Youth for Human Rights International

 The tool I chose and why? 

    The tool I chose is Youth for Human Rights International. I chose this tool because human rights are so important yet half the time we don't even realize what privileges we have. Freedom of speech is one big one, it's probably one of the most important especially in this day and age. Everyday you wake up, guaranteed one of the first things you do is go on your phone. What do you do on the phone?.. Checking social media, videos, posts, etc. Those are all examples of yourself and the rest of the world using freedom of speech. Human rights consume our everyday lives and it's important to be knowledgeable and aware of what, as human beings, have a right to. 

What I found useful 

    Going through the tool, I found some useful aspects of it to note. The tool goes on to share what human rights are including educator kits and videos along with a full curriculum with activities to help engage children with knowing human rights. The videos, I personally, enjoy the most. The videos I find create more of an emotional response to really keep children and even myself engaged with these global rights. 

How I would use it in my classroom 

   As said previously, I really found the videos most helpful to use. In the tool, it even gives separate videos on each human right. If I ever talked about human rights with a classroom of my own, I would prepare classroom discussions following the video and ask for each child's' perspective on why they think human rights are so important to have. To continue, there's a full online curriculum to use to expand human rights knowledge in the classroom. I would use this to engage students on the issues at hand and even give them a chance to out human rights principles into action and share how they feel about the individual human right and what they feel, society as whole, can do to keep this human right into place. 

Discovery Education in The Classroom

 Discovery Education is a digital platform designed to support educators by providing a wide range of multimedia resources like videos, interactive lessons, and digital textbooks. It’s designed to make learning more engaging by offering content that ties directly to curriculum standards and real-world applications. For example, a teacher can use a video documentary to introduce a complex science topic or a virtual field trip to immerse students in a historical event, bringing textbook concepts to life in a way that traditional methods might not.

Photo

In the classroom, I would use Discovery Education to cater to different learning styles. For visual learners, the platform’s videos and animations are an excellent way to explain abstract concepts in subjects like math or science. For kinesthetic learners, interactive activities or simulations would allow students to explore concepts hands-on. Additionally, Discovery Education’s built-in assessment tools provide instant feedback, so I can easily track student progress and adjust my teaching strategies accordingly to address any learning gaps.

Furthermore, Discovery Education allows me to create personalized learning experiences. If I’m teaching a mixed-level class, I can assign different resources based on student’s needs, ensuring everyone is working at an appropriate pace. The platform’s global perspective helps me broaden students’ understanding of the world by providing content that includes diverse viewpoints and current events, fostering critical thinking. Overall, Discovery Education would be a powerful tool in creating a more dynamic, inclusive, and engaging learning environment.

https://www.discoveryeducation.com/info/teacher-shortage-ebook/

Educational Blog Post 3

Rachel Baumgart
2/20/25

Making a Difference for Wildlife

National Geographic Article

What I'm Reading About

Today, I’m learning about Dominique Gonçalves and how she’s helping restore human-elephant coexistence in Mozambique. Dominique is one of the leading figures in this vital program. She is also the manager of the park’s Elephant Ecology Project, where she tracks nearly 500 African elephants that roam the park and monitors human-elephant conflict in the buffer zone surrounding it.

Struggles of the Elephants

At certain times of the year, resources become especially scarce, bringing elephants and people into conflict. Hungry elephants sometimes move into human croplands to feed, which can lead to the destruction of people’s gardens. “It is tough for a father to see all his work destroyed in one night,” Dominique says.

Elephants once freely roamed Gorongosa and the surrounding area with minimal human interference. However, the 15-year civil war in Mozambique devastated both human and animal populations. During the war, over one million people died, and elephants were slaughtered for food. Their numbers dropped from over 2,500 in 1972 to about 300 three decades later.

Despite this troubled history, elephants now peacefully coexist with humans. “Coexistence takes time. It takes people to understand, and it also takes elephants to understand,” Dominique says.

Gorongosa National Park

Gorongosa National Park spans over 4,000 square kilometers at the southern end of the Great Rift Valley, in the heart of Mozambique. It is a complex ecosystem, home to an extraordinary diversity of plants and animals. The park has adopted a modern conservation model that balances the needs of both wildlife and people through conservation, community engagement, scientific research, and sustainable tourism.

Discovery Education used in Medical Research

Utilizing Discovery Education, students can travel the world from the comfort of their classrooms. This tool allows students to explore the geography, culture, and way of life in different countries.

In my classroom, I would use Discovery Education to help students explore the layouts of hospitals and other medical facilities. I want my students to understand the importance of the environment in which care is provided, and how some facilities create a more welcoming atmosphere than others. For my lesson plan, I would have students select 4 to 5 medical locations from different countries that they think would be most successful in treating patients, solely based on the appearance of the buildings. Next, students would research their chosen locations, examining the overall quality of patient care at each facility. They would explore online reviews, visit the websites of the hospitals or clinics (if they have one), and record any information that they find.Once they’ve finished researching, students will present their findings and collaborate their analyses with the class. Using Discovery Education, the class will take a virtual tour of the facilities and go over all the information they’ve found . Finally, they would share their personal opinions on the facilities, deciding whether or not they would consider working in patient care there.

The goal for students is for them to understand that the environment in which medical care is given plays an important role in both the mental and physical health of patients, as well as the well-being of healthcare providers. Many hospitals have a reputation for being depressing due to their quiet, white and bright atmospheres. I want my students to realize that hospitals can have a more positive and welcoming look, and that the quality of care extends beyond just the practices of doctors and nurses. A better environment can give a sense of security, build trust between medical teams and patients, and can lead to better recovery rates.

Global Educator's tool box: Incorporating a book into a lesson

 As a future educator it will be my job to teach and shape the young minds of the next generation by creating meaningful learning experiences that will help my students connect with the world around them. One way I plan on doing so is by using children's literature along with an activity to introduce important global issues. When looking through Global Educator's Toolbox, I was able to find the perfect resource to teach young children about the importance of recycling, environmental responsibility and building community. 

Why is this book important?

The book One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of Gambia  by Miranda Paul is a beautifully powerful book that tells the story of Isatou Ceesay, a woman from Gambia that was noticing how discarded plastic bags were starting to harm her community. She gathered a group of women and found a creative way to recycle  these bags into useful items and improve her environment. 

What Makes this Useful?

Real World Connection: This book introduces students to a real issue; the global pollution of plastic

 

Supports Early Childhood Learning: The story and illustrations of the book is simple yet keeps early learners engaged and breaks down complex issues into small easy to understand storytelling for young learners.

Promotes Social-Emotional Learning: The major themes throughout this book (perseverance, teamwork, and caring about the environment) align with core values that you teach in early education. 

Encourages Hands-On Learning: The story leads into fun collaborative ways to make creative activities that will reinforce the message. 

cultural responsiveness

The power of cultural responsiveness in our classrooms.

As future Educators, we are supposed to trive to create a learning invironment that are inclusive, engaging, and effective for all student. An important strategy for achiving this goal is cultural responsiveness. but first, we need to understand what this means. Cultural responsiveness is an approach to teaching that recognizes and also values the diverse backgrounds, experience, and the perspectives of ALL students. its creating an environment that is welcoming, inclusive, and respectful off all cultures. 

You might ask yourself why Cultural Responsiveness is important to incorporate in our classrooms...well, research has shown that culturally responsive teaching practices can have a positive impact on student engagement, motivation, and academic achievement. when students feel seen, heard, and valued, they are more likely to be invested in their learning. In the text book EDtech for k-12 classroom (p. 30), explains the importance of this topic. the author talks about how is incorporated in the classroom by making ¨meaningful connnections with the content and the students culture, language, and personal experience¨. If cultural responsiveness is not incorporate in classrooms, helping them new lesson to apply in a new life will likely not occur.

 Collaboration and why it is important 

Monday February, 10th 2025 

Collaboration is extremely important especially in teaching. Teachers have to collaborate and communicate with students, parents, other teachers and administrators. A lot of a teachers job is collaborative. 

I love this photo because it shows that even though a teacher might have their own class room collaboration is a huge part of that classroom.

By talking to and collaborating with other teachers, teachers can learn new fun and engaging lesson plans or ways they can better have control of the classroom 

By having communication with the students parents teacher can tell the parents how the student is behaving and how the student is doing in class 

By collaborating with the student teachers can help the student and make sure they are understanding everything being taught. This also allows for the student to be comfortable talking to the teacher if there ever were anything wrong 

By Angelina Pluchino 

Teaching and Why It Is Important

    Teaching is far more nuanced than simply "liking children," and while sympathy for young people is helpful, it's not the sole defining characteristic of a good teacher. True teaching involves a deep commitment to fostering intellectual growth and shaping future generations. It demands patience, resilience, and a genuine desire to impart knowledge and critical thinking skills. While enjoying working with children can make the process more rewarding, it's the dedication to education itself that truly drives effective teachers.

Societal Advancement

    Good teachers are super important for the world getting better. They teach kids the things they need to know to live in a complicated world. They help kids learn how to think carefully, solve problems, and love learning. This helps people do good things for the world. Everything from new science to amazing art starts with what teachers do. It's a really big job, much more than just liking kids. It's about helping build a better future for everyone. Every significant advancement, every masterpiece, every step forward, rests upon the foundation carefully laid by dedicated educators. Therefore, the role of a teacher transcends simply liking children; it encompasses a profound responsibility to shape the future, one student at a time, contributing to a better world for all.

Fostering Individual Growth

    Another really important part of teaching is helping each student grow and become the best they can be. Really good teachers understand that every kid is different and special. They see the potential inside each student, like a tiny seed waiting to grow into a beautiful flower. They work hard to help kids discover their talents and what they're passionate about, whether it's art, science, music, or anything else.  Good teachers create a classroom where kids feel safe and supported, so they're not afraid to try new things, even if they might make mistakes.  They encourage kids to explore new ideas and to speak up and share their thoughts. This kind of teaching takes a lot of understanding and care. It's not just about being nice to kids; it's about really seeing them, understanding their needs, and helping them grow, not just in their minds, but also as people.

Continuous Learning Process

    Being a good teacher is like going on a never-ending learning adventure.  It's not something you learn once and then you're done. The best teachers are always learning new things themselves, just like their students. They're curious about the world and excited to discover new information and better ways to teach. They're not afraid to try new things in the classroom, even if it means stepping outside their comfort zone. The world of education is always changing, with new technology and new ideas about how kids learn best. Good teachers keep up with these changes so they can give their students the best possible learning experience. They go to workshops, read books, talk to other teachers, and always look for ways to improve their teaching. This dedication to always learning isn't just about liking kids; it's about a deep love of teaching and a desire to become the best teacher they can be. 

References: 

X.com. (n.d.). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/DrBradJohnson/status/1887664218377421115

UoPeople, W. O. (2024, November 27). Why are teachers important in our society? University of the People. https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/the-importance-of-teachers/

21 Inspirational quotes on the importance of teaching. (n.d.). https://www.marshall-minibus.co.uk/blog/22/21_inspirational_quotes_on_the_importance_of_teaching

Education and Technology of the Modern Days

 Technology is a tool almost everyone in the modern day and age is using. We use it to complete assignments for classes, write emails asking questions, finding ways to connect with others, play games and more, but how can technology be beneficial to education and collaboration? 

Ways of Connecting

Technology can connect many people together in many different forms, via. texting, video chats, etc. For students in Tanzania, Taifa Technovation Hub is providing ways of hands-on technology and electronic sessions to students of all ages using Smart Class, a system which provides live streaming, connecting multiple classes at once to provide a collaboration of student learning. here. KISD Secondary Tech provided a tool for collaboration through games, group workshops, digital handouts and assessments through a system called Lumio. here. These are just two of the many examples of ways that students, teachers, and others can connect for collaborative assignments using newfound technology.

Why is Technological Collaboration Important for Education?

With times changing, technology has become a part of everyday life. Although it can be frustrating in a school setting, there are many ways technology can benefit the classroom setting- collaboration. Collaboration in education is very important for a number of reasons, according to the NEA, National Education Association, collaboration is important for brainstorming/critical thinking, teaches you about who you are (values, ideas, etc.), helps students understand how to work together, and boost confidence. (Click here to view) TECH4ALL is working on ways to improve technology to give every child a means to learn, work together, and learn together. This their post (here) they hold a video explaining this goal in a teacher-training video about how to implement it. Education with collaboration is important overall for students to have access to aid from others as well as ideas or answers to any questions they have.

Easy Ways to Include Technological Collaboration into Class

According to Dr. Brandon Johnson, there are ten easy ways to incorporate technology in a collaborative way within a classroom setting. Virtual field trips, use videos for mini lessons, use digital exit tickets, online maps for brainstorming, etc. (here) These among many other ideas such as digital wipe boards for students to type what they want to say about a lesson, voting systems, as well as online groups talk sessions through websites like Zoom or Google Meet. These websites are simplistic and easy for most ages to use, if younger, assist them or have parents assist as leaving young children alone to figure this out can lead to a failure in lesson planning/execution. 

Overall

Technology is an easy way to connect many students, teachers, and others for many different reasons. When it comes to education, technology is best used for collaborative work, allowing students to connect with other classes, schools, and educators to learn new methods or information. Using technology such as Zoom, Google Meets, Lumio, and more, students of all ages can express their thoughts, feelings, and critical thinking to help aid them for future assignments or talks. Collaboration gives students new ways of thinking, increases confidence, and allows for better means of communication opportunities. technology should and cannot be avoided, but instead of disregarding it, use it to your strengths towards collaborative means. 

Breaking Classroom Walls

Learning goes beyond the classroom, and as a future educator, I want my students to explore different cultures, perspectives, and global issues. Connecting with classrooms around the world helps students build communication skills, empathy, and a deeper understanding of global challenges while preparing them for a diverse workforce.

Programs like PenPal Schools and Global Read Aloud make international collaboration easy by connecting students through reading and shared projects. Platforms like Skype in the Classroom and Flipgrid #GridPals bring real-time conversations with global peers into daily lessons. Teachers can also tap into social media and personal networks to create meaningful connections that enrich student learning. Global collaboration is more than an educational tool; it helps students develop cultural awareness, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. By using technology and global networks, we can prepare students to engage with the world in meaningful ways.

Technology and Collaboration in Education

 

Technology and Collaboration in Education

Arissa Gonzalez 

When it comes to collaboration through media and technology, I do feel that there is not enough acknowledgment about inclusivity. I mean that in the aspect that everyone must have equal opportunity so that no one is excluded. sometimes that is the case, and this drawback definitely challenges the entire idea of collaborating through educational technology.

How useful is collaborating if many opinions and voices cannot be hard because of a lack of access? Those in marginalized groups must also be able to share their thoughts and feelings, or else collaborating is almost useless. 

The text, "Inclusive learning 365", even touches on this, but in a different way than I have. The text shifts focus to having an "inclusive mindset" which is another valuable point when we are collaborating across media (Inclusive Learning, 15). I really like the point that is made in this portion of the excerpt. The author encourages fostering this inclusivity so that educators may design "educational experiences" that cater to each students' needs and wants in the classroom setting (Inclusive Learning, 15). I think with the ideas of inclusivity in mind, collaboration will foster a comprehensive, well put together idea of global needs and wants. Better yet, this can be done with the help of technology and media instruments so that international voices are heard. 

https://www2.hu-berlin.de/transcience/Vol6_No2_62_77.pdf - This text is a resource for imploring inclusive education using assistive technology tools.

Collaboration in Education

 Through out education in school, collaboration is important to a personal development. Collaborating is a way for others to share idea and experience to complete a task. In chapter three "Collaborate for success" from the book, "Adventures in Authentic Learning, 21 step-by-step projects from an Edtech Coach" by Kristin Harrington", shows that Peer-Review has benefits for a child's education. 

Harrington talks about how peer review helps children and older kids through feedback and future projects. Having a classmate/ peer review your work before submitting helps someone understand different ways to write, or make things. 

For example, in my younger grade years we would have moments in writing classes where we would stop writing and switch papers with a classmate to read. 

This was a common practice for kids my age. Its a great concept for someone your age to re-read you writing. This helps with communication as your peers are able to tell you their opinions and feedback on your writing, art, etc...

Harrington proceeds to explain that when it comes to using Peer-Review that you most include a rubric. Must kids tend to look at others work and pass it on as a "okay", or "it looks good". A rubric would act as a sort of checklist for kids to go through to make sure that the work actually is "great". This works normally for grades k-2, where children need to learn to collaborate the most. This works for writing assignments and group projects. Peer Review also has many different versions. Such as Multi-student peer review, which in small words is just students giving feedback to two or more individuals. Partner peer review, which is simple. its just two people going over each others work. And finally mixed methods peer work, which is getting both methods and having two partners work first and then switching those. 

Global Collaboration in The Classroom

     Global collaboration in the classroom closes the divide amongst not only educators but also students. A great example we have been looking at so far this semester would be our contribution to The Goals Project  2025. There are students from not only all across America, but all over the WORLD participating in TGP. We are all coming together to find better ways to improve the education system amongst many different locations. 

    Not only have we been participating in TGP 2025, our own class is interacting in global collaboration in other ways. We all have been required to create our own social media accounts and interact with other peers in our studies. 

https://www.goalsproject.org/

Edutopia on X, discusses how students are still able to come together all across the world while still being at home. In 2008, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development worked with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development as well as the National Education Association to identify the most important skills needed to prepare students for the global economy such as critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. 

      One way students have been able to interact is through creating pen pal relationships. These students are able to interact with one another and share their languages, cultures, and interests while being in the comfort of their own homes or classrooms. 

Learning / Teaching with Digital Tools - Arissa G

After reading an excerpt from the text, "Transform Learning through Technology", by the International Society for Technology in Education, I am really interested in the role of the "coach" or educator in utilizing and distributing web learning tools (ISTE, 5). I think the methodology of coaching students through using web tools is actually fascinating. Now that I am taking a class relevant to these ideas, I understand it much more. 

Specifically looking at figure 1. This figure illustrates the roles of the "Instructional technology coach" and I see similarities in this just in my web tools class (ISTE, 5). the figure begins with the technology coach showing students more familiar web tools that they have likely already used. The excerpt calls these "mainstream computer programs" , such as google classroom applications and basic microsoft tools (ISTE, 5). My web tools teacher gave us Perusall chapters that go into this. The basics and more complex ways to use these mainstream instruments. 

The role for the coach then evolves into "Past coaching role" which is kind of just the communicative or collaborative phase of teaching people how to utilize technology in learning (ISTE, 6). Such as implementing specific programs across a middle school for example. 

The final phase of this model is referred to as "today and future coaches", this phase is the implication of the ideas when they are fully developed and flourishing (ISTE, 6). This phase involves the technology coach not only collaborating with educators and professionals, but also providing highly skilled leaders with models and "coaching frameworks" to encourage ongoing development and usage of these learning instruments (ISTE, 6). 

The International Society for Technology in Edthe

https://cites.cast.org/ -  The hyperlink included is a great website that contains resources relevant to learning with technology systems. I like that they encourage an inclusive approach to this system. 

Study of Collaboration

Egas Moniz School of Health and Science in collaberation with the University of Minnisota in order to bring innovation, friendship, and equality and the enhancement of  knowledge between all of their students. This collaboration inlcudes several strategies aimed towards enhancing both the academic and professional experiences for both students and faculty. These strategies consit of: faculty and student exchange which will provide both academic and cultural enrichment in research projects, promoting cutting-edge research globally and creating platforms for researchers, faculty, and students to connect and exchange ideas. The goal of this collaboration is to promote international academic success and to make advancements in the scientific community. 

Collaboration on Web

Why Collaboration matters

Collaboration is more than just group projects. Students collaborating with each other can create a safe space where they can share ideas, thoughts, experiences and feelings without feeling the need to hide who they are. Studies like the Jhonson, Jhonson, & Smith(1998) Show that collaborating not only helped students understand better, it helped students perform better academically overall.

How collaboration Helps

Collaborating between classmates and professors bring so many benefits to everyone participating. When collaborating students see just how different they are from one another. This helps student see other way to do things and get to know their classmates. Collaboration can also improve your ability to communicate. Talking to classmates can give you more confidence to be open about who you are and the ability to share with others. Collaborating is something that most people have to do their entire lives. In actuality, most if not every job requires employees to work as a team, because this makes work more efficient. If working as a team can be taught at a young age, this can help many students in their future career.

How to implement Collaboration

Many teachers use different methods. The most common one is group projects. A group of students get together and work towards one big goal, where everyone has to participate so it all comes together at the end. A more modern approach that is used more often is by implementing technology. Platforms such as Google Classroom, Microsoft teams and even blackboard, are used to bring students from different parts together. A discussion post where everyone can type responses to each other or a groupchat for every student to socialize are also good options.

Study of Collaboration

 Collaboration is extremely important in the eyes of an educator.

In education technology, it enhances problem-solving skills. When students collaborate it can involve them communicating and sharing new ideas with each other. Sharing new ideas with another can enhance the new idea because it gives a whole new perspective. Sharing different perspectives can be essential for students' development. 

More positive outcomes can come from collaboration. Collaboration can encourage innovation and creativity. Creativity is very under looked when it comes to collaboration or education entirely. Collaboration in education opens endless possibilities because of the creativity aspect of it. Creativity is so important to collaboration because if you have two people who share ideas they can expand on that one or many ideas and help them to communicate and advance communication skills.

When students collaborate globally, this can help students understand people's cultures and even broaden their own language to understand languages from different countries. Broadening languages can help understand new perspectives and understand what others can go through. Needing to understand what other people go through is really important for empathy and growing as a character or learner.

Collaboration is a core piece of success. If you want to succeed you must collaborate with other people and understand what others want from you as well. It is the force that drives collective achievements, bringing together diverse skills, perspectives, and resources to accomplish goals that are often too large for any one individual.

In conclusion, many great outcomes can come from collaboration. Collaboration is a key part of success and if willing you can expand ideas and be able to understand different perspectives. Collaboration can lead one person to become a great leader and be able to make oneself a better learner and better person.

Picture links down below:

https://www.alfraconsulting.eu/5-ways-to-improve-teamwork/

 Collaborating in the Classroom

    Since a young age we have been learning to work with others. It started as play when we were toddlers, turn and talks in the early education years, to group projects and presentations in secondary education and those expectations for collaborating didn't jus stop in high school. People do it everyday at their jobs. From talking in meetings to collectively coming up with a plan for a business and even still working on group projects the ability to work well with others is imperative in most jobs, but especially education. Teachers work together everyday to come up with lesson plans and fun learning activities that an be done within their classrooms. They bounce ideas off of coworkers, their teams that they have within their grade ban, other teachers in the district and even teachers all over the country. Thanks to social media teachers are able to connect all over the internet. They tweet ideas and ask questions and are able to gain different perspectives from all different walks of life. 

    

Personally I have experienced the benefits from collaborating with other teachers and coworkers within my job an my clinical hours. I am currently completing my final clinical (student teaching), where I collaborate with my mentor teacher everyday. I stay after most school days we discuss our plan for the next day. We reflect on the day- what worked? what didn't? and we try and come up with the solutions and new ways to do things efficiently. Just the other day I went into the other kindergarten teacher's room and asked her how she makes the time for learning centers because we struggle in my room and she walked me through step by step on how she runs center time. I took a lot from her and it was only five minutes of both our times. Communication is a superpower and it is a huge influence on the ability collaborate. Being able to collaborate can open door within the workforce and open your own perspective to new ideas helping you grow as a professional.  

A Study in Collaboration on the Web

Collaboration is key to do most anything. 

Humans are a collaborative species. Since Day 1 of our little adventure here on Earth, people have relied on one another to survive, thrive, create families, and contribute to something larger than themselves. It can be demoralizing for people to live on their own, or to work in such a way that it seems impact-less to their society or their community. 

And so, in our yearnings to connect with our fellow man, we collaborate. Collaboration is just the combined efforts of multiple people on the same project. Collaboration can be incredibly important to making new things. Different people have different ideas. Different and diverse ideas are the cornerstone to innovation and forward-thinking.

But how is collaboration particularly important to our modern day? With the internet and social media, collaboration has increased its breadth to a global scale. Instead of kicking ideas around with people near you, which may come with its own biases, you can interact with people from all around the world. That is where the diversity is. And with greater diversity, comes the greater likelihood of a better idea. 

Collaboration is critical in every field, and that includes education. The feast for ideas — whether it regards curriculum, discipline, classroom supplies and organization — is widely available on social media and the Web. 

The way we collaborate has completely changed due to the internet. To reject it would be unwise. Educators — and people of all industries, for that matter — ought to use new tools and technology to their own benefit rather than simply writing it off to do what has always been done. 

There is a whole world out there, and it has been connected via the way of the Web. You want to see how schools and Tanzania function? In Iran? South Korea? It's there. It's free. It's ready for you to read, watch, listen, contribute. 

It's in our DNA to collaborate. So why not widen the net?

Collaboration in the Learning Environment

    Everyone has their own ideas and is unique which is why collaborating with each other is so important. Through collaboration, information can be easily spread and new ideas can be shared. Collaborating with other people is something that everyone will need to do at some point in their life and learning how to do it more efficiently is an important skill to learn. There are many programs that make collaboration easier and can be used to help students collaborate together or help teachers collaborate with each other.

Collaboration Between Students

     One of the ways that students can collaborate with each other is described in the collaborators chapter of Sail the 7 Seas with Microsoft Education. One of the collaboration methods between students in this section is through Minecraft. Since Minecraft is such a popular game it is likely that students will already know how to use it, and if not the controls are intuitive and easy to learn. By using Minecraft students can communicate with each other and work together on projects at the same time. Unlike other methods of collaboration, students are more likely to effectively use Minecraft since there is an element of fun behind it.

Collaboration Between Educators

    Collaboration is not just for students, educators can also benefit greatly. One of the best ways for educators to collaborate with each other is through social media. Through the use of specific hashtags and by following other educators it is possible to collaborate with people from all across the world. On social media educators can collaborate on lesson plans and different ways of teaching a wide variety of students.