Comments on: Grassroots Global Collaboration

By: Trudy Sweeney

Trudy Sweeney — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:05:39 +0000

This is a really insightful blog post Graham. Sitting here at the blogging lounge at NECC I think this is an excellent example of reflective practice and about your experiment. Thank you for your insights and I am sure that the group I present to will appreciate your honest sharing of the difficulties and value of global collaboration. Kepp up the wonderful efforts!

By: Borderland » Blog Archive » Classroom Collaborative Give and Take

Borderland » Blog Archive » Classroom Collaborative Give and Take — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:41:46 +0000

[...] calls it a grassroots collaboration. And that, it is. He set up a wiki last August called Spin the Globe. It’s a web space where [...]

By: John Concilus

John Concilus — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:58:21 +0000

Graham,

Nice hearing about your project with Fairbanks! That community is “on the road system”, as we say here in Alaska, not in the “Bush”…yes, both your country and ours has area that is describe with that term

Our school district is about the size of Great Britain, and has many active classroom and school blogs in place (100 ). Virtually all of our communities are either Inupiaq Eskimo, Yup’ik Eskimo or Siberian Yup’ik Eskimo villages. You can see Russia across the Bering Strait from four of them.

Many of our teachers and their students are using our Open Content wiki system to collaborate across time and distance. The system is open to all,
and our blogging teachers would probably welcome a collaboration with an Australian school.

Thanks again for your post.

Regards,

JTC…in the Bering Sea

By: Ben Papell

Ben Papell — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:01:48 +0000

Hi,
My name is Ben Papell and I am one of the founders of Voicethread. I hope you don’t mind, I came across your blog and wanted to express my thanks to everyone here who has given us a try. Dealing with school firewalls and restrictions can be difficult but it is not impossible. If you need any help or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thanks again, and I hope Voicethread is something truly useful to you and your students in the classroom.

Ben Papell
voicethread.com

By: Julie Lindsay

Julie Lindsay — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 19:54:08 +0000

Graham, you are absolutely right, and no I did not think you were having a go at all. I am enthralled with the many different online collaboration models that have developed over the past year or so, most using Web 2.0 tools of course to facilitate communication. I did not mean to be lofty when I said ‘…and more importantly’ in terms of promoting higher order thinking in a project however somehow I think we all need to be aiming at changing the world just a little each time we embark on these collaborations. I believe we do make a change for the better by improving understanding and cognition of alternative ways of living.

By: Graham Wegner

Graham Wegner — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 12:08:06 +0000

Thanks, Julie. I hope you realise that in no way was I “having a go” at the sort of topics covered by Flat World or Horizon Project. They are worthwhile but I do think that students would need to be at an appropriate age and maturity level to do so successfully. Doug and I were really keen to do our own thing and forge our own way without following anyone else’s design or process. First time at this sort of thing for both of us and both of us dealing with kids who in general are not very web savvy or particularly worldly. That’s a quality you might find in an International School but so many of our kids haven’t ever left the state they live in. It was enough to investigate each other’s part of the world – getting 11/12 year olds to realise that not everyone lives the way they do is a big enough challenge as you would realise if you read some of the questions. As with all good inquiry processes, you start where the learner is and in this case, that includes the teachers.

By: Julie Lindsay

Julie Lindsay — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:14:58 +0000

Graham, I applaud your grass roots approach with global collaboration. Thank you for mentioning our Horizon project from earlier this year. I love your ‘spin the globe’ wiki. I agree with you that it is the teachers who often do most of the learning in these projects.
I’d just like to add that I see a place for both the project you have embarked on and the, how did you call it, ‘high concepts’ project as well. Yes, students are interested in themselves and how they fit into the world however there comes a time when a project needs to challenge higher order thinking skills and go beyond the ‘I’ll show you mine if you show me yours’ basic approach. Essentially we are all on the same page as educationally we are trying to raise awareness of life outside of the box. You know the new Flat Classroom Project starting about now involves my Grade 10 class in Qatar with 6 other classrooms. Yes, like you we are learning there are ‘no penguins in Alaska’ but more importantly my students have already said they want to show the others that they ‘are not terrorists’ just because they live in the Middle East (their words). So, I am holding my breath on this one while encouraging a deeper interaction but, hey, you and I already know the best fun they will have is exchanging favourite music and hanging out on MSN.

By: Graham Wegner

Graham Wegner — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 11:02:33 +0000

Al, I’m taking that you’ve had no issues with VoiceThread in your school. As far as a tool with potential goes (and we know there’s a million of ‘em) I like the fact that VoiceThread brings in visuals and voices – a multi-literacy tool for sure. Count me in for your eTeacher initiative – with all due respect to the other eTeachers, you are the one with the experience to push “open social networks and Web2.0 tools”.

Sue, I did mention that the adults involved in our project could potentially be the biggest learners!

By: Sue Waters

Sue Waters — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 01:56:20 +0000

Now you will probably be laughing about this after writing so much great stuff in this post but I said out load I didn’t know “there are no penguins in Alaska !”. My 8yr old (year 3) who is still sick with the gastro heard me and has now gone onto explain to me the difference between the North and South Pole — incredible also explained that Scott died coming back to the South Pole and used pony’s instead of dogs to pull their sleds. Now seriously concerned that I might attend year 3 classes because he knows way more about these subjects than me.

Wow — the power of global collaboration–opens up great conversations with your own children.

Sue

By: Al Upton

Al Upton — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 13:50:15 +0000

I hope I haven’t forced you to be accountable or anything Graham! There are plenty of others in the system doing that for us … and you certainly have nothing to prove.

I am, however, very excited to see you sharing what has been happening in your class. No surprises at the quality and student outcomes. Mind you I do have a bit of insight seeing your posts, tweets, networking, presentations etc. I was particularly fascinated to see what direction you’ve gone with Doug since our initial chat (CEGSA State Conference) about what you might do in terms of global collaboration. Congratulations to the both of you particularly considering all the challenges that occur along the way!

We really need more people who not only can find the time but be bothered to outline so comprehensively their shared journeys – warts and all.

As you know, I’ve been a fan of using VoiceThread with the kids for a while now … I really like your use to ask questions on a topic – very tidy indeed. In fact remember when I asked you what do you think would make a good online event? Well, only these holidays, I’ve been thinking that VoiceThreads would make a wonderful ongoing ‘event’. I could create this as an eTeacher beginning next term possibly. Students with teacher guidance … (which often = teachers with student guidance) would create VoiceThreads related to a chosen theme, a generic statement (‘Your Learning’, ‘Your Life’, ‘Your … type of thing) In fact a thought just now that might work [Who cares who sees it? It's just an idea and I reckon the earlier an idea is shared the sooner it's shared - OK, I don't know what I reckon] …

‘My Favs
Share Your Favourites Online with VoiceThreads’

That just could have the appeal, flexibility, openness (beyond walled gardens and not just SA) and exposure to a versatile online tool. Teachers can ‘dip their toes in’ (or dive if they choose) and cater for ‘tomorrows lesson’ at the same time. For DECS reasons it will also exist within Moodle (accountability, numbers etc but also could be accessed externally.
If it’s okay with you, I would also like the option to use VoiceThreads as a means to ask questions and others can add comments.
I’m not ready to give up using the eTeacher opportunity to expose and encourage educators and students to use open social networks and Web2.0 tools. What do you think? Cheers, Al