Taking IT Global
What did you do?
Taking IT Global – Shirley Intermediate, Linwood College & The South Learning Centre
Like never before, the youth of today are being exposed to many new ideas and concepts via social networking. It is through this phenomenon that Taking IT Global has succeeded in sharing the importance of real world issues. If the video conference experience provided the initial first hand accounts on Climate Change, it was the Taking IT Global site that provided the opportunity for students to effectively explore them even further. With any global issue of today, students are encouraged to share, collaborate, critique, and build virtual communities in ways that would otherwise not be possible. Students at Shirley Intermediate and Linwood College have begun this process and have already created profiles, networked with other students, and set the stage for future collaborations. With 19931 students, 4019 teachers, 2173 classes, 2020 schools and 108 countries (and counting!) , the Taking IT Global community will continue to be a tremendous resource for many future 'stories'.
Learning for Students and Teachers
A strong sense of empowerment was evident in the students who took a closer look into climate change and other global issues.
With empowerment comes deeper levels of empathy, as students explored and continue to explore real stories and experiences from people around the world. Social issues are all over the news, but they have a heart in the actual communities from which they stem. Once students appreciate this, the learning does reach another level.
As a teacher, I already feel as though the sharing of my own learning can reach far beyond the conventional classroom walls and into areas which encourage students to reach a deeper understanding and genuine interest in the scientific, social and economic factors that affect global issues.
How did the fibre help?
A much faster and more reliable Internet connection allowed for students to use the site much like a book in their hands. Instead of waiting for content to load on the site's different pages, the information was there almost seamlessly. If the students and teachers aren't worried about the 'waiting and wondering' factors of using this 'net, the actual content, rather than the tool itself, receives the most attention (which is the whole point!).
Future focus
"Students learn that Earth’s subsystems of geosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), and biosphere (life) are interdependent and that all are important. They come to appreciate that humans can affect this interdependence in both positive and negative ways." (NZ curriculum).
We would like to collaborate again with other students, teachers and experts on Offshore Drilling safety practices in New Zealand and beyond and how the threat of an oil spill in our waters could have an effect on marine life. In light of what has happened with the recent BP oil spill, this is an extremely relevant and important topic.