Creating Ethical Minds through Global PBL's

Creating Ethical Minds

I am in awe of the "Global Dreamers" webquest created by Marsha Goren in which she created a greater interest in English, and in doing so connected with classrooms from all over the world.
With this in mind, paired with the Reed article about global collaboration, I thought that one of the best ways to create ethical minds for tomorrow would be to involve my students in global collaboration.  Here are some of the sites that I have discovered could help create this need to share and create with students from around the world.

As an English Teacher I was drawn to the content of the ePals Global Community website.  Not only was it extremely easy to navigate, but it had many writing sections.  The creative writing section would be perfect for students to receive and give feedback on a wide variety of creative pieces; from short stories to poetry.  I think that many times it is hard for students to give their peers honest feedback, especially if they are reading and editing a partner’s paper while sitting next to them in the same classroom.  The ePals website allows students from around the world to comment, critique, and view student work.  It also gives student writers a chance to compare their writing styles to others from across the country and globe.  I believe it is important for students to define their own voice through writing, and witness others’ as well.  Through this online forum, students could also discuss how different cultures‘ morals and values can shape
 and change each individual piece. 

I also found that globalschoolnet.org was easy to navigate.  For me, technology needs to be user friendly and convenient if I am to implement its use in my classroom for the simple reason that middle school students are easily distracted, and no teacher wants to spend a week on a project just getting the students familiarized with the technology.  Globalschoolnet.org made it easy to find different global projects.  I really liked the “Letter’s to Santa” project.  I think that a project such as the one described that is in its 23rd year of operation would not only be a great way for students to learn creative voice and interact with others using digital media, but also create a sense of empathy and nostalgia.  Too often older students seem to forget what it was like to have child-like excitement.  This activity would be a great way for older students to reflect on their own fond memories of Christmas, and create a sense of maturity within the older student, as they are now personally responsible for another’s joy as they await a reply from Santa.  

Global PBL assignments are an interesting way for students to connect with other students around the world.  I did like many of the project ideas and set ups, but the challenges of collaborating with another classroom, and the high level of responsibility placed on the individual student learner, make some of these tasks daunting.  For instance, I would personally be embarrassed if my students were not pulling their weight, or were a reason for another group’s missed deadlines, ect.  The first article notes this difficulty, and describes the teacher as having to switch groups multiple times do to student absences, or failure to complete assignments.  But, I do believe that projects like this will help to create the classroom of the future.