Connecting Your Class to the
World

First,
Sharpen
Your
Technology
Skills

Locate Others in Your School
Interested in International
Collaboration

Encourage Students to Find
Global Peers

Find a Mentor
Join a Network

Find a Project

Take Time…Learn about
• Culture
• Language
• Country
• Region
• History
• Politics
• Religion

Make No Assumptions
• Slang
• Age, sex, socio-economic status
• Emotions
• Abbreviations
• Complex words

International
• Metric system
• 24 hour clock
• What season?

Why
is
International
Collaboration
Important?

Helps to Create Multicultural
Awareness of Human
Experiences Blended Across
and Between all Content Areas

Issues
• School firewalls, blocking
software, school policies
• Lack of school student
email accounts
• Conflict in international
school calendars

Issues
• Length of project
• Grading of project
• Student/teacher project
management
• Number of participants

Ensure Success!
• Write and enforce Netiquette
policy
• Students copy teachers on
all email
• Contact partner teachers
weekly
• Create realistic goals and
timelines

Ensure Success!
• Projects no longer than three
months
• Join projects already in
progress
• Join projects with two or
more schools

Websites – Where to
Start
• Teacher’s Guide to International Collaboration
on the Internet (best place to start)
http://www.ed.gov/print/teachers/how/tech/internatio
• E Pals http://www.epals.com/
• Global School Net
http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.cfm
• Global Gateway http://
www.globalgateway.org.uk/
• IEarn http://iearn.org/ (international)
• IEarn http://us.iearn.org/ (U.S.)

Attribution
• Music: Yiourgh by DoKashiteru from
http://ccmixter.org/; used in compliance
with Creative Commons license
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/sampling+