Online Project Based Learning Success Stories:
 The Teddy Bear Project connects USA and Australia:
This June, North Bend Elementary began writing letters to their new
friends in Melbourne Australia. U.S. teacher, Anne Melgaard, and
her students sent a little black bear to Australia, while their project
Australian partners sent North Bend students a kangaroo. The kangaroo
arrived with letters from each student. In turn, Anne's class
began to write letters. Anne shared, "What a delight for my first
grade students! We are excited to be connected to a school in a
country/continent that we've been learning so much about." To
learn more about the Teddy Bear Project, click HERE.
Also this June, iEARN's Teddy Bear Project was featured in "Teddy Bear Scene and Other Furry Friends,"
a favorite magazine for teddy bear activities, collections and
stories. The article, entitled "Organization Ovation iEARN's
Teddy Bear Project" reads, "Imagine a programme where globally,
teachers, students, teddy bears and computers, were able to work
collaboratively to further awareness, understanding, acceptance and
appreciation of cultural difference. Well, iEARN's 'Teddy Bear
Project' is such a programme. The project begins via virtual exchange,
finding partner schools on the online forum dedicated to the
project. From there, the project facilitator matches you with a
partner class... The students write the diary messages as if they are
the visiting bear describing its experiences in the new culture. This
project provides opportunities for authentic writing by providing the
students with a real audience."
Download a Teddy Bear Project Video HERE. |
In This Issue:
- Teddy Bear Project
- Eye to Eye Project
- Art Miles Project
- International Teen Scrapbook Project
- Solar Oven Project
- 1945 Project
- Adobe Youth Voices
- Youth Exchange Study [YES]
- PEARL World Youth News - for youth journalists/reporters
- Taking It Global
- SEED Foundation
- US DOE Survey
- NECC Conference
- iEARN-USA Partners with New Jersey DOE
- iEARN Netherlands Conference/Youth Summit
For more information about how to join the iEARN's global network, please contact Christine Robinson
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Art Projects Spotlight:
In July, teacher Larry Frates, of Laconia Memorial Middle School in New
Hampshire, was recognized for his work in integrating technology in the
classroom. The Laconia online media source, Citizen Online,
interviewed Larry and reported on his fantastic contributions to
project based learning. Memorial Middle Schools students have
worked with several iEARN online projects including the Moving Voices
and the Eye to Eye Projects.
Reporter for
Citizen Online, B. Martin wrote, "The driving force of this program [at
Memorial Middle School] is Larry Frates, but if you ask him he would
tell you otherwise. 'The projects that we do are completely
organized by the children,' said Frates, 'It is a good way for them to
use art, but implicate their other classes as well.' ... Eye to Eye
Project is another program through iearn.org in which his middle school
classes have participated in. This is an international postcard
gallery that keeps kids from 15 different countries in contact. 'The
whole idea is to show a global understanding through arts,' said
Frates. 'It is a good way to help with visual literacy as well as
seeing how cultures vary.' " Read more click here for the PDF version of the Citizen Online article or click HERE. Larry's students have also worked on the Moving Voices Project.
 iEARN and Adobe partner on Adobe Youth Voices, a new global initiative empowering youth to create with purpose. Adobe
Youth Voices is Adobe's a global philanthropic initiative that
empowers youth worldwide to comment on their world using multimedia and
digital tools to communicate and share their ideas, demonstrate their
potential, and take action in their communities... Read More
 iEARN is pleased to announce its expansion of the Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES)
into Mali, Senegal and Ethiopia in the 2007-08 school year. The
YES program is a year-long exchange program funded by the US State
Department, Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau, where students
from countries with significant populations get a taste of American
life by staying in host families and attending high school. iEARN
currently recruits students for this program from Pakistan, Bangaldesh,
and Arabs living in Israel.
Read an article published by Ottumwa Courier, an Iowa media source, about a Pakistani YES student who participated in the program for the 2005-2006 academic school year.
 The PEARL World Youth News project has partnered with Newz Crew
to facilitate online discussions on articles written by its youth
reporters. Newz Crew is an online program run by Global Kids and PBS's
NewsHour Extra to promote media literacy and youth engagement. PEARL
Reporters will now get the opportunity to engage in conversations
on their articles in Newz Crew discussion groups. To get more
information about the PEARL project, go to http://www.iearn.org/pearlproject/ or write to anindita@us.iearn.org.
My Space, Not Your Space
Heather Vale, US (PEARL youth Reporter)
Thirteen is an age many children can’t wait to turn. The
Barbies are tossed and the Hot Wheels are packed in a box. For most
teenagers’ today, surfing the internet is the new obsession. With over
fifty-million members, Myspace is one of the fastest growing Web sites
in the US. Its increasing popularity has had both postive and negative
effects on teenagers...
To read the complete article, click HERE.
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Professional Development:
 National Education and Computing Conference:
This July 4-7, educators gathered for the NECC conference held in San
Diego, CA. iEARN teacher Cathy Law of Orca Elementary School,
presented a workshop entitled, International View of an International
Future: Integrated Projects that Work. As part of her
presentation Cathy explored the benefits of online collaborative
learning using iEARN's Water Habitat and Teddy Bear Projects as a
platform. Surprise guest to the workshop included students from
the John Muir School who shared their thoughts and reflections of
using technology for learning. Students spoke about E-pals and
iEARN's Flying Kites Project.
 NECC
ended on a great note with iEARN hosting a videoconference between
participants in San Diego and teachers attending the annual iEARN
International Conference in Enschede, Netherlands. Approximately
50 USA participants gathered and were connected to the Netherlands
where educators representing Mali, Australia, Suriname, Russia,
Pakistan, Israel, and the United States shared success stories
integrating online collaborative projects, how it works for their
classrooms, and its benefits. The videoconference not only
provided visual aid, but also enabled participants to share best
practices face to face even though miles apart. Katya, a youth
attending the conference in the Netherlands, joined the videoconference
and spoke about what she's learned using online projects, the friends
she's made, and how to make a better world through "peaceful" ways.
NECC is schedule next year on June 24-27, 2007 - if you are interested
in presenting your project work and showcase your students'
contributions to online collaborative learning, or interested in
co-presenting with iEARN - please contact Diane Midness at (212)
870-2693, or email dmidness@us.iearn.org
iEARN Partners with New Jersey Department of Education: June
2006 - the NJDOE announced a $15,000 award to the Office of Academic
and Professional Standards to support a new K-12 international
education project. iEARN-USA is honored to work in partnership
with New Jersey's DOE in an initiative to provide professional
development to teachers on how to integrate online project work into
their classrooms with schools worldwide. More specifically,
professional development will focus on the technical, collaborative,
and organizational skills required to participate in a global and
internet-based learning environment. “Since Fall 2005 a growing number
of teachers have expressed interest in using online technologies to
infuse international/global education into their classrooms,” said
Janis Jensen, New Jersey Coordinator of World Languages and
International Education. “We are very excited about this
opportunity.” To learn more visit NJDOE or email Losira Okelo.
 Educators Learning From Each Other:
July 2006 - Approximately 700 teachers and students from around the
globe participated in iEARN's Annual International Conference hosted by
iEARN Netherlands. The conference gathered educators for
peer-to-peer workshops that closely examined the methodology and
pedagogy behind project based learning and the benefits of online
collaborative projects. Participants were able to select from a
variety of workshops centered on educational themes including
sustainable development, iEARN online projects, professional
development, new educational concepts, special needs, new developments
in ICT and much more....
The conference also supported a Youth Summit for all participating
youth. Daily, youth published and distributed a newsletter
including comics, conference workshop news, and commentary from
contributing youth writers. In May, iEARN USA announced the
recipients of the 2006 Kurshan Scholarship to middle school students
and sisters, Elizabeth and Katelyn Clark twins from Hixson, TN.
The Kurshan Family - longtime supporters of iEARN and members of the
iEARN-USA board awarded Elizabeth and Katelyn $1,500 towards travel and
conference fees.
Elizabeth and Katelyn both sent iEARN-USA personal reflections sharing their international experience. Elizabeth wrote, "I
met so many new people and I got to have the experience of a lifetime.
I got to experience what it is like in other countries and about other
peoples’ lives..." Katelyn shared, It was full of experiences
about saving the world and how we all connect together. I met many new
friends from all over the world and we are keeping in touch even though
the IEARN Conference is over. I learned how to be a better citizen, not
only to my country, but to earth as well..."
Click here to download their PowerPoint about the iEARN Netherlands experience.
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