| Volume 1 Issue 8, August 2009 | | A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words | What began at the Microsoft Innovative Worldwide Teachers Conference in Hong Kong has been nothing less than an amazing journey. Educators from Nigeria, Canada, Ireland, Indonesia and England, were randomly grouped and sent off to spend a day together. At the end of the day, we were challenged to find a way to create a collaborative project that would involve all our students. Our group had spent the day discussing similarities and differences in our students and in the educational systems of our countries. We talked about the skills our students would need to survive the demands of the 21st century and decided to created a project that would challenge our students to identify the skills or attributes necessary for success as a global citizen. Our students each chose someone from their respective countries they believed exhibited the qualities necessary for success. Using only images and Photo Story, they demonstrated their version of a global citizen. The students followed up the Photo stories with an exchange of questions. In the end, each school created a list of attributes, much shorter than the teachers had anticipated. What we witnessed was a clear example that our students, regardless of age, gender, race or religion, value the same qualities in a person and see these attributes as necessary for success in the future. Every project comes with its challenges. Time zone differences, school holidays and an unreliable Internet connection in Nigeria were all difficulties we faced. E-mail, Skype and persistence kept our project going. Iyke, from Nigeria, even provided his students money to use at a local Internet café when the school's Internet connection was down so they could continue to participate. The friendships developed through this project led to another unique opportunity. Mampuono, the teacher from Indonesia, invited all our schools to participate in an international conference he was hosting in Semarang. Not all schools were able to participate, but those who did were willing to participate via video conferencing late on a Friday night or at six on a Saturday morning, depending on their time zone. Students' thoughts about the importance of technology in education were heard by 600 teachers, administrators and students in Semarang, Indonesia. Seeing themselves on the screen, and responding to questions from the audience, put a face and voice to the dot that had once represented Mampuono's city in Indonesia. This project has really become about global friendships. My students were always excited to be interrupted in class when our Skype would ring to see if it was Indonesia, Nigeria or England calling. They were thrilled to be asked by Mampuono to provide a Canadian cultural name for his newborn son, and loved listening to the laughter as they used a webcam to show snow to those who had never seen it. Just as importantly, this project is about the development of a professional learning community between the teachers and the evolution of five great friendships. This project may be over, but the global friendships are forever.
Pennies for Pets This past year, I watched my primary students learn how to use Alpha Smarts to practice spelling and writing skills and then coach kindergarten students on Alpha Smarts. Growth in reading fluency was recorded on podcasts created with the help of sixth grade buddies. The highlight of the year was our Kids and Critter page, which was published in The Daily World newspaper and their e-edition. This project led to our Pennies for Pets Pay it Forward project.
While participating in a Peer Coach training session, I learned about Jennie Warmouth's PAWS project. Students write stories about pets that need homes for an animal shelter. This inspired me to find a way to partner up my students with our CARA group on the harbor. Our second graders at Stevens School read about homeless kittens and wrote up descriptive paragraphs to find homes for the critters. In November, fourth grade students helped revise and edit the papers and taught the children how to type their final drafts on laptops. Sixth grade students volunteered their persuasive writing skills during the December project. Not only were the children overjoyed to see their final work published in our local newspaper and online, they were also proud of themselves knowing that they played an important role in finding families for these homeless animals.
Later in the year, the children brainstormed creative ways to thank our sponsors. Our class decided to collect pennies and use the money to purchase supplies for animals in foster care awaiting adoption. Children collected, counted, and rolled pennies and then later brainstormed lists of items pets would need. Our neighborhood bank allowed the children to exchange pennies for dollar bills, which were then spent at a local sporting goods store. Later, the children sorted out the supplies and created one basket for the Pawfect Connection group and one for the CARA group.
Students presented the baskets to the CARA and Pawfect connections groups at a school assembly. Afterwards one parent commented, "This is something the kids will always remember." The assembly offered me the greatest reward as a teacher; it showed me the empowering effect that purposeful, authentic lessons have on student growth. They love to write and initiate discussions of how to help others daily.
When an enthusiastic learner tells me that I am the best teacher he ever had, I stop and thank the Peer Coaching program for creating a passion for learning within our school community. The Peer Coaching program allowed me to work side by side with other teachers who instilled in me the importance of making lessons purposeful and authentic. As a result, I am a better teacher and my students are excited about learning.
5th APAC Innovative Teachers Conference 2009 Microsoft recently hosted the 5th Partners in Learning Regional Innovative Teachers' Conference from May 26-29, 2009 in Kuala Lumpur. The event was jointly hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education Malaysia, UNESCO Asia-Pacific and TakingITGlobal, an international non-profit student organization.  The four-day conference was aimed at assisting educators in developing teaching methods and school curriculums that empower students to become agents of change. The rapidly changing social, economic and technological environment around the globe emphasizes the increasing need to deliberate and implement preparation principally among the teachers and youth of today. Focused on engaging the two stakeholders to critically examine real world issues and providing them with opportunities to act upon them locally, this year's theme of Empower, Enact, Engage: Becoming Agents of Change initiates conversations about globalization and its effects on education. More than 80 teachers, 50 senior government and education officials, and 30 students from at least 18 countries participated in field-trips, sharing sessions, collaboration projects and student forums during this year's conference. This year's conference was also the first time that the student forum was held concurrently with sessions for teachers. "Our aim with the innovative teachers program is to help educators and the relevant stakeholders to connect and engage to further their professional development, promote the creation of best practices and developing thriving learning communities," said Microsoft Malaysia managing director Yasmin Mahmood. Affirming Microsoft's education initiatives in schools, Secretary General of the Ministry of Education Malaysia, Tan Sri Dr. Zulkurnain bin Haji Awang said that traditional teaching and learning methods need to be supported by an ICT framework and there needs to be deep and continued collaboration between the private sector and government agencies to help teachers develop the country's human capital. "The Ministry is always receptive to positive change in classroom practices and the approach of integrating ICT into teaching and learning situations provides an excellent opportunity for us to level the playing field and raise the bar of education achievement and standards," he said. "We are proud that our close relationship with the Ministry of Education Malaysia and Microsoft has resulted in an initiative such as this year's Regional Innovative Teachers' Conference, where students and teachers have the opportunity to share knowledge and learn from their regional counterparts. It is without doubt that this conference brings us closer to the UNESCO vision of education as a key to greater social and economic development," said Dr. Kim Gwang-Jo, Director of UNESCO Bangkok, commending Microsoft for using its global reach to enhance education in partnership with government agencies. For more information about the forum: 
Announcements A Pledge to Better Education Policymakers of the modern world, it seems, have come to realize that any development can hardly be sustainable without quality people to maintain the efforts that go into such progress. Thus, education has become a policy priority to all societies alongside economic concerns and material development. Strong collaboration between the government and public sectors is indispensible for education systems to keep up with the 21st century learners' changing needs, especially in terms of ICT and technological innovations that will prepare them for life as the global citizen. The Thai government has recently taken steps to ensure equal access to good education for all, such as implementing the free 12-year education policy and partnering with private organizations. On June 10, 2009, the Office of the Basic Education Commission under the Thai Ministry of Education did just that as it made a commitment with Microsoft Partners in Learning Thailand to jointly develop the quality of education in Thailand through the use of ICT by signing the Memorandum of Understanding marking the second phase of Thailand Partners in Learning and cooperation between the two parties. This bonds both Microsoft and the Ministry of Education in a promise to foster the three pillars of education, namely teachers, students and schools in terms of innovation. Partners in Learning Thailand has played a significant role in bringing ICT into the teaching and learning process since it kicked off as part of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential worldwide mission in 2004. Some of their many projects include technologies and curricula that aim to make education more relevant and accessible, e.g. MultiPoint implementation in small schools and ICT Accessibility for special-needs institutions. Meanwhile, many initiatives offer forums for students and educators alike to push their potential to a higher level, such as IT Youth Challenge competition and Innovative Teachers Leadership Awards, whose winners go on to compete in the regional and worldwide levels. Success of the program has not been easy. The team needed continued support from its own organization and from OBEC, its counterpart in the joint operations to arrive at this level of trust and collaboration. Despite current accomplishments, however, the drive to help improve education for all is as strong as ever. The mission of the Thai Partners in Learning program, led by Academic Program Manager Supoet Srinutapong, in its second phase is closely related to the current administration's vision to equip students with ICT knowledge, and guarantee equal opportunities in education, and eventually in life. Existing projects like MultiPoint, special curricula and Innovative Teachers will expand to more teachers, students, and schools regardless of social and economic background. On the MOU signing day, seeing the range of executives present - Secretary General of OBEC Dr. Kasama Varavarn, Microsoft Thailand Managing Director Patama Chantaruck, Michael Donlan, Managing Director for Public Sector APAC and Saijai Boonyachotima, Thai Public Sector Director - to congratulate the team on reaching the milestone, it was easy to assess how committed Microsoft is to the program as executives, and to expect yet better, more innovative projects to come.
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