Digital Learning Environment
Technology is a powerful means of incorporating global education. Here are some of my favorite tools!
An online bulletin board where multiple users can collaborate. Students and teachers can upload text, video, audio, photos, and more, then comment on each others' work. Can be used for collaboration or back-and-forth communication. Some padlets are shared with classrooms around the world; others might stay private to one teacher account, depending on the project.
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Students - yes, even in primary grades - can become filmmakers with this video editing software. My students used it to make videos about weather reports. Next time, we'll experiment with mock weather broadcasts from other places around the world!
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Transform Google slides into interactive activities where students can respond to prompts, manipulate images, and create their own content. A fun and easy way to build background knowledge with photos, maps, or quotations. For example, I used it to showcase global seafood recipes to connect to nonfiction reading.
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Take a virtual field trip or schedule an interview with an expert. Classes can also participate in Mystery Skype exchanges where they try to guess where the others are Skyping from. My students Skyped with sea turtle researcher and nonfiction author Jennifer Nolan; they learned so much by preparing for the session and asking her questions!
education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/overview
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Flipgrid
This "video discussion board" allows students to easily record themselves responding to topics. My school district used Flipgrid to share anti-bullying messages among partner classes of different age groups. Classes and/or individuals can watch each others' recordings and upload video responses. There are also global flipgrid projects that your students can join. This year I hope to use Flipgrid to partner with Colombian teachers I met on my International Field Experience.
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QR Codes
With a small amount of advanced preparation, teachers can attach videos, websites, and other online content to a QR Code ("the funny black and white picture"). Print them out and post around the room for a fun scavenger hunt. My students listened to global music using QR codes after reading a story about a girl who loves music; they then collected their observations and opinions in writing. Note: click "generate" to create a new QR code; teach students to click "scan" to use it.
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