This was a really exciting week in that my classmates and I were to present a Micro-Talk on a website pertinent to our global literacy class. I was really impressed, but not surprised, at the quality of work and effort that went into each of my classmates presentations. And as usual we learned so much from each other. More specifically we were informed of the many online websites that offer exciting and engaging programs to teachers and students with various opportunities to learn and share globally.
As I began researching an initial sight for my micro-talk, I started with one called ThinkQuest. It looked overflowing with exciting projects, student competitions, and resources for teachers and students. Unfortunately, as I delved further into the website I realized that it was no longer in service and the links to past website projects tended to be unavailable. So I went on a mission to find another website. I stumbled upon one called Global SchoolNet. As I looked into it more and more I realized this would fit appropriately into the assignment and I decided to use it for my Micro-Talk.
GlobalSchoolNet offers a variety of programs and projects to link students around the globe. There are links within each page of the website so at first it can be a little challenging to stay on track and find the information you started looking for. I found this to be true in the tab “Online Expeditions and Virtual Field Trips”. There were also some tabs that were not accessible due to being in the process of re-formatted to a new version yet. However there are other parts of the website that are easier to navigate through and find project information as well as students sample work, as was the case with my Micro-talk example of the “Santa’s Letters” project. All in all I think there is a lot to offer teachers and students within this free website.
My classmates feedback on my Micro-talk was positive and there were some questions as to how to find more project samples and how it compares to the iEARN website. I agree it can be somewhat limited in the areas of student work, but perhaps that is because I was just getting to understand how to navigate through it. If anyone has questions there is a place to send questions and feedback regarding the site. In reference to how it compares to iEARN, I found both were based on the same premise of learning,sharing and linking globally through project based learning but found the iEARN site a little more user friendly.
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