ANNOUNCING! Digital Learning Day’s Video Contest

Just wanted to share!

ANNOUNCING! Digital Learning Day’s Video Contest

We want to hear how digital learning is improving your school and how you celebrated Digital Learning Day! There are categories for Teachers, High School Students, Middle School, and Elementary Students. Go to http://www.digitallearningday.org/awards/ to view the categories, directions and rules. Submissions will be due on Friday, March 2^nd. 

Dear Globaloria Educators,

We are gearing up for the first-ever national Digital Learning Day on Wednesday, February 1st!  Thank you all for the work you are putting in to make this day a success the Globaloria Way.

1) Attached please find Talking Tips for talking to press and media. Please review them and have them with you on February 1st.

2) We've also attached an updated Digital Learning Day Certificate to be distributed to participants on February 1st.

3) Don't forget to take lots of pictures and videos on February 1st and submit them to dld@globaloria.org

4) If you have not already done so, please reply to this email and let us know how your Globaloria class will be participating in Digital Learning Day.

Please feel to reach out to me or Deb Super (deb@worldwideworkshop.org) with any questions. All toolkit items can also be found on the Educators Wiki.

Best,

Yasmin

DIGITAL LEARNING DAY FEBRUARY 1

The excitement is building for Digital Learning Day on February 1!  Many of you have already shared with us your plans to celebrate this national event. If you have not yet responded about your plans for that day, please email Deb by Friday, January 27 (deb@worldwideworkshop.org).  

Of course, every day in your classroom is a digital learning day.  So, we ask that you share what your students do on a regular basis in Globaloria and invite parents, administrators, media, other teachers in the building, policy makers, board members or local officials to see a Globaloria class in action as you proceed with instruction! 

Earlier in the month we provided you with a toolkit to help you plan and run a smooth open house. All the toolkit documents are posted on the Educators Wiki. 

Please document the day by takings photos and videos on your flip cams!

January 21 Academy

In the past we have traveled to Charleston for the mid-year academy and weather has always been an issue. So this year we'll try something new: a virtual academy (January 21--11:00 AM EST-2:00 PM EST) with some pre-academy assignments. A character will be doing the traveling!

As educators we sometimes forget that we need to continue to learn. We are so busy getting ready for the next day that learning takes a back seat. Then when you add family and other responsibilities, it seems like there are never enough hours in the day. So learning is moved to the trunk.

Globaloria forces us to move that learning to the front seat. We complain about it sometimes, but look what it is doing for us. We are doing coding we never dreamed we would use, editing and using wikis, blogging, and working as a group. My brain hurts thinking about it sometimes.

For most of us it is not an easy class to teach, but we do it because we think it is what the students need. Coming out of the comfort zone has been hard for many of us, yet seeing what students are able to achieve has been overwhelming. We are giving them opportunities to explore a world they did not know before.

So, I'll see you January 21 in the front seat with me. Beforehand, don't forget the pre-academy activities. Some educators have already posted their work there, so check it out and add your own activities.

Apply for 2012-13 by Jan 31

Globaloria applications for the 2012-13 school year will be sent to schools and central offices in early January. The deadline for application is January 31.

Now is the time to plan to expand your Globaloria program to reach more students. Think about adding more sections of the course, inviting new instructors to join, and integrating the curriculum into more content courses. Contact Deb Super with any questions.

Globaloria by the Numbers

Entering the second half of Pilot Year 5, we are proud to announce the number of students and educators impacted by Globaloria. The forward-thinking leaders in the schools and other educational settings are responsible for the spread of our innovative curriculum. Congratulations for accepting the challenge to transform learning and lives.

Overall Reach 2007-2012

Students: 4,500
Educators: 350
Schools: 83
States: 7 (CA, FL, LA, NY, TX, WV, and the District of Columbia)
International: 3 (Israel, Saudi Arabia, 2 Global implementations)
Elective Classes: 205
Core Curriculum Integration Classes: 49
Summer Programs: 2
• After School Locations: 3
Educational / Social Issue Games: 775

5 Habits of Successful Globaloria Classes

In the spirit of New Years' resolutions, we invite you to focus on maximizing these five practices in your classroom!

• Students update wiki pages frequently. Students and educators blog regularly.
• Students complete learning logs on a daily or weekly basis.
• Educators keep course schedules up-to-date.
• New educators are communicating with mentors at least bi-weekly.

Goodbye Newsletter, Hello Blog!

Starting in January 2012, updates and news for educators will appear in the Globaloria Educators blog. Instead of a monthly newsletter, important information will appear as soon as you need it. If you are not already subscribed, please add yourself to the list. Bookmark the blog URL, or use the Educators toolbar for quick and easy access.

Google to Support Community-Wide Civic Engagement Game Design Projects in San Jose

Google now supports the Globaloria social learning network in San Jose/Silicon Valley -- a new initiative that teaches youth game design and programming to cultivate a broad array of STEM knowledge and digital skills among youth, community-wide civic engagement and regional innovation, and also help ease Silicon Valley's talent crunch. Read the full press release. This press release was featured in:

• Google Blog


• Google Gives Back Landing Page


• Gamasutra


• San Jose Business Journal

Hooray! Kicking off the Educators Blog's new look with this wonderful news!

Time Marches On...

Reposted from my Globaloria Blog:

This fall, actually going back to this past summer, I have found myself to be more busy with less down time than almost anytime I can remember.  I have allowed myself to have multiple layers of responsibility including my primary job as Director of Instrumental Music at GEHS(Marching Band instruction, design, implementation), responsibilities with Globaloria (Mentor, Lead Educator), responsibilities with my personal marching band show design company (Lead Designer), and of course responsibilities with my home and family. 
Due to these many overlapping responsibilities, I often find myself at a deficit when it comes to time to complete everything - thus my relatively vacant blog as of recent.  However, I am reminded that no matter what, no matter how much any one of us has going on, time marches on. 

Time does not care how busy we are.  Time ruthlessly moves forward with or without us. 

It is up to us as individuals to make the choices of what is most important.  What will be our priority as we swim through the ever flowing river that is time.  Again, time does not care what we choose to make important to us.  But those around us do.  Those who are most affected by the choices we make will remember the impact we had as time forgets. 

Ultimately, what we leave behind is that impact, that inspiration on those around us.  No matter what responsibility(ies) I may be concerned with at a certain time, I will try to do my best to make a positive impact on my students, my friends, and most importantly my family.   I will not fight time for the right to make that impact.  I will let it flow (because it is going to anyway), and I will do what I can in the time available  to achieve my goals and outcomes. 

How does time impact your decisions?  How do you prioritize your responsibilities?  Comment and let me know!