Creating Globally Collaborative Projects for the Elementary Classroom

[Kim Cofino]

Update:

So many great ideas came up that I thought it would be appropriate to start a new wiki to allow everyone interested to take ownership of these projects.

As much as I would like to participate in every single one, I know that realistically it’s not possible. With this Global Collaborations wiki we can begin to connect individual schools together on projects that truly enhance the core curriculum units. Please feel free to contribute anything and everything to this new space!

I've also posted a long overview to these projects with more details on my professional blog, Always Learning. Please feel free to comment in either place :)

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Ideas for Projects:

Partnering on YackPack or TokBox for Early Elementary

YackPack: audio e-mail service that allows students to share and exchange ideas in a user friendly graphical interface that requires little to no reading skills.

TokBox: video e-mail

Goal: Create a YackPack for each student in your class, each student will have 4 partners in other schools around the world, for a total of 5 students in each Pack. This will enable the exchange to be more constant, more flexible and sometimes involve just a portion of your pack and other times all of your pack (depending on curricular needs)

Ideas:

- storytelling, practicing reading with emotion, share their favorite book, talk about the author, reflecting on learning and the process of learning (metacognition), collecting "data" (for ex: for graphing activities)

- use inspiration/kidspiration to brainstorm ideas about what they will talk about so students are not reading from a script

Extension Ideas:

- creating a collaborative Ning for the classes for a place to share pictures, videos, etc

- video conferencing with Skype or TokBox (video e-mail) where video would be required to enrich the experience

Issues:

- Each student may need an e-mail address to access web 2.0 tools - how do you organize this for lower elementary? Scholastic.com, gmail accounts

Already on board are:
Mont'Kiara International School, KL Malaysia (Jennifer Peterson: [e-mail] and Megan Williams: [e-mail])
International School Bangkok, Thailand (Kim Cofino: [e-mail] and Susan Souza: [e-mail])
Shanghai Community International Schools, China (Kelly Laudenheimer: [e-mail] and Laura Chesebro: [e-mail])

We need more partners!
Who's interested in setting up this kind of global collaboration with your elementary class? Please leave a comment for us!

[Vinnie Vrotny]

Why I don't teach elementary, I will share this with them. I know that we will have someone who is interested.

VInnie

[Kim Cofino]

Awesome! Thanks Vinnie!

[Lucy Gray]

I'd love to participate, Kim. I think I can find a class in my new building that would join. What grade levels are you looking for?

[Kim Cofino]

Hi Lucy,

Grade 2 to start, or if you have someone at another grade level I can find a classroom teacher who's interested :)

[agardnahh]

Hi Kim, my name is Andrew, I'm friend of Lucy Gray. I am ed tech person at a The School, a school connected with Columbia Univeristy in NYC. I posted this page to our faculty bulletin board, I'm hopeful to get a 2nd grade group to participate. . . how would you feel about connecting with 3rd or 5th grade?

Let me know,
thanks,
Andrew

[Kim Cofino]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for sharing this page with your faculty! I'm sure I can find a 3rd or 5th grade classroom teacher who is interested. We have Monday off, so I won't be able to get back to you until at least Tuesday, though...

Kim

[agardnahh]

Excellent, already received a response from a 5th grade teacher who is interested (her class is studying China this year!). . . looking forward to hearing from you.
- Andrew

[Kim Cofino]

Hi Andrew,

Would you mind e-mailing me directly? My address is: [e-mail] :)

Thanks!

Kim

[Philippe Lane]

Hi Kim!

I'd like to participate in the project (Gr.2). I'm teaching year 3 (age 7-8) at Yew Chung International School Beijing.

[Kim Cofino]

Hi Phillippe,

Excellent! I'm back at school today and will start making connections with our teachers.

[Kim Cofino]

Hi Phillippe,

Can you send me an e-mail directly: [e-mail]?

Then I can send a group mail out to everyone who's interested :)

Kim

[37pykest]

I attended the unconference session and I am a Yr 2 teacher at Yew Chung International School in Shangahi. I would be interested in being a partner to any of these projects. Jo Bergin