Month: July 2017

I have been so excited to share my pictures and impressions of the beautiful country of Morocco, but truly what has been even more amazing to me have been the visionary educators and students who I have met here at the iEARN Global Education Conference. iEARN stands for International Education and Resource Network.  Before coming to this conference I knew that iEARN was an organization that connects students and teachers around the world to work on on collaborative projects. Being at the conference has completely changed my thinking about what this organization is.  I now see iEARN as an incubator of innovation and visionary thinking in education!  The people I have met here have set the bar high –they are committed to harnessing the energy and ideas of the kids that they work with to tackle to biggest problems that need solving in the world!

I have met journalists, film makers, students–including American high school students who are here studying Arabic,  with the NSLI program,  teenagers from Israel, Mali and Suriname who spent a year in American Schools as a part of the YES Program,  and teachers from Colombia, Pakistan, Senegal, Egypt, Taiwan, Japan, Qatar, Brazil and more. Some have been coming to iEARN conferences for years and are meeting with friends and collaborators to review and present their student projects. Many are here for the first time because they have an idea or innovation that they want to share. (Be sure to check out the amazing collection of stories from kids around the world using http://www.touchableearth.org)

I have already been able to set up collaborations with classrooms in Colombia, Qatar and Australia! Incredible! 

Last year I was able to use a Teachers For Global Classrooms Alumni grant to get a school wide membership to iEARN and do an inservice for teachers at my school. A few classes, including mine, did a “Cultural Box” exchange –sending and receiving boxes of items that represent our cultures between classrooms in Taiwan, Japan and Belarus. It is my hope that the Cumberland teachers continue to delve into this resource next year.  It is also my hope that I will be able to introduce some of these projects to my new colleagues at Alderwood Elementary School in Bellingham!

QUESTION FOR KIDS: I HAVE MET PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD AT THIS CONFERENCE. CAN YOU GUESS WHICH COUNTRIES THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURES BELOW ARE FROM?

 

ANSWERS: PICTURE 1: JAPAN

PICTURE 2: SENEGAL, MALI, SURINAME

PICTURE 3: ALGERIA  BRAZIL

 

Students from my 2nd grade class last year will recognize Mrs. Mlod from the Flipgrid video exchanges and mystery Skype sessions that we did with one of her 2nd grade library classes last year. Anne Mlod is the school librarian at Genesee School in Auburn, New York. She is also a fellow Teachers For Global classrooms alumni. As part of the fellowship we took an online class together and met briefly at a symposium in Washington DC– but other than that our only connection has been digital! A 21st century friendship! Anne is also the person who shared Information  about the grant from the Qatar foundation that made this trip possible! (THANK YOU ANNE!) Today I finally got to switch from virtual to “real” with her when we met at the train station in Casablanca!

Here are some pictures from my day:

1. The train ride from Casablanca to Marrakech was supposed to take three hours– it felt like ten– this may have had something to do with the air conditioning working less and less the closer we got Marrakech. When  we got off of the train I understood why –it was hot, really hot. It was 112°. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere that hot. It was wonderful to get to the hotel — where there was air conditioning and a pool– and get on with the rest of my first day in Marrakesh.

1. Moroccon mint tea– sweet, hot and delicious!

 

Question for kids: what is your favorite picture my the day? Why?

I cannot tell you how many times I have wished that I could just close my eyes, click my heels and return to Germany for just one day. I lived here with my husband and family between 1998 and 2008 but have not been back since. I had a layover in Frankfurt and was unexpectedly bumped from my flight to Casablanca last night –my wish has come true- I have been given a day in Germany! And already in the short time I’ve managed to do some of my most favorite German things:

1. Kaffeeklatsch

My DEAR friend Susi came all the way from Heidelberg to have a coffee with me at the airport!

2. Eat perfect pretzels 

3. Stare at walls of chocolate 

4. Watch German  T.V. Commercials 

5.FRUHSTÜCK!                                                        

6. Marvel at Incredibly  clean stairways

I still have a half day left here and I am sure I will add to the list. I am very excited to get to Morocco but meanwhile I will savor these next German hours! Ich liebe Deutschland!

QUESTION FOR KIDS: If you could go anywhere in the world for just 24 hours where would you go?

I feel so fortunate to have received a grant from the Qatar Foundation that is allowing me to attend, what is sure to be the most incredible conference that I have ever been to as a teacher. This is the iEARN Global Education Conference which will be held in Marrakech, Morocco next week. This year I was able to get an Alumni grant from the Teacher’s For Global Classroom’s program that I participated in last year. I used the funds to get an iEARN membership for our entire school building, and to conduct and inservice for a representative from each grade level in our school to help them navigate and use this incredible resource for global collaboration.  It connects teachers from around the world  to work on projects as simple as sharing “a day in the life” of their respective schools, to creating digital museums of up cycled products. This conference will give me a chance to better understand how to use this platform, and even more importantly, help to make connections and relationships with teachers from around the world. I have invited the 2nd graders that I just said goodbye to in June, as well as my current summer school class, to follow me on my trip. I will be making blog posts daily, and will include a “question for kids” at the bottom of each post. I encourage any of these kids’ adults who may be reading this, to share their child’s  questions. Answering them is sure to be the best part of my trip! So here is my first

QUESTION FOR KIDS:  If I meet some kids when I am in Morocco, what should I tell them about Whitefish Bay?