Global Collaborator

Sometimes we get so caught up in our own space that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Being a Connected Educator and Global Collaborator helps us to put into perspective the small unimportant details that sometimes derail us.

I went on EduMatch and checked out the inspiring video! I immediately signed up and headed to Twitter to follow @EduMatch! I read through many of the posts.
I found a "Past EduMatcher": Genie Lovino @genielovino and I started to follow her. Turns out Genie works in a middle school in New Jersey.  The reason I selected her is because she posted: "Technology!" and that caught my eye, as another tech enthusiast.

I sent her a message to let her know that I was following her b/c I had seen her on EduMatch. Upon browsing her feed, I found several great resources that I am now exploring. One in particular is Seesaw which is for creating "Student Driven Portfolios." It reminded me of Google Classroom, but for younger students.(Use collaborative technologies  to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints?)

The platform offers student privacy for securing their work online. You can set up your classroom and allow for parents to view only their own child's work. The interface is extremely user friendly with lots of options. I am excited to try this resource out with a class I am teaching.  (Contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.)

I don't think I would have come across this new resource without having connected with my new EduMatch friend online. Because I work with older students, a tool like this would not typically be in my wheelhouse. But since I have been creating an online PD opportunity for Teachers Pre-12, I found this was a great resource to use!

There is a lot of potential for classroom projects and to help students (Explore local and global issues and use collaborative technologies to work with others to investigate solutions). I am looking forward to other projects I will learn about by the new connections I have made via EduMatch!

Genie Iovino

@genieiovino

Technology!

Once I joined the Google Community "Connected Classrooms" I immediately began getting emails from other educators around the globe, who are looking to do Read Alouds for "Read Across America" Day. Also many teachers from who teach other languages are eager to connect. Finally lots of requests for "Mystery Skype" Hangouts came my way. The Mystery Skype activity is where you have your students come up with potential clues for students from other places around the globe. Each class gives the other class hints and answers their questions, mostly relating to climate, economy, natural resources etc. The classes then try and figure out, where you are in the world, or country. These resources can be invaluable when trying to connect around the world and to make learning about other cultures and places engaging for students. For older students, it is interesting to connect with students from other countries and to learn their perspectives on issues in the world. 

Genie Iovino

@genieiovino

Technology!

Genie Iovino

@genieiovino

Technology!