Globalization

**Globalization of Web 2.0 in K-12 Education ** 

**//Helping Students Become Global Citizens//** In order to help students become global citizens, K-12 educators must teach 21st century skills in addition to the traditional classroom subjects. Claudia Wallis, author of the TIME article [|"How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century,"]  states there are four keys components to 21st century skills: knowing more about the world, thinking outside the box, becoming smarter about new sources of information, and developing good people skills. Knowing more about the world entails becoming fluent in a second language, understanding different foreign cultures, and being literate with regards to foreign policies. In addition to having varying knowledge about world cultures, students need to "think across disciplines." Combining their technology skills with their traditional classroom skills of math, science, or art could allow students to create new advanced products such as medical equipment, online applications, or computer software that could be used globally. Ideally, students would be able to enter the job world with the ability to effectively communicate and work on teams with people around the world; use of Web 2.0 in the classroom now allows these skills to be learned in grades K-12.

The introduction of Web 2.0 brings about a need for students to acquire a new set of learning skills. These skills should not only encompass the use of the actual technology itself, but also the use and application of the wealth of information, knowledge, and communication capabilities that accompany it. With an ever increasing knowledge base online, students must be taught how to decipher the "good" information from the "bad." In the past, teachers provided students with the "correct" information in the classroom; now, students use the background knowledge obtained in the traditional classroom to help them read and decipher the vast array of online content. Knowledge obtained from online content can then be used to enhance their understanding of a particular topic learned in the classroom. 

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In addition to acquiring the responsibility of teaching students about reliable online sources, teachers must now incorporate technology into their classrooms. Teachers today have the daunting task of keeping up with technology that changes on a daily basis- how is this accomplished? Teachers must recognize that the goal is not to teach students how to use technology, but rather, to incorporate technology that students are already using in their everyday lives. For instance, one could incorporate blogs or wikis for data collection or creation of class study materials or for application of new knowledge in collaborative group projects. Teachers could even take it one step further and consider global collaborations that could teach critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.

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 **// Current Global Classroom Projects //**  What is the climate like in India? What types of products does China export to other countries? What holidays are celebrated in Spain every year? These are all questions that U.S. students are trying to trying to answer by collaboratively working with students from other countries. With the introduction of Web 2.0 into the classroom, teachers and students now have many ways to communicate with people around the world; this communication allows acquisition of knowledge that cannot necessarily be found in traditional textbooks. Students and teachers can now use this newly obtained knowledge to participate in projects that help solve world problems just by using online tools such as email, blogs, and wikis. Students can collect information or data from other countries and then use that knowledge to create websites or video documentaries which can then be shared around the world.


 The following are examples of global classroom projects that teach 21st century skills including complex communication skills, teamwork, and acquisition of knowledge of different cultures:

The Flat Classroom Project
Virtually joins classrooms using [|Wikispaces] and [|Ning]. Students use scenarios from Thomas Friedman's book, The World is Flat, to hold discussions and create virtual projects using Web 2.0.

[|iEARN]  iEARN (International Education Resource Network) is "the world's largest non-profit global network that enables teachers and youth to use the Internet and other technologies to collaborate on projects that enhance learning and make a difference in the world." Example projects can be searched by Title, Keyword, Subject, Age Level, or Language. One example of a current project is "My Identity, Your Identity" in which students discuss traditional celebrations, landmarks, and monuments in their own countries.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">[|ePaLs] This online community provides schools and school districts with protected email and blogging to be used for collaborative projects. Some focus areas covered by projects include Biodiversity, Black History, Election/Inauguration, Geography, and Human Rights just to name a few. This site also includes discussion forums for students, parents, and teachers.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">[|Global Virtual Classroom] Global Virtual Classroom hosts a contest in which schools around the world can submit their websites created by students collaborating with students in other countries. Students are judged on the content of their website as well as their ability to collaborate with students around the world.

[|CIESE] The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) "sponsors and designs interdisciplinary projects that teachers throughout the world can use to enhance their curriculum using through compelling use of the Internet." Students use real-time data to formulate answers to scientific questions, all with the help of their peers and experts around the world.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">[|Teacher's Guide to International Collaboration on the Internet]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">Suggestions for Further Reading: **

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">[|Starting a Collaborative Classroom Project]

[|Creating the 21st Century Classroom]

<span style="font-size: 100%; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Bragaw, Don. "Technology and Global Education." 2001. American Forum for Global Education.
 * Works Cited for this Page:**

"How does an information and technology curriculum stay relevant and meaningful in the 21st Century?" Curriculum 2.0

Jobson, Lisa. "Connecting Cultures....A Teacher's Guide to Global Classroom." 2001. International Education and and Resource Network.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">[|TIME- How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century]