TIGed Newsletter

Inspire Inform Involve

News from TIGed
March/April 2012


Spring Professional Development e-Courses

TIGed is excited to offer a variety of e-courses this Spring! With the launch of two brand new courses, our schedule is packed!

"Education for Environmental Stewardship" is our first new e-course to be offered this year. Join former Tread Lightly coordinator, Deanna Del Vecchio to explore collaborative international projects designed to empower students to tackle environmental problems around the world.

"Project-based Learning for Global Citizenship" will also be offered this Spring by experienced global educator, Jennifer D. Klein after a successful winter cohort. Learn how to design, implement, and evaluate globally collaborative projects that comprise transformative learning experiences for your students.

Finally, "Empowering Student Voice" will be launched in May. This innovative course, developed and delivered by UK TIGed Team Member and winner of Microsoft's Innovative Teacher award in 2009, Mandeep Atwal will explore how to involve your students and amplify their voice in important decision making processes.

Schedule:

"Education for Environmental Stewardship": April 3-May 1; May 8-June 5
"Project-based Learning for Global Citizenship": April 4-May 2; May 9-June 6
"Empowering Student Voice": May 10-June 7


International Days

March 21 - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

The fight to eliminate racial discrimination is an integral part of global education. Help your students understand that every person is entitled to equal rights, opportunities and freedom from discrimination. Visit the Human Rights global issue page on TakingITGlobal to learn more.

March 22 - World Water Day

On World Water Day, get your students thinking about issues of water scarcity and the importance of freshwater. How do communities cope with population growth, climate change and diminishing resources? Measure your class’s eco-footprint with Tread Lightly or engage your class with The Global Water Crisis activity (submitted by Danielle Cote) in our database.

April 4 - International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action

Have your class join the effort to eradicate landmines worldwide. Visit the United Nations’ official International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action page to learn more about the day. Have your students sign the Say ‘No!’ to Uranium mining in Meghalaya petition on TakingITGlobal to get involved.

April 7 - World Health Day

Take the time today to reflect on the multi-faceted issues surrounding global health. One important health issue is mental health awareness among youth around the world. What do your students know about mental health? Visit the mental health thematic classroom landing page for great resources, and have your students play TIGed’s Brain Waves or Mind Match games for fun and informative ways to learn more about the issue.

April 21 - World Creativity and Innovation Day

This week is all about imagining a world united through creativity. Have your students submit artwork that celebrates creativity to TakingITGlobal's Global Gallery. Take a look at these related activities from TIGed’s activities database: Symbols of Culture (credit to Emily Kornblut) or From My Window (credit to Karen Eini)for fun and creative classroom experiences.

April 22 - Earth Day

Take time to celebrate Earth today. While wonderous and awe-inspiring, our Earth is also fragile. Explore concrete steps with your students to protect the environment and build a more sustainable future. Visit TakingITGlobal's Environment global issue page, and become involved in DeforestACTION, an established TIGed environmental stewardship program.

Announcements

New Professional Development Offerings and Packages

To help you make the most of all the great free tools and resources we have to offer, we are expanding our professional development offerings to include e-courses, webinars, online learning circles, in-person workshops and event keynotes. Each of these offerings contains content that deal with issues related to our 3 program pillars: Global Citizenship, Environmental Stewardship, and Student Voice. 3 packages are available for purchase: the Global Leader package, perfect for individuals who are spear-heading a global education movement at their school; the Global Lighthouse package for schools who want to lead the way in these pillar areas in their communities; and the Global Community package for districts or groups of schools working together to strengthen their education offerings based on the needs of today's students. An a la carte menu of professional development offerings is also available.

For information on all our professional development offerings, and to register, visit the new Professional Development section of our site.

TIGed Membership is Now Pay What You Can!

In an effort to broaden the reach of our offerings and eliminate barriers to access our network, TIGed is pleased to announce that, as of March 2012, TIGed membership has moved to a "pay what you can" model! We want to make our network of teachers as diverse as possible, and we hope that taking away any mandatory cost for membership will help us to achieve this goal, and that new doors will open for you to collaborate with more teachers from around the world. If you can, we welcome you to make a donation to support TakingITGlobal's education programs. As a non-profit organization, we appreciate all the help our members can offer! (and we offer tax-deductible receipts for Canadian and US residents)

If you purchased an individual or school membership to TIGed after June 1, 2011, we are pleased to offer you a discount of for an individual registration of a professional development e-course, or, for groups, the a discounted rate of 9 for a group of 5 (discounted from 9). To take advantage of this discount, email us at pd@tiged.org.

Explore the World By Cycle!

TIGed is excited to announce a new partnership with ismotion on the World By Cycle Project! Join Kristina Stoney and Nic Arney as they ride over 30,000 km around the world exploring potential in people and the planet! Coming to TIGed this early spring, the "Ride To Learn" adventure learning program will focus on themes of cultural diversity and environmental protection. For more information about "Ride To Learn" and the expedition, check their site, where TIG members in Canada can enter to win 1 of 10 KeepCups when they add their photo to their Companions page!

Rio Plus 20 Education Resource Hub Launched

Governments of the world will meet in Rio de Janeiro for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development – Rio+20. Empower your classroom to grow a generation with the skills, information and thinking needed to start transforming the world. These educational resources cover issues including the economy, the environment, society, human rights and Rio+20 itself.

Opportunities

Call for Student Voices Case Studies

With students playing a much more significant role in deciding their futures, developing an articulated Student Voice program within schools has become increasingly important for educational leaders. TakingITGlobal would like to know what’s happening in your school: how are students provided the opportunity to influence important decisions that affect their day to day lives? We would love to hear from you and showcase your case studies practice in our Student Voice e-course. Send your stories to education@takingitglobal.org

''Sharing good practice provides a better opportunity to help develop our future leaders'' - Mandeep Atwal, Student Voice Professional Development Instructor

Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards

TakingITGlobal is proud to announce the inaugural year of the Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards, an opportunity for youth aged 13-18 to participate in an international media competition. We are looking for educators to identify their most talented young artists and to submit their most compelling digital artwork. Awards include creative software, hardware, and cash donations to a charity or cause of your choice. The deadline to submit media to the competition is April 20th, 2012. Find out more by visiting: www.youthvoices.adobe.com/awards

Time Project 2012

"This is our Time" is a fast paced intercultural global communications project for elementary and secondary schools and UNESCO clubs. Activities include "Unite The Nations", an interactive 24-hour research competition; ICT projects designed to showcase your community based on the “Sharing a Dream – The Suchitoto Project” model; blogs and discussion forums about youth violence and LGBT rights; a model UN videoconference simulation on child labour; and other video conferences focusing on animal experimentation and youth violence. All culminating and taking place on Time Day May - 18th 2012. For more information and to register, email timeproject@yahoo.ca.

TIGed in the Media

Daily Edventures

February 14, 2012

TIG co-founder Michael Furdyk was featured in Microsoft VP of Education Anthony Salcito's blog: Daily Edventures, 365 Day Look at global heroes in education. Read about Michael's perspective on the impact and value of teachers in this great piece!

Recent and Upcoming Events

Global Issues Network Conference

Feb 17-19, Manila, Philippines

TIGed is growing in Asia! During the Global Issues Network Conference hosted by the International School in Manila, Philippines, TIG Co-founder Michael Furdyk provided professional development sessions on TIGed for 50 teachers from international schools across Asia prior to his closing keynote speech at the event.

TIGed Launches Free Webinar Series

March 27, April 24, May 29

TIGed is excited to announce the launch of a free webinar series, kicking off this month! This series includes 3 offerings:
1. Introduction to TIG and TIGed - March 29th - 9-10am EST
2. TIGed Virtual Classrooms and Collaborations - April 27th - 12-1pm EST
3. TIGed Programs and Opportunities - May 31st - 6-7pm EST
Each webinar is designed to familiarize the community with opportunities and resources available through TIG and TIGed, and to support educators in their efforts to reinforce 21st Century skills among their students through global collaborative projects made possible through the use of technology. Register today!

National Association for Independent Schools Conference

February 29 - March 2, Seattle, WA

TIGed would like to thank the National Association for Independent Schools for supporting their participation in this year's annual conference. Read all about what we did in Seattle on our blog!

DeforestACTION Live Web Event

March 28

Register for the DeforestACTION Live Web Event! On March 28th, we will take you deep into the heart the Borneo jungle to connect with orangutans, hear from Dr. Willie Smits and the Eco Warriors about the work they are doing with the Masarang Foundation, and speak with other schools around the world taking action to stop deforestation. Register now: www.tigurl.org/march2012

Reminders

Tell us your story!

Have you been inspired by TIGed, and want to inspire others? Educator stories are a great way to share your teaching experiences with TIGed’s global community. Let us know how you have you helped your students build a better world by submitting your educator story. Discuss issues that matter to you and the steps you and your classroom have taken to become involved. Share your vision: what kind of future do you hope to create through education? We can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Wrap Up

If you like what you've read don't keep it all to yourself! Please share this email with colleagues and friends in education, or direct them to our blog. We'd love to hear from you!

If you have questions or feedback, or would like more information about TIGed, please contact us: education@takingitglobal.org.

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Copyright 2013 TakingITGlobal

This newsletter is a subsection of TakingITGlobal's TIGed division, electronically published via email, and compiled from various events and news from within the TIGed network. Questions and/or comments can be sent to education@takingitglobal.org. Please include your full name, age, and your TIG username. Click here to unsubscribe.