Check out this online course to learn more about global collaborations and how to go about getting your students involved.  The blog post below was borrowed from http://macoun.edublogs.org/global-collaboration-course/

Global Collaboration Course

January 6 to 11

It has never been easier to connect classrooms around the world, and lots of teachers are doing it in different ways. In this course we will explore how you can turn a connection into a global learning experience for your students. We will look at ways to make this experience authentic and real, and discuss what it takes to collaborate with other classes in other countries. Ultimately our contention is that authentic global collaboration has less to do with the tools and more to do with approaches to teaching and learning.

As part of this course you will have a chance to examine the different global collaborative opportunities available to teachers, and explore the teacher skills, student skills and appropriate pedagogy needed to turn those connections into an authentic, collaborative learning experience.  We will also review some of the tools that help classrooms connect effectively.

The course has been designed by Phil Macoun (@pmacoun) and Brad Ovenell-Carter (@braddo).  Phil has participated in the Digiteen project for 4 years and is currently enrolled in the Flat Classroom Certified Teacher program.  Brad spent last year as head of Think Global, a school where students explore our world, studying in three new international cities each academic year.

We are also very excited to have Julie Lindsay joining us for a webinar on Saturday January 7th at 4:00 pm PST (click here to find out the time where you live).  You do not have to be registered in the course to attend the webinar.  Julie will be talking about her new book called Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time.

The course is in Moodle and runs from January 6th to 11th.  If you haven’t participated in a Moodle Meet before here’s your chance!  Except for the webinar the course is asynchronous.  This means that you can pop in and out of the course at times that suit you best.

The course should offer something for everyone.  For those new to Global Collaborative Projects there will be information on some of the most useful  tools, a chance to explore different kinds of Global Collaborative Projects, and opportunities to have your questions answered by other educators.  For those that have some experience with these kinds of projects we hope to provide a venue for further discussions about best practice and a chance to network with like minded educators.

To register go here.  The course is free,but you will be prompted to set up an account with LearnNowBC.  LearnNowBC is an entity funded by the BC Ministry of Education to provide professional development opportunities for educators.

Please pass this information along to other educators who may be interested.  If you have any questions about the Moodle Meet please leave them in the comments area below or contact me via e-mail at phil.macoun at gmail dot com.