Global Education Conference

From November 12 to 16, educators and innovators from around the world will come together for the Global Education Conference, a free, online, week-long event to explore ideas, examples, and projects related to connecting educators and classrooms across borders. There will be a strong emphasis on promoting global awareness, fostering global competency, and inspiring action towards solving real–world problems. Last year's conference had over 10,000 participant logins, and this year is expected to be bigger than ever with over 300 keynotes, events and presentations to choose from! Check out the event schedule for a full list, including several presentations led by TIGed team members. Be sure to browse through this schedule and mark your calendars! If you are interested in volunteering for the conference as a session moderator, sign up for the online volunteer group. We hope to see many of you online for this fabulous event!

International Days

November 6 - International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

The International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict is observed to acknowledge that the environment is one of the greatest victims of war. Use this day to explore with your students how war often results in deforestation and extreme pollution. Conflict over natural resources, such as diamonds and oil, puts extra pressure on the environment. Check out TIGed's Resources for classroom activities on the environment.

November 16 - International Day of Tolerance

This International Day of Tolerance, help to generate awareness about injustice and violence caused by intolerance. Acts of intolerance are on the rise and they are often directed at the most vulnerable members in our society. Use this opportunity to discuss the importance of tolerance in classrooms and societies, and the negative impacts of intolerance. You could have your students organize an open forum in their school or community to talk about the importance of human rights and tolerance between and among communities.

November 20 - Universal Children’s Day

November 20th marks the day on which the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989. Celebrate the important children in our lives today, and help to raise awareness about underprivileged children who work long hours in dangerous circumstances or don't have access to education. Your students can learn about children's rights today, and can make a commitment to fight all forms of child abuse.

November 25 - International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

November 25 is dedicated to raising awareness about violence against women, which is a human rights violation and can devastate lives. Your class can browse the organizations concerned with women's right listed on TakingITGlobal, and contact a local organization for volunteer opportunities or information on how to participate in events that will be happening on this day.

December 1 - World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic and the spread of HIV. More than 2.1 million people have lost their lives to AIDS, and youth between the ages of 15 to 24 account for more than 41% of new HIV infections among those above the age of 15. Connect with TIG partner GYCA to learn more with your class, check out TIG's Youth Guide to Action on HIV/AIDS or try some of the classroom activities from our Xpress HIV/AIDS educational resource.

December 3 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities

The World Health Organization estimates that approximately one billion people around the world live with disabilities today. International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed to raise awareness of the issues that people with disabilities face in societies with infrastructure that is not usually designed for a variety of abilities, and where stigma is a growing problem. Encourage your class to visit TIG's page on disability culture and reflect on what it means to live with dignity as a disabled person.

December 9 - International Day Against Corruption

The International Day Against Corruption aims to raise awareness about the corruption at work in political systems and corporations around the world. This day provides the public, government, organizations and lobby groups the opportunity to work together against structural and endemic corruption. Use this day to encourage critical thinking among your students about the importance of transparency in governance. Commit to saying NO to any form of corruption, or have students post a blog about this important global issue.

December 10 - Human Rights Day

On December 10 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and we celebrate it now to reflect on the ideal that "all human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms." The aim of this day is to celebrate how far we have come on a global level, but also to raise awareness about large-scale violations on human rights that are still occurring all over the world. Explore TIG's human rights global issue pages, and the related education resources on TIGed.

December 20 - International Human Solidarity Day

December 20th marks International Human Solidarity Day, when universal values among people from around the world are encouraged and celebrated. This day is dedicated to building a more harmonious international society that stands up against poverty, war, human rights abuses, and intolerance. Today you can ask your students to express themselves in an artistic way that portrays their understanding of solidarity. Upload student work to TIG's Global Gallery for others to enjoy from around the world!

Professional Development with TIGed

TIGed's winter schedule for professional development e-courses is now available online! Sign up for a course in global citizenship and project-based learning, student voice, or environmental stewardship to learn how to bring these values and a variety of technology-enabled pedagogies into your classroom. Every TIGed e-course is designed with you, the educator, in mind. You will walk away from the experience with a project to implement in your class, and a new-found network of globally diverse educators with whom to collaborate! Learn more, and register today!

Ride to Learn Update

Kudos to World By Cycle team member, Sunniva Vann for performing at Pecha Kutcha Night in Edmonton last month! Be sure to check out her blog about it. World By Cycle's next exciting initiative is to launch the worlds first ever guerrilla shoe art competition. They have some great prizes for the first 20 submissions! Learn more and apply today.

MindShare Learning 21st Century Classroom Video Challenge

TIGed is a proud partner of MindShare Learning for their 5th annual 21st Century Classroom Video Challenge that celebrates innovative thinking and new possibilities through the power of education technology. To enter, record a video that demonstrates how your 21st century teaching practices, using technology, have played a vital role in engaging and motivating students! Qualify to WIN one of three classroom technology packages worth over ,000! There will be three winners selected across Canada, in the regions of Western, Central and Eastern Canada. To learn more, and to submit your video, visit Mindshare's contest site or attend a live webinar on November 29th at 1:30pm EST! To register for this live event, contact Natalie at natalie@mindsharelearning.com.

Adobe Youth Voices Recruiting New Educators

Are you an educator looking to integrate global perspectives and digital literacy into the classroom? Are you interested in learning how you can support youth development through artistic expression? TakingITGlobal is preparing to launch its fourth cycle of the Adobe Youth Voices program and would like to invite educators who work with youth aged 13-18 in under-served or at-risk communities to take part. The program supports youth to create multimedia art that explores social issues affecting them. Visit our site to find our how you can apply to participate. The deadline for applications is January 31st, 2013. Questions? Contact us at ayv@takingitglobal.org.

Scholarship Opportunities for Educators

TIGed invites those in financial need to apply for these exciting scholarship opportunities for our e-courses. We currently have two options available, which are both generously made possible by our friends at Microsoft:

1. Thanks to support received through Microsoft’s Give for Youth fundraising portal, we're able to offer a number of full scholarships for educators under 25 in any of our ecourses! Please take a few minutes to apply today if you are a young educator and are interested in our e-courses.

2. Microsoft Partners in Learning is offering full scholarships to educators in any region and without age restrictions, to our Empowering Student Voice in Education e-Course.. The next course begins November 15th, 2012 and is designed to help educators understand the value of cultivating and engaging student voice both inside and outside the classroom. Educators will critically examine the current state of student voice in their educational contexts, and work towards designing a project that enables and enhances student voice. Be sure to not to miss out on this great opportunity, and apply today!

Learn more about our e-courses!

Participate in Time Project

Time Day is upon us! On November 30th, a 24 hour learning marathon will take place starting at 00:00 GMT. For one day throughout all time zones,your class connect through this event. A wide variety of activities will take place, including video conferencing, an online research game ‘Unite the Nations’, a Model United Nations Video Conference Simulation, a case study in community sustainability through CUSO International’s EsArtes/Suchitoto Initiative, and Classroom Twinning - Blogging Activities! To learn more, visit timeproject.tiged.org or email timeproject@yahoo.ca.

Become Earthwatchers!

Want to help your students take action against large scale environmental problems? Become Earthwatchers to use a satellite monitoring tool hosted by DeforestACTION that allows you and your students to track deforestation from your classroom! You will monitor regions in Borneo, Indonesia, and alert relevant authorities, who will then use your monitoring contributions to take action and investigate illegal activity. Your assigned area will update its radar satellite imaging, allowing you to compare changes from previous imaging. By collaborating within the Earthwatchers platform with those monitoring neighbouring parcels of land, you can help determine whether or not the disturbances you may see are a result of illegal deforestation. Learn more, and sign up to be an Earthwatcher today!

Global Dignity Day

October 17

Check out the fantastic media coverage that Dignity Day attracted in Canada this year! We can't wait until next October to do it all over again!

Global Dignity Day

October 17

This year, Dignity Day was bigger than ever, with schools across Canada and the world celebrating the intrinsic value and dignity of every single person on Earth. The TIGed team participated in Diginity Day from Fieldcrest Elementary School this year, and had a wonderful experience! Check out our TIGed Program Assistant Tania's blog about the day to read about the amazing activities in which Fieldcrest took part, including a national video conference that connected schools across Canada to an event with youth role models on Parliament Hill! Special thanks to our friends Mali Bickley, Jim Carleton, and Terry Godwaldt for sharing this day with us.

ECOO

October 24 - 26, Richmond Hill, ON, Canada

The TIGed team had a great experience at the Educational Computing Organization of Ontario conference this year! Special thanks to our friend, Cal Armstrong, for his leadership at this fantastic event, and the Joe-Laura team from Time Project for such wonderful enthusiasm about global education. See you all next year!

Do Your Part! Halton 2012

November 15 - 16, Oakville, ON, Canada

Hosted yearly, the "Do Your Part! Halton" conference brings together youth and adults from a range of backgrounds to focus on positive youth development. Participants will share their stories of youth engagement and development. TIGed is thrilled to be presenting this year.

DeforestACTION at EcoBuzz

October 24

The DeforestACTION team had a great time at the EcoBuzz conference this year, designed to inspire students across the Peel Region to take environmental action for the rest of the school year. DeforestACTION held 3 workshops, where participants learned more about the issues surrounding global deforestation and how to take action using social media and collaborative technologies. We are looking forward to participating again next year!