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 For a PDF version click HERE, or for BRIDGE News Archive, click HERE.
Egypt Celebrates YouthCaN and Global Youth Service Day 2006:
On April 10th, students from around the United States and abroad
celebrated YouthCaN Conference 2006. YouthCaN is an iEARN project
where youth facilitate an online network of students using
telecommunications  technologies to undertake and/or share environmental
work locally and around the world. The conference was held
at the American Museum of Natural History, and celebrated in several
BRIDGE countries including Egypt. In Egypt, youth participated in
a variety of activities including 24 school presentations, 2 plays, a
model United Nations, and 2 videoconferences with New York City and
Beirut, Lebanon. Two plenary sessions were offered to youth:
"Biodiesel, the Renewable Alternative to Diesel" (given by Ihab Farag,
Sc.D., P.E. Professor, UNH Biodiesel Group Director, Chemical
Engineering Department, University of New Hampshire, USA, and "Youth,
Energy, Environment, and Community Development: New Basaisa as a Case
Study" (given by Dr. Arafa Mohamed Arafa, Professor, Physics
Department, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University
in Cairo, Egypt). Egypt's national newspaper, the Gomhorya,
covered it's YouthCaN celebration or click HERE for the English
translation.
Also in April,
iEARN Egypt celebrated Global Youth Service Day [GYSD]. iEARN
Egypt was selected to be the national lead agency for the GYSD activity
planning and coordinating. Students worked on community service
projects that focused on two themes: the improvement of literacy among
orphans in Egypt, and environmental awareness.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
- Egypt youth celebrate YouthCaN 2006
- US teacher receives technology award
- Oman meets with Minister of Education
- Bangladesh and Japan collaborate
- Morocco hosts iEARN beginners' workshop
- Indonesia trains high school teachers
Global Connections Exchange Program
[GCE] is made possible through support and funding from the US State
Department's Bureau of Educational [DOS] and Cultural Affairs [ECA]. It
is a part of iEARN-USA's BRIDGE project which is committed to
connecting students and teachers in the US to those in countries with
significant Muslim populations.
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US Master Trainer Awarded 2006 Technology Teacher of the Year: In March, Holly Briel - a high school teacher from Caesar Rodney High School in Camden, Delaware - received the 2006  Technology
Teacher of the Year award for her work and participation in iEARN and
use of technology in the classroom. This includes the use of LCD
and laptop features, online educational video, Windows Movie Maker and
more much. The award was bestowed to her by Delaware's Lt.
Governor and Director of Delaware's Center for Educational
Technology. Holly is a 2005 BRIDGE Master Trainer, who has also
attended the 2004 BRIDGE Regional Conference and the 2005 iEARN
International Conference in Dakar, Senegal. On April 5th, Holly
joined State representatives at the Technology Gala in Dover, DE where
she exhibited her iEARN work, demonstrated video, and also shared
students' learning experiences. (Pictured right: Holly with Delaware's Lt. Govenor receiving award)
iEARN Oman meets with Minister of Education:
In April, His Excellency - Yahya Al Suleimy - of Oman's Ministry of
Education, met with iEARN Country Coordinator, Issa Al Anqoudi to
discuss the growing interest in professional development that includes
online courses, workshops and teaching trainings. His Exellency
also met with teachers and students of the Dakhiliya Region, showing
great support for growing programs in the region, like iEARN.
Working closely with the Ministry of Education, iEARN Oman hopes to
create training centers in the region that are equipped with the
necessary tools for learning, including technology. The Ministry
will play a key role in establishing guidelines that compliment iEARN's
goal to provide teachers with professional development and projects for
their students.
Bangladesh and Japan Collaborate:
Since the Bangladesh Observer published the March article, "iEARN Teddy
Bear Project and Our Experience", more interest has grown to integrate
and engage students with project based learning activities.. One
such outcome is the recent project activity between Japan and iEARN
Bangladesh secondary schools: Birshrestha MA Rouf Rifles College in
Dhaka, Bangladesh and the Wako international school in Japan.
Students will talk, write, and share their feelings about teen issues
of the day.
iEARN Beginner Workshops in Morocco:
On April 7-9, several beginner workshops were held in Oujda, Azrou,
Mediouna, Benslimane, Jerrada  and Berkane cities. A total of 120
teachers attended from six different schools. An iEARN beginner's
workshop provides teachers with the basic ins and outs of the iEARN
network. This includes how to register, how to search for
projects, where and how to post to online forums, and how to register
students. Country Coordinator, Mourad Benali, facilitated the
workshops with the help of several iEARN staff and teachers.
iEARN Teacher Training in Tagerang and Jakarta, Indonesia:
On April 1st and 8th, iEARN Indonesia conducted teacher trainings for
the SMA 6 and SMAN 13 secondary schools in Tagerang and Jakarta.
Both trainings focused on how to integrate iEARN, basic online
navigation skills, how to search and select a project, and how to
register students. In the coming months however, advanced
trainings will be offered to provide in-depth training on how to
effectively integrate collaborative projects in curriculums and engage
students year round. Although some teachers had difficulty with
English or technology in general, iEARN Indonesia believes teaching and
integrating iEARN in these schools will provide a venue to learn the
English language, and give teachers basic knowledge on how to use
technology in the classrooms.
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