I'm leading workshops on global collaborations during the next few weeks and I'd love to share the collective wisdom of this group. Here are my questions for you:
- What are the characteristics of a successful global project?
- How do you find project partners?
- What do you need to take into consideration when planning a project that you plan to host or organize?
- What tips, tricks and resources would you recommend to people just getting started with global collaborations?
Answer one or many of these questions in the comment section below this post. I look forward to your responses!
Thank you,
Lucy Gray
PS - If you want to see our workshop wiki, it's located here and I'll be adding to it over the next few days:
https://sites.google.com/a/lucygrayconsulting.com/globalcollaboration/home
Replies
A successful global project must include authentic and timely content material.
Journey North is a web-based educational project that engages students and citizen scientists in authentic tracking of animal migrations and seasonal change. As students participate their sightings and data to the site, they contribute to a large data pool. Students can engage in research on sunlight and the seasons, or animals on their migration route. Students also can partner with other participants to share aspects of their lives in their schools and natural habitats.
A successful global project is project-based. Journey North offers a hands-on tulip test garden project where students across the northern hemisphere plant gardens and report when they emerge and bloom. All their data is shown on real time maps.
Students make observations in their own hometown, and watch the wave of spring as it moves across the globe. This project enlists the help of students as citizen scientists to monitor seasonal change in a scientific way.
Finding global participants who want to partner is difficult without initiatives such as the Global Education Conference.
Thank you, Mary Hosier at Journey North http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tulip/index.html
Hi Mary -
I have heard so many good things about Journey North! We're glad to have you here as part of our community. Feel free to post anything about your work and I hope that you or someone from JN will consider submitting a proposal for the conference in November!
Thanks,
Lucy Gray
GEC Co-Chair
I have read the questions and thought I wish to think over them, they are just my questions :)
The first thing that comes into mind: a project should be beneficial to all the participants (teachers, students, even educational bodies).
The Internet is a great resource to find partners and there are some old true friends such as iEARN projects.
I try to find a kind of a country landmark significant for every country/every participant (schools, food, money, etc.).
I am this very person who has just started with global education conference and looking forward tips and recommendation. My first step is serfing Global Education Conference site and its resources, ideas, people. It is an exciting trip I should say!!
A successful global project is one which is very close knit.As Diane has mentioned all teachers need to form a close relationship. My journey is just seven year old dating back to 2005.But,again as Diane has mentioned,I too enjoy very close bond with the teachers with whom I started my online journey.
For any project,like any relationship,to be successful,one needs to be very flexible.Every school has a different time period,different style of functioning,so no matter how methodical or systematic we are,we need to take care of other school teachers availability,schedule,etc....
I
Hi Lucy,
I could go on and on about this topic. I recommend you and those in your workshop look at the Exchange 2.0 Technology Enhanced International Eduction Guide at http://www.connectallschools.org/exchange-guide-international-colla... This has a wealth of information. I will be following your discussion here for new resources to add to it.
My personal experience which goes back to 1989 is that the most successful projects are those where teachers form a close relationship and everyone is involved in the planning and decision making. I have close friends still from those first projects I help with.
Warmly,
Diane