By Heather Singmaster

I just returned from Texas where I presented at the Career Clusters Institute on the global nature of today's workforce. While the goal of the session was to provide strategies for teaching career and technical education (CTE) in a global manner, our lively discussion revealed that many in the field still need to make the case to their local communities that we need a culturally competent workforce.

It is clear to many that we live in an interconnected world. This is especially true when it comes to our students, who are online and interacting with people around the world on a daily basis. Harnessing that interest and curiosity in the world to help our students succeed in the 21st century is more important than ever for many reasons:

National Security
National security concerns are global. This is obvious by looking at our military deployment around the world. The men and women collecting intelligence and engaged in nation building need to speak a second language and work within a completely different culture. A recent article from Defense News on this subject gives one small, yet illustrative, example: "an unidentified soldier of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, following a tour in Afghanistan (said), 'One patrol particularly stands out. We met two men who had never seen Americans before. While the patrol leader was questioning one of the gentlemen, I was chatting up his friend. The PL couldn't get the one man to co-operate....I on the other hand was given a flower and the phone numbers of both men as well as a promise to participate in future shuras [tribal assemblies].'"

Changing Demographics
The changing demographics in our local communities mean that students from Alabama to Alaska will encounter different cultures on a daily basis. I'm sure everyone can think of an example of this in their own local community: foreign students or professors at a local educational institution, seasonal workers, or an influx of immigrants...there are many more examples. These new faces are consumers in local businesses, congregants in churches, patients at hospitals, and on and on. If you think your community is exempt from this, just wait: if current demographic trends continue, between 2000 and 2050, the number of Asians is expected to increase by 23.7 million persons, an increase of 220%, and the population of Hispanic or Latino origin is projected to rise from 12.6% to 30.2% in 2050 (approaching one in every three persons).

Business
And of course there is the need to be competitive in the global business arena. To many, this is the most obvious reason, yet you might be surprised at how many people dismiss the business angle for a few different reasons, saying their children will work locally (see above to refute that argument!) or that English is the lingua franca of business and America is the top economy in the world, therefore, the rest of the world should learn English and learn about us. Or they say only the top businesspeople are jetting off around the world striking deals.

I will give them the fact that English is the lingua franca of business. Having myself traveled extensively, I can confidently say that you are quite likely to find people speaking English in most corners of the world. But just because they understand us, doesn't mean we get them. How do you meet the needs of your customers if you don't truly understand them?

It's becoming quite clear that we need to understand consumers living around the world. According to the recent report American Companies and Global Supply Networks: Driving U.S. Economic Growth and Jobs by Connecting with the World, 95% of the world's consumers live outside of the borders of the United States—meaning the majority of the world's purchasing power lies outside our borders. "New customers abroad can expand an American company's revenues, profitability, and employment, much more than can the U.S. market alone." Even if a company is not directly selling in a global marketplace, they are probably supplying or working directly with another company that is. Global demand is growing much faster than it is here within our borders—companies need to connect internationally to expand.

And let's turn to one additional misperception while we are at it: outsourcing only results in a loss of U.S. jobs. The American Companies and Global Supply Networks report addresses this as well, pointing out that expansion abroad "create(s) jobs in America connected to growth in global demand and to their global supply networks." It continues: "Expansion abroad by U.S. companies tends to complement their U.S. operations, with more hiring and investment abroad often boosting hiring, investment, and R&D in their U.S. operations." The ripple effect of supply chains means that expansion also creates jobs in other companies in the U.S. as well—especially small and medium sized enterprises.

People in different cultures tackle and solve problems in different ways and as our students in all fields will increasingly be working in global teams and with international consumers, they will need to be globally and culturally competent. Bobak Ferdowsi, the Mission Manager for the Mars Curiosity rover at the Joint Propulsion Laboratory, says knowing different cultures and languages "helps you see things in a really different way," which is vitally important for the creative problem solving required for STEM work. I'm not saying this is rocket science, but if the rocket scientists need to be globally competent, what about the rest of us?

Learning a second language not only boosts creativity, but it helps with decision making. A recent study showed that, "Using a foreign language reduces decision-making biases." It also forces people to be more deliberate and rely less on immediate emotional reactions. What employer doesn't want that? In fact, a 2012 CareerBuilder survey showed that 33% of employers would go with the bilingual person if choosing between two equally qualified candidates.

Whether for national security, US citizenship, or the workforce, students need to be globally competent. Do these arguments resonant in your local community? Are there others that do?

Follow Heather Singmaster, Sr. Program Associate, Asia Society on Twitter.

Posted by Anthony Jackson at 4:49 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Earlier this week, we posted on the Five Stages of Service Learning. Today, Jennifer Manise, Executive Director, Longview Foundation, shares an idea to put service learning into action in your classroom.

By Jennifer Manise

For those of you compiling your summer reading lists, I highly recommend that you not only add The International Bank of Bob, but also push it to the top of the list. Bob Harris is an intellectually curious, self-deprecating, globally competent writer on a quest to determine if microloans really make a difference in peoples' lives.

The book is about a freelance travel writer who embarks on a journey around the world visiting microloan management organizations who partner with Kiva and microloan recipients—many of them are his actual loan partners.

The International Bank of Bob got me thinking about what advice Bob would have for educators who wanted to either use Kiva in the classroom or engage with his book as a summer read in their schools. Last spring, I met Kyle, a teacher in Northern California, who told me how she uses Kiva as a part of her yearlong global studies fifth grade curriculum. Students in Kyle's class are required to earn or raise money to support Kiva loans and choose partners in countries they are studying. She found Kiva to be a great tool to deepen student understanding and engage their learning far beyond the typical country report.

What would Bob think about Kyle's approach? Why did he choose the countries he did? Is it really that easy to connect the world to home? As my imaginary list of questions continued to grow, I decided to interview Bob to find the answers.

JM: Bob, thank you for writing such an engaging book. Tell those who haven't yet read your book a little about how you decided to connect to Kiva and the impact it has had on your life.

BH: I won the birth lottery about 49 years ago—I was born within a prosperous country, living in a peaceful time, and back then, if you worked hard enough you got ahead. I didn't really appreciate that growing up.

As a luxury travel writer, being paid to stay in ridiculously wealthy hotels was an easy and conscience-free assignment in England and France. But when I got to Dubai I realized these palaces I was staying in are being built by people making $6 to work 12-hour days, on temporary visas from some of the poorest areas of the world, living in labor camps in the desert. The divide between rich and poor seemed nonsensical and heartbreaking. Talking to the workers, it became clear they were making the sacrifice because it makes a huge difference for their families at home. Kids have a better life even if you never see them. It is a small step up—doing difficult labor out of love for their families.

For me, I needed to do something with my good luck, so I took all of the travel money from my travel assignments and settled on using using Kiva to invest in small businesses, hoping to help grow economies in the developing world. Microfinance was getting a lot of press around then partly because the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and its founder had recently shared the Nobel Peace Prize. The Kiva platform makes microlending so compelling. I got progressively more hooked, but I wanted to know and experience more and that led to the book.

JM: Based upon your examples with different lenders, you are a pretty globally competent person. When did you first feel your world expanding beyond your upbringing in Ohio? And when you were going around the world, how much time and energy did you commit to understanding the cultures you were about to enter prior to getting on the airplane?

BH: As a curious kid, I read a lot. I had traveled for years as a comic, but a big change occurred when I appeared on the television show, Jeopardy. I crammed really hard for Jeopardy, learning about great novels and Shakespeare's plays. I learned about places, too—Madrid, Istanbul, and more—landmarks and history that maybe I wouldn't have read about otherwise. That stuff stayed interesting after the show. It was an odd education—trying to cram for a trivia game—learning about and wanting to experience the world. Thus, when I was 40, I bought a cheap around-the-world ticket. This ended up being the most fascinating, life changing trip. At that time, if you had told me then what I'd be doing at 49, I wouldn't have believed you.

JM: There are multiple instances—maybe even every chapter—where you connect the Kiva partners to your life experience in the United States. Was that a deliberate writing technique, or was it really that easy for you to make those local-global connections?

BH: The way we process the world is through our previous experience. Sitting in a bar in Breza I challenge anyone to not relate it to Cleveland. Losing sports team on television, beer, eastern European fans defeated—how can I not think of the Browns? The Bureti district in Kenya felt so much like the small town in Appalachia where my parents are from: the dirt roads, the dairy farms, the rust on the cars. They are probably superficial things to notice, but it was an overwhelming feeling that happened all the time. It is also a way to connect my experiences to an American audience.

JM: The Longview Foundation was begun by a single person—William Breese—who had a vision for a peaceful society that could be obtained by deep understanding of other cultures. Forty-six years later, we've seen some excellent progress and new challenges. What advice to you have for us in the philanthropic world as we try to work with educators and policymakers?

BH: Educational projects are richer and deeper when they involve personal human stories. Minds are more engaged when stories are told. It is how our minds relate to things. We need to know each other's stories before we know the facts.

Another observation is that American education spends way too much time dividing up subjects. When you are in high school, you can't study political history without understanding how technology is evolving. My book emphasizes through stories that everything is interrelated.

JM: Let's think about teachers like Kyle, who are using Kiva in the classroom. What advice do you have for them? Can you share anything about Kiva's plans for their education work?

BH: Give your faculty or students the freedom to look at projects on the Kiva site until they find a story that is interesting to them. Once they've found that spark, branch off of other things related to that partner: the region, their profession, or religious beliefs. If a Kiva website can get a kid interested in the first reading, amazing learning can occur.

A huge strength of Kiva is the empowering mindset. This isn't donations. This is just pitching in, joining with others, and helping another person with an idea. It's an important shift with regard to mutual human dignity.

We are all experiencing a global revolution in human connectedness in our lives today. The current generation of teenagers is seeing the world in a truly different way. I feel enormous hope. There is an inherently interconnected mindset among the young people in the world right now. I'm hoping we are going to move in the direction of understanding.

I wonder what a kid will learn today that is going to transform the world tomorrow? There is potential far beyond anything any of us can imagine.

Follow Bob Harris and Jennifer Manise on Twitter.

Posted by Anthony Jackson at 4:56 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Global issues often play out locally. Service learning is a way students can engage in real-world issues while building the knowledge, skills, and experiences that will serve them throughout their lives. I've asked Cathryn Berger Kaye, author of The Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven, Practical Ways to Engage Students in Civic Responsibility, Academic Curriculum, & Social Action, to share her expertise in developing a service learning program.

By Cathryn Berger Kaye

What motivates our work as educators? While raising test scores and achieving accountability may be critical to our everyday tasks, most of us entered education to make a difference in the lives of children, families, and communities: to provide children with optimum learning experiences transferable to their lives outside of school that guide them to adulthood with a solid sense of personal efficacy, and the ability to make choices and decisions healthy for themselves and our society.

Students benefit from service learning, a real-world application of their academic learning while they are still in school. This research-based approach allows them a laboratory to practice, review, reassess, and reflect, all with the guidance and support of knowledgeable teachers. They see the viability and purpose of their study. This process adds rigor to academics, builds interdisciplinary understandings, and deepens learning.

The five stages of service learning provide an exceptional and somewhat familiar template. We follow these stages in the development of many learning experiences, albeit primarily for learning. When we add the critical and valued element of service, we elevate the learning with purposeful application.

The Five Stages of Service Learning

If you imagine that the skills and knowledge you aim to impart in your students as the ingredients, then the five stagesare the recipe.

The five stages constitute a process that is key to students' effectiveness and critical to the learning of transferable skills and content. Even though each stage is referenced separately, keep in mind that they are linked together and often experienced simultaneously. Visualize how overlays are used in an anatomy book to reveal what is occurring in the human body system by system. Each stage of service learning is like one of these overlays, revealing one part of a dynamic interdependent whole.

Investigation: Includes both the inventory of student interest, skills, and talents, and the social analysis of the issue being addressed. This analysis requires gathering information about the identified need through action research including use of varied approaches: media, interviews of experts, survey of varied populations, and direct observation/personal experiences.

Preparation: Includes the continued acquisition of knowledge that addresses any questions that arise from the investigation; academic content; identification of groups already working towards solutions; organization of a plan with clarification of roles, responsibilities and timelines; and ongoing development of any skills needed to carry the plan successfully to fruition.

Action: Includes the implementation of the plan that usually takes the form of direct service, indirect service, advocacy, or research. Action is always planned with mutual agreement and respect with partners so this builds understanding and perspective of issues and how other people live.

Reflection: Reflection is the connector between each stage of service and also summative. Through reflection students consider their thoughts and feelings (cognition and affect) regarding any overarching essential question or inquiry that is a driving force of the total experience. Reflection informs how the process develops, increases self-awareness, assists in developing future plans, and employs varied multiple intelligences.

Demonstration: Student demonstration captures or contains the totality of the experience including what has been learned, the process of learning, and the service or contribution accomplished. Beginning with investigation, students document all parts of the process, resulting in a complete and comprehensive ability to tell the story of what took place during each stage that includes key informative reflection. Students draw upon their skills and talents in the manner of demonstration, often integrating technology.

At what grade levels can service learning be effective? From kindergarten through grade twelve. We have tremendous evidence of service learning being highly valued by teachers and students in public, independent, and international schools. Students have increased their empathy and understanding of history by interviewing veterans and providing memoirs now treasured by the families of these men and women who have served. Studies of botany have expanded to experimentation in gardening to provide produce in "food deserts" for a welcoming community. Young children have taught yoga to Russian immigrants moving beyond language differences to shared experiences. Imagine transforming a traditional canned food collection, often organized as a competition between classes, into an exploration of poverty and hunger in the community leading to a partnership with a food bank to hold a collection in April when the need is greatest. And what if a computer class revamped the food bank's website to include how other schools can connect a food drive to academic content? The possibilities are present, simply waiting to be shaped by willing teachers and students eager to have a meaningful voice in how they learn and participate in their community.

Can we integrate service learning in our schools today? Absolutely. Service learning is already deemed a valuable educational approach in schools across the globe. With service learning, student ideas become a reality and the excitement genuine. Contributions made are significant with students and their community as beneficiaries of the process. By discovering and applying their interests and talents along with academic content, skills and knowledge, students bring ideas to life. Service establishes a purpose for learning. Students and the exceptional educators who engage them prove to be valued contributors for our collective well-being, now and in the future.

Follow Cathryn Berger Kaye and Asia Society on Twitter.

Posted by Anthony Jackson at 4:27 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

In 2013, more people will access the Internet on their mobile devices than on desktops or laptops. In what has become an annual tradition, we are posting some of our favorite apps for learning.

by Honor Moorman and Heather Singmaster

Computers and, later, Web 2.0 have changed the way young people learn. Now mobile apps are set to do the same.

An “app” is short for software application. For example, Angry Birds and Facebook are popular apps on mobile devices. More than 30 million apps are downloaded to mobile devices every day. There are apps to help manage time, convert measurements, lead a healthier lifestyle, and for fun. A good percentage of apps are by nature educational.

Most teenagers have cell phones. And iPads are outselling personal computers. There are now an estimated 1.5 million iPads in U.S. classrooms, and with new digital textbooks introduced this year, that number will likely grow.

Before using apps, remember that learning objectives come first; recommend specific digital tools and communicate clear guidelines to help students meet expectations. Consider, too, whether apps should be used in guided instruction, or if they should be relegated to self-directed learning time. Many teachers now use the Flipped Classroom model, where class time is used primarily for discussion and collaborative work. Digital tools help students develop knowledge and skills prior to class, and help them contribute more substantively to discussions and project work.

So which apps can help build global competence? With a world of possibilities, what follows is a short list of mostly Apple iOS apps to help you get started. To download, go to the Apple iTunes store, search for the app by name, and click on the price button to synch with your device. Several of these apps are available for Android and other devices, too.

Art

Art
View artworks and artist bios from around the world. Play a quiz game; high scores can be linked to an online social gaming site. Parental controls allow teachers and parents to censor nude forms in art as necessary. (Grades 6-12 /iPhone / $0.99)

Love Art: National Gallery London
With one of the greatest collections of Western European art in the world, the National Gallery app shares over 250 pieces in a way that allows kids to touch the art. Includes commentary by artists, writers, and experts. (All ages / iPhone, iPod, and iPad / $2.99)

Science

The Elements: A Visual Exploration
This one helps students learn about the periodic table in a hands-on way. Each element has various objects associated with it–many international. For instance, copper (Cu) features a Persian weave chain, a Chinese ritual bronze, and more. Each object can be rotated or viewed in three dimensions. Get current market prices for some elements, like gold. (Grades 8-12 / iPad / $13.99)

CDC Solve the Outbreak
Students become the detectives as they try to save lives by stopping the outbreak of diseases around the world. Students get clues, analyze data and solve the case while learning about diseases and outbreaks in an engaging way.
Free for iPad.
High school

Earthviewer
This interactive, engaging app allows you to look at the Earth’s continents and oceans and how they have changed over the last 4.5 billion years. Look through layers of data such as atmospheric composition, temperature, biodiversity, day lengthy and solar luminosity.
Free
iPad

Nature’s Notebook
Choose a local observation site and use this app to record plant changes and animal sightings once a week. These findings will contribute to the nature tracking project from the USA National Phenology Network.
Grades 4 – adult / iPhone, Android / Free

Project NOAH (Networked Organisms And Habitats)
Students can join citizen scientists around the world by tracking wildlife in the local habitat. Activities include photographing animals, documenting observations, classifying findings using the community field guide, and sharing with the project to participate in missions and earn digital badges.
Grades 4 – adult / iPhone and Android / Free 

Math

iLiveMath: Animals of Africa and Asia
This app series combines math and zoology. Going beyond math equations and flash cards, iLiveMath tests students with illustrative questions and challenges their applied math skills. The iLiveMath series (including Animals of Africa and Animals of Asia) uses photos, videos, wikis, and sound to stimulate learning via various levels of difficulty. It targets 1st through 6th graders on basic concepts of calculating time, weight, and other measures. (Age appropriateness vary by app / iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad / $4.99 each)

Jungle Fractions
This multilingual, talking app helps students learn fractions in English, French, or Spanish. It has multiple levels. (Ages 4-12 / iPad / $2.99)

English Language Arts

StoryKit
This app by the International Children’s Digital Library allows students to create their own storybook by adding text and images (including photos or images they draw), and sharing their books via email. (Grades K-12 / iPhone, iPod Touch / Free)

Toontastic
Another storybook creation app, this one allows students to create their own stories as cartoons. Students learn about a story arc, how to create characters, and about other cultures, customs, and lifestyles through stories created by their peers around the world. (Grades K-12 / iPad / Free)

Flat Stanley
The Flat Stanley and Flat Stella characters have traveled the globe connecting children to the world. Students track their travels and document their adventures. No longer confined to cardboard cutouts, this free app enables students to create their own digital Flat Stanley or Flat Stella. Students can customize the character’s hair, features, and clothes and superimpose Flat Stanley or Stella on photos. Share photos and stories via email, Facebook, as well as the Flat Stanley map and network. In combination with a digital storytelling app such as StoryKit, VoiceThread, Animoto, or Scribble Press, the possibilities are endless. (All ages / iPhone, iPod touch, iPad / Free)

ICDL Books for Children
The International Children’s Digital Library brings thousands of children’s books from over 60 countries to young readers. (Preschool and Elementary / iPhone, iPod touch, iPad / Free)

StoryMaker
Designed to empower citizen journalists around the world, this app enables students to create high-quality stories and news reports using a mobile device. Engage students in creating and sharing a range of audio, video, and photo projects using the examples, lessons and templates provided.
Android / Free

Flight of the Pamplemousse
Book for elementary students involving travel through dreamlands and France. Accompanying educator guide available.
$1.99 on iPad (50% discount for educators)

Languages

Being Global
This multimedia story and activity app is based on the award-winning children’s book What Does It Mean To Be Global? by Rana DiOrio with illustrations by Chris Hill. Writing, art, music, and educational activities in Spanish and English are designed to help children learn about cultures, languages, and values from around the world. (Ages 4 and up / iPhone and iPad / $1.99)

Word Lens
This Quest Visual app instantly translates signs, menus, labels, anything written into Spanish and French (more languages are promised soon). Try it in a scavenger hunt activity. (Grades 1-12 / iPhone, iPad / Free, but accompanying dictionaries, if you want them, are $9.99 each)

FREE [Language] Tutor
Games in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish engage language learners. Good for beginning students. To find this app, insert desired language in the title, for example, “Free Chinese Tutor.” (Grades 1-12 / Free for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch / Free)

iTranslate
Translate written English into more than 50 other languages, or you can flip it and translate other languages into English. Some languages (not all) come with a text-to-speech button as well, so you can hear how to say it and see how it’s written. And a few languages have voice recognition translations. This is a great app for English language learners and foreign language classes. (Grades 6 - adult / iPhone, iPad / Free, but deluxe versions start at $3.99)

DuoLingo
This language learning app provides series of lessons mapped out so that students must master each level in order to unlock the next. Learning activities include written and verbal/audio translation as well as fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice. Students are motivated to keep learning with progress markers and badges, but the highlight of the experience is after mastering certain levels, learners are asked to help translate real pages on the Web. Current languages offered are English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.
iPhone and Android (May 29) / Free

MindSnacks
These apps are designed to make language learning fun. Each app includes interactive games that teach vocabulary and conversation skills in one of 13 languages including Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.
All ages / iPhone and iPad / Free

Spanish Word Bingo
Practice over 150 Spanish words in 10 different categories by playing four different games. Allows you to track and view words that you got wrong.
Grades 1-5
Free online or .99 cents for the iPhone iPad app

TripLingo
This app helps you learn essential phrases (including slang), practice speaking into a translator, and teaches you about local culture. Languages include French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Free to try; $9.99 for full access to one language 

Social Studies

Today in History
This app lists notable international events in history as well as important figures’ birthdates and deaths. Use this app for quizzes, facts of the day, or home practice. (Grades 3-12 / iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch / Free)

Virtual Water
Meat, grains, fruits, paper, and clothing–all require water to produce. The Virtual Water app informs consumers about their daily water footprint. Use this app to help students learn more about the earth’s precious resource and the relationship between water and food security. (Grades 4 and up / iPhone, iPod touch, iPad iOS / $1.99)

History: Maps of the World
Explore maps from around the world, including ancient maps. You can search by country, category, topic (money, transportation, etc), or era. Other apps by the same company (which cost $4.99 each) include Maps of Asia, Africa, Oceania, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. (Grades4-12 / iPhone, iPad / Free)

Google Earth
Fly around by swiping your finger, zoom in or out by pinching, and browse layers including places, photos, and Wikipedia articles by tapping on the screen. (All ages /iPhone, iPad, and Android / Free)

National Geographic World Atlas
Explore the nations and territories of the world with National Geographic maps. View maps in the traditional “Executive” and “Classic” styles or seamlessly transition to satellite and road maps from Bing. This app also offers a library of maps that can be downloaded for offline use. (All ages / iPhone, iPod touch, iPad / $1.99)

World Factbook
With an intuitive and flexible interface, this app makes it easy to navigate the CIA World Factbook including geography, government, economics, communications, transportation, military, and transnational information. Maps and comparisons make it easy to locate and compare data across countries. (Grades 4-12 / iPhone, iPod touch, iPad / $0.99)

OECD Factbook
This app from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) provides comparative information about global economic indicators including population, migration, energy, technology, education, health, and the environment. (Grades 4-12 / iPhone and Android / Free)

Kids World Maps
A visually appealing tool with easy navigation between political and physical maps as well as maps highlighting cities, deserts, mountains, or rivers. (Elementary / iPad / $0.99)

GeoBee Challenge by National Geographic
Master this game, and you’re ready to become the next National Geographic Bee Champion! Challenges come in three rounds: multiple choice questions, interactive map questions, and the bonus round where students match National Geographic photos to their locations on the map. (Grades 4-12 / iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android, and NookColor / $1.99)

Geo Walk HD – 3D World Fact Book
This app makes learning about the world interactive and a lot of fun. Navigate the globe to discover points of interest. Tap the cards to zoom into interesting images and information. Search by topic or filter for specific categories: places, animals, plants, people, or events. (Grades 4-12 / iPhone, iPod touch, iPad / $2.99)

Stuck on Earth – Free World Travel Guide
“The ultimate for photographers, explorers, and daydreamers,” this app is a great way to explore and discover fascinating and beautiful places around the globe captured by talented photographers worldwide. (Grades 4-12 / iPad / Free)

7 Billion
This National Geographic Society app explores the challenges of a growing human population in a world with limited resources. See informative videos, interactive maps, in-depth articles, and photography. (Grades 9-12 / iPad / $4.99)

Stack the Countries
Quiz students on country capitals, landmarks, geographic locations, and more. They can touch, move, and drop the animated countries anywhere on the screen. They must build a stack of countries that reaches the checkered line to win each level. (Grades 7 – 12 / iPhone, iPad / $1.99)

Ansel and Clair’s Adventures in Africa
In this educational adventure game, alien Ansel and robot Clair explore three regions of Africa ­– the Nile Valley, the Sahara Desert, and the Serengheti Plains. Through their interactive journey, they learn about the animals, environment, history, geography, and culture of Africa. Kids will enjoy the animations, games, puzzles and engaging storyline, taking photos along the way for their travel journal.
Ages 4-9 / iPad / $4.99

HistoryPin
This app enables students to compare how the world used to look with how it looks today. They learn about history by exploring the photos, videos, audio recordings, and stories pinned to the map, which is searchable by place, date, and Google streetview. Students are encouraged to contribute to the collection and create tours. How to guides, resources and activity ideas are provided for school projects. Created by WeAreWhatWeDo in partnership with Google.
Ages 16 and up, or with parent/guardian permission / iPhone, Android, Windows Phone / Free

Tap Quiz Maps World Edition
Learn countries of the world through this global geography game.
Free for iPhone and iPad
Middle and high school to adult.
 

Service Learning

Boom Boom! Revolution
Boom Boom cards turn random acts of kindness into a social game. Participants perform intentional acts of kindness¬–or underground acts of guerilla goodness–stated on the cards, then pass the card forward. Players inspire each other and celebrate their good deeds by documenting and sharing their stories via the app or Boom Boom Cards website. (All ages / iPhone, iPod touch, iPad / Free)

And Something for Every Category

ThingLink
This tool enables users to create interactive images by adding tags with embedded music, video, text, images, and links. Teachers can use Thinglink to connect students with multimedia resources and students can use it to explore new concepts and share their ideas.
iPhone and iPad app coming soon (http://app.thinglink.com)

Follow Honor Moorman, Heather Singmaster, and Asia Society on Twitter.

Posted by Anthony Jackson at 4:59 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Caitlin Haugen, Executive Director of Global Teacher Education, takes a look at research showing that international experiences help prospective teachers find jobs and succeed in the classroom.

By Caitlin Haugen

International experiences are extremely beneficial to future educators. Fred Carter, Director of Teacher Services at Western Kentucky University (WKU), illustrates why.

In the spring of 2009, two groups of students graduated from WKU's teacher certification program—those who had participated in an international student teaching program and those who had not. Twenty percent of graduates in the latter group were employed as teachers that fall. And the graduates with experience abroad? Fully 100% of them were employed in teaching positions.

Carter reported this eye-opening finding at NAFSA's Colloquium on Internationalizing Teacher Education—one of several specialized colloquia that focuses on internationalizing curricula in key disciplines. This year's colloquium for teacher educators convened last week, and explored international experiential learning opportunities for pre-service teachers, such as student teaching abroad or short-term study trips.

Rigid course requirements coupled with state certification requirements often make these experiences difficult to incorporate into traditional teacher preparation programs. Throw in financial considerations and risk management issues, and colleges of education face serious challenges to providing sustainable international programs for their students. To address this challenge, NAFSA brought together over 80 deans, faculty, and professionals in the teacher preparation space to discuss how to make these experiences a reality. Attendees discussed how to create programs on their campuses and how to partner with third-party providers such as Educators Abroad or the Consortium for Overseas Teaching (COST) to facilitate experiences abroad.

Why should future teachers go abroad? In addition to improving their employment prospects, international experiences help educators develop key skills. Laura Stachowski presented research on former participants of the Cultural Immersions Projects, which she directs at Indiana University. During their student teaching placements in nearly 20 countries, former participants reported that they developed leadership, public speaking, cross-cultural communication, and problem-solving skills. They also felt they were more confident in their role as teachers as a result of their international experience. Other research supports these findings, but colloquium participants called for more studies on the effects of these experiences. Next year's colloquium will focus on assessment.

Current research supports that pre-service teachers begin to develop global competency skills when they are exposed to other cultures and provided meaningful personal and professional experiences abroad. These skills are crucial to educators in our classrooms. In 2008, 20% of students in American K-12 schools spoke a language other than English at home, and minorities are projected to make up 55% of the population by 2050. In the U.S., 22% of jobs were tied to international trade in 2009. Our students, however, rarely study foreign languages and know little about world affairs.

Globally competent teachers have the potential to develop their students' worldviews, and teach them skills that will make them more competitive in today's workforce. They are more sensitive to the needs of diverse learners, able to teach them how to navigate an increasingly globalized society. Carter, a former principal, noted that teachers who can address diversity in their classrooms are in high demand. As an administrator, he actively sought candidates with previous international experience.

Experiences abroad, however, are only one way pre-service teachers can develop their global competency skills. Colleges of education all over the United States are working to internationalize their teacher preparation programs using a variety of different strategies, often in support of campuswide internationalization goals. The colloquium provides a strong support network for professionals in teacher preparation interested in internationalizing their programs, and NAFSA provides a wealth of relevant information on its website—including detailed reports and resources from past colloquia. Global Teacher Education, the website I manage, also supports efforts to promote internationalization in colleges of education by providing resources and connecting interested and committed educators.

All of these efforts are important as we work to provide beneficial international experiences to our future educators that can facilitate their global competency development so they may better meet the needs of the next generation of learners in this country.

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The Economist calculates that almost a quarter of the planet's youth are not working nor studying. And yet, businesses and industries report they can't find enough skilled labor. How can education help plug this gap? My colleague Yi Zheng offers some thoughts.

By Yi Zheng

How to prepare your students for the global innovation age? The answers should be found in every classroom!

There is a lot of buzz in today’s society about preparing students for the global workforce, and educating them to be tomorrow’s innovators. As most schools in the country are working to align curriculum with the new Common Core State Standards, which focus on college and career readiness, it makes sense to explore what teachers might do right away to prepare students for the world of work. The difficult question facing teachers is how to make the connection between classroom experience and work environment, and at the same time make learning meaningful.

In order to prepare students for the global workforce, the acquisition of knowledge and substantive content is essential, but the process through which students gain and process that information is arguably far more important. By applying the same principles to students in classrooms as to employees in a professional environment, students will be more motivated and engaged in learning. The habits that students gain and develop during their learning in the classroom will translate directly to their professional experiences later in life.

In the business world, an organization’s achievement and performance can be attributed to its motivated, engaged and innovative employees; in this way, maintaining and enhancing employees’ job satisfaction is essential to success.

In 1976, Richard Hackman and Greg Oldham developed the job characteristics theory, which defined the relationship between job characteristics and an individual’s response to work. The job characteristics theory proposes that high motivation is related to experiencing three psychological states while working. These three psychological states are (1) knowledge of results, (2) meaningfulness of work, and (3) personal feelings of responsibility for results. Five core job characteristics directly influence these psychological states are:

• Skill Variety: the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities.
• Task Identity: the degree to which the job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work.
• Task Significance: the degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the lives or work of other people.
• Autonomy: the degree to which the job provides substantial freedom and discretion to the individual in scheduling the work and in determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out.
• Feedback: the degree to which carrying out the work activities required by a job results in the individual obtaining direct and clear information about the effectiveness of his or her performance.

These same principles applied to the business world can also be relevant to classroom settings and can create a more optimal environment for student learning and achievement. Just as employers must set high and clear expectations for their employees, teachers should also have high and clear expectation for their students. Both employees and students must recognize their responsibilities. This experience will motivate students to be more engaged and help them to view school work and homework not as isolated learning experiences, or worse, as chores, but help them to connect to broader issues in the world. Through this process, students will feel more engaged, valued and important.

When teachers design homework and tasks for students, each of the five core job characteristics should be considered in order for students to have choices in their work and find meaning in the process of completing their work.

• Skill Variety: Does the project ask students to choose their own method of presentation? For example, students should be encouraged to use their creativity and decide whether to use presentation, tables, charts, videos, film, speech, acting, or any other mode.
• Task Identity: Is the project well designed; does it have a beginning and an end? Will the students have a chance to present their work, so they feel pride and a sense of ownership?
• Task Significance: Does the project allow students to connect to real-life ideas or problems, so that they feel they are solving an important issue at hand one that concerns their community?
• Autonomy: Are enough time and guidance given to the students, so that they can plan to work on teams and plan their own scheduling and meetings?
• Feedback: Does the teacher create opportunities for students to share their work in order to get feedback from other students and also from the teacher?

When teachers design lesson plans or projects, think about these questions as a way to engage students and create opportunities and an environment that allows students to experience knowledge of results, meaningfulness of work, and personal feelings of responsibility for results. This effective learning process will help to motivate students’ learning, engage them in their work, and allow them to develop their critical thinking skills and prepare them to be the innovators of tomorrow.

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Are you ready to integrate technology into your classroom for the first time, just not sure where to begin? Or are you already using technology with your students, and you're ready to go deeper? Either way, the recommendation from Honor Moorman, Associate Director, Professional Development and Curriciulum, Asia Society, is the same. Use technology to engage students in a global collaboration project.

by Honor Moorman

As thought leaders like Chris Lehmann and Will Richardson often remind us, we need to do more than simply use technology to do what we've always done digitally. We need to integrate technology in ways that engage students in new and meaningful opportunities for learning, collaborating, and creating. I can think of no better way to enrich students' learning with technology than by using it to facilitate a global collaboration.

Global collaboration projects bring students together from different countries to work on a joint project. They can be introduced at any age- or grade-level and infused into any subject area curriculum. There are many existing projects to choose from—from simple, short-term projects with just one other partner class to more complex, long-term projects, like Quadblogging in which four classes blog and respond to each other for eight weeks. If you're new to integrating technology into your curriculum, you might want to start with a shorter, simpler project. For instance, the Pulse Program hosted by Global Nomads Group uses videoconferencing to engage students in cross-cultural dialogue around a significant world issue.

Why should you and your students take on the challenge of a global collaboration project? I can tell you from experience when students are doing real work with peers from around the world, they become empowered to leverage technology as active participants in a global society. They experience how technology enable us to do meaningful, relevant work we would otherwise be unable to do. Students engage in critical thinking through the exchange of diverse perspectives and ideas. They take ownership of their learning as they strive to articulate their ideas to a global audience. They teach each other (and their teachers) as they problem solve and innovate. Whether you're a novice or a tech guru, you'll be collaborating with the other teachers in the project, so you'll be teaching and learning from each other along the way, too.

Still not sure? Here's what two of my students said about our participation in the Flat Classroom Project, a 12-week project in which we collaborated with 15 other classes in seven different countries to create a vision for the future of education and society based on emerging technologies and the characteristics of the net generation:

"[I learned] how important it is to be a member of a global society—communicating globally and working together as a global community is the only way we can solve global issues and improve the lives of all of us. Communicating and collaborating via the web with global partners is how we will do it in future." -Lara

"[Participating in this project helped me become] a global leader, able to communicate important global ideas and different perspectives across cultures and borders and share those ideas for the betterment of my community and the world." -Katherine

Global collaboration projects employ technology tools in ways that enrich student learning. They increase student engagement, foster 21st century skills, and promote deeper learning. These projects prepare students for their futures and engage them as global citizens. By enabling students to interact and collaborate with partners in other countries, they help students develop the digital citizenship and global competence they need to be successful in an increasingly interconnected world.

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The youngest readers can become armchair travelers. Children’s literature about the world and its cultures compels young minds to investigate ways of life and thinking that can be different—or quite similar—to their own. It offers important perspectives as students build basic literacy skills.

When young learners finish a book about another culture, ask them to:

• Recount the story in their own words, and listen to see if they use new vocabulary used in the story.
• Compare and contrast this story with another similar story. Are there common themes (e.g. good versus bad) or storytelling methods (e.g. a quest) that they can detect?
• Ask the reader to say or write something about the mood of the story.
• With e-readers and online books, ask the reader to talk about how words, images, and possibly sound relate to one another. Do they repeat, or does words have one job to do, and images another?

Here are some books we like—all of them online or available on e-readers. Because books are published in digital format every day, we’ve also included some lists of recommended children’s books by world region; look for titles online, or go old school and find printed versions at the local library or through these online stores.

Interactive Online Books

Being Global. This book encourages students to think about what it means to be part of the wider world and focuses on diversity and sustainability. Interactivity includes games, a quiz, and a journal. 

Flight of the Pamplemousse. iPad book for elementary students involving travel through dreamlands and France. Accompanying educator guide available. 

Flap! Flap! Swish! Swish! Mala Mala! This book is made up entirely of photos taken at the South African game reserve, Mala Mala. It follows a wild dog as he meets other animal residents of the reserve. 

Laloo the Red Panda. This is the story of a red panda cub who learns about culture and the natural environment of East Asia as he takes a long journey home. 

Abuela’s Weave. The story of a Latin American marketplace told through the perspective of a young girl who works with her grandmother. 

Rechenka's Eggs. A folktale about elaborately painted Easter Eggs from the Ukrainian (Eastern Orthodox) world. 

Once I Was a Monkey: Stories Buddha Told. The Jataka Tales are stories known throughout Asia. This book offers young readers a glimpse into this rich storied tradition. 

A Ride on Mother’s Back: A Day of Baby Carrying Around the World. From the tropical rainforest to the arctic, this book helps readers explore bonding between mother and child. 

Book Lists

African

Africa Access Review, an online database, contains over 1000 annotations and reviews of children's books written by university professors, librarians, and teachers most of whom have lived in Africa and have graduate degrees in African Studies.

African Study Center’s Bibliography of Children’s Literature. The Boston University outreach center has been promoting the study of Africa for half a century. See their list of recommended books. 

Asian and Asian American Resources

Asian Pacific American Librarian Association. Look especially at their award winning picture, young adult and adult books.

Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Lit Review. Children’s and young adult books with Asian heritage themes housed on author Cynthia Leitich Smith’s website. 

NEA. See the Asian American book list on their site. 

San Francisco Public Library has a kids section listing books on the Asian American Experience. 

Latin American

Reforma (National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking). Many resources including bilingual story time resources, Spanish story time and teen Latino titles. 

School Library Journal. Resources for finding Latino Kid Literature.

Middle Eastern

Literature for Young People. Islamic Traditions and Muslim Cultures is a site by Rutgers Professor Kay E. Vandergrift. 

Multicultural Children’s Literature is a site by Professor Smith, Professor Emeritus, Towson University. He includes a list of Middle Eastern fiction and nonfiction. 

Multicultural

American Library Association. Great websites for kids section has many websites to help you organized by sections such as Expand the Classics, Language Learning, and resources in Spanish. 

Children’s Book Press. Lists many international and bilingual titles—it is a catalog site though, you must order books from here. 

Paper Tigers. Has reviews of multicultural books in English from around the world. There is also an extensive resources list. 

University of Wisconsin School of Education. The library offers a list of multicultural books every child should know. This list is organized by reading level. 

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With Asia on the rise, it is more important than ever to include it in the classroom. Here, Paul Pass, Asia Society Texas Center Education Coordinator, shares some tips and resources.

by Paul Pass

The demand for information on Asia has skyrocketed in the last decade, particularly with respect to China and to a lesser extent, India. The State Department echoed this focus by announcing a pivot to Asia in Obama's first term, and in the initial months of the second term, newly appointed Secretary of State John Kerry referred to a Sino-US "special relationship," a designation once only reserved for America's partnerships with Israel and the United Kingdom.

Asian culture has also caught the interest of the Western world as Psy's "Gangnam Style" has become a global phenomenon since its release in July 2012. In this age of Asia as an increasingly important international power, greater knowledge about countries across the Pacific will go far in creating a globally competent student.

As an educator plans curricula before each academic year, questions must arise, such as "how do I integrate this continent and where do I begin?"

Here, I will present a handful of resources that can be utilized by secondary history, physical geography, and visual arts teachers. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but rather a spring board for an educator wishing to add more Asian content into his or her classroom. This can motivate students by providing engaging, relevant content. And the study of Asia can enforce other best practices in instruction: combining a focus on deep content knowledge with reasoning skills and analysis of multiple perspectives; exploring cultural universals and common themes as well as deepening appreciation of cultural differences and diversity; demonstrating interconnectedness—connecting the local to the global and the past to the future; using purposeful inquiry into large questions; using primary sources from the U.S. and other countries; and emphasizing interaction with people in other parts of the world as part and parcel of the learning process.

At first glance, Asia is a daunting area to cover, accounting for 60% of global population, spanning over 17 million square miles, and numbering over 60 countries in its wide definition. By dividing Asia into its regions, I present a simple method to create manageable sections for analysis and focus within the class setting. For clarification, I will list countries' regions as defined by the United Nations and for brevity, I will eliminate North Asia, Oceania, and Southwest Asia in the description. Let us begin with the region that is arguably most identifiable to Americans, East Asia.

East Asia
Countries: China, Hong Kong*, Japan, Macau* Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan**

History: The Mongols in World History
This intriguing website provides information on the Mongols' conquests, nomadic life, influence on China, and mark on global history.

Physical Geography: Japan's Explosive Geology Explained
This short article givens an introductory guide to Japanese geography, which played a role in the Triple Disaster of 2011.

Visual Arts: Four Treasures of the Study
A brief introduction to the four treasures of classical Chinese calligraphy: the brush, ink stick, paper, and ink stone.

Central Asia
Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan

History: From Silk to Oil: Cross-Cultural Connections along the Silk Roads
This collection of articles, essays, lesson plans, and maps is particularly useful for history educators desiring an interdisciplinary approach. Although quite lengthy when taken as a whole, each section includes numerous materials that can be utilized as one-session projects.

Physical Geography: The Aral Sea Crisis
A brief introduction to the drying up of the Aral Sea, which borders Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and its past vital role in everyday Central Asian commerce and sustenance.

Visual arts: Central Asia Discovery Travel Magazine: Arts and crafts of Central Asia
This publication, rich in imagery and detail, gives an overview of Central Asian textiles, weaving, and wooden lace. Other titles in the series include Central Asian fashion, music, traditions, and wildlife.

South Asia
Countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka

History: Partition of India
This article gives an overview of the partition of the former British Raj, which covers the present day boundaries of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Pakistan.

Physical geography: Maldives Builds Barriers to Global Warming
This study discusses the threat of rising sea levels to the Maldives, a collection of islands in the Indian Ocean, and its policies to avoid catastrophe.

Visual arts: Three Folk Art Traditions from Northeast India
This site highlights an Eastern Illinois University exhibition focusing on traditional Indian painting, which has simple enough color schemes and drawing to easily recreate in either a primary or a secondary classroom.

Southeast Asia
Countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam

History: Colonial History of Southeast Asia
This entry slideshow presents an overview of European powers that ruled over Southeast Asian countries from the 17th to the 20th centuries.

Physical Geography: Deforestation in Southeast Asia: The Future is being decided in Indonesia
As this article describes, Southeast Asia has been a valued location for natural resources and reaped the economic benefits, however there has been a recent push for greater environmental awareness.

Visual arts: Dancing Shadows, Epic Tales: Wayang Kulit of Indonesia
Although inherently a version of performing arts, the practice of shadow puppetry also has a strong visual arts component through the creation of the puppets themselves.

*Hong Kong and Macau are Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China. Although officially a part of China, these regions possess their own sovereignty in all affairs except diplomatic relations and defense.
**Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China, considers itself to be a self-governing autonomous sovereign entity; however the People's Republic of China defines the island as its 23rd province.

Follow Asia Society Texas Center and Asia Society PGL on Twitter.

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We devote a lot of time on the Global Learning blog to real-world experiences for students. Today, Mark Schulte, education director, and Amanda Ottaway, education coordinator, at the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting will share ideas and tools that will engage students in world events.

By Mark Schulte and Amanda Ottaway

Our students are socially connected on a global scale—they play, they argue, they share, they learn online, generally through their mobile devices. So technology should be a critical part of any educator's strategy. But amid a rising and increasingly chaotic tide of information—much of it biased or inaccurate—finding the right mix to advance learning can be challenging.

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting employs innovative, nontraditional techniques in two complementary worlds: journalism and education. We use this combination to help nudge students toward global competency, and technology is vital to that process.

"We're working to meet students where they are—whether it's on Twitter, iPad, or playing games—to try to engage them in the larger world around them," said Pulitzer Center social media editor Caroline D'Angelo.

As the world tweets and tumbles into the Digital Age, the potential for using technological tools as interactive and dynamic gear for global education is exciting—but where to begin? Journalists use technology to connect with sources and their audiences. Below are five examples, and they are also ways you can use technology every day to bring global education into classrooms.

1. E-books: E-books haven't quite taken off in U.S. schools yet, but we think they have huge potential. A recent school tour with photographer Greg Constantine, one of the journalists behind the e-book In Search of Home, reflected the spectrum of iPad availability in schools right now. Greg spoke with some groups of students who only saw his photographs projected from his flash drive to the wall, and to other classes where every student held an iPad and followed along that way. But regardless of the method of presentation you can prepare students for an interactive visit by designing an educator's guide ahead of time. Include critical thinking questions about the text and photographs, and if you use iPads, also ask about those as instruments for learning, since it's important at this point to gauge what works and what doesn't.


2. Data visualization: Pulitzer Center Web developer Dan McCarey created an interactive map for a global cancer five-part radio project by Public Radio International reporter Joanne Silberner. He used grades of color and a slew of statistics to create an easy-to-use, visually appealing representation of cancer's global proliferation. It's easy to access, fully embeddable and simplifies an issue that might otherwise be blurred by a crush of statistics. "It serves as a useful visual entry point into a complex issue," McCarey said. "In this way it could prove valuable in the classroom context. Whilst exploring the map, questions arise as to why rates are higher and lower in certain places which could potentially generate discussion and research-related activities."
   
   We also have a map on our website where viewers can hover on a region they're interested in and see all the stories our reporters have covered in that area. Data visualizations can prove useful in reaching visual learners; tools like interactive maps help present complex information in a way that gives students the power to explore graphically without diluting the sophistication of discussion.


3. Social media: Make smart use of the ever-expanding, ever-popular alternate universe of social media. Consider creating a Twitter account specifically for students and educators to follow. Check out our feed @PulitzerGateway for an example. Or set up an Instagram account and post a "photo of the day/week" from somewhere in the world with an informative caption, and challenge students to find a related image or article. Curate a class YouTube account with TED talks, Google Hangouts and relevant documentary clips for browsing or reference. Make up a Twitter hashtag and plan a lesson around students' responses to it; for example, we implemented a campaign around the hidden trail of global commodities by having students use the hashtag #WhoMadeMy followed by an item—chocolate, sweatshirt, hand lotion—about whose origin they were curious. Then have students find the answer. Our reporting on "Global Goods, Local Costs" is a great place to start!


4. Skype: We use this free worldwide video-chat service often to connect teachers directly with journalists wherever they may be. Paul Salopek, on his seven-year slow-journalism walk tracing the paths of our ancestors across the world, recently used Skype to connect himself and a classroom of students in the Republic of Djibouti with third and fourth graders at Summers-Knoll School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Paul said to both groups during the Skype conversation, "We are all Djiboutians in a sense," prompting one of the Michigan students to muse later: "Before we were Americans, Ethiopians and Djiboutians, we were just us."
   
   Skype also allows for easier access to experts in the field for teachers and students with specific interests. For example, Beenish Ahmed, a Pulitzer Center-sponsored reporter currently based in Pakistan, Skyped with a Model U.N. group at Nerinx Hall, an all-girls' school in Saint Louis. The group discussed women's education in Pakistan.


5. Google Hangouts: Explore the potential of Google Hangouts, which interested viewers can access via Google+ accounts or any site on which the Hangout has been embedded. On World Malaria Day, for example, the Pulitzer Center brought together journalist Kathleen McLaughlin, Cobus Van Staden of The China in Africa Podcast and Dr. Patrick Lukulay, program director for the Promoting the Quality of Medicines initiative at the US Pharmacopeial Convention—voices from all over the world talking on the same screen http://pulitzercenter.org/event/google-hangout-world-malaria-day-fake-drugs-pharmacopeia-mclaughlin about the prevalence of fake malaria medication in East Africa. Or have students divide into groups—each group with its own camera—before the Hangout and have each group ask the expert a question about a different country, as one classroom in Westport, Connecticut, did with Cairo-based reporter Sharif Abdel Kouddous. Over the Atlantic Ocean, the students and Kouddous were able to discuss the Arab Spring.

Follow the Pulitzer Center and Asia Society on Twitter.

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