Connected Classrooms and a New World of Learning
NEPA Reading Association
Scranton, 2016Mike Soskil @msoskil
STEM is not Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics.It is a culture of problem
solving in which all disciplines are used in conjunction to
make the world better.
Literacy is the means through which every man, woman, and child can realize his or her full potential.
–Kofi Annan
Does the learning in classrooms matter to students?
Photo Credit: Flickr/cristic • Long-term learning
cannot take place without emotional connection with content
• Extrinsic v. Intrinsic Motivation
• Empathy correlates with both happiness and success in life
How do I get started?
Rachel’s Story
Why Global Learning?
• Cultural Understanding
• Emotional Experiences
• Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity
• Student Empowerment
National Council of Teachers of English
21st Century Literacies• Develop proficiency and fluency with the tools of technology• Build intentional cross-cultural connections and relationships
with others so to pose and solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought
• Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes
• Manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information
• Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts• Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these
complex environments
It’s hard to change the world when you don’t know much about it.
South Elementary Global Connections
• Song/Cultural Exchanges• Virtual Valentines• Exchange Skype/YT
Video Messages• Data Collection in
Collaborative Spreadsheets
• Quadblogging• Slow Twitter Chat• Collaborative PBL
Projects• Mystery Skype• Skype Teacher Exchange
(guest teacher from another location)
• Digital Post Cards
Distance Teaching Project
distanceteaching.weebly.com
Project LINChttp://projectlinc.clubefl.gr/Kansas Students – Microsoft Video
Once Upon a Flower Time
Children who feel the joy of doing good for others continue to look for new ways to make
a positive impact on the world.
They grow to be the problem solving leaders of the next generation.
HIP Academy - Mukuyuni Bridge Project
Children are never too young to change the world.
Beth Heidemann’s KindergartenersCushing, Maine
Hanif and Gethera Video by the Ms. Heidemann & the Cushkins
That’s great for those students.
But, how do I do that?
TheGlobalReadAloud.com
Virtual Field Trips
• Skype in the Classroom: education.skype.com• Discovery Education: discoveryeducation.com/featured-programs• Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants: exploringbytheseat.com• JASON Learning: jason.org• LivingMaths: livingmaths.com
Mystery Skype• Similar to "20 Questions"• Each class takes turns
asking Yes/No questions to figure out location of the other class.
• Variations: animals, numbers, elements, occupations, etc. instead of locations.
• Builds critical thinking skills and content knowledge.
• Creates opportunities to connect with other locations to have Q&A sessions about culture.
Resource to get started: MysterySkypeOneNote.com
Overcoming Time Zone Issues
The 5 Clue Challenge
• Use Skype Video Message or YouTube to leave 5 clues for partner class to guess location, animal, etc.
• After each clue, students will pause video, do research, and take a guess.
• 5cluechallenge.weebly.com
Twitter Not Just for Donald Trump Anymore! • As of 2014, over 4.2 million tweets per day
were related to education, most by educators
• Hashtags allow you to curate and organize what you see
• There is an educational hashtag for almost every content area, grade level, and educational interest area
A Few Educational Hashtags#SciChat #MysterySkype#MathChat #GlobalEd#SSChat #ArtsEd#EngChat #EdTech#GTChat #EdChat#SpEdChat #21stEdChat#TeachersMatter #EdCamp#TeachersLeading #Education
#KinderChat #STEM#1stChat #CompSci#2ndChat #MusicEd#3rdChat #ElemChat#4thChat #MakerEd#5thChat #DigCit
Most states have their own hashtag (ie - #PAedChat)
Tweetdeck.com
Finding Global Connections• Twitter/Tweetdeck• Have students contact
experts• Facebook• Friends/Family
Twitter for Global Connections#SkypeMT - Skype Master Teachers#GlobalLearning@SkypeClassroom
#GlobalClassroom#Skype2Learn#MysterySkype
Every problem in the world has a solution trapped inside our students’
passions. Helping them see the connection is our job as teachers.