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Volume 1 Issue 8, August 2009
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A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
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What
began at the Microsoft Innovative Worldwide Teachers Conference in Hong
Kong has been nothing less than an amazing journey. Educators from
Nigeria, Canada, Ireland, Indonesia and England, were randomly grouped
and sent off to spend a day together. At the end of the day, we were
challenged to find a way to create a collaborative project that would
involve all our students.
Our group had spent the day discussing similarities and differences in
our students and in the educational systems of our countries. We talked
about the skills our students would need to survive the demands of the
21st century and decided to created a project that would challenge our
students to identify the skills or attributes necessary for success as
a global citizen. Our students each chose someone from their respective
countries they believed exhibited the qualities necessary for success.
Using only images and Photo Story, they demonstrated their version of a
global citizen. The students followed up the Photo stories with an
exchange of questions. In the end, each school created a list of
attributes, much shorter than the teachers had anticipated. What we
witnessed was a clear example that our students, regardless of age,
gender, race or religion, value the same qualities in a person and see
these attributes as necessary for success in the future.
Every project comes with its challenges. Time zone differences, school
holidays and an unreliable Internet connection in Nigeria were all
difficulties we faced. E-mail, Skype and persistence kept our project
going. Iyke, from Nigeria, even provided his students money to use at a
local Internet café when the school's Internet connection was down so
they could continue to participate.
The friendships developed through this project led to another unique
opportunity. Mampuono, the teacher from Indonesia, invited all our
schools to participate in an international conference he was hosting in
Semarang. Not all schools were able to participate, but those who did
were willing to participate via video conferencing late on a Friday
night or at six on a Saturday morning, depending on their time zone.
Students' thoughts about the importance of technology in education were
heard by 600 teachers, administrators and students in Semarang,
Indonesia. Seeing themselves on the screen, and responding to questions
from the audience, put a face and voice to the dot that had once
represented Mampuono's city in Indonesia.
This project has really become about global friendships. My students
were always excited to be interrupted in class when our Skype would
ring to see if it was Indonesia, Nigeria or England calling. They were
thrilled to be asked by Mampuono to provide a Canadian cultural name
for his newborn son, and loved listening to the laughter as they used a
webcam to show snow to those who had never seen it. Just as
importantly, this project is about the development of a professional
learning community between the teachers and the evolution of five great
friendships. This project may be over, but the global friendships are
forever.
Pennies for Pets
This
past year, I watched my primary students learn how to use Alpha Smarts
to practice spelling and writing skills and then coach kindergarten
students on Alpha Smarts. Growth in reading fluency was recorded on
podcasts created with the help of sixth grade buddies. The highlight of
the year was our Kids and Critter page, which was published in The
Daily World newspaper and their e-edition. This project led to our
Pennies for Pets Pay it Forward project.
While participating in a Peer Coach training session, I learned about
Jennie Warmouth's PAWS project. Students write stories about pets that
need homes for an animal shelter. This inspired me to find a way to
partner up my students with our CARA group on the harbor. Our second
graders at Stevens School read about homeless kittens and wrote up
descriptive paragraphs to find homes for the critters. In November,
fourth grade students helped revise and edit the papers and taught the
children how to type their final drafts on laptops. Sixth grade
students volunteered their persuasive writing skills during the
December project. Not only were the children overjoyed to see their
final work published in our local newspaper and online, they were also
proud of themselves knowing that they played an important role in
finding families for these homeless animals.
Later in the year, the children brainstormed creative ways to thank our
sponsors. Our class decided to collect pennies and use the money to
purchase supplies for animals in foster care awaiting adoption.
Children collected, counted, and rolled pennies and then later
brainstormed lists of items pets would need. Our neighborhood bank
allowed the children to exchange pennies for dollar bills, which were
then spent at a local sporting goods store. Later, the children sorted
out the supplies and created one basket for the Pawfect Connection
group and one for the CARA group.
Students presented the baskets to the CARA and Pawfect connections
groups at a school assembly. Afterwards one parent commented, "This is
something the kids will always remember." The assembly offered me the
greatest reward as a teacher; it showed me the empowering effect that
purposeful, authentic lessons have on student growth. They love to
write and initiate discussions of how to help others daily.
When an enthusiastic learner tells me that I am the best teacher he
ever had, I stop and thank the Peer Coaching program for creating a
passion for learning within our school community. The Peer Coaching
program allowed me to work side by side with other teachers who
instilled in me the importance of making lessons purposeful and
authentic. As a result, I am a better teacher and my students are
excited about learning.
5th APAC Innovative Teachers Conference 2009
Microsoft
recently hosted the 5th Partners in Learning Regional Innovative
Teachers' Conference from May 26-29, 2009 in Kuala Lumpur. The event
was jointly hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education
Malaysia, UNESCO Asia-Pacific and TakingITGlobal, an international
non-profit student organization. 
The four-day conference was aimed at assisting educators in developing
teaching methods and school curriculums that empower students to become
agents of change.
The rapidly changing social, economic and technological environment
around the globe emphasizes the increasing need to deliberate and
implement preparation principally among the teachers and youth of
today. Focused on engaging the two stakeholders to critically examine
real world issues and providing them with opportunities to act upon
them locally, this year's theme of Empower, Enact, Engage: Becoming Agents of Change initiates
conversations about globalization and its effects on education. More
than 80 teachers, 50 senior government and education officials, and 30
students from at least 18 countries participated in field-trips,
sharing sessions, collaboration projects and student forums during this
year's conference.
This year's conference was also the first time that the student forum was held concurrently with sessions for teachers.
"Our aim with the innovative teachers program is to help educators and
the relevant stakeholders to connect and engage to further their
professional development, promote the creation of best practices and
developing thriving learning communities," said Microsoft Malaysia
managing director Yasmin Mahmood.
Affirming Microsoft's education initiatives in schools, Secretary
General of the Ministry of Education Malaysia, Tan Sri Dr. Zulkurnain
bin Haji Awang said that traditional teaching and learning methods need
to be supported by an ICT framework and there needs to be deep and
continued collaboration between the private sector and government
agencies to help teachers develop the country's human capital. "The
Ministry is always receptive to positive change in classroom practices
and the approach of integrating ICT into teaching and learning
situations provides an excellent opportunity for us to level the
playing field and raise the bar of education achievement and
standards," he said.
"We are proud that our close relationship with the Ministry of
Education Malaysia and Microsoft has resulted in an initiative such as
this year's Regional Innovative Teachers' Conference, where students
and teachers have the opportunity to share knowledge and learn from
their regional counterparts. It is without doubt that this conference
brings us closer to the UNESCO vision of education as a key to greater
social and economic development," said Dr. Kim Gwang-Jo, Director of
UNESCO Bangkok, commending Microsoft for using its global reach to
enhance education in partnership with government agencies.
For more information about the forum: 
Announcements
A Pledge to Better Education
Policymakers of the modern world, it seems, have come to realize that
any development can hardly be sustainable without quality people to
maintain the efforts that go into such progress. Thus, education has
become a policy priority to all societies alongside economic concerns
and material development. Strong collaboration between the government
and public sectors is indispensible for education systems to keep up
with the 21st century learners' changing needs, especially in terms of
ICT and technological innovations that will prepare them for life as
the global citizen.
The Thai government has recently taken steps to ensure equal access to
good education for all, such as implementing the free 12-year education
policy and partnering with private organizations. On June 10, 2009, the
Office of the Basic Education Commission under the Thai Ministry of
Education did just that as it made a commitment with Microsoft Partners
in Learning Thailand to jointly develop the quality of education in
Thailand through the use of ICT by signing the Memorandum of
Understanding marking the second phase of Thailand Partners in Learning
and cooperation between the two parties. This bonds both Microsoft and
the Ministry of Education in a promise to foster the three pillars of
education, namely teachers, students and schools in terms of innovation.
Partners in Learning Thailand has played a significant role in bringing
ICT into the teaching and learning process since it kicked off as part
of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential worldwide mission in 2004. Some of
their many projects include technologies and curricula that aim to make
education more relevant and accessible, e.g. MultiPoint implementation
in small schools and ICT Accessibility for special-needs institutions.
Meanwhile, many initiatives offer forums for students and educators
alike to push their potential to a higher level, such as IT Youth
Challenge competition and Innovative Teachers Leadership Awards, whose
winners go on to compete in the regional and worldwide levels.
Success of the program has not been easy. The team needed continued
support from its own organization and from OBEC, its counterpart in the
joint operations to arrive at this level of trust and collaboration.
Despite current accomplishments, however, the drive to help improve
education for all is as strong as ever. The mission of the Thai
Partners in Learning program, led by Academic Program Manager Supoet
Srinutapong, in its second phase is closely related to the current
administration's vision to equip students with ICT knowledge, and
guarantee equal opportunities in education, and eventually in life.
Existing projects like MultiPoint, special curricula and Innovative
Teachers will expand to more teachers, students, and schools regardless
of social and economic background.
On the MOU signing day, seeing the range of executives present -
Secretary General of OBEC Dr. Kasama Varavarn, Microsoft Thailand
Managing Director Patama Chantaruck, Michael Donlan, Managing Director
for Public Sector APAC and Saijai Boonyachotima, Thai Public Sector
Director - to congratulate the team on reaching the milestone, it was
easy to assess how committed Microsoft is to the program as executives,
and to expect yet better, more innovative projects to come.
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