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iEARN Pakistan: Introductory Workshop 
IN THIS ISSUE: Pakistan collaborates with International Society for Technology in Education and Rotary Club; Morocco partners wih USAID and host workshop; iEARN Nepal holds workshop with Deputy Director of American Centre; Oman holds meeting with the Ministry of Education; iEARN USA attends NECC Conference; Bangladesh holds a two-day workshop and makes strides in youth empowerment; Egypt's Dalia Khalil presents in Wales
 ![]() June 22, 2005:
iEARN Pakistan collaborated with the International Society for
Technology in Education and the Rotary Clubs of Pakistan and
Afgahnistan in the signing of a
memorandum of understanding. The agreement is a great step in
building support within rotoary clubs in Sindh that play a significant
role in providing educational programs in their communities.
Together, iEARN Pakistan and the Rotary Club will conduct introduction
workshops about BRIDGE and iEARN online projects, as well as target
schools in the area to conduct training sessions for teachers.
This working relationship is aimed to provide effective and productive
opportunities for schools to learn about iEARN, BRIDGE and to join
collaborative learning.
Also
this month, iEARN Pakistan
conducted an Introductory Workshop for 30 teachers from eight different
schools held at the iEARN Centre Karachi. Saleem Ibrahim,
member of the iEARN Pakistan team, conducted a presentation about iEARN
program, resources and projects. Other attendees included the
Director of the Al Murtaza Professional Development Centre and Tasneem
Shabbar, the Principal of Al Murtaza School. Students continue to
participate in the iEARN project, A Picture Tells a Thousand
Words. The project ulitizes the power of images to engage
students in developing their writing skills. It provides stimulating
topics to students that motivates them to think and write.
 ![]() This month, iEARN
Morocco partnered with USAID to facilitate eight  workshops throughout
different regions of Morocco. On June 25-July 9, 160 middle
school teachers will join these workshops for interactive training of
how to integrate online learning into their classsrooms. Response
has been positive, as teachers examine iEARN as a model of successful
collaborative online learning. In addition, Morocco facilitated a
workshop for 45 teachers representing five different schools. The
workshop was held at Rabat Academy and included the US Embassy and RELO
Officer. iEARN Morocco's continued efforts have paid off
with 100 new middle school teachers joining their growing network as
well as iEARN's international teacher base.
http://www.iearn.org.np/
iEARN Nepal conducted a successful workshop with Chief Guest Laura Lucas - Deputy
Director of the American Centre. Various topics were discussed,
with much time spent on examining BRIDGE, iEARN resources and
projects. Ms. Lucas spoke on teaching youths the importance of
understanding other cultures as a way to bring peace in the
world. Students presented on how iEARN projects empower youth
through collaborative learning. Master Trainers shared
their experiences from attending the Master Trainer Seminar 2005 in NYC, as
well as their support of the creation of a forum for professional
development. A highlight included the presence of many
educational journalists capturing the day's events for national
news. At the request of teachers and students, Nepal's Country
Coordinator, Binita Parajuli, has agreed to conduct weekly one-day
workshops as introductions to iEARN projects.
On
June 24th iEARN Nepal conducted an Introductory Workshop for 20
students representing 12 different schools. The workshop provided
an overview of iEARN, our projects, resources and goal in connecting
youth and making a difference. Principals, teachers - as
well as the media - attended the workshop that was held at the Galaxy
Eudcation Foundation and Nobel Academy. This June, iEARN Nepal
added 15 new schools to its network, a great success due to workshops
such as this. Congratulations!
 June 7, 2005: Oman continues to make great strides towards building an iEARN presence
in their schools and among teachers and students. Last Tuesday,
dedicated teachers from Oman's First National Workshop held this past
February, met with representatives from the Ministry of
Education. Teachers shared their experiences working with iEARN
projects and the benefits of online collaboration; and as a result, the
Ministry will provide participating iEARN schools with technology
support.  iEARN
Oman also submitted a proposal to conduct two workshops during the next
academic school year. One workshop will encourage teachers to
share their iEARN experiences online. To accomplish this, the
Ministry's IT Department has graciously offered to provide support
during this process and the contruction of iEARN Oman's new
website. The second workshop will foucs on introducing iEARN
projects and resources in order to build program awareness and increase
the number of partcipating students and teachers. This growing
partnership with
the Ministry creates greater visibility for the dynamic work teachers
and students encounter by using and implementing project based
learning. We wish them the best as they continue to grow and
build global connections. On
June 1-6, iEARN Indonesia celebrated International Environment Day at
an exhibition held in Jakarta Convention Center. Schools,
educational institutions and NGOs attended the event that included
exhibits showing the importance of saving the environment. The
Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO in cooperation with the
Ministry of Education sponsored the celebration that resulted in the
signing of a memorandum of understanding confirming that the Ministry
of Education and Environment support the teaching of environmental
issues at all school levels. Participating organizations,
including iEARN organized several exhibit competitions for 44 students
from all over Indonesia. The friendly competitions were in spirit
of Environment Day and ended with six winners. One winner
included a student from a remote area in Kupang.
This
June, iEARN-USA participated in three conferences including the 2005
Global Institute at Stanford University, the Alabama Educational
Technology Association, and the National Educational Computing
Conference [NECC]. BRIDGE was presented at each conference along
with basic information about iEARN projects and benefits of online
collaboration. Significant collaboration took place at NECC, as
iEARN staff, BRIDGE teachers and country coordinators partnered to
deliver various workshop sessions. iEARN Egypt and Lebanon
students joined presentations via video-conferencing - a great
success! Over 10,000 US teachers attended NECC with many of the US
Cadre for Professional Development (US Master Trainers) present as well.
In
April 2005, Diane Midness conducted a Master Trainer Seminar in New
York City. As a result, 2005 Master Trainers called for the
creation of a forum where past and present trainers can share
techniques in training teachers and students, share their iEARN
experiences, and keep positive momentum building within their
communities. With this, a forum was created for all partcipants in Master Trainer programs since CIVICS I.
Today, over 110 teachers have signed on and re-connected with
colleagues and friends. Lastly, five US teachers have been
selected to attend the Third Annual BRIDGE Regional Conference in
Beirut, Lebanon: Luis Jorge Arango (Performing Arts School, New York,
NY), Yusef Abdallah-Daoud (TIPS, Cleveland, OH), Michaeline Mannino
(Champaign Central High School, Champaign, IL), Cathleen Martin
(Evanston Township High School, Evanston, IL) and Elish Sari (George
Washington High School for Law and Public Service). More news to
come!
One
June 14-16, iEARN Bangladesh hosted a two-day workshop at the
Presidency University in Dhaka. iEARN Bangladesh's, Golam Hiru,
facilitated the workshop along with Dr. Arifa Rahman and Ms. Kishwar
Kamal Khan. 20 participants attended the workshop including
several school teachers and principals. In all, a total of 10
schools participated and one teachers' association. Also this
month, iEARN Bangladesh worked towards increasing youth empowerment by
joining and supporting Bangladesh's Youth Forum movement. Country
Coordinator, Hiru, will write a report about youth in Bangladesh - a
great honor for iEARN Bangladesh.
June 14-16: Workshop Sessions
More News: US Ambassador to Bangladesh Joins
iEARN Teacher Training
 June 16: 2005:
iEARN Bangladesh Coordinator, Golam R. Hiru, and staff concluded their
2nd Teachers Training Workshop with great success. US Ambassador
to Bangladesh, Harry K. Thomas Jr., and the Deputy of Director of the
American Center attended closing ceremonies that included several
speakers and awarding of certificates. Mr. Thomas had the honor
of handing out recognition certificates to workshop participants who
completed various training sessions.
iEARN
Egypt's Country Coordinator, Dalia Khalil, attended the DYSG E-Learning
Conference in Wales from June 29-30th. Khalil conducted a presentation
entitled, "E-Egypt", to a conference participants including secondary
school heads and teachers, managers in commerce business, and college
professors. The conference linked key figures in the
international e-learning circuit with iEARN resources and
projects. Egypt also conducted several meetings with their
Teacher and Parent Boards. Board members discussed evaluation
processes as well as methods to introduce iEARN to other parents,
students and schools. 10 participants have been selected to join
the iEARN Annual International Conference with a grant awarded by the
American Embassy in Cairo. iEARN Egypt, the Ministry of
Education, Integrated Care Society and iEARN Alumni Committee conducted
interviews and selection process. Congratulations to those
selected!
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