Memo Review

Memo Review of Global Education Networks

Jacqueline Grundberg

Submitted toDr. Tamara Blesh

EDTC 645University of Maryland University College

June 25, 2013

Memo Review

Memorandum

To: Claudia Krikorian, Owner and Co-Director, Peninsula Montessori School

CC: Shane Hickson, Co-Director, Peninsula Montessori School

From: Jacqueline Grundberg, Upper Elementary teacher

Subject: Review of Global Education Networks

As you know very well, Montessori philosophy for peace education is integrated into the

history-geography curriculum. Brunold-Conesa (2011), found that the subject area, Fundamental

Needs of Humans, “de-emphasizes nationalism and promotes a global citizenship perspective –

that we are first citizens of the earth, and only secondarily Japanese, American or Polish, for

example” (p. 265). According to Brunold-Conesa (2011), “Through their geography and history

work, even the youngest children learn that all people on all continents had and have the same

basic needs; geographical context, together with local natural resources, determine how different

groups of people meet their needs” (p.265).

The purpose of this memorandum is to evaluate three global education networks that will

enhance and support the school’s goal for global awareness, collaboration and create citizens

who will contribute positively to our future. I have ranked the networks according to my first

choice: ePals, my second choice: iEarn-USA, and my third choice: Global SchoolNet.

ePals

ePals is a network that provides a platform for collaboration, self-paced, and self-directed

projects with over 1 million classrooms and millions of students, teachers and parents.

According to ePals (2013), “authentic ePals projects are centered around meaningful content and

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experiences that require teamwork, digital literacy skills, higher-level thinking and

communication.” The network does this by engaging students with relevant global issues. The

global collaboration includes over 200 countries and territories in which each participant

strengthens core learning, builds self-confidence and skills for their future. EPals (2013),

proposes “This is done by creating a safe and secure content-rich environment that challenges

students and educators to research smartly, collaborate with other learners of all ages, think

critically, problem-solve, and communicate their learning using various Web 2.0 tools.”

The ePals website is a user friendly and provides step-by-step instructions on how to fully

utilize their network.

This link, Start or Join a Project, allows one to start or join an already existing project or

create your own.

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To get to project's main page

Memo Review

This is the second half of the project’s main page.

This link, Find Collaborative Partners, provides a a starting point to join existing projects. One

can look through all of the projects or filter by region of the world, project types based on subject

matter or common core areas, duration and ways to collaborate. This link, Set Up Web 2.0 Tools

and Get Started, allows teachers to access tools to assist implementation of a project. The

network also has extensive teacher resources that may connect directly apply to the projects or

just general resources to help teachers in their classroom.

A weakness of the ePals network is that it takes a little more time to initially sort through

the different projects. I would suggest that the teacher have specific parameters of the type of

project they’d like to participate in. A strength of ePals is the popularity of the network. This

creates a higher percentage of collaboration among teachers and schools and finding the right

project for your classroom needs. Epals can be used school-wide over different grades and

subject areas.

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One collaboration group I found that is of interest to me is “What Makes Our Earth

Shake, Rattle, and Roll?” This is a group from Australia. What drew me in was the style of this

project. It was similar to how I organize and implement projects in my class. It covers several

topics about natural disasters, allows students to independently research, and brings the students

back to present/teach their findings.

ePals is committed to implementing Common Core Standards to their projects. There is a

specific link, Common Core Implementation Center, of featured projects that focus on specific

standards.

iEarn-USA

According the iEarn’s website (2013) their mission statement states:

The mission of iEarn-USA is to enable young people worldwide, working in

collaboration and dialogue, to make a meaningful contribution to the health and

welfare of the planet and its people. The vision of iEarn-USA is that people

engage in respectful dialogue and collaborative action to meet challenges of our

world. Our strategy is to teach and support educators in using technologies to

promote student interaction in global projects.

iEarn started in 1988 and currently has over 2,000,000 participants, 50,000 educators,

30,000 schools and organizations, express themselves in 30 languages, and 200 forums in 140

countries. This program targets students from the ages of 5 to 20 years of age. iEarn (2013),

states its “interactive curriculum is based on groups in which students are creating, researching,

sharing opinions and becoming global citizens.”

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In the Projects link, there are subsections where a teacher can receive help to integrate or create a

project into their own curriculum. When you view a specific project, there are headings of

student goals, teacher goals, curriculum standards, timetable and specific lessons, collaboration,

and conclusion of activity. The website also has an extensive professional development link

where it provides workshops, online courses, webinars and consulting to help the visitor with

integrating the global project into the classroom.

Each project indicates a Common Core State Standards alignment.

A strength of iEarn-USA is the ease of finding projects that align with your curriculum

objectives. There is clear and concise instructions on how to use the network. A weakness is that

it is a paid membership. It is $100 per year for one teacher for an unlimited number of students,

and with a single school membership for an unlimited number of teachers and school, it is $400 a

year.

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One particular project that appealed to me is the Kindred (Family History) Project.

Students are asked to interview immediate family members on how they were affected by a local

or world event. This encourages students to communicate and learn about a loved one’s past.

Students also will experience other people’s perspectives and how certain events shape one’s

life. It would be incredible to compare and contrast perspectives on the same event yet in

different countries.

Global SchoolNet

Global SchoolNet began in 1984 and currently has over 90,000 educators in 194 countries.

According to Global SchoolNet (2011), their “mission is to support 21st century, brain-friendly

learning and improve academic performance through content-driven collaboration.” Global

SchoolNet is a founding member of the 2001 White House initiated Friendship Through

Education consortium that creates opportunities for children to build a culture of peace in which

the dignity and rights of all human beings are being respected (Global SchoolNet, 2011).

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Global SchoolNet is much more than a collaborative project network. It is a place to

connect and build online and offline friendships around the world. There are also links to

international competitions, such as Doors to Diplomacy and International CyberFair, online

expeditions with real adventurers, a geography game, how to create a newspaper, and a link to

write a letter to Santa to improve writing skills. For all of the programs, there are teacher

resources, suggested timelines and guidelines.

A strength of the Global SchoolNet network is that its visitors can participate in many

different activities on one website. When trying to sort and find a partner or project to

collaborate on, there is an excellent, detailed filter of categories where you can be specific or

broad. At the top of this the headline, there is a notice indicating future projects beginning in

coming weeks, the number of current projects or ones that are accepting applications, and the

number of archived projects. A weakness of the network is the lack of direct reference in

aligning the projects to fulfill Common Core, state or national standards.

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One project that I connected with on Global SchoolNet is called Music and Art Cultural

Study (#3856) by Lucia Marone. As a music teacher in New Jersey, she’s like to connect with

classrooms around the world and collaborate on how the arts reflect and affect our culture.

Classrooms would share about their community by using music, dance and art.

Conclusion

All three networks hold great potential and could generate successful outcomes, but upon

evaluating each network, I support my ranking starting with my first choice: epals, iEarn-USA,

and Global SchoolNet. My rationale for ranking the above networks are as follows:

1. ePals has a free membership and has millions of participates, which is more than the

other two.

2. iEarn-USA has a large pool of participants, but I rank it after ePals because of the

membership fees. I would suggest using ePals first to see if there is a suitable project.

3. I ranked Global SchoolNet last because of the absence of connecting each project

with a Common Core, state or national standard. This is more of an inconvenience in

requiring the teacher to research the alignment.

According to Global Education, 2012, global education emphasizes the unity and

interdependence of human society, developing a sense of self and appreciation of cultural

diversity, affirmation of social justice and human rights, as well as building peace and actions for

a sustainable future in different times and places.

Brunold-Conesa (2011) found that:

The Montessori’s Fundamental Needs curriculum component, with its

international, non-westernized perspective, is not only content-appropriate for

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children of any culture or faith (free of ideological bias), but also promotes

intercultural sensitivity and empathy at a very young age, making it a potentially

powerful element of any international school curriculum. (p. 265)

As you can see, incorporating a global collaboration project with international students

around the world supports Montessori philosophy. It enhances our Peninsula Montessori

School’s school wide cultural curriculum to allow direct contact and gives our students the

opportunity to interact, develop relationships, and become active citizens of this world.

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Resources

Brunold-Conesa, C. (2010). International education: The international baccalaureate, Montessori

and global citizenship. Journal of Research in International Education, 9 (3), 259-272.

doi: 10.1177/1475240910382992

ePals. (2013). ePals global community: Where learners connect. Retrieved June 23, 2013, from

http://www.epals.com.

Global Education. (2012). Global Education: Teacher resources to encourage a global

perspective across the curriculum. Retrieved June 24, 2013, from

http://www.globaleducation.edu.au/.

Global SchoolNet. (2011). Global SchoolNet.org: Linking kids around the world! Retrieved June

24, 2013 from http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.cfm .

iEarn-USA. (2013). iEarn-USA: Learning with the world, not just about it…. Retrieved June 24,

2013, from http://us.iearn.org/.

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Assignment One Rubric

Name: Jacqueline Grundberg

CATEGORY 4 100-90 3 89-80 2 79-70 1 69-60 Total/100

Introduction (Organization)

The introduction is focused, inviting, states the main topic and previews the structure of the paper.

The summation or conclusion packages the memo.

The introduction clearly states the main topic and previews the structure of the paper, but is not particularly inviting to the reader.

The summation or conclusion is well developed

The introduction states the main topic, but does not adequately preview the structure of the memo nor is it particularly inviting to the reader.

The summation or conclusion is not well developed.

There is no clear introduction of the main topic or structure of the paper.

The summation or conclusion does not exist or is unclear

 /100

Sources (Content)

All sources used for quotes and facts are credible and cited correctly using APA Style in-text citations and references.

Sources and quotes are used to support facts, statements or arguments.

All sources used for quotes and facts are credible and most are cited correctly using APA Style in-text citations and references.

Most sources used for quotes and facts are credible and cited correctlyusing APA Style in-text citations and references.

Sources are used to support but not all are credible or cited correctly

Many sources used for quotes and facts are less than credible (suspect) and/or are not cited correctly.

  /100

Focus on Topic (Content)

There is one clear, well-focused topic. Main idea stands out and is supported by detailed information.

Main idea is clear but the supporting information is general.

Main idea is somewhat clear but there is a need for more supporting information.

The main idea is not clear. There is a seemingly random collection of information.

  /100

Support for Topic

Relevant, telling, quality details related to the

Supporting details and information are relevant, but

Supporting details and information are

Supporting details and information are

  /100

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(Content) content, grade and technology standards etc give the reader important information that goes beyond the obvious or predictable.

some key ideas are unsupported.

relevant, but several key issues or portions are unsupported.

typically unclear or not related to the topic.

Persuasive Power

The writer successfully uses several reasons/appeals to try to show why the reader should rank the networks in the order recommended.  It is clear, attractive and engages the principal.

The writer successfully uses one or two reasons/appeals to try to show why the reader should care or want to know more about the topic.

The writer attempts to make the reader care about the topic, but is not really successful.

The writer made no attempt to make the reader care about the topic.

  /100

Total

  /100

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