PODCAST – Listen here: Students tell what they learned about our Global Connections
We started our second day of the school year in Australia. At 9:15 ET, @jjash, an innovative educator in Australia, contacted our classroom through Skype. Admittedly, I was just as excited as my students. She described her rural yard and told us that in the summer months, it is common for her to see groups of Kangaroos behind her house. She described the dry climate and told us that Australia has been in a drought for almost ten years. Students shared with her, their experiences this summer in Northern Ontario and shared with her their sitings of black bears, deer and moose. What we loved the most, however, was listening to Ms. Ashby tell us about her students and how she has initiated an itouch program with her primary students to teach literacy and numeracy skills. As we were just beginning our day, Ms. Ashby was saying good night. “See ya late -ah” she said.
Only minutes later, our class traveled to New Jersey to meet another fabulous and innovative educator, Erin Borino and her grade 7 class. Again, we shared the story of Lawfield School and how it was hit by a Tornado a few years ago, resulting in a new building.
We ended our morning with a call from a class in Ancaster, Ontario from an enthusastic teacher, Aviva Dunsiger and her grade one class. Austin read them a Pirate poem by my favourite children’s author, Shel Silverstein, and we introduced the class to our toy pet “Piper”, who literally wouldn’t stop laughing (that’s another story). It was inspiring to see these little faces laughing through our smartboard.
By the afternoon, we were in Quebec, Canada learning from J. Meacher and her grade five students. Her students talked to our in their French Canadian dialect and they told us that for most of them, English was their second language. Our students, one by one, shared with them their native language, determining that we have more that 12 languages, not including English or french spoken by these 10 and 11 year olds.
As we discussed our travels throughout the day, our students began exploring Google maps and discussing the distances between locations. We discussed the similarities and differences between each classroom and concluded that among other things, the students shared the desire to learn through innovation.
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It was great having a Skype call with you today! Your call was the highlight of my day and of my students’ days too. Many of them wrote about calling you in their agenda today. One child raised his hand just after you hung up today and made this comment: “Miss Dunsiger, that was almost too much fun for school!”:) All of the Grade 1’s can’t wait for another opportunity to use Skype.
Thank for including us in your global project! You not only inspire my students to try new and exciting things, but you inspire me too!
Wow! That’s all I can say at the moment. What a lucky class you are to have a teacher who is helping you start the year by connecting with students all over the world. If this is what your first two days have been like, I can only imagine the amazing things you will do this year. I am working on my end to try to arrange a connection with you and a grade 5/6 class at the school where I am a teacher-librarian. I am hoping we can “meet” you all soon!
Mrs. Poelzer in Kamloops, BC Canada
What a wonderful example of how all classrooms should be….engaging! I bet your student’s will always remember these experiences. We are a 6-8th grade classroom in Texas. If you ever want to visit us we would love to Skype with you!
Mrs. Munoz
@techmunoz
kmunoz@bryanisd.org
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hi mrs.pipe I am at home and just read your secound day with us and you really inspered me on what you said it was a really good day becaues you are the best teacher ever and you are my coolest funnys most best teacher ever.
WOW,we travel a lot of places in the first two days of school!
I loved traveling the world. It was so exciting and I think we all like traveling the world.
Thanks mrs.pipe
Travelling the world
We started the first and second day of school like no ordenary first days of school. We didn’t do math or write a big long story.Insted we traveld the world!
First we went to Astrali.We didn’t talk to the class but we got to speek to the teacher and it was very interesting .We even found out that everything there turns the oppisite way.For exsample there tolets spin the other way.We all laughted at that one.
The second place we went is Arizona,and this time we got to meet the class. They told us that it was mostly all desert there and it was always hot.My class thought they were very lucky because we get four sesons and one of them is winter and it gets very cold here in Hamilton.
Well those places were my favorite places but there are alot more but it would take for every to read! Like I said before those were my tow favorite places!
Thanks miss pipe
Kassandra
I love travelling because when we contacted Austrailia we time travelled!!!
Brianne