international – iLearn Technology

Our Little Earth: Global News for World Citizens

November 20, 2013November 16, 2013Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment4420 views

What it is: Our Little Earth is a great international online newspaper for kids. It is delivered every two weeks directly to email and best of all, it is free! Past editions of Our Little Earth can be found on the site for students to read and explore. Each issue helps students stay informed about what current events are happening in the world around them. Every edition has a map showing students where the news came from for the issue. The articles are easy for students to read and do a great job of offering enough background information so that students can make connections to the text and better understand it.

How to integrate Our Little Earth into your classroom: I really like Our Little Earth kids news, it is simple in its delivery, but packs a substantial punch of great information. This is a fantastic source for students to read just-in-time, non-fiction text, at a level that is accessible to them. Subscribe to Our Little Earth and read through a story-a-day for the weeks following. Make sure to model for kids how to explore the themes, politics, geography and history that is related in each article. This is also a great starting point for kids to fact check, make connections, and confirm the reliability of a source. The news is current, so there is always something fresh!

I love using current news with students, it keeps the classroom relevant and touches enough transdisciplinary themes that students can make connections to other reading and learning they are doing. Combine Our Little Earth with @angelamaiers What Breaks Your Heart project. As students are more informed, they will be able to better articulate things about the world they would like to be a part of changing.

Use Google Earth to help students learn geography at the same time. Create a pin on the map for each story read. Ask students to come up with a title for each story (or use the title provided) to help them remember what they read about that location. Add to the same Google Earth map all year-long so that students can begin to see common themes by geography.

Tips: Use the search feature to help students dig even deeper into events and themes. What happened a year ago at this time?

What do you think of Our Little Earth? How do you plan to use it in your classroom?

Free worldwide conference: Reform Symposium (#RSCON)

September 23, 2013Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2634 views

In conjunction with Connected Educator Month, I’m excited to share with you all the 4th (!!!) annual Reform Symposium Conference (RSCON). In case you aren’t familiar with this OUTSTANDING conference, it is a FREE online three-day event that brings together educators, students and innovators from all over the world. Mark your calendar right now for October 11th to 13th (2013).

Full disclosure: I’m one of the organizers for the Reform Symposium Conference. You might call me the very worst organizer. 🙂 I have been seriously falling down on the job this time around! I seem to have overly lofty goals for my weeks. It looks manageable on the calendar and then kids, parents, school must-solve-problems crowd in.

The Reform Symposium Conference is so dear to me and such a big part of my story in starting my own school. The conference started the year before I left the classroom and has stretched into me starting my own school. As a result of this conference, I grew in ways I couldn’t imagine. I made strong connections in my personal learning network and connected with educators around the world. What better way to celebrate Connected Educator Month?!

The Reform Symposium Conference is a global community initiative to transform teaching and learning. This is a highly inclusive and engaging online event that will encourage you toward transformative approaches toward teaching and learning. To attend this year’s conference and keep up with the latest conference news and updates, please join this network.

Exciting news for this year’s conference:

Sugata Mitra is the opening plenary you guys!! Sugata is the 2013 TED prize winner and instigator of the Hole-in-the-Wall experiment. You will not want to miss it!
Internationally renowned electric violinist Steve Bingham will conduct a live performance.
There will be 10+ international keynotes.
4 Panel discussions that feature distinguished experts in education.
More than 100 presentations by educators around the world (something for everyone to learn and grow in their practice!)

If you would like to help out with this awesome event, you can volunteer here.

I’m honored to have been a part of this incredible conference since year 1. I hope that you will join us for an incredible weekend of connection, learning, laughing, inspiration and growth! Sign up now!