 For a PDF version click HERE, or for BRIDGE News Archive, click HERE.
iEARN Morocco Holds Their First National ICT in Education Forum:
On May 26-28th, 70 teachers from 20 different schools in Morocco
participated in an advanced iEARN Workshop. This workshop marked
iEARN Morocco's first national meeting in the El Jadida City.
Workshop sessions focused on how to integrate technology in the
classroom, and also included a session of how technology is helping
deaf students. Such advanced workshops attract teachers already
familiar with iEARN and most likely have integrated online projects
into their curriculums. Different from beginner workshops,
advanced workshops focus on project content, how teachers effectively
use online projects, and provides teachers and facilitators a platform
to explore the benefits, challenges, and best practices for online
collaboration. For more information about professional
development opportunities, please click HERE.
Pakistani Students Collaborate with USA
Youths: This May, students from 20 different schools around Pakistan
collaborated with teens around the world in iEARN's We Are Teenagers
Project. The project's aim is to help young people to learn about
common interests among youths worldwide and about the possibilities for
self-expression. With this, the project focuses on what lessons can be
learned to bridge the gap between young people and adults. Pakistan
students joined a discussion entitled, Seven Habits of Highly Effective
Teachers. The discussion was facilitated by Irfan
Waleed and challenged students to question and define what it means
to be proactive, goal oriented, how attitudes affect lives, the
importance of listening, and more. Students are then asked to create a
personal narrative or story in response to the seven habits. To join or read more about this project, click HERE. |
IN THIS MAY ISSUE:
- Morocco Holds 1st ICT in Education Forum
- Pakistan Teachers and Students Connect to USA
- Egypt prepares for International Conference
- Nepal Begins a New Academic Year
- Bangladesh Teachers Collaborate with USA
- Bahrain Takes First Steps in iEARN
- Lebanon Youth Paint Murals
Global Connections Exchange Program
[GCE] is made possible through support and funding from the US State
Department's Bureau of Educational [DOS] and Cultural Affairs [ECA]. It
is a part of iEARN-USA's BRIDGE project which is committed to
connecting students and teachers in the US to those in countries with
significant Muslim populations.
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iEARN Pakistan Hold Workshops Focusing on Special Need Schools:  On May 3, 2006 iEARN Pakistan's Farah Kamal facilitated a workshop
focusing on special needs schools. The workshop included 15
teachers from six different schools from the Sindh Province. The
workshop introduced how iEARN forums promote collaborative work,
highlighted project videos, and explained how students can interact
globally with their peers. Two other workshops were also held in May with the Rotary Public School located in the Sindh
Province. A total of 65 teachers from 21 different schools
participated in workshops that emphasized how to utilize iEARN online
forums for English language learning and the use of technology in the
classrooms. Opportunities for professional development were also
discussed.
iEARN
Egypt Prepares for 2006 International Conference: 70 teachers and
students throughout Egypt submitted scholarship applications for a
chance to travel and participate in the 2006 iEARN International
Conference in the Netherlands. Popularity of iEARN conferences
and workshops has increased among BRIDGE schools, teachers and students
- inspiring them to seek out ways to attend this upcoming conference
using sources such as scholarships and personal funds. Also this
month, Dalia Khalil - iEARN Egypt's Country Coordinator, met with the
Under Secretary of the Ministry of Education in Alexandria to discuss
the future of iEARN Egypt. Such meetings give iEARN Egypt
opportunity to explore and find potential resources for program
sustainability, funding for conferences and other professional
development for teachers, and ways to maintain the BRIDGE program.
Nepalese
Schools Begin New Academic Sessions with iEARN: Last month, schools in
Nepal began their new academic sessions with several schools
integrating online project based learning into their curriculums.
One such school, Nobel Academy, hosted an iEARN workshop and training
for 26 teachers facilitated by Mr. Nawaraj  Baskota
and Mr. Tapash Sharma - both experienced iEARN teachers. The
workshop introduced iEARN online forums, collaborative projects, and
how to engage students in online project work. During the
workshop, teachers had the opportunity to actively engage online and
post messages on the iEARN Teacher's Lounge Forum. Here, teachers
from around the world post messages to their peers to talk about
workshops, find project partners, learn new teaching techniques and
styles from peers, share curriculums and more. A teacher from
Nobel Academy wrote, "I'm a science teacher at Nobel Academy. I
teach the students... and also learn. [I was introduced to] iEARN
project[s] by my seniors and colleagues. I am enjoying the views
and ideas of lots of people. We can share the problems, feelings
and experiences with each other. This is how learning is possible." To
visit the Teacher's Lounge Forum, click HERE.
iEARN Nepal also worked with students providing training in how to use
online project forums and share project work online. Participants
include students from Nobel Academy, Donbosco High School, St. Xavier's
School, Valley View School, Pathshala Nepal and Mahan Siddhartha
School. iEARN facilitators showed students videos of various
iEARN projects, BRIDGE and YouthCaN.
Bangladesh Teachers
Collaborate with the USA and Japan: This May, teachers in
Bangladesh connected with their peers in the USA and Japan sharing
ideas of how their students can use projects for learning. One
such project idea is called, Teen Age Stories of Bangladesh and Japan,
while a teachers in New York proposed that students in the USA and
Bangladesh use projects to communicate about popular issues of the day,
write letters and send school supplies as community service.
 Online Collaboration Reaches Bahrain:
After the successful Global Connections BRIDGE Exchange this past
February 2006, teacher Amani Amer has been busy building and supporting
the development of iEARN in Bahrain. With the support from the US
Embassy and Ministry of Education in Bahrain, Amani has been able to
share the success of the BRIDGE exchange to not only schools and
teachers around Bahrain, but also to officials for the Crown Prince
Royal Court. Upon their
return from the three week exchange, students from the Khawla Girl's
Secondary School gave several presentations highlighting their exchange
to Staten Island High School for International Studies located on
Staten Island, New York. A press conference was also held
including several news articles were published and distributed sharing
the program's success. (Pictured Left: Bahraini student,
second from left, with USA peers during study period. Photo by:
Sametta M. Thompson, Staten Island Advance)
- Click HERE to read more about their exchange.
- Click HERE to read an article posted by the Gulf Daily News in Bahrain about their exchange in the USA.
 http://www.iearnlb.org/Lebanese Youth Paint Murals for the 2006 iEARN International  Conference:
On May 13, 2006, 51 students from eight iEARN schools joined to paint 4
murals at the Al Ahlieh School. The murals will travel all the way to
the Netherlands for inclusion in the 2006 iEARN International
Conference as part of this year's Youth Summit. To register for
the conference that includes sessions dedicated to professional
development, online project work, and online curriculum integration
techniques, please click HERE.
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