Global Updates From World View
September 2007

Using Technology to Connect to the World

As the world continues to change around us, so does technology and the ways it can be used in our schools and classrooms. Why not use technology to increase students’ knowledge and understanding of the world? This month’s Global Update introduces educators to technology, beyond a computer with Internet connection as a means for increasing global understanding. See below for information on popular gadgets and services, authoring and communication tools, online training and support, and additional internet resources. Lists of computer terms and technology grant opportunities are also provided. Technology will continue to change and we welcome your additions and comments on how you are using technology to make global connections!

GADGETS and SERVICES

Classroom Performance System (CPS)
CPS is a student response system using wireless connectivity. It gives instructors and students immediate feedback from the entire class. The response pads are remotes that each student operates and can be used to answer questions from the teacher, or to take multiple choices tests and quizzes. www.mhhe.com/cps/index.shtml

Document Camera
Document Cameras from companies such as AVerMedia, enable the educator to display documents, 3-D objects, microscopic images, and more through multimedia projectors, monitors or TV’s. This new technology enhances the education of today’s visual learning. aver.com

Interactive Whiteboard
Interactive whiteboards allow a computer to become a whiteboard, projected onto a screen or LCD for all of the class to view, or to be view remotely and simultaneously all over the world by networked participants. SMART Technology is a leader in easy-to-use interactive whiteboards and other innovative teaching products. smarttech.com

Smart TV
Smart TV technology will allow the educator to instantly project information from a PC to a television screen and have the ability to toggle to a DVD or VHS system when necessary.

United Streaming
Discovery Education United Streaming is a digital “video-on-demand” and online teaching service. There is a fee associated with using this service. www.unitedstreaming.com

Web Cams
Web cams offer educators the opportunity to introduce their classroom to a live feed from a distant location. Many travel websites now offer a live feed from their web cams allowing students to visit a new destination without ever leaving the classroom. Two-way web cams provide live communication between sister schools, student exchanges, and teacher exchanges. For more great ideas visit: www.educationworld.com/a_tech/sites/sites081.shtml

AUTHORING and COMMUNICATION TOOLS

Elluminate
Elluminate is a provider of live Web conferencing and eLearning solutions. Users can expand the boundaries of the physical classroom with remote guest speakers, connect students from other classrooms around the world for combined lessons, and record content for students who miss a class or need help preparing for exams. In addition to the software, all that is needed is a computer, a hardwire connection to the internet, and a web cam. www.elluminate.com/

Inspiration Software, Inc
Inspiration develops and publishes software tools that encourage learners to brainstorm, organize, plan and create. www.inspiration.com/companyinfo/index.cfm

Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Publisher allows you to create, customize, and publish materials such as newsletter, brochures, flyers, catalogs, and websites. office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/default.aspx

Muvee
Muvee is an automatic video production program that will allow you to choose your photos, home video clip, music, and editing style in order to develop your own presentation. Muvee synchronizes your choices and produces a personalized video show. www.muvee.com/en/

PB Wiki
PB Wiki allows you to create a website that can be edited and collaborated with others. Teachers can mark their wiki public or private allowing only their students to have editing access to the page when necessary. www.pbwiki.com/edu.wiki

Print Shop
Print Shop allows you to create anything from basic greeting cards to elaborate brochures, calendars and more. www.printshop.com

Skype
Skype is a software application downloaded onto your computer that lets you talk over the Internet to other people using Skype, anywhere in the world for free. www.skype.com/

Website creation and development programs (i.e. Dreamweaver and Frontpage)
Easily create your own website as website makers are more user-friendly and intuitive in programs such as Adobe Dreamweaver and Microsoft Frontpage. www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver/ and www.microsoftfrontpage.com/

TRAINING and SUPPORT

Atomic Learning
Atomic Learning provides web-based software training and curriculum resources for a variety of useful applications including word processing, spreadsheets, charts, and publishing applications. movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/home

International Society for Technology Education
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is a source for professional development, knowledge generation, advocacy, and leadership for innovation, promoting the effective use of technology in PK–12 schools and teacher education. www.iste.org

ADDITIONAL INTERNET RESOURCES FOR THE CLASSROOM

American Memories
Digitized versions of primary sources and digitized artifacts. memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

Curriki
Curriki is an online environment created to support the development and free distribution of educational materials. www.curriki.org

EvaluTech
EvaluTech provides access to a wealth of resources that support teacher instructional needs. There are links to lesson plans and web resources, policy information and resources about virtual learning, online professional development, other organizations that evaluate instructional materials, and information about accessibility and research-based programs and materials, all reached through a keyword-searchable database. www.evalutech.sreb.org

Google/Yahoo Videos
Search engines such as Google and Yahoo allow one to choose a topic and research that topic exclusively in a database of video clips. www.google.com and www.yahoo.com

Google Lit Trips
An example of integrating technology with literature, Lit Trips, uses Google Earth to take students on a virtual adventure and discover where in the world the greatest road trip stories of all time took place.www.googlelittrips.com/

iHistory Podcast Project
Create a podcast or listen to a podcast of students and teachers walking through history.
ihistory.wordpress.com/ 

iStock Photos
Royalty free images for purchase or download. www.istockphoto.com/index.php 

Kiva
Help out people in developing countries by giving them small business loans that they pay back to you. www.kiva.org/

Mapping Technology online
Location navigators such as Google Earth and GPS Visualizer combine common mapping techniques with innovative satellite imagery bringing a new sense of geography into the classroom. www.earth.google.com and www.gpsvisualizer.com

WebQuests
Web Quests are internet research activities in which students read, analyze, and synthesize information. For ideas visit: www.educationworld.com/a_tech/sites/sites003.shtml

Wikitravel
Wikitravel provides free travel information in the form of a wiki, allowing the public to edit and add to travel information from all over the world. wikitravel.org

World-O-Meters
Real-time data with tickers continually updating data about world population, carbon emissions, hunger and more. www.worldometers.info/  

COMPUTER L-I-N-G-O 101: TOP 10

#1 Blog (n.): short for “web log”, a blog is a web page that serves as an individual’s public personal journal. Typically updated regularly, blogs often reflect the personality of the author. Other forms Blog (v.): To author a web log.

#2 Breadcrumb (n.):Breadcrumbs are a navigational tool on web sites to and provide a visual trail to show you what virtual path you took to get to the final site.

#3 Cookie (n.) Information sent from a website’s server to your computer and stored by your browser. Cookies are used to provide customized web pages according to a profile of the user’s interests. You provide this information, such as your name and address, when logging on to or registering on a website.

#4 Firewall (n.):A Firewall is a security measure designed to protect a computer’s stored information from intruders by allowing or blocking traffic into and out of a computer network or individual computer.

#5 Link Rot (n.) :A link that no longer is operational, often caused by constantly changing URLs.

#6 Mash-up (n.): A term used to describe a hybrid of two or more different web-based services or applications. Usually created by hackers and programmers, a mash-up, for example, could overlay traffic data from one source on the Internet over maps from Yahoo, Microsoft, Google or any content provider.

#7 Podcast (n.): A web-based broadcast for viewing syndicated multimedia web site content accessible by subscription and typically sent to a mobile device, such as an iPod.
Other forms Podcast (v.): to distribute the web-based content over the Internet to subscribers.

#8 Social Networking Sites (n.): Websites designed to build online communities for individuals with common interests to communicate. Members can share files, photos, chat online, and more. One site in particular, LiveJournal (livejournal.com), is an online journaling community and can be used as another source for students to write, similar to a blog. Individually created pages can be kept private or be made public and used for social networking. Other popular social networking sites include: MySpace (www.myspace.com/), Facebook (www.facebook.com/), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/)

#9 Web 2.0 (n.):A phrased coined in 2004, Web 2.0 refers to the second generation of Internet use, with emphasis placed on user participation and interaction through web-based communities and hosting services including social networking, wikis, social bookmarks, blogging, and RSS newsfeeds.

#10 Wiki (n.) A collaborative web site containing the collective work of many authors. Though similar to a blog, a wiki allows additional users to edit, delete, or modify content that has been placed on the web site.

TECHNOLOGY GRANTS and AWARDS

Best Buy Award - communications.bestbuy.com/communityrelations/teach.asp
Digital Wish Grant - www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/grant_awards
Dollar General Grant - www.dollargeneral.com/community/communityinvestments.aspx
HP Technology for Teaching Grant Initiative - www.hp.com/hpinfo/grants/us/programs/tech_teaching/index.html
IBM Education Grants - www.ibm.com/ibm/ibmgives/grant/grantapp.shtml
Inspired Teacher Scholarship -www.inspiration.com/prodev/index.cfm?fuseaction=scholarship
SMARTer Kids Foundation - smarterkids.org/k12/prep/index.asp (for higher education, pre- and in-service training, and professional development groups)
Technology Inspired Te@ching - bestbuyteach.scholarshipamerica.org/
Thomson Gale - www.galeschools.com/TEAMS/
Toshiba American Foundation- www.toshiba.com/tafpub/jsp/home/default.jsp

Do you have information to share?

Do you have information that you would like to share with other educators across the state? You are welcome to submit interesting global education programs that are going on in your schools, announcements about global education seminars, new resources that others might find interesting, etc. Please email Julie at jmarante@email.unc.edu with your "update-worthy" items!

Reader Mailbag

If you have comments about any of the information contained in the Global Update, shoot us an email! Perhaps your comments will appear here in this new section of the Global Update.

Disclaimer
World View at UNC-Chapel Hill provides information, resources, and announcements for educational purposes only. It does not represent an endorsement of organizations or point of view by World View or The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Global Updates from 2007

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World View Fall K12 Symposium
“Best Practices in Global Education from Around the US”
October 24 & 25, 2007

REGISTRATION CLOSING:
This symposium is almost full. If you plan to attend and are waiting for a check or registration to clear your central office, please contact World View immediately (919/962-9264) so that we can hold a place for you.

World View, with co-sponsors the NC Department of Public Instruction, the Center for International Understanding, NC Public School Forum, and the Asia Society, will present the tenth annual K12 Symposium on October 24-25, 2007.

World View’s Symposium offers general sessions, concurrent sessions on both content and classroom applications, and support for school-based teams in creating an Action Plan for globalizing schools. It is appropriate for all educators at every level. CEU credits will be offered.

Location: The Friday Center for Continuing Education, Chapel Hill

Cost: $135 per person, or $425 for a team of 4 or more from the same school, and only $75 for each additional team member

For more information, or to register please visit www.unc.edu/world or call
919/962-9264

 

World View Community College Symposium 2007

Globalization's Impact & Model Global Programs at Community Colleges in the U.S.

 November 14-15, 2007
The Friday Center, Chapel Hill

Join World View as we explore the impact of globalization and examine successful global education programs at community colleges around the United States. World View's 2007 Community College Symposium will bring community college educators from across the U.S. to present best practices in globalizing colleges and their curriculum. Symposium offers general sessions, concurrent sessions, and support for college-based teams in creating an Action Plan for making your college more international.

For more information, or to register please visit www.unc.edu/world or call
919/962-9264
 

Fulbright Exchange & Hosting Opportunities

Brazil Exchange
 The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to provide an opportunity for U.S. middle/high public school principals/assistant principals who have been recognized for their excellence, achievement and/or leadership on a local, regional or national level to learn more about the Brazilian educational system, visit Brazilian schools, and interact with Brazilian administrators, teachers, and students August 2-16, 2008. Award-winning principals from more than 20 Brazilian states will share best practices in school leadership and administration, teacher development, and community involvement. Brazil Exchange Application Deadline:   March 15, 2008

Host Educators from Uruguay
 The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program is currently seeking U.S. educators to host educators from Uruguay for two weeks in February 2008.  The focus of this exchange is to help Uruguayan teachers and administrators strengthen their local school systems through observation of classes and administration, school relations with the community, curriculum development, active learning, classroom management, technology in the classroom, parental involvement, volunteerism and civic responsibility. Note: There may be an opportunity for up to 8 host schools to send a representative to the partner school in Uruguay for six weeks during July and August 2008. Uruguay Hosting Application Deadline: October 15, 2007

For more specific information about either program please visit the OTHER OPPORTUNITIES page of our website: www.fulbrightexchanges.org

 

Sounds of St. Petersburg:
A Workshop for Music Educators
October 26, 2007
3 - 5:30 PM

The UNC Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies (CSEEES) is proud to sponsor a pre-concert workshop for North Carolina music educators in celebration of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic’s performance at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The Pre-Concert Workshop is from 3:00-5:30 p.m. in UNC's new FedEx Global Education Center. The workshop is FREE, though pre-registration is required

At 8:00 pm St. Petersburg Philharmonic’s evening concert at UNC-Chapel Hill (Optional) begins. Discounted tickets available for workshop participants. Visit www.carolinaperformingarts.org for ticket information.

Suitable for elementary through community college instructors, the afternoon workshop will stimulate teachers and provide them with lesson plans and teaching resources. Themes will include: Russia’s cultural heritage; the history of St. Petersburg; and, most notably, the music of Prokofiev and Shostakovich.

For more information, or to pre-register, contact CSEEES Associate Director, Jacqueline Olich, at jmolich@email.unc.edu

 

The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education

2007 Call for Applications

 

The Goldman Sachs Foundation and Asia Society are seeking applications for the 2007 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education.  The prize program was created in 2003 to raise awareness of the growing importance of international knowledge and skills for U.S. students and annually awards prizes totaling $150,000 in five different categories.  We are pleased to announce that this year we are expanding our State category to also include the 100 largest school districts. 

 

Applications for the elementary/middle school, high school, district/state, and media/technology prizes are due Monday, December 3, 2007.  For more information and to access the online application, please visit www.internationaled.org/prizes.   

 

The 2007 $25,000 Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:


Elementary/Middle School
An elementary or middle school that engages all or most of its students in learning about other world regions, cultures, and languages.

High School
A secondary school that engages all or most of its students in learning about Asia, Africa, Latin America, or the Middle East, or about international affairs through its curriculum and through partnerships with other countries or local organizations.

District/State
A state or one of the 100 largest school districts that is actively promoting the development of international knowledge and skills on a wide scale through the creation of robust policies and specific programming initiatives.

Media/Technology
A program within a U.S. based public or private for-profit or non-profit organization that has developed outstanding programs that use media/technology to educate students or teachers about other world regions and cultures, or international issues. 

Youth (Up to $10,000)*
Five high school students who demonstrate an in-depth understanding of key issues in international affairs and the global economy. * Please note that the 2007 Youth prize competition is now closed. Applications for the 2008 competition will be accepted in early 2008.

 

Cultural Events at the FedEx Global Education Center
UNC-Chapel Hill

The new FedEx Global Education Center at UNC-Chapel Hill will be hosting cultural events every Thursday during fall and spring semesters, including art, film, dance, music and social networking opportunities.  All events are free and open to the public.  Upcoming events include:

September 27 through January 3: Art exhibition showcasing the Women Empowered photography collection by artist Phil Borges, named Hero of Photography by PopPhoto.com.  The collection, through photography and text, tells the stories of women from Asia, South America, and Africa who have empowered themselves and their communities. 

October 11, 7-9pm: performance by Mamadou Diabate (World Music Artist of the Year, American Folk Alliance) introducing audience members to the invigorating yet soulful sounds of the kora, an ancient 21-string West African Harp. 

November 15, 7-8:30pm: high-energy performance by Japanese drummers Triangle Taiko combines music and music from the martial arts. 

For more information visit: www.global.unc.edu