The Global Learner

Global connectivity has become an essential component of a modern teacher's curriculum. As teachers, it is imperative that we expose our students to many cultures and ways of life, so that we can move away from the notion of  American exceptionalism.  When students are taught compassion and understanding, they are more likely to become life long learners who will find value in cultural diversity.
It is becoming clear that the future of education must embrace technology and join the global community. There are many resources online designed for teachers to incorporate a global component to their curriculum. Some of these are  Taking it Global, iEARN, NEA, Global Education, and of course,POV on  PBS  for wonderful documentaries.
The site I focused on was epals. They feature a "Global Community Project", which encourages students to upload a video showing what it means to them to be a global citizen. This type of project can be integrated into any classroom, quite easily.
These websites can also be used in a diverse classroom, to teach understanding and acceptance. It can also help a student feel more comfortable and instill pride in their own culture when they have a chance to share it in school. In an ESL classroom, I could see using the feature on epals called 'country investigation'. This could be used as an interactive classroom project to explore the students' home countries while practicing writing facts on a map. The site also had world language activities and information on bilingual blogs. An interesting idea for a project outside the classroom is called 'my community" where students are asked to look around their world and find influence from other cultures, examples being food or architecture.
With so many resources available it is easier than ever to educate and instill passion in our students for the world around us.

Comics in the Classroom

Everybody loves comic strips. And as teachers we want out students to enjoy learning. So another tool that can be used in the classroom to make learning fun; is the comic strip. There are many ways to use this. A simple idea would be to bring the comics section of the newspaper into class,students have fun and practice reading. To practice writing, you could have your students create their own dialogues and paste them over the text boxes. If you have some tech savvy students or you want to create your own custom lesson, there are several free options for making a comic strip online. Goanimate is the site I tried. It took a bit of time and a lot of patience, but totally worth it if you have a particular message or lesson you want to show.
I attempted to illustrate how an outsider might feel when attempting a seemingly simple task of ordering at a  Donut Shop .  The language is only the first hurtle you must jump when coming to America. Many foreigners are overwhelmed at the choices offered, the stream of questions,the special offers and even mundane small talk. These can all lead to a person feeling confused and leaving without buying anything in an attempt to save face. These feelings can be addressed or even avoided with the right tools and explanations. In my classroom, I would use these comic scenarios to prepare students for situations they are likely to encounter, while exposing them to typical conversational phrases.

Digital Storytelling in the Classroom

How I would use digital storytelling in the classroom:

The assignment: Pick two different countries and show me a connection between them. It can be a similarity, a common food or cultural practice, two places you have been or read about or two places you would like to visit. Use Animoto to create a free 30 second video illustrating the connection. Feel free to use your own videos, photos, and songs or use the ones available on the site. Get creative and share with the class!

I started with my favorite recording artist Regina Spektor, she sings in both Russian and French; two countries and languages that I love to study. I shared my personal travel photos and uploaded the Russian/French version of the song "Don't Leave Me".

Here it is!
Russia and France

The Digital Story

I love documentaries. I would watch them all the time, if I had the time. I think I enjoy them so much because they can bring you anywhere you want to go, make you feel like an expert on any topic, and can be made by anyone.
Digital Storytelling is a sort of extension on this idea of a documentary, but shorter and even more accessible. As explained on 7 things to know:Digital Storytelling; start with a script or story you want to share, add music, pictures and/or animation, piece together, edit and share. Typically short in length, but its up to you how long your story takes to tell.
Digital Storytelling is a great way for students and teachers alike to share their human experience, promote cultural awareness, and introduce a new topic in a fun way that caters to your visual learners. The possibilities are
endless because anyone can create one.
I watched several on this website that focuses on Digital Storytelling and the educational uses. The topics ranged from a Japanese student adjusting to American life, decision making, and the Holocaust. I was able to watch several because they ranged from four minutes to nine minutes in length.
This could be a wonderful tool in an ELL or any multicultural classroom. The act of sharing your history and background with classmates would help create a sense of community while getting students to think critically about what they are publishing online.