Leveraging Technology to Connect to the World was a presentation about using social media and online tools to facilitate global collaboration and 21st century learning. The presentation recommended that educators develop personal learning networks to investigate best practices, model lifelong learning, and find opportunities for global projects. It highlighted tools like Skype, Google Docs, and Twitter that allow for connected, collaborative learning across borders. The presenter urged educators to see themselves as curators and creators of online content and to design structured global projects that engage students authentically.

1. Leveraging Technology to Connect to the World
Chicago International Education Conference
November 9, 2012
Lucy Gray
Lucy Gray Consulting
lucy@lucygrayconsulting.com
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2. Slides available at:
http://www.lucygray.org
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3. Social Media Review
“Online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions,
insights, experiences, and perspectives with each other.”
“Social media are works of user-created video, audio, text or multimedia
that are published and shared in a social environment, such as a blog,
wiki or video hosting site.”
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4. Why Tech?
Take charge of your own professional development and model learning for
colleagues and students.
By developing a PLN, you can investigate best practices and target your
needs and interests. Anytime, anywhere.
You’ll be able to find opportunities for global collaboration.
Our students are networking and we need to understand the spaces
created by social media as well as how to engage kids.
We need to see ourselves as curators and creators of content.
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5. The Highly Connected Educator
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6. 21st Century Students & Teachers
New Connections
Connected
Individuals
New Communities
Virtual
Communities
New Content
Collaborative
Communities
Connected in innovative and new ways
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7. Millennials Want to Learn…
With technology
With one another
Online
In their time
In their place
Doing things that matter
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8. “The Highly Connected Teacher”
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9. The New Media Consortium
The K12 Horizon Report
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10. Creating Innovators
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11. Partnership for 21st Century Skills
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12. Flat Classroom Project® & Book
Julie Lindsay & Vicki Davis
Steps to Flattening Your
Classroom
Project Development
PD Toolkit
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13. Additional Resources
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Esther Wojcicki and Michael Levine
Teaching for a Shared Future: American Educators Need to Think Globally
EdWeek: Global Learning blog by Tony Jackson

14. Example Projects
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15. Earth Day Groceries ProjectMark Ahlness
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16. Projects By Jen
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Jen Wagner

17. Around the World with 80
Schools
Silvia Tolisano
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18. 18
The Writer’s ClubRob Sbaglia

19. Google Lit TripsJerome Burg
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20. Sample VideoValerie Becker
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21. A Whole New MindKarl Fisch
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22. WikiValerie Becker
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23. 23
MyThologyMatt Cauthron

24. The iEARN Project Book
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25. The Classroom Teacher’s Toolkit
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26. Apple Inc.
Tools of the Trade
Photobooth (photos, video, greenscreening)
iChat AV (videoconferencing, desktop sharing
recording)
Garageband (recording, podcasting)
iPod, iPod Touch, iPad - apps
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27. Global Collaboration, Exploration
& Innovation on iTunes U
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28. Generic Toolkit
Still or video camera - Kodak cameras
Web cam - Logitech
Chat client - Skype (free)
Digital recording device or web site
Collaborative workspace - Think.com (Thinkquest), Google Sites,
Wikispaces
Networks - Twitter, iEARN, ePals, TakingITGlobal, Global Ed ning
Web 2.0 Tools - VoiceThread, Voki, Google Docs (Forms), Google Maps
& Earth
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29. Starting Points
ePals
Buck Institute for Education
iEARN-USA
International Baccalaureate
Facing the Future
Flat Classroom Project
Global Nomads
One World Education
Primary Source
Rock Our World
Roots & Shoots
TakingITGlobal
Voices Education Project
World Savvy
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30. Recommendations
Learn to network; network to learn
Keep it authentic
Start small and design very structured projects
Join an existing group project
Develop a customized vision of 21st century learning for
your classroom, school and district
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31. Slides with clickable links
available at
http://www.lucygray.org
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32. Let’s Practice
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Join the Global Education Conference and explore conference
opportunities: http://globaleducationconference.com
Join Twitter and start following people on Lucy’s global education list:
https://twitter.com/elemenous/global-education/members
Join Skype in Schools and explore potential projects
https://education.skype.com/
Join Apple’s Challenge Based Learning Community and identify interesting
projects: http://www.challengebasedlearning.org

33. Contact Info
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lucy@lucygrayconsulting.com
http://lucygrayconsulting.com
http://globaleducation.ning.com
Username: elemenous
On Skype, Twitter, YouTube,
Diigo, Flickr, Delicious