Why Participate in the ASEF 2020 Blogging Project?

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

                                                                                                               Barack Obama 

The ASEF Global Writing Blogging project will allow your students to become participants in the issues that shape the world but perhaps equally as importantly, their sense of having a voice and right to explore their future. Your students will learn not only about the content, the project based independent nature of personal engagement but also the applications that allow them to collaborate beyond geographical boundaries. They will share their dreams and fears for the future but it is most important to ensure that they move beyond reactive behaviours and mindsets toward a growth mindset where empowerment takes place. A place where they know that they can dream, set goals and take action towards building the future they choose.

Students may participate within the curriculum but also beyond it. We will use a number of digital tools that provide structure and opportunity for young writers to have authors, publishers, bloggists and editors read their work through Write the World. They will be able to choose a focus that grabs them, that speaks to their hearts and intellects, which means that teams may be compiled across nationalities. Participants will gather and respond to resources both provided and those they discover, and perhaps most importantly, they will not be bound by a strict scaffolded formula but rather, have the flexibility to create and curate their own team's blog of responses within the boundaries of the project.

So let's go. Join us as we create a collaboration that builds bridges beyond geographical boundaries.

Gurumba Bigi

Gurumba bigi!

This means 'good day' in Jagara language. The Jagara people are one of the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land on which I live in Brisbane Australia

Today has been given over to organising aspects of the project, learning how to manipulate Google Sheets and Forms and discovering the depths of my patience as I worked and reworked material. I also began building our Google Earth Global Project so that we can curate our work and really see how geographical distance is no distance at all when it comes to sharing what we hold most dear. One of the things I am enjoying most in the preparation, is the constant reminder that I am a learner. It excites me and humbles me too. I have a fabulous inspiration who challenges me and teaches me to step beyond the edge of my comfort zone. It can be a scary place but a healthy reminder that as an educator I expect it of my students. Leaning into discomfort and uncertainty is uncomfortable at times, but through such moments, I understand myself more.

 It is really exciting to see so many teachers getting on board and that's before the invitations have been widely broadcast. At this point twenty three teachers have nominated to participate with students across fourteen countries in Asia and Europe. The three themes appear to be triggering a fantastic response which is exciting. Investing in the exploration of cultural diversity and igniting curiosity about how we each confront the global issues of our day, is to me, an important way to spend what is Australia Day 2020. Today, cultural awareness and sensitivity is most pronounced. Today commemorates Cook's discovery of a found land. A land already occupied, nurtured and held as sacred. Today I find myself thinking particularly of how I might help build bridges of understanding, empathy and responsibility and this expenditure of time is one small action I can take.

 I found myself considering the richness of global projects and such enterprises, and I think that is probably what drives us as educators, to participate in such opportunities, broadening cultural engagement beyond our classroom walls. The ASEF have made such collaborations possible and it astounds me that such programs aren't embedded within and beyond the curriculum. I created our Facebook page and our Teacher's Flipgrid account. Once you have joined our collaboration I will send you the password.

As you begin to think about what you want your students to gain from this collaboration, give some thought to what you might also gain both personally and professionally. We have had wonderful exchanges in the past and this new project will hopefully seed far more.

WATCH THIS SPACE

You may like to see the YouTube collections I am currently putting together.
Go to
Global Sustainability Development Goals 
 and AI and Gender Equity
Write the World is one of the sites we will be using.

Lessons Learned

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way

                                                                                               Napoleon Hill


Today was a really interesting one full of learning and no small degree of laughter at my inadequacies. As I try to create the resources to support participants in the project, I am discovering how much I need to learn about the tools we plan to use. I love nerdling. I love the fiddling and tweaking and collaborations that help build my skills so that I can help others. 

Today I made three sets of Google Sheets which would have probably worked but in a cumbersome way. Click on the images below to see them more clearly.

This seemed a natural starting point but how awkward would it be to navigate between pages?

I am lucky to have a friend well versed in all things Google and he helped me to re-image and tighten my original plan so that now, rather than have three cumbersome sets of sheets which would have been difficult to manage, I now have a Google Form to collect my data which feeds into a sheet where I can apply filters. Participating teachers will be able to find a range of stimulus materials which can be filtered according to target age, themes et al.

The information then gets collated in the Google Sheet like the one below 

The Google Sheet looks like this

Our intention is for participating teachers to help build a repository of texts, both literary and visual, which everyone can access. Texts come in so many different forms and it is wonderful that we will gather such a range across participating countries. We are excited to hear the poems, read the articles, novels and stories, see the photos and videos that allow us to learn about other cultures and also the gift of sharing other people's perspectives in their responses. Google Forms have so many options that allow for data to be gathered. I love learning the nuances of each tool and understand that it really is an ongoing adventure.

It was also pointed out that the project needs its own website outside of my own one. This was something I hadn't thought of and frankly was absolutely on point and so I created a Google Site and embedded materials I had created using Adobe Spark. This is a collaboration and as such needs to stand alone. This blog as well as one I will encourage Maria to create, will be embedded in the site. It might be nice to have each participating school create one and share the links too. So watch this space.

Lessons learned today:
1. Have a clear view of your intention and be ready to look at different iterations.
2. Don't be precious. Be prepared to learn and tweak and delete. The aim is to create the best version rather than tick an objective off the list.
3. Google Forms is far more versatile than I imagined and I LOVE the spreadsheet collection of responses.
4. Using forms means that group members can contribute and view but not upset the spreadsheet formulas.
5. Google Groups allow for a shared folder to be accessible and that I am also able to keep other material separate.
6. Enjoy and learn from those generous enough to share their expertise and passion.

ASEF Postcards From The Edge Global Writing Project 2019

Take a glimpse at last year's project. It will give you some idea of the range of activities students can engage with.

The Connective Writing Project

Bringing Classrooms Closer

Global projects don't have to be complicated.  This was a simple video exchange project I did with a class in Philadelphia.

Writing Our Way To A Better World

“At its essence, sustainability means ensuring prosperity and environmental protection without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. A sustainable world is one where people can escape poverty and enjoy decent work without harming the earth’s essential ecosystems and resources; where people can stay healthy and get the food and water they need; where everyone can access clean energy that doesn’t contribute to climate change; where women and girls are afforded equal rights and equal opportunities.”

UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon 

The idea of having young writers engage with the Global Sustainability Goals really appeals to me. Perhaps it is because I teach in a Catholic college where the Catholic Social Teachings are integral to my daily practice, perhaps it is because of an inherent desire to see fair access to the natural resources we have become stewards of, or perhaps I have finally found my voice and a vehicle to help raise awareness in a meaningful way beyond my classroom and beyond the curriculum. I am not sure. I do know that through the Asia-Europe Foundation, and with Maria Silva, a teacher from Portugal, I am going to build resources and experiences that will hopefully inspire our young writers to; participate in making a difference, persuade others to pay attention through their debates,poems, slam poems, stories, articles, letters and lyrics. They will be able to act and curate their actions so that they can see how far they have come, not only in their writing, but in their thinking and delivery. Writing should be passionate, joy-filled, shared and make meaning of the world we inhabit. With the use of the Erasmus E-Twinning platform and a number of applications such as Google Earth, GSuite, Flipgrid, Write the World, Adobe Spark, Online Voice Recorder among others, students will collaborate on areas they are interested in. They will see one another, listen and respond and build cultural understanding and a broader view of the world. 

I don't want to set many expectations, I want to see where young minds take their inspiration and apply it. We are currently designing the project and you will find regular updates as the project progresses.You might be interested in participating or simply observing the journey. Either way, wish us luck. This blog will also be embedded in my website where you will find resources and more information about the project.

“Be a global citizen. Act with passion and compassion. Help us make this world safer and more sustainable today and for the generations that will follow us. That is our moral responsibility.”

UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon

You can also follow the journey on Twitter @BentleyJuliette