Michele Jacobsen, UofC and Joanne Tate, Ararat Community College
How do teachers from two distant sides of the world manage to arrange an on-
line project to involve their students in an international cultural exchange?
Joanne Tate, from Ararat Community College, and I originally met at an
educational technology conference in Freiberg, Germany in June 1998. By sheer
coincidence, we serendipitously met up again at an educational computing
conference in Melbourne, Australia, in July 2000. Because of our many shared
interests and ideas about integrating technology for teaching and learning,
and comparing what was unique and similar about our two countries, we decided
to pursue an international project together by linking our students through
technology and videoconferencing. We planned and arranged the Global Classroom
project, and even co-authored this article, via E-mail and the World Wide Web.
A first step was deciding what we wanted our students to gain from the on-
going, on-line connections, and to let our learning goals drive planning and
preparation for the cultural exchange. A general goal was to involve both
groups of students in an active learning connection to learn about the other
country's culture. We wanted students to experience the potential and
possibilities for learning that are facilitated by technology and through
international connections. Rather than just reading about how this might be
done, we wanted to provide an opportunity for pre-service teachers and year 11
students to experience life in the Global Classroom first hand. As a result
of advances in communication and information technologies, learners need no
longer be bound by 'same time, same place' access to education, and teaching
responsibilities in K-12 and post-secondary can reach beyond traditional
school and campus boundaries. Through participation in this on-line project,
pre-service teachers and students learned how the use of technology can add
value to classes and enhance traditional classroom activities in an engaging
way.
Specific learning outcomes for Year 1 Faculty of Education, Master of Teaching
students included preparation for teaching careers through applied technology
integration and participation in an on-line learning environment. Both Joanne
and I seek to explore a range of methodologies to successfully prepare
trainee teachers as facilitators of technology integrated learning across the
curriculum. There is currently a large push in Alberta and Victoria,
Australia, to analyze how information and communications technology is
effectively integrated in all levels of education, from K-12, to college and
university. For example, certified teachers in Alberta are to demonstrate that
they understand the functions of traditional and electronic teaching/learning
technologies, and that they know how to use and how to engage students in
using these technologies to present and deliver content, communicate
effectively with others, find and secure information, research, word process,
manage information, and keep records. We believe that learning these skills
in the context of an on-line project will increase the education students'
ability to articulate ways in which technology has influenced their own
learning and in describing the ways they had seen technology play a role in
others' teaching and learning. Further, pre-service teachers develop through
active learning a thorough understanding of on-line learning environments, and
thus will be able to discuss the implications of these environments for
learning and teaching in their discipline/grade level.
Year 11 Ararat Community College students are expected to do an oral
presentation as part of their curricular requirements. What more exciting way
to do this than by talking to international students around the globe? The
learner outcomes for Ararat students were multidisciplinary in nature, and
included emphases on studies of society and environment (SOSE), increased
knowledge of foreign culture, increased confidence with oral presentation
(students who had been very nervous performed brilliantly), increased skills
in global communication and tools, an understanding of the relevance of
technology to enhance learning, and improved discussion and planning skills.
Both groups of students benefited from working on an authentic on-line
project with experienced practitioners and mentors. Canadian and Australian
students now better understand, through experience, how a variety of
technology tools can be incorporated into teaching and learning for best
practice. Through joint-planning and execution of the first phase of this
collaborative, global classroom project, the teachers and students have
developed methods for successful collaboration and establishment of an
international network of learners. All of those involved in the project are
developing a better understanding of how collaborative projects can be used to
investigate social issues, and compare the similarities and differences
across two nationıs cultures.
Managing Time Zones
The 17-hour time difference between Calgary, Alberta and Ararat, Victoria
required us to examine several alternatives for getting together live. A
complicating factor was coordinating the two class meeting times. Eventually
we chose a time that worked well for both classes, which required that the
Calgary students come in the evening. Faculty of Education students met in
Calgary from 5:00 - 6:30 PM on Monday, October 23, and were connected live,
via the teleconferencing facility in the Learning Commons, to students in
Ararat, Australia, who participated in real time from their classroom from
10:00 - 11:30 AM on Tuesday October 24, 2000.
Underlying Technologies The University of Calgary is equipped with cutting-
edge communications technology to facilitate video-conferencing in the
Learning Technologies and Digital Media division of the Learning Commons.
Education students met in Biological Sciences room 561, which is a fixed
seating classroom which can accommodate 50 people and uses a PictureTel 4000
system with a 2-line ISDN call at 128 kilobits/second. This classroom features
a touch sensitive computer control panel, a large-screen video monitor, three
side monitors and the instantaneous power to switch to compressed video via
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines. Two 35 ³ monitors and two
separately positioned video cameras provided exceptional viewing for all
conference participants. The classroom provides full audio and video
interaction capability and users can view course material presented by the
instructor either in hard copy format or directly from a computer. From their
classroom at Ararat Community College, the Australian students linked to
Calgary using two ISDN 64 k lines linked to a V-TEL unit, using SMARTVISION
software. The college projects images through a data projector onto a large,
high quality screen.
Linking to Learn
The first phase of the Global Classroom project involved students on both
sides of the Pacific Ocean to discuss and select cultural artifacts, items and
objects that they thought reflected their country's culture, identity and or
history in some way. Having collected these items, the students assembled a
mystery culture box to send to their counterparts on the other continent.
The Australian Mystery Culture Box arrived a few weeks before the video-
teleconference, so the Canadian student's curiosity level was very high by
the time they finally got to open it! The Canadian Mystery Culture Box arrived
only the day before the video-teleconference, so there was some hand wringing
by both instructors!
E-mail Connections
It is important to establish some connections between students prior to the
video-conference. Students from both countries used E-mail to introduce and
describe their interests, and included some initial comments about their
respective countries. Australian and Canadian students e-mailed back and
forth with each other and then had the responsibility of introducing their
E-mail partners during the video-teleconference/live link-up.
The 1.5 hour session was well planned in advance of the live link-up. A
schedule and speaker order was drawn up in advance based upon E-mail partners,
and e-mailed as an attached file to Canada. Suggestions and revisions based
upon student input were e-mailed back to Australia, and the resulting agenda
provided a framework for the session. Each student had a role and a goal for
the session. Preparation for the session included drafting a script and notes
about the artifact that student's had included in the Culture Box, and
learning 'on-the-fly' how to operate the computer console to control the video
conference.
Cultural Artifacts
Canadian and Australian students discussed and selected artifacts and items to
represent their country's unique culture and identity in some way. The
students bundled these artifacts together in a 'Mystery Culture Box' that
they sent to their counterparts across the Pacific Ocean. Late in October, the
Canucks and the Aussies met in real time via video-teleconference to open the
Mystery Culture Boxes! Far from being a strictly focused, formal and staid
instructional event, the students enthusiastically munched on snacks, sang
songs, and enjoyed some good laughs together. They also learned a great deal
about another country's culture, and how technologies such as E-mail, the Web,
and video-conferencing can open up a wide range of possibilities for a global
classroom.
In-class group discussions and whole seminar planning sessions led to the
selection of particular artifacts for the Mystery Culture Box. Students in
both classrooms were responsible for preparing a two minute script about their
artifact. The Australian students chose items that reflected a light-hearted
look at Australian culture. The items included: a beer can, an emu egg, emu
feathers, a meat pie bag, a tomato sauce sachet, a football, eucalyptus oil,
gum leaves and gum nuts, vegemite, sheep's wool, pictures of kangaroos and
koalas, a Herald Sun newspaper and the words to Waltzing Matilda. Faculty of
Education students also selected items representing popular Canadian culture.
The cultural items they sent to Australia included maple syrup, cinnamon
flavoured hot tamales (candy), ketchup flavoured potato chips, OıHenry
chocolate bars, calendars of Canadian scenes, a number of CDıs of music and
film, an ice hockey puck, an 'I am Canadian' cotton cap, a home-made multi
cultural cook book, and a brochure on the Rocky Mountains.
Linking Live
Students from Australia and Canada connected in real time via video-tele
conference to open the Mystery Culture Boxes on October 23/24! After waiting
for weeks to find out what was in the box from Australia, University of
Calgary students finally got to tear off the brown paper and look inside!
During the video-teleconference, students had the opportunity to introduce
each other, describe the cultural significance of items and objects found in
their respective culture boxes, and ask many questions. The speaker agenda and
order kept the video-conference organized, and there was also a great deal of
room for 'teachable moments' and unscripted exchanges. Calgary students had
an aromatherapy experience with eucalyptus oil - no clogged sinuses here!
Ararat students munched happily on the potato chips and chocolate bars, but
preferred to pass on all things cinnamon - the flavour simply did not appeal
to them. Calgary students were not very keen on vegemite, but loved learning
more about the boomerang, Australian beer, and gum leaves and nuts. The link-
up also provided an opportunity for light-hearted joking and laughter and
singing! Students from Ararat sang 'Waltzing Matilda', and the Calgary
students returned the favour by singing Canada's National Anthem in English.
The instructors at both sites took digital photographs during and after the
conference to post on the project Web sites.
Students commented on both the similarities and differences between Australian
and Canadian Culture. The Australian students were mystified by the hockey
puck, and Canadian students were thrilled to learn that it is the male emu
that incubates the eggs. Students made numerous connections about the shared
history of multicultural migration, culinary variety, similar currency buying
power, and unique aspects of respective publishing industries. Students from
both countries had a number of questions that arose from the video-conference,
and will have time to E-mail back and forth to share even more information
about their country's culture.
World Wide Web Sites
UofC - http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dmjacobs/prosem/prosem_ararat.html
Ararat - http://www.araratcc.vic.edu.au/users/Web/CUSCU/culbox.htm
Both instructors have created and maintain extensive Web-sites to support the Global Classroom project. The Web sites supplement the video-conferencing session, and provide a shared electronic space for follow up activities initiated during the conference itself. Both Web sites contain photographs and student feedback from the project, and a variety of other links to Canadian and Australian resources. Students on both sides of the Pacific were able to view digital photographs and comments on the session within hours of the conference via the Web sites. The ability to read comments from each other, and view photographs of students holding or wearing the cultural artifacts, is both a priviledge and an additional opportunity to get to know each other better.
Students Reflections on the Event
The Australian and Canadian students were overwhelmingly positive about the video-teleconference and the Mystery
Culture Box Exchange. Joanne and I both asked our students to provide feedback. University of Calgary students were asked: What did you learn about Australian culture? Technology? Video-conferencing? International projects? Year 11s from Ararat? What possible connections do you see with your own teaching?
One Calgary student said, ³Having been to Australia myself before, I knew about some of the things that they were telling us about, but I also learned a great deal - and I love to learn about other cultures. It was especially interesting to see how the Aussies presented THEMSELVES, rather than how the world sees them. I was fascinated with the Emu egg, as I had never seen one before and thought it was absolutely beautiful. I loved the designs on the boomerang that they included in the culture box - but Iım curious to know how it got damaged - has it been used before!? :) I was glad to see that they were relaxed enough to laugh along with us.
Students from Ararat Community College were nervous leading up to the video-conference, and were well pleased by their performance. Some were nervous about the age difference.
This group represented a wide range of abilities and confidence levels. Without exception, Year 11 Australian students performed beyond expectations in this project.
The interest level was noted outside of time-tabled classes and filtered through to other students at our College. One student who is often truant from school attended complete with the necessary props for his presentation for the day. Students willingly gave up their recess break and commented how quickly the 1.5 hour session went by. Having linked primarily with schools in Japan where language may be a difficulty, one of the highlights of the session was sharing of humour between the two cultures. Joanne believes that the pre-service teachers brought into play some of their class management skills once they got over the hurdle of the technology. This helped involve the students and focus questions and the use of studentıs names served to involve them more directly in what was going on. In the words on one student: I felt okay when I went up to talk and I was happy to hear that they liked the egg. The thing that went well during my speech was that I actually remembered my speech and I was able to add on a bit extra about the starvation part.
Future Directions
As a result of a successful start to our international project, Joanne and I are pursuing the following questions with our students. What would be the next logical step, in your opinion? What kind of shared project would you like to do now we have met each other? What would be a valuable way to continue to teach and learn from each other?
Ideas that have come out of Joanne and my conversations about future directions for our curriculum-based on-line projects include: 1) delegating coordinating roles in some of our Internet based projects for a short period of time to pre-service teachers, 2) Joanne working as an on-line mentor with these coordinators in these roles to share her experience, 3) having pre-service teachers involve students in schools from their field placements in one of the projects in some way, and 4) focusing our collective evaluations of the above work on what learning benefits that students gain from these types of projects. Ideas that have arisen that are specific to video-conferencing include: 1) organizing a debate early in the New Year, 2) exploring other activities that would be suited to interactive work, and 3) arranging for University of Calgary Education students to join Araratıs other multi-national special events via E-mail, world wide Web, and video-conferencing (i.e., computer-based).
Michele Jacobsen - dmjacobs@ucalgary.ca,
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dmjacobs
An Assistant Professor within the Faculty of Education. She teaches both the Division of Teacher Preparation and the Graduate Division of Educational Research. Her current research and writing focuses on (a) the relationship between engaged learning, technology integration, and professional development, and (b) the role of strategic alliances between education and various organizations. She is also investigating the adoption of technology for teaching and learning in higher education, the relationship between gender and technology, and the electronic publishing revolution in academia.
Joanne Tate - jot@araratcc.vic.edu.au
http://www.araratcc.vic.edu.au/users/jot/resume.htm
Joanne Tate is an award winning secondary teacher at Ararat Community College in Ararat, Victoria, Australia - URL: http://www.araratcc.vic.edu.au/users/Web/araratcc/index.htm. She has been working in the area of on-line international collaboration between schools for fifteen years. An active member of the I*EARN (http://www.iearn.org) network, she has successfully implemented large scale projects across the curriculum empowering students to make a difference to issues of global concern. She was awarded a Public Service Medal for her work. Her other awards include the 1999 Victorian Technology Teacher of the Year Award, Cable and Wireless Childrenıs Network Individual Excellence Award and the CEGV Exempla Practice On-line Award. In 1998, the NeITA - National Excellence in Teaching Award, in 1997 the Australian College of Education Innovation in Teaching Award.
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