Results of the February Activity Database Contest

Many thanks to Peace Child International, Youth Voices Research, and Facing the Future - the first, second, and third place winners of our recent Activity Database contest. Because of the contributions made by these organizations, the Activity Database grew by 35 activities and lesson plans since the last edition of News from TIGed was released. Way to go!

Upcoming Featured Issues

In April, the TakingITGlobal site will be featuring the issue of animal rights. Come check out the resources and invite your students to share their perspectives! You may also want to explore animal rights issues in your classroom by taking advantage of the downloadable free education packs offered by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

In order to promote the exchange of ideas related to diversity, the featured theme for May, we will be inviting youth to participate in an intercultural dialogue organized in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO). This unique event will enable youth to reflect and interact with each other using both words and visual artistic expression by painting a communal painting. Finished canvases from this event will be digitally recorded and posted in a special section of the Global Gallery along with individual art submissions created by groups of youth from around the world. If you are interested in having your students participate in the dialogue and/or create a painting, please keep checking the TIGed blog for details, coming soon!

Upcoming Events

Turning the Tide

April 2-3 2009, Sausolito, California, USA.
The Institute at the Golden Gate advances environmental preservation and global sustainability by facilitating cross-sector dialogue and collaboration, encouraging new partnerships, and promoting action. From April 2nd to 3rd 2009, the Institute will hold its premier signature program, Turning the Tide. Turning the Tide is organized around the concept of 21st century guilds - communities of individuals who share a common purpose or commitment to solving Earth's most pressing challenges. Six guilds have been designated, each addressing a critical aspect of a sustainable future. Participating in each guild will be the best minds in business, science, technology, the arts, environment, and philanthropy-leaders who embody new ways of thinking and trailblaze new solutions. TakingITGlobal is thrilled to have been invited to participate in this momentous event. To learn more, please visit the event website.

2009 Global Action Week on Education ~ Youth Literacy and Lifelong Learning

20-26 April 2009
The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is a civil society movement that aims to end the global education crisis by ensuring that governments deliver the right of every girl, boy, woman and man to a free quality public education. The GCE was instrumental in setting the Education for All agenda for 2015.

Every year in April, the GCE coordinates Global Action Week on education, an international campaign to tell politicians and journalists that we need to provide quality education to the 75 million children and 774 million adults who cannot currently access this basic human right.

As the theme for Global Action Week 2009 is literacy, the GCE is running a campaign called the BIG READ. The GCE and its national partners are producing a special life-changing book - complied of short stories written by remarkable people, about how education changes the world as we know it. Students around the world will read these stories, learn about the right to education using specially-produced curricula, and sign their name to a petition calling on the governments of the world to do more to provide everyone with their human right to a quality education.

To learn more about the BIG READ and how to organize a BIG READ event with your school or group, please visit the campaign website.

Helping Canadian Kids Thrive: National Conference on Positive Youth Development

May 7-8 2009, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Thrive conferences are held annually in different Canadian cities in order to share success stories related to positive youth development. The goals of the conference are to connect Canadians of all ages involved in strengths-based youth development; investigate how communities can prevent crime through social development, awareness and engagement; and educate and excite participants about what is available to support positive youth development efforts. TakingITGlobal will be hosting a learning session focused on digital and global citizenship on May 8th from 10:30am to 12pm. For more information, please visit the event website.

5th World Environmental Education Congress ~ Earth, Our Common Home

May 10-14 2009, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
This Congress is for professors, researchers, teachers, university students, community leaders, civil servants, museum and park interpreters, consultants, journalists, artists, and all other actors in environmental education, who seek to strengthen environmental education in our neighbourhoods, villages, cities, and regions-to better inhabit Earth, our common home.

Having recently redesigned the website for the Green Street program and customized virtual classroom spaces for participating teachers, TakingITGlobal will be sharing an exhibit with the organizations who run Green Street (the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, the Canadian Teachers' Federation, and La Centrale des syndicats du Québec). To learn more about the Congress, please visit the event website.

2nd Annual New York State Association for Computers and Technology in Education (NYSCATE) Metro Conference - Discovering your Digital Destination

May 18-19 2009, Rye Brook, New York, USA
NYSCATE is an organization of dedicated technology using educators, committed to transforming teaching and learning, in order to provide our children with an education that prepares them to live satisfying and productive lives. TakingITGlobal will be participating in the 2009 Metro Conference by giving a one hour presentation on digital and global citizenship, currently scheduled for May 18th at 2:30pm. For more information, please visit the event website.

National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) 2009 - Celebrating 30 Years of Ed Tech Vision

June 28 - July 1 2009, Washington, D.C., USA
TIGed will be presenting two sessions at the upcoming 30th annual NECC, hosted by the International Society for Technology in Education:

• Creative Connections: Online Expression as a Means to Global Understanding (Sunday June 28th, from 7-9pm)
• The World in Your Classroom: Online Global Education and Collaboration (Wednesday July 1st, from 9-11am)

For more information about NECC and to register, please visit the conference website.

Wrap Up

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