Teaching and Learning Across the Globe

This : Classroom2.0: the Book Chapter can be downloaded by clicking on this link or copy the following link and paste it into your browser http://www.scribd.com/doc/100215715/Anne-Mirtschin-and-Lorraine-Leo...

Emerging technologies are enabling exciting and innovative ways to connect, collaborate and create with others across the world. Anne Mirtschin, a secondary teacher of a small rural prep to year 12 school in, Hawkesdale, Australia and Lorraine Leo a primary teacher in a larger school in Boston, USA met on Classroom2.0 and shared each a passion for global education and immersing technology in the classroom.

Their classes have been able to connect successfully in both synchronous and asynchronous times. A variety of tools have been used for connecting and collaborating. From simple emailing of images for classroom use, collaborative voicethreads, google docs, videoconferencing etc through to the empowering virtual classroom (DiscoverE and Blackboard Collaborate) where students have shared festivals, their passions, location etc in real time. These virtual classrooms have included a blend of different age groups, from 5 to 86 year olds, a mix of educational tiers eg students, teachers, university professors, research scientists, pre-service teachers and a mix of participants from up to five continents in the one e-classroom.

Read the chapter to discover more about this four year old friendship and the way it has impacted on their classrooms and learning within and beyond those classrooms.

Do you see this as a typical classroom of the future and something that can be achieved by many? Have you used similar or different tools for connecting and collaborating on a global scale? Do you have experiences to share with us. How important do you see global education to be? How can innovative use of technology empower learning further?

Tags: Anne_Mirtschin, Blackboard_Collaborate, Lorraine_Leo, beyond, blended_classrooms, classroom2.0_book, discoverE, global_classrooms, global_ed, videoconferencing