iEARN in Action, June 28, 2004

LAST CALL - iEARN PARTICIPATION SURVEY - SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK BY THIS THURSDAY, JULY 1!  Have you been involved in iEARN projects?  "This is an invitation and request to take part in an iEARN-wide survey.  It is a survey of how iEARN serves our needs and how all of us together can further develop the ways in which we work together, how we structure our work and how we go about the essential work of iEARN: enabling youth across the globe to collaborate in making a meaningful difference to the health and welfare of the planet. Please visit the survey site at http://www.iearn.org/survey and submit your feedback.  The results of your opinions and information will be collated, analyzed and developed into a report.  The report will be available for the use of all iEARN participants." With warm regards, iEARN Executive Council - Eliane Metni, Jove Jankulovski, and Bob Carter.

Join Us! Seeking Contacts, Contributions and Collaborators

2003-2004 iEARN PROJECT BOOK. Versions are now available in Arabic, Armenian, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. See here. For a more complete listing of iEARN projects, see here.

ATTENTION iEARN PROJECT FACILITATORS!!!   If you are currently facilitating a project, or are planning a new iEARN project, and would like to have it included in the 2004-2005 iEARN Project Description Book, please complete the project template below and send it to projectbook@us.iearn.org as soon as possible, but no later than the FINAL DEADLINE of August 20th.
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NEW PROJECT TEMPLATE
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1.Name of Project:
2.Brief one-sentence description of project:
3.Full description of project:
4.Age/level of project participants:
5.Timetable/schedule for 2004-2005:
6.Possible project/classroom activities:
7.Expected outcomes/products:
8.Project contribution to others and the planet:
9.Project language(s):
10.Curriculum area:
11.Names/email of initial participating groups:
12.Name of facilitator(s):
13.Email of facilitator(s):
14.iEARN Forum/Newsgroup where it will take place or is taking place:
15.WWW page of project (optional):
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Note: If you do not yet have partners, please start by posting your idea to the iEARN Teachers Forum or via offline newsreader at apc.iearn.teachers or iEARN Youth Forum or via offline newsreader at apc.iearn.youth. This will help you to learn if a similar project is already underway, and if not, then perhaps others will want to collaborate with you on the design and facilitation of the new project.

HOW DO YOU ASSESS OR EVALUATE AN iEARN PROJECT? Celia Einhorn in the US writes, "I would like to start a thread about assessment or evaluation. How do you grade your students' work in a project? Do you have any resources that might help us all? Do iEARN projects lend themselves to the skills needed for standardized testing?...Join in the discussion on the iEARN Teachers Forum under this topic.

COMFORT QUILTS PROJECT.  iEARN students have been making quilts to comfort the children of Bam, Iran who experienced the devastating earthquake.  Students in Uzbekistan have made wonderful comfort quilts that have already arrived in Iran to comfort the children there. Teachers from schools in Seattle, Washington, who have been working on this project will be presenting their comfort quilts for children in Bam, Iran, to the iEARN-Iran Coordinator Mojgan Momeni at the International Teachers Conference in Kosice, Slovakia to deliver to the children in Bam.  Anatoly Kochnev coordinates the participation of Uzbekistan schools in the project. Schools around the world are invited to join the Comfort Quilt Project to provide the comfort of quilts to children in Bam, Iran and to make and provide the comfort of quilts to children in their own communities.  For more information visit Comfort Quilt Project web-page, or contact Kristi Rennebohm Franz, USA.

Check it out! Resources, Web Sites and Postings (including resources that are not part of iEARN)

CURRENT ISSUES IN COMPARATIVE EDUCATION. CALL FOR PAPERS. Topic: Islam and Education.  Submission deadline: November 1, 2004.  This issue of CICE will examine the different ways in which education in Islamic countries and Islamic education (in predominantly Muslim countries and elsewhere) are being framed today by researchers, practitioners, and the media in light of current international affairs. CICE is a peer-reviewed, international on-line journal that seeks clear and significant contributions that further debate on educational policies and comparative studies. We publish articles from teachers, administrators, professors, graduate students, policy-makers, and education specialists from governmental and non-governmental organizations. Please check our website for detailed submission guidelines at http://www.tc.columbia.edu/cice.

Coming Soon! Upcoming Events and Projects!

MEET NEW TEACHERS FROM BANGLADESH! iEARN Bangladesh is proud to present its first National Teachers' Workshop from 26th to 28th of June 2004. See http://www.iearnbangladesh.org.  Farah (iEARN-Pakistan), Binita (iEARN Nepal) and Hiru (iEARN Bangladesh) are working together with 24 new friends from 8 different schools from in and around Dhaka. Post a welcome and greetings message, sharing the successes and impacts of iEARN in your own schools and communities, in the teachers forum under the folder iEARN-Bangladesh, First Teachers' Workshop.

iEARN REGIONAL CONFERENCE, AMMAN, JORDAN, JULY 6-10, 2004. During the first week of July some 150 educators from 18 countries will convene in Amman, Jordan to promote cross-cultural education through student-centered learning projects. The International Education and Resource Network (iEARN) has announced that the Second BRIDGE Conference will be held in Amman from July 06 - July 10, 2004 under the auspices of the Jordanian Ministry of Education. The conference will be hosted by iEARN-Jordan in partnership with iEARN-USA, and in cooperation with iEARN country programs around the world. For more information, see here. Support for the conference is being provided by iEARN Jordan, iEARN-USA, the Jordanian Ministry of Education, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State, Progress Travel, al-Quds College, Apple-Malaysia, and other international and local partners.

11th ANNUAL iEARN CONFERENCE AND YOUTH SUMMIT IN KOSICE, SLOVAKIA, JULY 11-17, 2004! The 2004 iEARN Conference in Slovakia Approaches!! ...and just look at some of what's in store: over 110 registered workshops and presentations with themes on education relating to Art, Health, Environment, Video and Web production, Program Assessment, Youth Empowerment and more... and key iEARN Projects such as Teddy Bear, Learning Circles, Moving Voices, YouthCaN, My Hero, and countless others, as well as focal points on important issues for the future such as ICT in rural education and the role of iEARN in bridging the 'Digital Divide'. And the workshops are only the beginning... We also have fabulous speakers such as Jim Martin of Headstrong Foundation, iEARN Teachers and Youth from around the world, and cultural performances from Slovakia and beyond, special happenings such as the 2nd Annual Book Exchange, exhibitions of Iraninan Children's artwork, Art Miles murals, youth videos, international flags, dress, culture, and so on. But it would all be nothing save for the greatest part of any iEARN conference... the hundreds of great iEARNers from nations across the planet! (60 different countries so far!!) Look for a conference website update announcement soon, or get in touch with us at 2004@iearn.sk. Looking forward to seeing you in Slovakia SOON!! http://www.iearn2004.net/

BUS TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE 2004 ANNUAL iEARN CONFERENCE. If you are arriving at or departing from the Budapest, Hungary Airport and would like to be part of a group bus trip to Kosice, iEARN is arranging a bus to shuttle passengers from the Budapest Airport to Kosice and back. The bus will depart from Budapest Airport at approximately 15:00 on July 11, 2004. It will arrive in Kosice at about 18:30. On July 17th, the bus will be leaving from Kosice about 10:00 am and will be arriving at the Budapest airport about 13:30. Please note that these times are tentative, and are subject to change. If you would like to reserve a place on the bus, please notify Dasha Kosovsky as soon as possible.
1. Would you like a round/return trip ticket or will you be taking the bus only one way? If so, please specify which day you will be taking the bus.
2. At what time is your flight arriving in Budapest Airport on July 11th and departing from Budapest Airport on the 17th or 18th?3. Do you need a hotel room on July 17th?
Please note that if you are arriving or leaving earlier, you will need to provide your own overnight accommodations in Budapest. Since most flights are departing July 18, we will be reserving a group of rooms for the night of the 17th. As of now, a bus ticket will cost $18 USD one way and $20 for round/return trip if the bus is full (40 passengers) and more if it is not. Please respond quickly because seats are filling up quickly. Dasha Kosovsky.

ACTIVITIES AT THE CONFERENCE:
SHARING OF FLAGS. "Have you ever discovered the power that lies in a country's flag?  The history behind the colours? Kosice is the answer at the coming conference.  Notice is hereby given that all travelling countries must arrange to take along 1 flag of their country that will be collected during the roll call session of nations and will be displayed at some places arranged by the organising committee.  So far, we are grateful for having volunteers who have come in to help coordinate the exercise in Kosice.  These are Kate Kharitonova (Baku - Azerbaijan) and Chandra Malkan (Mumbai- India).  We welcome an flag size but should be big enough to be seen at a reasonable distance. Should you have any query/comment/suggestion please do not hesitate to contact: Tommie Hamaluba the activity coordinator in Botswana or Jason Gerber in Slovakia

2nd ANNUAL iEARN BOOK EXCHANGE. Bring a book (or books!) and exchange them for books other people bring. It's a chance to learn about other cultures, to discover stories you've never heard before, to explore your imagination and expand your mind! Reading is the path to knowledge, and reading something donated by a fellow iEARNer is just plain fun! And - it's free!  The rules are simple: you can take the same numbers of books as you bring. Used books are fine. Picture books, novels, text books, magazines would be appreciated. Books leftover after the conference will be donated to rural school libraries. Each country is encouraged to bring a book about their culture and a book of country folktales to donate to the libraries.. 

Recent Gatherings

FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INTERNET IN EDUCATION AND ONLINE/DISTANCE LEARNING, JUNE 9-10, 2004, MOSCOW UNIVERSITY, RUSSIA. Among presenters were Alla Nazarenko (Moscow University), Carla Meskill and Silvia Chelala (State University of New York), Keith Rawson-Jones (UK), Nina M. Koptyug (Novosibirsk, Russia). The Association for Online/Distance Learning teachers is now formed. It will help teachers and students connect, share resources and arrange exchange programs. If you are interested in online teaching/learning, and wish to know more, you can contact Alla Nazarenko or Nina Koptyug.