Skype in the Classroom Lessons Inspire Global Citizens

After two years of working as a curriculum coach, helping teachers and students find really incredible learning experiences, I have switched roles this year.  For the first time in my 19 year career I am teaching 3rd-5th grade science.  In many ways this is a dream job for me. My philosophy that learners should be encouraged to wonder, experiment, learn from failure, and connect with others around the world fit perfectly in an elementary science lab.  Since I am in the same school, I have the added benefit of working with students who have learned with me for the past two years.  They know the power of using their learning to do good for others, and they feel empowered that they can make a positive change in this world through their actions.  They know they don't have to wait until they are adults to make a difference.

It is this culture of service and student empowerment that led to the post I am writing today. Two recent Skype in the Classroom lessons were such powerful learning experiences that they inspired my students to take action to make the world better. I am so proud of my students, and so convinced that these type of global videoconferences with passionate experts are vital to 21st Century learning environments that I had to share. 

Earlier this year I was searching on Skype in the Classroom for lessons that fit our state science standards.  I saw that SANCCOB, a sea bird rehabilitation facility in South Africa, offered a lesson that showed students the effects of plastic pollution on penguins with a live penguin on the Skype call. I booked this virtual field trip to help my 4th graders learn about the way animals interact with their environment. I also came across a lesson from the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher that showed students the effects of ocean acidification on sea creatures.  This fit right along with our 5th grade studies of human impact on the environment and wildlife.

Both calls were amazing experiences for my students. Student engagement was off the charts, and the kids learned the exact concepts that I was hoping they'd learn. The aquarium actually did demonstrations with sea shells and vinegar to show how acid affects ocean animals, and showed live echinoderms and shelled mollusks on a document camera so kids could learn about them.

 Tamyln from SANCCOB was equally amazing and along with Princess, a live penguin who helped out, she shared pictures and examples of sea birds who have been harmed by plastics in the ocean.

As incredible as those calls were, it was my students' reaction to the learning that made me happiest. After students have a Skype experience, I always ask them to share their learning in some way with other classes who didn't get the same opportunity. My 5th grade students decided to create posters for my science classroom sharing ways to reduce factory production of carbon dioxide, which leads to ocean acidification. As they were making their posters, they started talking about ways to reuse materials in school. 

At the same time, my 4th graders were so inspired by their call with SANCCOB that they were seeking ways to solve the plastic pollution problem outside of science class. In between our Skype call and their next science class, several of the students got together and requested a meeting with my principal to demand we start a school recycling program. He told them that we would start a program if they planned it and agreed to run it.

When those 4th grade students came to their next class, they saw the posters from our 5th graders and saw that a "reusing" program would do even more good than a "recycling" program.  Together, the two classes began collecting water bottles at home and at school, and they began to look at ways that the bottles could be reused instead of discarded or recycled. 

The 5th graders are in the process of using many of those bottles to build a walk-in cell museum for their parents during parent-teacher conferences in an empty classroom.  Most of the organelles are being built by students out of materials that otherwise would have been thrown away. The 4th graders have begun planning ways to use bottles as planters and to build a drip irrigation system for the vegetable plants that will be planted in our school gardens in the spring as part of the Global Garden Project. 

One of the concerns I had when I switched roles this year was that the culture of student empowerment and service that I had helped develop in our school during my time as a curriculum coach would start to fade. I'm so proud of my students for showing me that my fears were baseless, and that they are continuing to look for ways to take action to make the world a better place. 

Friday's Five: People Who Have Influenced Me

There have been many individuals that have had a great impact on my development as a teacher.  I can think of many colleagues, administrators, conference speakers, and educational leaders who have helped me to shape my personal philosophies, pedagogy, and practices.  Since our growth as professionals is something that never ends, I wanted to take some space on this week's Friday's Five to share some of the people that I have found inspirational.  I hope that you will take a moment to share some who have impacted you either in the comment section, or on the blog's Facebook page.

For those who missed last week's Friday's Five, every week I'll be picking a topic dealing with education and listing 5 things that I think fit that topic.  Last week's topic was web 2.0 tools.  If you've got suggestions for future topics, please share them with me on Plurk, Twitter, or Facebook.  After I give you my list, I'd like you to participate by sharing your ideas on the week's topic in the comment section.

As I said before, there have been many who have made an impact on me in my career.  Below are five, in no particular order.

1.  Dylan Wiliam - A few years ago I spent a week in Hershey, PA at the Governor's Institute for Data Driven Instruction.  One of the keynote speakers was Dylan Wiliam.  To say that his presentation influenced me would be a great understatement.  He convinced me of the need to change my lessons to include in-lesson formative assessment, and showed me ways how it could be done.  He introduced me to the concept of professional learning communities, and showed why they are so important.  He helped me to solidify my belief that the pedagogy we use in our classrooms is more important than any other factor in boosting student learning, and that putting focus on other areas just distracts us from what's important.

2.  Sir Ken Robinson - If tomorrow I was asked to choose the new United States Secretary of Education, SKR would be my choice.  I saw him deliver a keynote last year at the Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo & Conference (PETE & C).  I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of listening to anyone else that understands the shortfalls of what we're doing in education and the direction we need to be headed in more that him.  Some of you may have seen the clip of a SKR talk that's been floating around the internet from RSA Animate.  If so, it's worth watching again.  If not, I promise it's worth watching.

If you want more SKR, watch his TED talk on how school kills creativity, or consider reading his book, The Element:  How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything.

3.  Patti Duncan - Before attending a session she was giving at PETE & C in 2009, Patti and I had worked in the same district but only communicated via e-mail.  I wanted to meet her face-to-face and introduce myself, so I decided to drop in on her presentation on "Building a Professional Learning Network (PLN)."  It is probably the most important hour of my teaching career to this point.  Dylan Wiliam convinced me that collaborating w/ other teachers was important.  Patti showed me how to expand that collaboration globally through social networking.  Since that point, my PLN has become invaluable - a source of new ideas, inspiration, support, discussion of educational topics, and a place to get feedback on activities I try in my classroom.  Having a PLN of hundreds of teachers all over the globe has made me grow as a teacher in ways of which I never could have dreamed.  You can read Patti's DEN Blog here.

4.  Steve Leinwand - When my district was exploring ways to improve high school math achievement a few years ago, they brought Steve Leinwand in for a few hours in the summer to talk to the high school teachers about ways to change pedagogical practices in their classes.  I don't remember how I ended up in that session (since I teach 5th grade), but I'm sure glad that I did.  This is where I discovered the power of asking "why?" Steve's talk started me on the path toward demanding understanding from my students, and not just the correct answer.

5.  Dan Meyer - I came across Dan Meyer's blog about a year and a half ago when a member of my PLN shared one of his posts on Plurk.  His views on teaching math are visionary.  Many of the activities I have done with my math classes in the past year have been inspired by his posts.  To get an idea of his vision for how to change our math classes, take a look at his TED talk: Math Class Needs a Makeover.




Now it's your turn to share.  Who is someone that had an impact on your growth as a professional?  Let us know by leaving a comment.

Don't forget to re-Tweet, re-Plurk, or share this post on Facebook.  Like many of you, I love being exposed to new ideas and people who can help me grow.  The more people we can get contributing, the more amazing educators we can find to help us on our journey.