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Announcing Tread Lightly
TIGed is pleased to announce the launch of Tread Lightly, a climate change education and engagement initiative made possible through the generous support of the Staples Foundation for Learning®. Developed to help global citizens to lighten the load they place on planet earth, it features:
· An interdisciplinary secondary school curriculum, available free of charge in both English and French, that explores climate change through the lens of ecological footprints - a measure of the toll humans are placing on the planet. While this toolkit can be effectively used to teach about climate change and ecological footprints at any time, this first version was specifically designed to run in parallel to key events in global climate change policy leading up to and including the UN climate change conference in December.
· A global 40-day footprint challenge that involves joining others around the world in taking on, and sticking to, as many commitments as possible.
· "Imprints" - an international ecological art contest.
To learn more about how to contribute to a more sustainable future through this exciting new initiative, visit http://treadlightly.me or email info@treadlightly.me.
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Announcements
 Fall 2009 Sprout E-Course Application Deadline Extended to October 4th!
Sprout is an e-course designed for aspiring social innovators and environmental entrepreneurs who want to grow their project ideas and learn to create lasting changes in their communities. Innovative young people (aged 16-30) around the world are invited to apply to participate in Sprout, which offers a unique way to learn about community-focused project management in a supportive online environment. Sprout participants are paired with experienced e-mentors of all ages who provide inter-generational support, encouragement and insight throughout the eight weeks of the course.
Applications for participants and e-mentors are due October 4th 2009. For more information, email sprout@takingitglobal.org or visit www.sproutecourse.org.
TIGed Site Improvements
Two new features have recently been added to the TIGed community page:
- Educator Stories, showcasing TIGeducators around the world who are building a better world through their work, in order to spread inspiration, share experience and expertise, forge connections, and strengthen the TIGed community. Check out the newly added stories or add your own!
- Community search functionality, which allows you to search for educators, classes, and schools with greater detail than ever! The newly added "collaboration details" allow you to share specific ideas to how you'd like to work with other educators on TIGed by displaying this information alongside your name in search results. Alternately, if you've already got your hands full with projects, you can update your details to let others know to check back later!
 Sharing the Dream Project Page Re-Launch
As part of the Vancouver 2010 Education Program, the BC Ministry of Education and its partners are producing the Sharing the Dream webcast series. This initiative engages secondary school students across Canada and around the world in a series of student-led webcasts through a TIG project page, which was relaunched September 1st! Check out the new site to experience its new features and design, learn about when the next webcasts will be held, or to access an archive of past webcasts - including one by TIG's very own Michael Furdyk!
New Mental Health Educational Resources Available
A number of lessons and activities focused on adolescent mental health educational are now available through the TIGed activity database. Extracted from a high school curriculum guide developed by the Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health in partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, these resources are aligned with Canadian curriculum outcomes and have been field tested in schools across the country. Be sure to take advantage of these resources in the lead up to World Mental Health Day on October 10th!
TIG and the Chair worked in collaboration to develop a mental health global issues page, and the two are also working together to develop an International Guide to Action on Youth Mental Health – coming soon!
To learn more about the work done by the chair to improve youth mental health, please visit www.teenmentalhealth.org.
2009 Open Architecture Challenge Winners Announced
One billion people live in abject poverty. Four billion live in fragile but growing economies. One in seven people live in slum settlements. By 2020 it will be one in three. The UN Millennium Development Goals aim to "achieve improvement in the lives of 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2015." Reaching this goal will require a profoundly new approach to improving the built environment. The Open Architecture Network, an online, open source community dedicated to improving living conditions through innovative and sustainable design, aims to be just such a catalyst for change.
The 2009 Open Architecture Challenge invited the global design and construction community to collaborate with primary and secondary school teachers and students to create smarter, safer, and more sustainable learning environments. To view the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge winners and finalists, click here.
Opportunities
 Partner With TIGed for Professional Development!
Please let us know if there is an upcoming education-oriented conference close to where you live. If you feel comfortable facilitating a workshop or giving a presentation about TIGed, and our proposal is successful in securing a spot in the conference program, TIGed could support your attendance in recognition of your efforts to spread the word about TIGed! To suggest a potential speaking engagement, please contact education@takingitglobal.org.
Last Call For Presenters at NCSS 2009!
The TIGed program is still seeking an educator to give a one-hour presentation on its behalf at the National Council for the Social Council for the Social Studies annual conference, to be held November 13th to 15th 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. If you live nearby, or will be visiting Atlanta around that time, and would be interested in giving this presentation on TIG's behalf, please let us know ASAP - and no later than October 10th 2009. We could help support your attendance!
For more information about this opportunity, please contact Katherine Walraven, Education Program Manager (katherine@takingitglobal.org). For more information about the conference, please visit the conference website.
 Global Partners Junior Looking for A Canadian Partner!
Global Partners Junior is an award-winning after school program that fosters global understanding and communication by connecting 9-12 year old New Yorkers with international peers through the internet. Sponsored by New York City Global Partners, this program fosters global understanding and communication through web-based exchanges and projects. Student workbooks and teaching resources are provided to all participants.
This year students in Beijing, Budapest, Dublin, Jerusalem, Lima, London, Mumbai, New York City, Paris, Rome, Singapore and Tokyo will explore community businesses and the world economy through dialogue, research and media projects.
The program is also looking for a group of Canadian students aged 9-12, who live in an urban centre, to participate. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Thea Williamson at twilliamson@cityhall.nyc.gov or +1 212-319-9300 as soon as possible.
TIGed in the Media
Grand Magazine
TIG and TIGed were recently highlighted in the September/October 2009 edition of Grand Magazine. The article, "Connecting with the class: Social media projects engage students on their own turf," features stories from teachers who are harnessing the power of information and communication technologies in their classrooms, including TIGeducator Scott Kemp of Kitchener, Ontario, who uses technology to engage his grade ten English students.
Bradford Times
TIG was also featured in a June 18th article in the Bradford Times. The article, "A global peace projects links Bradford and Kandahar," tells the story of how books about peace produced by TIGeducator Mali Bickley's grade 5 class made their way to Kandahar Afghanistan, and how books created by Afghani students made their way back to Mali's very excited students.
Upcoming International Days
The following international days are coming up in the next few months. Mark these days on your calendar in order to incorporate them into your teaching and school-wide events!
Recent and Upcoming Events
Emerge Community of Practice Professional Learning Event
October 19th to 20th 2009, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
The Emerge Community of Practice is made up of teachers, principals, and administrators participating in Emerge. Its purpose is to share knowledge and practices and allow participants to share their collective experience over the three years of the initiative.
Director of Technology, Michael Furdyk, and Education Program Manager, Katherine Walraven will be giving two three-hour workshops on Monday October 19th.
Teaching and Learning (T+L) Annual Conference
October 28th to 30th 2009, Denver, Colorado, USA
Presented by the National School Boards Association’s Technology Leadership Network, this year's T+L Conference will focus on the critical issues facing schools today including Tools for Engagement, Strategies for Tough Economic Times, Leadership for Innovation, Technology & the Law, Taking 1:1 Learning to the Next Level, and Preparing Tomorrow's Workforce with S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering and math). TIGeducator Jennifer Klein, of the Research Journalism Initiative will be presenting on TIG’s behalf about the role of digital technology in improving students’ global citizenship and 21st century skills. Her presentation, entitled "Take Your Classroom Global," will take place October 29th from 7:30 to 9 am in rooms 111/113 of the Colorado Convention Centre. To learn more about T+L 2009, visit the conference website.
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Annual Conference
November 13th to 15th 2009, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
With the theme "Dreams and Deeds: The Civic Mission of Schools," the 89th annual NCSS conference will highlight the central role of social studies in our schools: preparing young citizens to make a better world. TIGed is scheduled to facilitate a session entitled, “Technology and Global Citizenship: Stories from educators,†exploring how educators are using technology to develop rich, interactive classroom-to-classroom collaborative projects designed to enhance 21st century skills, media literacy, and global citizenship amongst students. The session will take place November 13th from 5 to 6pm in room A410 of the Georgia World Congress Centre. To learn more about NCSS 2009, visit the conference website.
Southeast Asia Youth for Change (SEACHANGE) Youth Engagement Summit (YES) 2009
November 16th to 17th 2009, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
SEACHANGE is an ongoing movement that connects Southeast Asian youth to projects, organizations, businesses, and leaders who can help them with the change they want to see! It will be bringing together close to 1 million youth representatives and some of the most inspiring leaders in the world, at the YES 2009 summit this November. Watch for TIG there!
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 TIGed blog at http://www.tigblog.org/group/tiged.
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. If you do not wish to receive future TIGed updates, change your settings.
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