In my online learning class I am learning about the many benefits of being a connecting teacher. There are so many benefits that I am discovering. I think some of the best benefits are the increase in learner engagement, and also the ability to share ideas on a global scale. I think the most challenging aspects have been learning how to use the various types of technology that are new to me such as Twitter and video chat.

We’ve been talking about digitial citizenship in our online class. I think that all of the learner profiles have great connections to digital citizenship. I actually think this would be a great way to teach about digital citizenship to my first graders. They are already very familiar with the learner profiles. I actually think it would be great to include the teaching of digital citizenship in several of our PYP units.

I used to think that connecting with other classrooms and teachers would be difficult. I also used to think that my students were too young to use the type of technology that would enable global learning. But after trying it several times, I now realize it’s much easier than I thought. The most difficult part is finding a connection, but now I know there are so many programs out there to connect teachers like the Teddy Bear Project, or Teapot project.

As a whole I think the workshop was a great introduction and overview to global learning. I think the best part about it was that it exposed me to many different options available to choose from, that I can further explore on my own. I also really liked the fact that we got to make some connections to real teachers in other places.