Project Title: Global
Dreamers - Peace Project
Submitted by: Marsha Goren,
Ein Ganim Elementary School
Country: Israel
Partners:
Atsuko Akamatsu, Japan
Jamie Kennedy, Kansas, USA
Lisa Carswell, USA
Estela Serrano, Philippines
Rick Glass, USA
Rozalija
Baricevic, Croatia,
Tanja
Gdvozdeva Riga, Latvia,
Irem Ebru Gursoy, Turkey
Elaine Brevard, Texas, USA
Janet Barnstable, Oak Park, IL, USA
Lieven Van Pays Meulebeke, Belgium
Project Type:
collaborative
Student Ages: all
Description: The
Dream a Dream project was developed by Mrs. Marsha Goren of Ein Ganim School
Israel in 2001 and first met the Internet in 2002. The idea started as a
vehicle to encourage children and educators to share in a learning environment
that would lead to global communication and tolerance. Dream a Dream at Ein
Ganim prompts students at Ein Ganim and around the world to join in
multicultural projects that capture student's thinking in a visual way. It
inspires children to take a deeper look at the world by exploring, exchanging
ideas and using research tools, supporting a positive learning environment and
a shared learning experience. Because of the war between Israel and the
Palestinians which began in December 2008, we decided to invite schools to join
in our peace project. The children felt the need to express their feelings on
the subject together with many of our partners around the world.
http://www.globaldreamers.org/09peace/eg/peace.html
The list here shows schools we have been working with in
global collaboration and found through our two ePals accounts. I invited educators and children to join
our peace project through email. Our peace project aims to encourage cross cultural
communication and promote global understanding, while helping children to
expand their knowledge in technology, support the use of new educational
technologies. The educational value of teaching about peace was essential and
the results of the work we received from our partners are indeed heartwarming.
More than 25 schools from around the world have taken part in this project as
of today.
Learning Outcome: Children have the ability to learn and enjoy working with children by
sharing their cultures. The project is very motivating and gives the
teachers and children the opportunity to look at the world in a different
perspective. In addition the work is fun, creative and much more exciting as
the classroom has no borders.
Everyone benefits and children also learn to accept others from different
cultures and backgrounds thus encouraging friendships and future team work in
other projects.
In addition the project can help
in improving English skills as well as other technology skills when children create
images, banners, background, drawings, word searches, games and learn to sing
songs pertaining to peace.
But above all, this project can
be translated into other languages and implemented when teaching about peace.
Key Project
Element(s): The site includes materials for educators as well as students: http://www.globaldreamers.org/09peace/index.html
- http://www.globaldreamers.org/09peace/tellmewhy/index.html This is a song about peace by
Declan Galbrait. Declan's song excited my students
as can be seen by the feedback after learning the song. As an exercise for
vocabulary I had the kids categorize words from the song such as happy
words, sad words, places, animals, and words or action words about war. We
then discussed it and the kids wrote the feedback. The lyrics can be found
here: http://www.globaldreamers.org/09peace/tellmewhy/TellMeWhy.pdf The students wrote about their
feelings after having learned the song. They practiced the language and
vocabulary through the song. They created images about peace and their
hopes and dreams for peace.
- Students
practiced their English by reading other works by their friends in the
project.
- There
was a question and answer section in the project where students from the
USA asked their Israeli colleagues questions about war. The educator in
Texas Elaine Brevard even organized a live radio show with some students
from Texas and some students from Israel. This experience was unbelievable
for everyone involved and many of the schools from around the world have
shared this with the peace partners. http://www.globaldreamers.org/09peace/interview.html
Culminating Activity:
The highlight of our project is the movie of the "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
with the pictures and images from different classes around the world. The
children in the video are singing in Hebrew and English and they are the Ein
Ganim School Choir and the music teacher is Margarita Mai. My special friend and colleague Janet
Barnstable assisted us with this beautiful work, one with a message of peace
and love. The educators that took part and their students agreed this project
has encouraged global collaboration in a variety of ways that are truly
educational and motivating. You
can see that video here: http://www.globaldreamers.org/09rainbow/index.html
We have also begun a 2010 peace unit and invite educators
from ePals to join us in our everlasting dream of global collaboration and a
better world for our children.
Additional Supporting
Materials:
