iEARN-USA Newsletter, Issue 7
April 15, 2005
iEARN-US NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Global educators meet in NYC for 2005 Master Educator Seminar
2. Full scholarships to Beirut for US High School Educators
3. Kurshan Scholarship for students traveling to Senegal
4. Youth CaN 2005 a great success
5. Postcards for Indian students affected by the Tsunami
6. iEARN teacher named 2005 International Teacher of the Year
7. Delaware Teachers Share their iEARN Experience
8. iEARN represented at New Mexicoís 1st Annual Peace Fair
9. 2004 Lewin Hot off the Presses
10. First Outbound BRIDGE Exchange a success
11. High School In Uzbekistan Seeking US Partner
12. Become a PEARL World Youth News Service Reporter
13. NECC 2005 in Philadelphia July 27-30
14. What have you missed in the US-Center Forum?
AWARDS & OPPORTUNITIES
1. Human Rights & Global Awareness Educator Training Workshop
2. High School students: Win $5000 and a trip to New York City!
3. 2005 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International EducationóCall for applications
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Global educators meet in NYC for 2005 Master Educator Seminar
Educators from Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordon,
Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Tunisia, UAE and the
USA (Micki Mannino from Central High School in Urbana, IL and Holly
Briel from Caesar Rodney High School in Camden, DE) are currently
together in New York City for a BRIDGE Program Exchange, April 8-17,
2005. Meet them online in the New York City Master Educator
Seminar 2005 Forum: http://foro.iearn.org/.1df67e1b/
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Full scholarships to Beirut for US High School Educators!
This summer, the BRIDGE program is
holding its third Regional Conference in Beirut, Lebanon under the
theme, ìEmpowering People Through the Use of ICT and Global
Connections.î The conference will take place from July 7th ñ July 14th,
2005. This year's conference will gather educators from iEARN programs
in Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Oman, UAE, Pakistan,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh and USA. The conference
will focus on professional development and curriculum building,
affording participants the opportunity to exchange educational tools
and resources. Collaborative learning, project planning and
implementation workshops, and community service learning projects will
be among the topics of discussion.
In order to bring educators together with the counterparts under
the BRIDGE Project, iEARN-US will sponsor the participation of two
international High School teachers from each of the countries listed
above and four American High School teachers. In order to
qualify, selected participants must present a workshop and commit to
implementing an online project in their classrooms with other BRIDGE
country participants in the 2005-2006 school year. This is a rare
opportunity to develop new teaching techniques & partnerships with
over 100 educators representing North Africa, the Middle East, and
South/Southeast Asia. The BRIDGE Project is funded through a grant from
the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of
State. For an application, please contact Tina Habib,
chabib@us.iearn.org.
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Kurshan Scholarship for High School Students traveling to the Senegal Conference
The 2005 Kurshan Scholarship
provides either to one student, or to a student and teacher for the
annual international conference. Applications are due to the office by
May 15th, 2005. Should you have any questions, please email me at
mhabib@us.iearn.org.
Purpose:
To provide an international travel opportunity to a United States
student that has not yet had such an experience. This scholarship will
provide partial funding of $1500 to be split between a student and an
accompanying teacher from the United States to attend the Annual
International iEARN Teachers Conference and Youth Summit. This
year's gathering will take place in Dakar, Senegal.
Requirements for Student Applicant:
1) MUST be a high school student.
2) Brief, written recommendation from participating iEARN teacher
3) Written application from student that includes:
iEARN projects that she or he is presently involved in at school
and other projects in which she or he previously participated;
an explanation of why she or he wishes to attend this particular conference;
what role the student will play in the upcoming year to promote iEARN/global partnerships at their school;
what amount (if any) applicants can contribute towards costs and/
or how they anticipate sharing the experience of the conference upon
return to school and community.
Selection Criteria:
Recipient will be selected based on
involvement with iEARN projects and potential contribution to the
summit, as well as continued contributions to iEARN. A committee
consisting of representatives from the iEARN-USA staff and the Kurshan
family will review applications.
Deadline:
Applications should be submitted to: mhabib@us.iearn.org by May 15, 2005. Recipients will be notified by May 30, 2005.
Post-Summit:
The winner will write an article about
his/her experience, and the year following the conference will mentor
other students that are involved in iEARN as well as help to get other
students (and teachers) involved.
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Postcards for Indian students affected by the Tsunami
Next month iEARN-USA Executive
Director Ed Gragert will be traveling as part of an iEARN delegation to
India to visit and deliver school supplies to communities near Chennai
where schools were impacted by the tsunami. If your
students would like to draw postcards and send messages of friendship
and hope to children and families in these communities, Ed can pass
them along when he is in India. Please send them (no larger than
4x6 inches) to the following address so that they arrive in New York by
May 5.
Ed Gragert
iEARN-USA
475 Riverside Drive
Suite 450
New York, NY 10115
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Youth CaN 2005 a great success!
Over 800 students and teachers
from Florida, Colorado, Delaware, New York and 5 other states and 15
countries gathered at the YouthCaN conference at the American Museum of
Natural History last Monday to share with each other how they are
addressing serious environmental issues. Many are using the Internet
and other connective technologies to link their project work with other
students around the world through iEARN. Educator Gail David writes
"Congratulations to all who participated at the Museum in the 2005
YouthCan. It was great, the presentations, tables and the kids. As
always very inspirational and uplifting. The New York City Department
of Education was so impressed with the work that all of you are doing."
For information on YouthCaN, see: http://www.iearn.org/projects/youthcan.html
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iEARN teacher Kerry Sylvia named International Teacher of the Year!
The District of Columbia Geographic
Alliance and the DC Public Schools congratulate Kerry Sylvia for being
named the 2005 International Teacher of the Year. Sylvia received the
Leonard H. Marks Award for excellence in international education, which
advances the study of international affairs in middle and secondary
schools. She began teaching at Cardozo Senior High School five years
ago and currently teaches world history, street law and U.S.
government. The
International Teacher of the Year Award is sponsored by the World
Affairs Council of Washington, D.C. and recognizes the contributions to
international study in the American classroom.
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A Celebration of Excellence: Delaware Teachers Share their iEARN Experience
On April 13th, teachers and their
students from across Delaware state gathered to showcase their
activities from the last year participating in iEARN at the annual
state technology conference, entitled "International Educational
Cluster: Bringing the World to Delaware classrooms.î Colorful
presentations lined the International Gala area as they proudly shared
stories of how iEARN had transformed their teaching and learning. It
was exciting to see the passion and energy students and teachers have
to continue participating in iEARN projects in the coming year even
though the cluster is officially over. The event was also attended by
Delaware State Lieutenant Governor John Carney. See http://www.dcet.k12.de.us/ditc/evening05.html for more information.
Since 2003 iEARN and Delaware have offered an International
Education Cluster to teachers across the state who want to globalize
their classrooms with technology. The cluster includes two portfolios.
Portfolio A begins with the completion of an iEARN online course.
In portfolio B, teachers and students continue to work on projects and
present them at the state technology conference.
Thank you Delaware Teachers and Staff Coordinators for your
enthusiasm and hard work over the past year. We look forward to
your continued participation in iEARN!
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iEARN represented at New Mexicoís 1st Annual Peace Fair
iEARN was represented at the
first annual Peace Fair, Thinking and Acting Globally and Locally, at
the University of New Mexico on March 1st. It was a celebration
of a renewal of a minor in Peace Studies at the university. The
iEARN table, hosted by Betsy Frederick and Celia Einhorn, was one of 50
university and community exhibitors. They shared project books
with interested educators and friends.
Two panel discussions, ìTeaching, Preaching and Seeking Peace in
Classrooms, Communities and Zones of Conflictî and ìPeacemaking for the
Ground up: The Role of Community-Based Organizations,î had a unique
format. Panelists were thoroughly introduced and given five
minutes to state their agenda. Then the panelists asked each
other questions. It was a delightful change from the normal
talking heads that occurs with panels.
Storytelling, poetry reading, music, dance and a release of 20
homing doves added to the celebration. Three areas of making peace are
covered in the Peace Studies program and at the fair:
1) Analyze. understand, and stop direct violence using nonviolent mean
2) Develop restoration and reconciliation needed for violence recovery and
3) Dare to imagine and create the structural and cultural paaterns able to sustain peace and justice in our world.
Keynote speaker Melinda Smith shared
"Toward a Culture of Peace at Home and Abroad." She introduced
the United Nations International Decade for the Culture of Peace.
More information can be found at http://www.unac.org/peacecp/decade/
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2004 Lewin Hot off the Presses!
The 2004 edition of Lewin has arrived! For copies ($10), please contact Mariam Habib at mhabib@us.iearn.org.
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First Outbound BRIDGE Exchange a success!
This spring, US students from George Washington High School for
Law and Public Service in New York arrived in Casablanca, Morocco to
begin their BRIDGE III Exchange. The group visited and
participated in classroom sessions held at Abdelkrim Al Khatabi High
School and were introduced to Mr. Terry White, PAS Cultural Officer and
John Sccaco, RELO Maghreb Officer at the US Embassy in Rabat. In
Marrakech, the US group was welcomed by excited host families and
participated in many activities both in and out of school. The
Headmaster of Abbas Sebti High School formally welcomed BRIDGE students
and encouraged students to participate in classroom sessions. A
highlight of the trip was the filming of a news segment for Morocco's
National TV Channel (www.2m.tv).
The segment included students with their host families and teacher as
well as an in-depth interview with US Student, Margareth Ferruzola.
US students returned from a truly successful and thought
provoking BRIDGE Exchange to Morocco. George Washington teacher Alfa
Aquino wrote to iEARN saying:
ìIt was such a great experience for me and my students. We all
learned so much about the Moroccan culture and traditions. We clarified
our misconceptions about Arabs and most of all we bonded with tolerance
for one anotherÖ Every school we visited treated us very nicely and
welcomed us like if we were family.î
US host families and students from GW High School are hosting
their Moroccan friends nowóstay tuned for a report on their trip in the
next edition of the US newsletter!
The BRIDGE exchanges are funded through a grant from the Bureau
of Education and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State.
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High School In Uzbekistan Seeking US Partner
Mohidil Karimova writes, "I'm a
teacher of English at school 7 in Namangan, in Uzbekistan. It's
situated in Central Asia. We are looking for partner-schools from all
over the world. My group students' ages are 15-17. They study in
the 9th-11th classes. They wait for partner- schools in the US.
We are glad to meet friends-foreigners. Write to us, we hope to
hear from u soon :)" e-mail: Mohidil Karimova
<mohidiluz@yahoo.com>.
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Become a PEARL World Youth News Service Reporter!
PEARL World Youth News is
looking for high school students to join the project as news reporters.
This project will launch an online international news service run by
secondary school students from all over the world. Students will select
the issues to be reported, and collaboratively write, edit and publish
their articles on the web-based news service. These articles will
be made available to schools across the world for publication in
student newspapers.
Students can become certified PEARL Reporters after completing an online training course, which is available at www.iearn.org/pearlproject/index.html. For more information about the project, contact anindita@us.iearn.org.
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Come NECC with US!
IEARN-USA is organizing 13 workshops
at the annual ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education)
NECC (National Education Computing Conference) in Philadelphia, PA on
June 27- 30, 2005. iEARN-USA is also hosting the NECC
International Reception on June 27 from 4:00-5:30 pm.
The US Cadre of Facilitators is working as the backbone of the
implementation. We hope to have video conferencing from NH, WA,
the Natural History Museum in NYC, Botswana, Egypt, Japan, Lebanon,
Pakistan and Taiwan.
ISTE believes that actively listening to what students have to
say is key to revolutionizing education and the learning process.
IEARN-USA is doing five Student Showcases where our students will share
their project work. We have one three-hour workshop on Best Practices,
four concurrent workshops and three Global Galleries, too! Topics range
from A ñ Y, Assessment to Youth Can.
Go to http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2005/
and do a search for iEARN and see how we are all over the program. We
hope to have a ìBirds of a Featherî workshop as wellótime TBA.
IEARN-USA is also sponsoring the International Reception, Monday, June
27, 4ñ5:30 pm, and weíd love to see you there!
Please let us know if you plan to attend this event or if you
have any questions by contacting Celia Einhorn, at celia@pobox.com.
Hope to see you in Philly!
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What have you missed in the US-Center Forum?
Subscribe to the US-Center Forum
to engage in discussions with your US colleagues, exchange resources
and ideas, and receive timely announcements about grant opportunities
and resource materials!
Recent postings include:
Call for Essays and Videos on American Teenage Life
Middle School Teachers Needed to Field Test Lessons on Contemporary Africa
Borders, Waldenbooks Announce ëEducator Appreciation Weekendí
Presidential Freedom Scholarships Available to HS Honor Students for Outstanding Service
International Education Prizes
Fundraising through Recycling
No Child Left Behind Discussion
http://foro.iearn.org/iearnforums/uscenter (Note: Click on "most recent" in the sort options at the bottom to see the latest messages.)
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Human Rights and Global Awareness Educator Training Workshop
The Human Rights and Global
Awareness Educator Training Workshop being held at American University
in Washington, DC affords teachers the opportunity to participate in an
intensive workshop with leading human rights educators. This yearís
conference will be held on August 3-8, 2005. Teachers will receive
curriculum material on the factors contributing to genocide in Rwanda
and Sudan that integrate the importance of tolerance at the global and
community level. Teachers will attend expert lectures on select topics,
observe youth discussion sessions, and partake in field trips to
embassies. Teachers will work with Colman McCarthy and other leading
peace educators.
For more information, please visit http://www.urbansynergy.org/Institute
or email Miya Nazzaro at mailto:yilga@urbansynergy.org, (202) 487-8713.
Accommodations are available at American University or Savoy Suites Hotel.
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High School students: Win $5000 and a trip to New York City!
Do you know high school students who
are passionate about fighting global poverty? NetAid Global Citizen
Corps provides the tools, guidance and support students need to help
improve the lives of the world's poor. NetAid Global Action Awards
honor high school students with $5,000 for college and a trip to the
Awards celebration in New York City. ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO APPLY TODAY!
Go to www.netaid.org. DEADLINE: May 15, 2005
NetAid (www.netaid.org) is a non-profit organization that educates, inspires and empowers young people to take action against global poverty.
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2005 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International EducationóCall for applications
The Goldman Sachs Foundation and Asia
Society are seeking applicants for the 2005 Prizes for Excellence in
International Education. Five prizes of $25,000 each annually recognize
schools, higher education institutions, states, and media/ technology
organizations that are working to "put the world into world-class
education."
The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes were created in 2003 to raise
awareness of the growing importance of other world regions to U.S.
economic prosperity and social well-being, and to promote international
knowledge and skills in American schools. Full eligibility and
application instructions, along with information on past winners, are
now available online at www.internationaled.org/prizes.
Applications are due May 10 for higher education institutions, states,
and media/technology, and May 17 for elementary, middle and high
schools.
iEARN-USA received the Goldman Sachs Foundation inaugural prize
in the category of technology and media in 2003 and iEARN member
Metropolitan Learning Center in Connecticut received the prize in the
high school category in 2004.
Mariam Habib
iEARN-US Membership Coordinator
Connecting Youth, Making a Difference in the World!
t: (212) 870-2693
f: (212) 870-2672
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