TAKE ME THERE I
n 2011, I began experimenting with videoconferencing in my class- room to provide my students with new and exciting twenty-first- century opportunities for learning. Beginning in March of that year, my Grade 2s started to inquire about what it is like to live
in different communities around the world. During one of our Com- munity Circle Check-In Chats (this is when we talk about what we love about our learning community and share one wish), Kara said, “Mrs. Cassell, I wish we could talk to kids living in different countries, instead of just reading about them on the computer and in books.” After sourcing out new learning partners using ePals, in countries
like Mexico, the United States and Russia, we revisited our learning goals and created our success criteria. I purchased a webcam and we downloaded Skype. It was time to connect with the world. In three months we had videoconferenced with students in over 12
different countries, including Kenya, Argentina, the United Kingdom and Colombia, to learn about other cultures, traditions, celebrations and languages. We also exchanged emails, videos and presentations with students living in countries where time zones didn’t permit a face-to-face connection. After reflecting on our learning during our next Check-In Chat, we agreed that it was the most exciting learning experience we had ever had. We felt connected to the world – it was exhilarating. Fuelled by our enthusiasm to connect with people who wanted
to share in our learning, our next wish was to collaborate with ex- perts in the sciences to help us answer our questions about animals. One of our more challenging questions was “How do scientists learn about animals that live in the wild?” So we contacted Field Trip Earth
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