.

Whether they be via download like this one or

synchronous conferences in Second Life. There are people meeting

online to learn together pretty much all the time and you never know who you might meet.

Finally, once you are fully ensconced in the world of online learning

you might want to give Twitter a try.

Although, it may not be as in depth or as through as a blog

it's a great way to build your network, expand your interests and

make more real time connections with other educators around the world.

TOOLBOX

As a globally connected educator, with your own PLN you have

a variety of tools at your fingertips help your students build thier

own global personal learning networks.

From blogs to wikis to podcasts to multimedia to skype

to twitter and to whatever comes next. You and your students can mix and match

these tools however the suit your curriculum.

GO FOR IT!

You can use them one at a time, in conjunction with each other or in the same project.

It really doesn't matter. The important part is to just give it a try.

CONNECTING ACROSS CONTINENTS

If you are interested globally collaborative projects for your class,

You may enjoy the k12online session Jen Wagner and I presented last year

entitled connecting classrooms across continents.

That describes in detail the process of planning and creating a project like this.

Of course, I will include resources and links to all these ideas in my own wiki for this presentation.

No matter where you are in the world by incorporating these tools

into your classroom and connecting your students with learners from different countries

you will be modeling the flexible attributes needed for the

future of education which we discussed in the first section of this presentation.

Planning a project that incorporates

communication and collaboration across distances

will let your students experience the adaptable, constantly connected and globalized world of the future.

Changing the dynamic of the classroom from

a teacher led process to a student centered one

that expands the boundaries of learning beyond the four walls

of the classroom and lets them learn peers and share

their products with the world. Will enable you and your students

to take advantage of the ways that people are beginning to and will

continue to use technology not just for amusement

but to learn, create and share.

Adopting this new mindset is as much a benefit

for teachers as it is for learners. The teacher

who is able to blend traditional teaching and learning methods with those new

more collaborative approaches will be the teacher who is ready

for the next change in our educational system whenever that might come.

And so by preparing students to succeed in the world

of the future. Teachers will also simultaneously be

preparing them selves to face the educational world of the future.

In addition to providing a truly connected classroom

environment by interacting with students and teachers around the world

on a regular basis. You will also be exposing your students to

the unique experiences that help develop the global perspective

shared by most third culture kids as we discussed in the second section of this presentation

As a teacher, I always wanted my students to be flexible

and adaptable, to demonstrate

tolerance, appreciation, empathy and to have a global perspective.

But without exposing them to genuine interactions with

a diverse population it can be difficult to develop that kind of mindset

within the classroom walls. By bring the world

into your classroom, you provide the opportunity for

authentic engagement with multicultural and multilingual perspectives.

I hope this presentation has got you thinking about different

ways you can embrace global collaboration in your classroom.

If this is the first time you're hearing some of these ideas

it might seem like a lot to consider at once.

But, I firmly believe that anyone, anywhere can implement

these ideas in their own classroom.

by starting small and having clear goals in mind.

Please know that there is a world of educators both international and in

their home countries that are ready and willing to help.

Without whom I wouldn't be sharing this presentation with you today.

Personally I am so grateful and thankful for all that my PLN

has helped me to achieve and I know that you

will find the experience of expanding your personal learning network

just as valuable. Don't hesitate to get started today.

Thank you so much for watching this presentation

and I look forward to connecting with you on the presentation wiki listed on the screen now.

Transcription / Translation by: Jose Rodriguez