Year 6 students are learning about our geographical neighbours. They have considered carefully what kinds of things they need to know in order to best gain an understanding of the countries around us, so as to help them develop a global perspective.
Yesterday they interacted on Skype with our friends in India. They asked about social inequities like gender discrimination and were fascinated by the responses of Raj, Kuppu and their students at Zoho University. Here’s a sample…
Watch this space… Tomorrow small groups will Skype with Thailand, Singapore and Sri Lanka. We have a Voicethread with students’ questions too, so if you are somewhere in the Asia Pacific and would like to join the inquiry, let us know. We have collaborators in Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, New Zealand and the Philippines, so far!
Remember when we could only learn from textbooks?
What Ed Said 
Wonderful effort! I’m glad to be a part of it!
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We’re glad you agreed! Thanks so much..
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Fantastic Edna! Beats the textbook every time 🙂 I wish I could get Skype working at our school – it can open so many doors to learning.
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We would like to skype with students in South America that speak English. Can you give me leads? The class is in grade 6 in North Carolina.
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Not really, sorry. Are you on Twitter? I have made almost all of my connections that way. If not, the I suggest you join and I’ll help you get started 🙂
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Alice – when you do join Twitter (it’s a MUST) you need to connect with Greta Sandler (@Gret) – a teacher in Argentina – I’m sure she will help if she can. Her blog is a pleasure to read: http://gret.wordpress.com/
Edna! Well of course you already know how I feel about these global connections – it’s just plain fantastic: a great learning opportunity for the kids. They obviously come well-prepared for these sessions and have clearly thought about what they want to know. The good thing is that they don’t feel constrained by the script – they take control of their own learning. Great stuff!
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What an absolutely fascinating conversation you were able to have with one another. I had so many new insights about the Indian culture in the few minutes you’ve shared that I’m in awe of the learning voltage you create through a Skype connection like this one! Incredible.
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And that was just one bit of it! Don’t be in awe. It’s not hard to make it happen. The technology part isn’t difficult, as long as you have internet access. The easiest way is to connect with people is via Twitter. More coming tomorrow..
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Such neat experiences for all kiddos involved!
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It is thrilling to see you and your class connecting with the world. When I saw this video yesterday morning, it brought back happy memories about a French teacher who, in the sixties, was telling her teenaged French-Canadian students to connect with the world by finding pen-pals. I found a few but with a Japanese boy in Tokyo, it just clicked. I even wrote the story on my blog: http://edenhaiku.posterous.com/lost-in-translation
Thanks for the inspiration!
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