Ready to join iEARN’s global network, but not sure how to get started? Here are five steps to completing your first iEARN Global Project with your class:
1) Become a Member
Before you begin your first project, you need to create an account and become a member of iEARN! Membership provides teachers access to a global network of educators and 100+ K-12 projects through iEARN’s safe and password protected Collaboration Centre. This tutorial explains how to complete your membership registration form.
Membership fees vary from country to country and should not be a barrier to joining. If you have questions about membership fees in the U.S. or require financial assistance please contact [email protected].
2) Join a Project*
Next, it’s time to pick your first iEARN Global Project! There are more than 100 projects to choose from with a wide range of academic subjects, age levels, and time commitment. All projects are aligned with one or more of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a set of targets to improve the health and welfare of the planet and its people by the year 2030.
There are a few ways to find your first project:
- Search for projects in the iEARN Collaboration Centre
- Flip through the digital iEARN project book
- Check out the projects featured in the iEARN in Action Newsletters. If you haven’t already subscribed to the international iEARN newsletter, sign up to receive it here.
Once you’ve picked your first project – here’s a step by step tutorial to joining your first project in the iEARN Collaboration Centre.
3) Find Classroom Partners*
Building relationships with fellow teachers is an essential component to a successful global project. Here are four easy ways to find classroom partners in the iEARN Network:
- Post in the Teacher’s Forum;
- Post in the Discussion Forum of the project you’ve joined;
- Search in Find a Teacher; or
- Join iEARN’s next Global Educator Hangout.
*Steps 2 and 3 can be done in the order that makes sense for you. Some teachers will select a project and then find partners, while others may make connections first and join a project together.
4) Conduct Project Activities
iEARN projects take shape through a combination of in-class class project work and online exchange activities. Classroom activities can include research, writing, class discussion, media creation, experiments, group work, and other homework or in-class activities that explore the topic and align with your content and skills standards. Exchange activities include forum discussions, media sharing, or video conferencing, or other activities where students communicate online with their partner classrooms. In-class and exchange activities build up to the creation of a final product, such as a joint student newsletter, website, video, or service activity.
5) Showcase Student Outcomes
A final component of global project-based learning is to share your collaborative work with your local and global community. When students share the results of their work, they become more engaged in the class subject matter, create higher quality results, and become empowered by raising awareness of key global issues and multiplying the impact of their learning. To learn more about sharing project outcomes and final products, read Module 8 of the iEARN Teachers Guide to Online Collaboration and Global Projects on “Presenting Student Outcomes.” iEARN-USA also hosts an iEARN Virtual Project Exhibition—a great place to learn and share with other global classrooms!
For a more in-depth guidance on getting started, visit our Getting Started Guide here.
Still have questions? Contact [email protected] and we’ll help you get started!
