ePals Project Participation

As a requirement of my graduate program through Southern New Hampshire University, I am a student in a course entitled Global Educational Technology. The course focuses on the use of technology as part of a global education, highlighting several important aspects of 21st century learning. Students that have global technology educational experiences gain many important lessons such as cultural awareness, collaboration and communication. Authentic global learning experiences can also help students develop the tools needed to have safe, respectful, responsible and appropriate interactions in the digital world. These lessons are important experiences for our 21st century learners to have if they are to be successful after graduation.

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ePals is a website that connects classrooms in an effort to provide opportunities for collaboration. According to ePals (n.d)  “by engaging in authentic learning experiences about relevant issues, students, teachers and mentors learn and work together, strengthening core learning while motivating learners and building self-confidence and skills necessary for future careers”. Collaboration and self directed learning are two components essential to success in a global society. Learning experiences like ePals provide authentic opportunities for 21st century global communication.

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In order to truly experience learning which will prepare students for the world today, we must prepare students to be a part of the global world. According to Thomas Friedman’s lecture “The World is Flat” (2005) the world has essentially become flat, because technology has made participation in instant global communication a reality. In order to prepare our students for this flat world, we must provide them with as many real world experiences as possible. We can utilize the technologies that we already have to bring the flat world into the classroom. Tools such as ePals provide a plethora of engaging lessons and opportunities for student to learn and communicate globally.

References

ePals. (n.d.). ePals. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://www.epals.com/

Friedman, T. (2005, May 16). The World is Flat. MIT Video. Retrieved February 3, 2014, from

http://video.mit.edu/watch/the-world-is-flat-9145/

Embedding Digital Texts

Technology is much more than just computer hardware and the internet. Technology includes digital text, online learning opportunities as well as software. In order for students to prepare to be successful in a global digital society, we need to utilize these tools in our classrooms, and not simply replace a paper and pencil with a computer for word processing. 

There are a variety of digital texts available that can be used for learning. Digital textbooks, story books and research materials can all be effective tools for learning. Digital textbooks and collections of digital materials provide students with a more up to date learning experience. Schools are no longer held to the high prices of print textbooks, and can even choose to curate their own materials. According to Davis (2013) Florida has "already adopted legislation requiring districts to spend half their instructional-materials budgets on digital content by 2015-16". These changes have prompted several textbook companies to develop apps and other digital content that are more accessible than their traditional textbooks. (Davis, 2013)

In addition to bringing digital text into our classrooms, we also need to utilize other learning opportunities such as e-learning, virtual courses and massive open online courses. Many sites, such as KhanAcademy.com offer learning dashboards that can be used by students and monitored by a teacher. Like Khan Academy, some sites are free, while others, such as Aleks.com, are fee based, though both provide individualized experiences based on a student's unique needs. Similarly, online or virtual courses, such as those through Virtual Learning Academy (VLACS.org, n.d.) provide a wide variety of students with individualized learning experiences that allow teachers to work one on one with students. These types of sites allow students to learn at their own pace, taking additional time as needed to practice each concept. 

In addition to digital texts and online courses, there are many open course softwares available to use in the classroom. Open source learning platforms, such as Moodle (Moodle.org), provide teachers and students with the opportunity to create their own web based courses. These tools can be used for blended learning or for 100% online learning opportunities (Moodle.org, n.d.). Since Moodle is web based, content can be easily accessed all over the world. Open source softwares provide tools for fully customized lessons and content. 

Utilizing these tools can help to reinforce the technology used in the classroom. They can also be used to personalize each student's learning and to make the content more accessible to all students. 



Resources

Moodle.org (n.d.).  MoodleDocs. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://docs.moodle.org/26/en/About_Moodle

Davis, M. R. (2013, February 6). 'Big Three' Publishers Rethink K-12 Strategies. Education Week: Digital Directions. Retrieved March 14, 2014, from http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2013/02/06/02textbooks.h06.html?cmp=ENL-DD-MOSTPOP

VLACS.org (n.d.). Virtual Learning Academy Charter School. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://vlacs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=141&I