Click on the image below to access a ThingLink that describes technology access, favorite technology tools, global learning, and professional development in the area of technology at Scott Elementary School in Naperville, Illinois.
Recommended Digital Learning Tools
Here are technology tools and resources that educators can use to bring more global learning into their classrooms. The recommendations include technology options for all comfort levels -- beginners to advanced.
Newsela has a database of searchable nonfiction daily news articles and text sets that can be leveled for students by lexile. A single article is offered at 5 different lexiles, allowing for quick differentiation. For each article, there is also a short quiz. There are both free and paid versions of this resource. The free version is called “Newsela”, while the paid version is called “Newsela PRO”.
Padlet, a collaborative web-based tool that can be used to collaborate on a virtual canvas, may not be a new tool for you, but have you ever used it to collaborate with other classrooms on a global scale? Try using it to communicate with a classroom in another country to add a global component to your lesson. For example, a teacher could pose a question on the Padlet. Then students from both classes can respond with text or video. They can also share links, files, videos, etc. Padlet could be used to make global connections, and it could be used asynchronously, which would work great for conflicts due to time zone differences.
Seesaw is a web-based digital portfolio tool that I use in many elementary classrooms when I am co-teaching reading and writing. I learned that Seesaw has a blog feature that allows you to connect and share work with other classrooms. This would be a way to globalize the elementary classroom and build 21st Century Skills. According to the Seesaw Blogs site, "Once a blog is enabled, teachers can connect to other Seesaw blogs to create a list of approved blogs that their students can access from within Seesaw... With Seesaw Connected Blogs, students can collaborate with students in other classes, leave comments and develop their digital citizenship skills. Everything happens within the Seesaw app or website so it is simple, safe and teacher-moderated."
One challenge of teaching students to recognize perspectives and investigate the world is finding credible sources that discuss topics not often covered in the U.S. media. Link TV is a media group that broadcasts programs that engage and educate viewers on global issues rarely covered in Western media, providing a unique perspective on international news, current events, and diverse cultures. This is a great resource for building students' knowledge about global issues, social change, and the global community.
WorldVuze is an online map-based question and answer platform that K-12 students can use to communicate and learn from each other on a global level. Using WorldVuze, international connections are easy, safe, and authentic. It can be used in any content area to engage students in real-world, 21st century learning.
Weebly for Education is a very user-friendly platform that students can use to create a website or blog about global issues or globalized lesson content. After learning about child labor during the 2016-2017 school year, my 5th grade EL students wanted to take action by creating this website to share information with their classmates, family, and friends: http://childlaborallovertheglobe.weebly.com/. This meaningful, student-centered project integrated 5th Grade ELA Common Core State Standards, WIDA Standards, and 21st Century Skills.
Some of my TGC colleagues made BEAUTIFUL videos during the online course using Biteable. Students could create and share videos using this video platform to take action!
Other Web-Based Tools and Resources
Though thislist of web 2.0 teaching tools is not focused strictly on global education tools, it includes many tools that can be used to globalize lessons and/or collaborate with other educators. The list is broken down into the following categories: aggregators, bookmark managers, classroom tools, collaboration, course management, e-learning, gamification, office suites, office tools, productivity, public content management (blogs, etc.), and storage.