Google Earth Reflection

Smailovic is my hero.

This Bosnian cellist, during the war in Sarajevo, witnessed a bomb that killed 22 people in his town. What could he do? He was just one man. The very next day he sat in front of the ruins, in concert attire, and played his cello. He played at 4:00 pm every day for 22 days straight to commemorate those who were murdered. He went on to other sites and played for other victims. His actions teach a lesson that I felt needed to be shared with the 8th grade students in our History Research Writing Class.

This is my Google Earth Virtual Field Trip Project:

http://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BxyZV9uiWV0xOTUwZmJhMDgtYmEwMS00N2Q0LTlmN2ItZDMzNTgxNzE4MTA5&hl=en&authkey=CKXB5bwE

The goals of my project included-

1) Student knowledge of the war in Sarajevo, Bosnia (actions during 1992-1993 in particular)
-The reasons for the conflict, what occurred, and the consequences.
*Visit 3 to Sarajevo, Bosnia: Students watch a video and take a quiz. They compare the Google Earth landscape/environment now vs. 10 years ago.

2) The impact that one man (Bosnian Cellist Vedran Smailovic) had which gave hope to not just his country, but all around the world.

- The impact Smailovic had on world famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the composer David Wilde and what those two musicians created with Smailovic's song.
*Visit 5 to Paris, France: Students read about Yo-Yo Ma and read a quote from Wilde explaining how his life was touched.

-The impact he had on teacher and blogger Vicki Davis and the story she was able to share with thousands on her Blog.
*Visit 2 to Georgia, USA: Students read her blog entry with the story of Smailovic.

-The impact he had on author Elizabeth Wellburn resulting in the children's book she wrote to commemorate the event.
*Visit 6 to British Columbia, Canada: Students watch and listen as the story is read aloud to them (with pictures in a video with "The Cellist of Sarajevo" song playing in the background)

-The impact he had on the citizens of Sweden as a commercial was made using his image and storyline.
*Visit 4 to Stockholm, Sweden: Students watch the You Tube video of the commercial which shows Bosnian children and Smailovic playing his cello.

-The impact he has made on us. That one person (you) can make a difference. How to be respectful, act ethically, comfort and encourage others. To have hope.
*Visits 1 and 7 to Hart-Ransom Charter School in Modesto, CA: Students follow the directions and write an essay describing how these 6 people around the world are all connected and the lessons that can be learned.

I wanted the students to see a model of someone who has clearly developed his 5 minds: disciplined, synthesizing, creative, respectful and ethical. They will be taught why Smailovic's actions have helped themselves and others around the world to "do right". As Garner states "It is very important to have exposure..to individuals who themselves embody good work." (P. 148).
I agree.

Reference:
Gardner, Howard. (2008). Five Minds for the Future. Boston, MA; Harvard Business Press.

Unit 7- Developing the Five Minds

"Teaching students with new tools, enthusiasm, and a belief that teaching is a noble calling." -Vicki Davis' mission statement for her blog

My purpose for pursuing a graduate degree is simply to help students be more successful. I believe that the wise and purposeful use of media and technology hold the key to real change in the school system, a system that is increasingly failing our children. Technology is interesting, interactive, and speaks students' language. Teamed up with high expectations and learning objectives/goals, almost any subject's lesson can be enhanced with the addition of media.
To support me in the quest, I have found a *jewel* of a blog posted by Vickie Davis, a high school teacher and IT director from Georgia-

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/

Her blog has been read by 23, 462 readers and has the following components:
Home-Her own thoughts on the latest technology and educator issues
Projects-Such as the Digiteen
Freebies- Listings of great free down-loadable resources for educators
Popular- Her most popular blogs from years past
Friends-Links to other excellent educator/tech blogs
Books-Some of her highly recommended books

I have developed my own mind tremendously these past few months. Although I believe the use of technology in the classroom can be beneficial, I was quite ill prepared to utilize it within the school setting. The projects I have completed in this EDIM 508 class along with tips from my classmates' blogs and discussions have helped me develop my disciplined mind. Vickie's blog is a shot in the arm that I continually check out. She has discussions, debates, quotes, musings, and links for further information in her blog. It is a phenomenal resource for the latest information, innovations and ideas.

I have been able to synthesize the concerte information I have learned with actual classroom practice. Making a Blog, Glog, PowerPoint and Google Earth project have all been real life experiences I can replicate in each unique classroom. Vickie's blog has a tab listing projects she is involved in-excellent student projects such as Flat Classroom Project, Erasismproject, and Digiteen to name just a few. All serve as a way to help students become more respectful and understanding of others by working together technologically with students from around the world. They are phenomenal, and I look forward to pursuing the Digiteen project as it is available for our Jr. High students.

I have always been a firm believer in the arts and creativity (for all!) and am so glad to have learned that it will be valued more and more in our future. Students are already creating and sharing, and we as educators can help make school more successful by allowing more free thought and creative expression. I have stretched my mind in this class and have had a lot of fun in particular making my Glog. Vickie's blog encourages others to think outside the box and has a tab listing popular blog posts from the past. In it are some excellent ways that others have followed their creative ideas and succeeded.

What I enjoy most about Vickie's blog is that she models respect and ethical behavior. She is humorous, honest, and sincere. She goes out of her way to track down examples that would help both educators and students understand others around the world. She has a link to "Cellist of the Schoolyard" which tells the story of a cellist that played..well..it is just something that you have to see on your own. It was the most uplifting story I have heard all year. Vickie, on her tab of favorite books tells the reader that she does benefit financially from the sale of the books on that page. Wow! She didn't have to tell us, but she did.

I am proud to say that by pursuing this graduate degree with the hope of changing education and helping students, I am taking a big step toward developing my own five minds. I am much more well-equipped to lead students in the development of the "minds" they will need in the years ahead. Gardner does a fantastic job of summing up the future: "Those who succeed in cultivating the pentad of minds are most likely to thrive." "...the survival and thriving of our species will depend on our nurturing of potentials that are distinctly human." (Gardner, p. 163, 167)

References:

Gardner, Howard. (2008). Five Minds for the Future. Boston, MA; Harvard Business Press.

Unit 6-Respect and Ethics

"Knowledge of cultures around the world leads students to understanding and compassion" -Julene Reed

After reading Reed's article, I realized that students will never respect others if they don't know anything about them or why their perspective may be different than their own. Reading information about another country does not necessarily help with understanding and building bridges. As a result, I thought a wonderful first step would be to require the students to do a multimedia project that would personally introduce them to someone born in another country. The three part assignment for our 6-8th graders in the Digital Storytelling Class would be:

1) Produce a 1-3 minute video. The student must videotape someone in Modesto who was born in another country.
*There are many immigrants in Modesto, but most arrive from Mexico, Central America and Iraq. These groups in particular face discrimination and are largely misunderstood.
-Write questions to ask during the interview, such as "Why did you choose Modesto?"
"What is good about being here?" " What is challenging?"
-Edit and share the video with the class.

2) Build a glog which gives information about that person and his or her homeland. Must include links for further study, 2 photographs, and at least one thing that will surprise your classmates.
-Share the glogs with the class and the parents.

3) Complete a community service project (min. 2 hrs) which will directly benefit this person. Share what was done with the class and what effect it had.

I firmly believe that students are very comfortable in their own homes or with their own peer group and are reluctant to venture out and help others unless encouraged by the adults in their life. Of course, there are some students doing community service, but a focused approach on an engaging project will unify the experience. As the other students share, they will gain additional insights about differing countries that will only aid in helping them work in the future global marketplace.

As Reed notes, once students can begin to understand others, then they will begin to care. They will want to be more active in helping solve problems. Our students need to be aware of the challenges facing others, and a personal connection to just one person can make a world of difference. Our future awaits!

Resource:

Julene Reed - "Global Collaboration and Learning" on EDTECH: Focus on K-12 website

http://www.edtechmag.com/k12/events/updates/global-collaboration-and-learning-2.html