Global+Citizen+Project+(home)

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Global Citizen Project
A combined desire to marry technology and critical thinking with collaboration and citizenship led Crystal Bohn and Christina Tuttle (the project leaders) to look for an opportunity to work together, build capacity within a larger circle, and effect pedagogical change. They sought to answer the key question: How can elementary students from two Calgary Board of Education schools use technology to collaborate effectively?
 * Technology Enhanced Collaboration: A Cross School Global Citizenship Initiative**

Using the Millennium Development Goals ( [] ) as inspiration, the Grade three students from two Calgary Board of Education (CBE) Schools (Hawkwood and Wildwood) engaged in current affairs through a unique cross-curricular inquiry project. The main goals for the project were for learners to develop a deeper understanding and awareness of global citizenship, to share their unique perspectives on the chosen topic, to construct understandings through collaboration with peers, and to provide an opportunity for students to contribute to a larger project.
 * Project Description **

Primary students in two CBE schools (Hawkwood and Wildwood) participated in this project. The rationale behind selecting these classes stemmed partly from access – both project leaders worked in the schools with the students allowing them to devote the time necessary to manage the project, and provided a teacher-student relationship to increase personalization. Secondly, these schools have different populations offering a more heterogeneous sampling. Lastly, due to the students’ limited experience with technology (this aspect of technology use was completely new to them), the project leads hoped to get a more valid account of how technology aids collaboration.
 * Context **


 * Participating Schools **
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-02-19_at_5.10.36_PM.png width="139" height="133"]] || Hawkwood School, located in a Northwest community in Calgary, Alberta, offers an inclusive learning environment, which supports a diverse population of over 470 learners including English Language Learners (ELL), and students with Special Education Needs (SEN). This school focuses on incorporating UDL principles and inquiry based practices to enhance personalization for students. Development of critical thinking, problem solving, and literacy skills are central goals in this learning community. ||

Prior to commencement, the project lead teachers composed a detailed letter for guardians and parents explaining the purpose of the project, curricular connections, information about potential software programs and digital tools including any potential/known risks, and or benefits for learners. Parent consent on the ** Consent to Post or Publish Student Information and Work ** form was required for all project participants. To ensure due diligence and to mitigate potential risks for participants the following steps were taken when incorporating Web 2.0 tools:
 * < Similarly, Wildwood School provides personalized instruction through the Circle of Courage, a Constructivist methodology, and integration of digital technologies. UDL principles are paramount to supporting the high percentage of ELL and SEN students. Located west of Calgary’s downtown core, Wildwood School offers an inclusive learning environment supporting approximately 400 students speaking over 44 different languages. ||< [[image:Screen_shot_2012-02-19_at_5.01.26_PM.png]] ||
 * Mitigating Risks **
 * Single educator licenses were purchased for Voice Thread, which provided an extra layer of security by allowing the students to sign in under the teacher rather than with their own accounts.
 * Only first names and last initials were used when sharing student artifacts (audio, visual, digital, text etc.)

A variety of digital technology tools and software programs were used for collaborating, researching and creating artifacts. These tools supported and enhanced development of a deeper understanding of the complexities of the issue including: Voice Thread ( [|http][|://][|voicethread][|.][|com][|/][|about][|/][|features][|/] ), Desire 2 Learn ( [|http][|://][|www][|.][|desire][|2][|learn][|.][|com][|/][|products][|/][|learning][|-][|suite][|/] ), email, The Internet, and the CBE Innovation Wall. Below is a description of the various digital tools and how they were utilized to increase learning:
 * Embedded Digital Technologies **
 * Voice Thread enhanced personalization by allowing students and teachers to provide written, oral, or video feedback on student work, images, or video clips. This formative and self-assessment tool also enabled students to 'write over' others' work or their own.
 * Desire 2 Learn, a digital learning management system was used to share resources (videos, text, pictures, etc.) and to provide an online discussion forum for sharing thoughts and ideas about the project. Some teachers within the project used D2L for formative assessment, collecting key information regarding student understanding, and to guide future planning.
 * A project wiki http//technologyenhancedcollaboration.wikispaces.com/ was created as a resource for other educators, and to model collaborative learning for students. Embedded within the wiki are links to a variety of resources, project exemplars, and supporting research. Student artifacts such as digital stories, podcasts, art, poems, written reflections, etc. will continue to be posted on the wiki as created throughout the remainder of the project.
 * The Innovation Wall (a multi-touch, series of LCD screens located in the new CBE Education Centre downtown) [|http][|://][|www][|.][|innovativelearning][|.][|ca][|/][|sec][|-][|learntech][|/][|InnovationWall][|.][|asp] is being used to showcase and celebrate learning. This unique platform will continue to provide opportunities for students to share their findings with the greater public in order to create awareness, and potentially to raise funds for the cause.