Global+Classroom+Connections


 * What is Global Classroom Collaboration? ** Global Classroom Collaboration is a way of introducing learners to work together with their peers from around the world. Working in this capacity will give students an advantage when they enter the workforce. The Global Classroom will actively use tools such as social networking, cloud-based computing, collective intelligence, increased and free/affordable connectivity, portable devices, and other technologies not yet developed to help learners of the world educate themselves and one another.

Entering the global classroom can be as simple as having your class or school become a member of one of the many online social learning communities that already exist. Here are just a few that are currently operating:
 * First Steps into the Global Learning Community **





**Why Collaborate Globally? ** We, humanity, are one people - with many faces, many colors, many beliefs - sharing one home, one destiny, one global future. To keep our world safe and the future promising for today's youth, we must work and learn and grow together. The //Telecollaborate// Project It is necessary to implement the process of global collaboration today. Because learners around the world are already utilizing modern technologies to educate themselves, it is a natural progression to gather this collective intelligence and share with other learners to prepare for the world as it will exist in 2025. The image below depicts a web chat occurring live between a classroom in Poland and a peer classroom in the United States.

**Global Collaboration promotes:** •Cultural awareness •Improved language skills  •Learners who are more adequately prepared to work in an increasingly global marketplace  •Increased technological expertise  •Preparedness to live and work in a diverse setting  •Adaptability to different teaching styles  •Development of personal and social connections

**Developing Systems for Student-Centric Learning** Learning in a global classroom does not necessarily have to take place in a setting as formal as the existing communities. Students in Universities around the globe have begun developing free international open-source language learning opportunities whereby native speakers of 2 languages educate one another on the usage of their language. Utilizing webcams, students can learn from a native speaker the proper methods of pronunciation, and correct word formation and appropriate facial gestures. (Christensen, p. 122) This methodology provides students with the necessary skills to utilize their new language in much the same way as a native speaker, and it incorporates all of the additional benefits associated with global learning. This is a perfect example of utilizing Collective Intelligence to create a student-centric learning opportunity.

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This short video tells the story of a young man who has learned the craft of cinematography through connections he has made around the world, and he credits these people as his teachers

The United States Department of Education has created a website with information to help classrooms become globally connected:

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