Jul
2
TappedIn – Global Project Based Learning
Filed Under ITEC 501
I attended a GPBL session at TappedIn. Global Project-based learning refers to connecting teachers and students to collaboratively work together on curriculum based real-world projects. The leader was Linda she is a PBL-Technology Integration teacher trainer/curriculum coach for the NewTech Foundation. She works with teachers in NewTech High Schools in NC. They are small (400 students or less) project-based learning high schools with a 1:1 student:computer ration. Linda actually didn’t make it to the session, but there was another person who took over and the conversation and collaboration was great. So, the actual leader was BJ Berquist. BJ retired from the Loysville Youth Development Center, a residential male juvenile correctional facility in central Pennsylvania where she taught remedial communications and art for 24 years. She was involved in the planning of the Civil Rights Forum held in TAPPED IN in May, 1998, leads several discussions at TAPPED IN, and is a Help Desk volunteer. The other attendees were all teachers, from Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
All of the teachers had ELLs in their classrooms. They had students from Burma, Ukraine, Iraq, Brazil and others. Everyone wanted to know more about the global projects that they could do and ways to foster cultural understanding and appreciation. There was a teacher who taught in Israel and did online book reviews with other students in America. Another teacher referenced a middle school in Tennessee that tried to collect 6 million paperclips to represent the 6 MILLION Jews that were killed in the Holocaust. POWERFUL! Here’s a link for a little more information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380615/ Of course, there were suggestions to have an International Night and Culture Festivals. Another teacher had her class analyze the lyrics of “Waiting on the World to Change,” by John Mayer. This link was shared: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y96He0tlSoM
I really enjoyed this session. It was applicable to my teaching environment. I left with new ideas and an excitement to try something new. This type of learning as a medium for professional development works for me! I learned something new in my PJs! I enjoyed it and will be going back for more!