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BRIDGE NEWS: May 2005
IN THIS ISSUE: Jordan presents iEARN to the Her Majesty Queen Rania and US First Lady, Laura Bush plus holds their 1st ever Environmental Day; Bangladesh
holds their 2nd National Orientation Workshop; 45 new teachers join
iEARN Morocco; Pakistan opens an iEARN BRIDGE Internet Learning Center; India selects students for the Fall BRIDGE Exchange and parents talk of
an iEARN Parents' Forum; Lebanon students return from a successful trip
to Madison, WI; Nepal introduces iEARN to schools; 60 students gather
for the Second People to People Peace Camp in Egypt; Indonesia and life
after the Master Trainer Seminar; Founder of Learning Circles schedules
a visit to Malaysia.
May was an extraordinary month for iEARN Jordan! Not only did
Jordan youth present iEARN to Her Majesty Queen Rania, but also met and
presented to First Lady, Laura Bush. In addition, iEARN Jordan
held its first ever Environmental Day. Both events are momentous
for iEARN Jordan as they work towards building support for
collaborative online work via project based learning. These
events also mark a great step forward for Jordan teachers, youth and
schools in integrating project based learning into existing curriculums
that focus on subjects from community service to using Internet
technology for educational projects.
 During
Queen Rania and the First Lady's visit, the Ministry of Education
introduced students from their various educational programs including
iEARN Jordan. The Minister of Education, Dr. Khaled Toukan,
introduced iEARN youth who conducted a brief presentaion of their
online collaborative work with American youth. Both the Queen and
First Lady were quite impressed by the presentation and inquired about
iEARN forums and the process by which students post messages and
participate in online projects. Click here to see a video of their visit with iEARN youth (in Arabic).
On May 30th, iEARN Bangladesh held its 2nd National Orientation Workshop with over 70 participants. The guest of honor was Dr. Michelle Jones, Deputy Director and Cultural Attache of the American Center, who is familiar and well educated on Bangladesh education and culture. During the workshop, Dr. Jones spoke highly of iEARN projects and the importance of technology
education in the classrooms. Each participant was given an iEARN
packet of information including recent news and an application for
membership. As a result, 12 teachers signed up for BRIDGE Training in June. Congratulations! For more news on Bangladesh, click HERE.
This May, iEARN Morocco added 45 new teachers to their family! On May 28-29th, an Introductory Workshop was held at the Ibn Sina High School located in Beni Mellal City with five different schools attending. The workhshop, facilitated by Nou r-Edine Laouni and Abdellah El Ghazi, explained iEARN basics including the benefits ofonline collaborative learning and project based learning. As a result, new teachers were added plus five new schools! Also this month, iEARN students from Ibn Khaldoun High School in El
Jadida City collaborated with PS 173 students in Queens, New York for
the online project - Learning Circles:
Eating Habits. This highly interactive forum allows students from
all over the world to particpate in cross-classroom communication.
iEARN Pakistan announced the opening of the iEARN BRIDGE Internet Learning Center
at the Qadim Lumiere School in Peshawar. The lab is equipped with
10 computers and 4 work stations, network and modem access, and one
printer. iEARN Pakistan partnered with two leading technology
organizations, Catco International and the International Society for
Technology in Education, in order to provide students with this
fantastic resource.
 Students
in Pakistan have been busy this May on three dynamic and interactive
iEARN projects. 10 schools from the areas of Karachi, Lahore,
Peshawar, Northern Pakistan and Islamabad have been working with
teacher Lynn Rosen from New York City on iEARN's project "A Picture Tells a Thousand Words". The project works with students ages 5-19 and uses images to engage students in developing their writing skills. The second project consists of 20 students from seven schools engaging with students
in Delaware State and focuses on teen issues. The last project, Kindred Project,
involves 50 students from 15 different schools in Pakistan and
encourages students to examine family history, stories and local
history and how these events have shaped or impacted the world or
community in which they live.iEARN Pakistan also facilitated various workshops for students in
Karachi, Peshawar and Northern Pakistan-Gilgit. A total of 63
students attended with 20 schools also partcipating in the day's
events.
iEARN India spent the month of May conducting preliminary plans for the
upcoming BRIDGE Exchange scheduled for Fall 2005 including the
selection of students to partcipate. India also announced that
they will send two students and two teachers to Beirut for the Third
Regional Conference. In addition, Dr. Edwin Gragert - Executive
Director of iEARN-USA - visited India and met with schools, teachers as
well as parents. With this, support for iEARN has increased
tremendously among parents in India and many have planned to establish
an iEARN Parents' Forum! During his visit, Dr. Gragert
shared the work students have done in India and the US and how online
projects have connected students beyond borders. US teacher,
Cindy Lilly, wrote Dr. Gragert commenting on his trip to India:
My students were thrilled to get your letter (I cried). I think it
is sometimes beyond their conception to realize there are real people
outside of Conway, SC. We are a small town on the outskirts of a resort
community (Myrtle Beach). Your letter and your pictures helped them
take this leap into what they conceive is an abstract concept. Thank
you for allowing me to make my children's learning a real-life
e xperience that they will remember forever! WOW!
On May 21st, Lebanese students left for home after a three-week BRIDGE
Exchange to Verona Area High School in Madison, WI. The students
visited with state officials, attended class, cooked an authentic
Lebanese dish for their hosts, danced,  went
canoeing, and visited various sites including Chicago. Prior to
the physical exchange, students connected using the iEARN discussion
forms and today have nearly 200 postings! Students continue to
use the forum for alumni activity, but also keep in touch as US
students are headed for Lebanon this Fall 2005. After this recent
exchange, Lebanese students shared their reflections about their
experiences and feelings on the exchange.
Students also visited with Senator Jon Erpenbach and received a
personal tour of the State Supreme Court by Justice David
Prosser. Visit BRIDGE Testimonials for various reflections.
BRIDGE Lebanon to US Exchange makes the NEWS!!!  On May 1 - May 21, 2005
BRIDGE students from Lebanon participated in a three-week physical
exchange to Verona Area High School located in Madison, WI. During their
exchange, students were interviewed by Verona's local community paper,
The Verona Press, in an article entitled "Lebanese students learn, enjoy three-week visit to Verona". The physical exchange further connected students who had previously met
via virtual exchange using iEARN discussion forums. To date,
students continue to use this online medium as a source for
communication and alumni activity with nearly 200 postings! Students
were hosted by US families and joined in various activities including
attending class, cooking Lebanese food for their US peers, and even
dancing. Sue Reget, teacher at Verona High and long devoted
BRIDGE teacher, wrote to iEARN-USA sharing: "The
entire experience left host families with a very positive view of the
exchange. Every person who hosted the Lebanese visitors had the
highest praise [for them and their] enthusiasm, and lasting impact they
had on their family. The exchange was a great success."
On May 27th Excelsior School in Nepal celebrated - through dance, song,
drama and sports - the introduction of iEARN into their
curriculums. Galaxy Public Schools also introduced iEARN in their
weekly curriculums for grades three to seven. In addition, Nepal
will facilitate a workshop for 27 teachers from 12 different schools in
the area. The workshop will provide participants with an
orientation to iEARN projects, resources and techniques for classroom
integration. Lastly, iEARN Nepal conducted a follow up meeting
with COPPADES (a NGO that works for World Computer Exchange based in
the USA) which provides PCs to schoools.
May brought many successes for iEARN Egypt in various areas including
partnerships, new initiatives and professional development.
First, iEARN Egypt collaborated with the US Embassy and the Ministry of
Education to facilitate and plan a school visit for students involved
with the American Council of Young Political Leaders [ACYPL].
Students visited the El Hadeesa Preparatory School located in
Menya. This well organized visit provided ACYPL students with an
introduction to the Egyptian educational system, new reforms in
progress and shared Egyptian youths' achievements through iEARN
collaborative projects.
 Another
visit consisted of 60 youths from a mix of 30 different nationalities
who gathered for a school visit to Om El Mo'meneed Preparatory School
for the Second People to People Peace Camp in Egypt. A highly
interactive event, students were able to participate in various youth
discussions while sharing experiences and plans for collaborative
learning projects. The theme of a peaceful world resonated
throughout the visit and can be seen in photographs that capture the
day's activities.
iEARN Egypt's Country Coordinator, Dalia Khalil, also kept busy this
month with various meetings and workshops. One such meeting,
Khalil welcomed Dr. Rhonda Egidio and Dr. Mark Rosenburg from Michigan
University for a meeting to discuss e-strategies to build support for
the National Educational Reform Project in Egypt. This was a
great step in moving discussions forward in hopes to establish stronger
cooperation between iEARN Egypt and the USA. Also, iEARN Egypt is
preparing to send representatives to the Third Annual Regional
Conference in Beirut, Lebanon. Through cost shariing and hard
work, iEARN Egypt is able to provide this opportunity to eight
participants! Congratulations! On May 26th, iEARN Egypt
held an orientation for participants to get to know each other and
begin work on their collaborative presentations/workshops for the
conference. A second meeting is scheduled for June 2005.
Last April, iEARN Indonesia sent two teachers to the Master Trainer
Seminar held in New York City. Since, both teachers have been
hard at work in organizing, planning and facilitating workshops to
share what they learned as a Master Trainer. Country Coordinator
Hasnah Gasim, has worked with  both
Master Trainer teachers, Elok Kurniavip and Abdul Latif, in
coordinating various iEARN trainings and sites. This May, Gasim
announced that Elok would coordinate iEARN programs in Bogor with Abdul
leading iEARN trainings in Surabaya. Both Elok and Abdul have and
will conduct workshops to spread the news of iEARN projects and project
based learning.
 On
May 31st, their efforts truly paid off as both Elok and Abdul attended
a workshop held by the National Education Department of
Indonesia. A total of 150 teachers and principals attended the
meeting where Elok and Abdul conducted a presentation on iEARN.
With great honor, Elok and Abdul found that iEARN projects are popular
among senior high school students. Thus, iEARN trainings were
integral parts of the workshop and for secondary teachers. In
addition, Gasim continues to train teachers every Saturday right in
iEARN offices. Training concentrates on iEARN basics and project
based learning. A total of 20 teachers have been trained this
month. Great work! Gasim has also collaborated with the
Women in Organization in Jakarta to train teachers in Aceh. Life
after the Master Trainer Seminar has proven quite successful for iEARN
Indonesia, Elok and Abdul - the trainings will continue and more news
is surely on it's way.
For more information on Master Trainer Seminar, please visit our
MALAYSIA: This May, iEARN Malaysia continued to work closely with Margaret Riel, founder of the iEARN's online course Learning Circles,
member of iEARN's Advisory Board and Senior Researcher & visiting
Professor for the Center for Technology in Learning SRI at Pepperdine
University. iEARN Country Coordinator, Zait Isa, is helping Riel
plan and organize a training on Learning Circles for this coming August
2005. This wonderful collaboration is a step forward in training
and teaching teachers the basics of Learning Circles in Malaysia.
Riel will conduct a seminar for participants at the School of Education
Studies at the University of Science Malaysia, in Penang. The
site has wonderful technology facilities and will serve as a fantastic
venue for exploring the dynamics of Learning Circles.
iEARN Malaysia has also received an inquiry from the Secretary General
at the Ministry of Education in Malaysia, Tan Sri Ambrin Buang, to
assist him with possible plans for a visit to the USA. More news
to come!
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