Running Head: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: MY FINAL REFLECTION

Global Perspectives:
My Final Reflection

Alaina Grubb
University of Maryland University College

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: MY FINAL REFLECTION

2

My experiences with global education and connections at the

beginning of the class were slim. I had never had a conversation with
another teacher outside the United States about education and technology,
and besides a few trips, my experiences outside the United States were
minimal. While my traveling has not increased over the course of this class,
my eyes have been opened to cultures in other ways. This course has also
reinforced in me the importance of incorporating global projects into my
classroom and the benefits that come in doing so.
The various readings that we have done this year have shown me how
important it is to incorporate global projects into the classroom. Gersh (2009)
states that understanding other cultures will help students avoid biases,
preconceptions and myths about other cultures. As students get older, this
knowledge and understanding of other cultures will help create
compassionate, understanding adults who are able to fight for the rights of
all people. It is my duty and the duty of all teachers to expose students to
other cultures. I have come to realize that I must also continue learning
about other cultures if I want my students to do so. It is imperative that I
take the time to research and discuss with others different facets of
education.
One activity that I enjoyed this semester was the interview because it
required me to learn from another teacher. It was fascinating and eye-

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: MY FINAL REFLECTION

3

opening to learn from teachers in India about how technology is used in their
classrooms. The interviews allowed me a small window into the classroom to
see the struggles that are universal in education- lack of equipment,
professional development, and so on. It also gave me the opportunity to see
how teachers in another country solved the problems they encountered.
Reading the posts of classmates about the information they gathered from
their interviews gave me a better view of where other countries stand in
technology integration. I hope to continue researching how other countries
use technology to enhance student learning. Researching how the top
countries utilize technology in their schools will only support the use of
technology in my classroom. The information gleaned from this research will
help me find new ideas for technology integration in the classroom.
I am not a stranger to incorporating collaborative projects into the
classroom. In the past, I have used Mystery Skype to connect to other
schools around the country. However, it was difficult to connect to other
countries due to time zone challenges. I thought that global connections
were important and worthy, but I wasnt motivated to put in the extra time to
figure out how to incorporate them into my classroom. The majority of
teachers on the Mystery Skype site were from the United States, so it was
just easier to connect with them. However, I now know that these
experiences are crucial to help my students develop global citizenship skills
and work on the important 21st century skills. These are skills that students
will need throughout their life and need to be pervasive in the classroom.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: MY FINAL REFLECTION

4

Global project lend themselves easily to the 4Cs of communication,

collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking that we use every day in the
adult world (Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2016).
In addition, Picardo (2012) stated that global awareness and
international collaboration during the formative years results in more
rounded individuals, encouraging our pupils to see things from different
perspectives and helping them to make informed decisions, acquiring
transferable skills that will be useful to them and remain with them for life.
As an elementary school teacher, I need to make a more concerted effort to
provide global experiences for my students to help them develop their global
perspectives and foster skills that will help them for the rest of their lives.
I have learned that there are many different ways to create these
global connections and a multitude of projects available in which we can
participate. After learning about different global networks, I excitedly joined
ePals and have been making connections all over the world. I have found the
teachers on the site to be helpful and enthusiastic about global learning. I
love that I can go to one site and connect with around 23,000 teachers from
over 70 countries in a manner of minutes (ePals, 2016). This site has
eliminated any excuses that I may have for not participating in global
projects.
I plan to utilize these connections this year through a multitude of
projects. As a third grade teacher, my students study countries around the

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: MY FINAL REFLECTION

5

world. I have created a global project entitled A Day in the Life of and
the webpage (http://dayinthelifeofproject.weebly.com/) to go along with it.
Through this project, students will have the chance to see what everyday life
is like for elementary school students in a host of countries. I have already
connected with teachers in eight different countries through ePals that are
willing to participate in the project and create a video for us. Prior to this
class, I would not have known how to begin a project of any magnitude.
Morris (2011) recommends ten steps to set up a global project, which
have helped me bring my ideas to life. She recommends starting with the
student outcomes you want to achieve (Morris, 2011). I wanted students to
be able to learn about everyday life in other countries by focusing on what
student their own age do every day. Her next steps involved connecting with
other teachers and discussing project outcomes with them (Morris, 2011). I
used ePals to make these connections and I was able to e-mail with the other
teachers to discuss the project. Creating a timeline for the project and an
online space are the next steps (Morris, 2011). Due to a variation in student
schedules, I extended the timeframe I was originally thinking of in order to
allow other countries to participate. Creating the online space continues to
be a work in progress, but should be completed soon. The last few steps will
be completed as the project begins to take off including incorporating
parents, completing the project, and reviewing it (Morris, 2011). These steps
made it easy for me to set up the project and know how to prioritize work
that needed to be completed.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: MY FINAL REFLECTION

6

At the beginning of this semester, I did not know where to go to find

global projects or how to get started on creating my own project. I have
grown a lot in my understanding of global learning and its importance in the
classroom. I am enthusiastically preparing for this upcoming school year, and
I look forward to seeing my students engaged in meaningful global projects. I
hope to continue learning about other countries and making connections that
will benefit not only my students but also my own life.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: MY FINAL REFLECTION

7

Resources
ePals. (2016). Find connections. Retrieved from
http://www.epals.com/#/connections
Gersh, S. O. (2009). Global projects and digital tools that make students
global learners. Retrieved from
http://www.internetatschools.com/Articles/Editorial/Features/GlobalProjects-and-Digital-Tools-That-Make-Students-Global-Learners%5BAvailable-Full-Text-Free%5D-59746.aspx
Morris, K. (2011). Start your own global project. Retrieved from
http://primarytech.global2.vic.edu.au/2011/10/26/start-your-ownglobal-project/
Partnership for 21st Century Learning. (2016). Framework for 21st century
learning. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework
Picard, J. (2012). Why students need a global awareness and understanding
of other cultures. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/teachernetwork/2012/sep/25/students-global-awareness-other-cultures