How the World Plays

1. How the World Plays H. Lori Schnieders, Ed. D. Marjolein de Bore Pieter van Parreeren

2. THE MORE STRANGERS YOU TALK TO, THE FEWER STRANGERS THERE WILL BE!

3. The project has been a journey from alienation to connectedness. A chance for children to connect in a world beyond their own point of view, by first understanding the ritual and tradition that make up their own “one square mile”.

4. My Premise for the project • If we look beyond race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, or special needs, our culture involves values, attitudes, customs, beliefs, and ethics. By researching our own square mile of existence and then by “teaching” it to fellow researchers from a different part of the globe, we will begin to see how the diversity that makes us who we are is really not so different from others geographically separated from us. The intent of the project is to begin building bridges, which will open the doors for tolerance and acceptance of each individual on our ever-shrinking globe.

5. Those of us who were involved in the project had the opportunity to “get out of the box” so to speak when it comes to thinking about diversity. We too often make the mistake of thinking that cultural diversity refers only to people who are different from us. I believe we should not cling to that narrow definition. Each of us has a cultural heritage, often one that is intricately woven from many diverse strands. Each of us lives in a family and community that draws on, as Moll and Greenberg stated in 1990, a wealth of knowledge and skills to help us function.

6. The Internet Provides a new and wonderful means of education for children. With this technology, they have the ability to learn more than ever before, and they will actually have fun doing it. Now, instead of just reading information about a geographical area or specific culture from a book, children have the opportunity to actually talk to people who live in that area to get a first-hand report of what it is like. A student's interest is peaked when he or she can relate to it on a personal level, which means greater comprehension and an increased awareness of who is on the other side of the globe.

7. Instead of being limited to what they find in their schoolbooks, children can log-on to the Internet and find seemingly unlimited information on nearly any given topic. Learning skills are enhanced, as they are enticed to venture further and further into their subject of interest. A study by the Center for Applied Special Technology concludes that children perform better on comprehension, presentation, and communication skills, in addition to six other key learning criteria, when they have access to the Internet.

8. The 21st century child can be defined as a “Global Citizen” Global citizen: someone who is aware of the wider world and has a sense of their own role as a world citizen; respects and values diversity; has an understanding of how the world works economically, politically, socially, culturally, technologically and environmentally, is outraged by social injustice; participates in and contributes to the community at a range of levels from the local to the global; is willing to act to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place; and takes responsibility for their actions (Oxfam, 1997).

9. Partnerships • The first connections in the pilot years 1999-2000 were made with English speaking students US & UK • During the 2006-2007 school year primary schools from The Netherlands with new English language speakers was added • Three schools in The Netherlands were paired with three schools in the US one school in Alabama, one in Tennessee and one in Kentucky.

10. Components added • A teamsite with Micromedia Breeze for desktop conferencing was added to enhance the connectivity • The teamsite was dubbed the International playground

11. SURFgroepen Team Sites It's Safe! Sorry! • Only members have access • Members can share documents • Share Pictures • Work on their presentations • Publish Links • Show movies • Work together in Breeze Only Students and staff of Dutch Universities can set up a SURFgroepen Team Site! However; they can add everyone to their Team Site, even as Administrator.

12. Children Connecting Cultures The realization

13. Children Connecting Cultures. • The most valuable learning moments for children are real life experiences. • Explore the environment of the children as broad as possible. Their own ideas are the most valuable

14. The use of images • To keep it simple for the Dutch children, we let them communicate through images. • They learned how to work with digital cameras and how to make movies.

15. Contact with America • The children got their own e-mail addresses so they could log on to www.surfgroepen.nl • The children learned how to post text and images and how to use their e-mail. • Webcam contact was not possible because of time difference.

16. The presentation • The children wrote their own English text and used the images they made from their own environment. • They made a short movie with windows movie maker to give a real image of our home.

17. The value of video conferencing for children • VC brings the real life experience back to the children. • The contact with children from other cultures inspires them to look at their own culture in a different way.

18. Vision for the Future • Expand the curriculum to a science component • Environmental one square mile research • Secondary component • Add a language lab in the teamsite • Secondary component • Develop a website • Funding 

19. QUESTIONS PLEASE