"She has no children - but she would like to have a dog!"

Since the beginning of this term in August 2014, three young 6th grader girls have taken interviews from people around the world. Meanwhile they have caught up people from all continents and started to open the window into their new world.

They met Ibrahim Bahati ,
communication specialist from Kabale, Uganda
(They are using headphones, because we are
recording these sessions meanwhile)

It started in August 2014 after a mystery skype videoconference that class had had with a teacher from Japan. He gave them information about school life straight from the Japanese school's teachers' room. And he introduced some Japanese traditions to them concerning food. By that fantastic meeting the students got to know about the great power of using modern technologies in the classroom. Thea, Marie and Sophie from this grade 6 class told me straight after that lesson that they would like to meet people around the world getting more information from abroad and about their traditions and that they would like to be ambassadors of our German home country..

The ladies met at home in advance to create a questionaire for the persons they would meet. Questions about school life and personal questions concerning the unknown guest itself were written down.

Students from Brno, Czech Republic

We set up a certain time slot which has fit the students' time table. The girls have taken their chance to meet others from abroad,  teachers and librarians mostly. But they also met whole classes like that one from Brno in the Czech Republic, an English language class and a German language class, grade 7.

Every Wednesday at 12.30 am GMT they have hosted a different guest by videoconferencing in my classroom for about 40 minutes. The ladies always start with a mystery session. That means they want to find out in which country this person lives asking "yes"- or "no"- questions. After that excercise they usually ask question about the foreigners' likes and dislikes and how life is around them. They always write down the information they get. Finally they try to teach them a little German and they are openminded to learn the same phrases in the guest's mother tongue.

They are creating a profile at their map
about Athalo Carrao, teacher from Brazil

After the first four meetings we set up a google map to fix all the guests' locations. They gather all information they have got and write them down on this map in a certain text body.
Facing this map they are very proud to know that they have already met one or more than one person from each continent meanwhile. As a review the most fascinating person they met was a young teacher from Australia who isn't married yet, "...has no children - but would like to have a dog!" That is what they wrote down in the google map text body among others.

Thanks to all teachers and  librarians, engineers, specialists from the HLW skypers community and students from around the world who gave them the chance to open their window into their new world.

Siberia meets Germany

Imagine! You know a lot of teachers from abroad. Most of them live very far from you. Sometimes you have the chance to meet some of them (your "neighbours" mostly!) at a conference. Or you travel to them visiting them at their houses like I did during my last summer holidays this year when I was in Austria and Hungary to meet my "neighbours" from the HLW- Skypers'- teacher community.

However. This week a very unique opportunity of international collaboration came through. Two of my teachers' friends from the very far Siberia (Russia) who some of  my students had met sometimes by videoconferences taught my students directly at school in front of their classes.

Working and researching at a German university, 1.5 hours by car away from me only, Anna Alexandrowna Bukhtorayova and Mikhail Sergejevitsch Buhktorayov from the Siberian Federal University in Krasnoyarsk travelled to me staying at my home. Great talks, common dinner preparations for traditional Russian food.

Borschtsch tastes really good

Blinies: a traditional food, here: filled with salmon

On Thursday, 2nd October, all students from the connected classes (grade 7- 9) at my school took their chance to be taught by a powerful, enthousiastic Russian teachers' team.

Students created a padlet with questions about Siberia

Most of the students attended a presentation about Siberia and its stereotypes that morning. These stereotypes were the basis for further questions Anna and Mikhail answered directly. One question during the last lesson about traditional Russian dancing let to a small dancing course.

Anna is talking about Tobolsk, the city,
where Mr Mendeleev was born.                      

They reported about the life of Mr Mendeleev            

At a 9th graders' chemistry class, whose students are studying about the Periodic Table actually, they spoke about the Siberian scientist Dimitrij Mendeleev.
After they, as Russian university teachers, had got a deeper view into Russian literature sources my students got a lot of further information of this genius person.


Thank you very much, Anna and Mikhail, for your support. Hopefully we will meet again very soon.

European Day of Languages EDL 2014 in my classroom

 

On 30th September 2014 we celebrated our first EDL ever at our school. A lot of classes and a bunch of teachers met by internet using videoconferencing to express the cultural diversities and the spirit of an European union.

Usually the EDL, which is launched by the European Community years ago already,  is fixed on 26th September every year. Because it had caused a lot of trouble at our school that day, I decided to schedule our EDL on 30th September this year.

It took a long time to prepare this first EDL at school. After I had set up a virtual schedule for that day I started to search for further European partners who wanted to attend that event. Because most of the connection we have already had are from outside Europe.

Students from Prague during their German presentation about their capitol city.

Our youngest participants: grade 2 class from Bulgaria.

I wrote a lot of emails to teachers, schools, classes, who were searching for international collaborations in Europe. The Epals- and Etwinning- databaes were my main sources. All ages were accepted. I also tried to involve new partners from the European Overseas Territories. Finally schools from Latvia, the Czech- Republic, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Serbia, Russia, La Reunion, Martinique and Greece registered to the schedule. Also guests from outside Europe, India, Argentina and Sudan, registered for this event.

Students from Latvia reporting about their country.

After registration I connected the registered schools to offer technical support how to attend a videoconference. Some teachers from abroad had never used this powerful tool in their lessons before.









We discussed what to present to express the cultural diversity. Most of the classes prepared a slideshow with pictures of their city or region. Every participant prepared a little presentation in their local language.

Siran, Christina, Ali and Celine from Sundern reported about Germany and our school.

We presented the poem "The Squire von Ribbeck of Ribbeck in the Havelland" from Theodor Fontane and a slideshow about Germany,  about Northrhine- Westfalia, the Sauerland, about our town Sundern and our school, named Realschule Sundern.

Students from Cyprus presented beautiful surroundings and songs

The classes from abroad prepared some poems and short stories from their country.

I cannot forget these pictures from the beach on La Reunion.

The classes from the French Overseas Territories La Reunion and Martinique expressed their cultural diversities from their French homeland by Creole music and dance as well.
The students from abroad could ask questions about what they have seen.

German ladies presenting Mr Ribbeck

There were 6 time slots of about 30 minutes each, where students met up to five classes at each slot from abroad. Two of these slots were in German, four slots were in English language. Several classes from abroad were attended by their school's administration or educational administrations.

We have found new friends and got several invitations to visit our friends in the near future. Thanks to all of you who had taken great efforts to let this event came through.



I am sure that we will schedule our next EDL 2015. See you soon.

(PS: Because I use the pre- announcement post to update it with text and pictures from the event, the publishing date of this post is still the 19th September. I am sorry for that!)

Italian delegation from our partner city Calopezzati (Calabria) attended my maths lesson

It was an unusual event on 12th September 2014: a delegation of eight members of the Italian city named Calopezzati visited our city Sundern in Germany. Calopezzati is a small town at the seaside in the northeast of Calabria. They were invited by our local municipality to join our great feast in the city. The delegation visited a lot of sights which are related to the youth in our city. In Sundern there live people from 64 different nations. The number of people who originally come from Italy is the highest. More than 3000 people (from about 28000 inhabitants) have Italian roots, most of them from Calabria, which is in the very south of Italy. The Italian guests got the opportunity to visit a German secondary school and to attend a lesson live.

This year it was my school - and this year it was one of my classes- and this year it was me!

Joined by members of our local municipality from Sundern, my principal, my vice- principal and the vice- principal of our neighbour school the delegation attended my maths lesson in class 7b sitting in the back of the classroom. They were interested in how to use a SMART- board in different ways.

I started with a PPT as a picture quizz to find out the name of that beautiful city shown on the board. Checking the correct answers of their homework the students were able to connect the correct result to each excercise. The name of the city  they saw on the board was Calopezzati, the name of the city where the delegation was from.

Later I demonstrated a maths videoconference with Steve Sherman from Cape Town, South Africa, introducing the International Maths Olympics 2014 to the students and the guests. Inviting the guests into some maths problems all attendees (adults and students!) were involved into this excercises. The number of "students" rised from 28 up to 40! The guests got a view into far distance learning and got to know only one web tool that can be used for this kind of learning.

Using the internet web tool "Kahoot" the attendees were able to make suggestions about the correct answer.

While the guests used their smartphones to answer the students used the board to point out their decisions.And finally they got a feedback about the number of points they got for a correct answer.

The guests and the students liked it and the guests honoured our common work mentioning the fruitful collaboration of the whole group.

Thank you very much, Steve Sherman!!!

Students from class 8c presenting regional companies to an international jury of teachers and students

During spring time in grade 8 students at our school visit different local companies every year. They get a view into the companies and ask questions afterwards to find out what they do or produce and what the vocational situation is all about.
Usually the students prepare some presentations on papers afterwards to let other students know about these situations. Interested final students may apply for a vocational education there.

(At SKS they got important information ...

This year my students prepared a slide show they presented to an international audience. They visited our regional hospital named "Karolinen- Hospital" in Arnsberg- Hüsten, the SKS company in Sundern and the local municipality of Sundern.

...about history, products and education at this company.)

(The emergency room at Karolinen-
Hospital in Hüsten)

(At the municipality: students got information about
the structure of this office and how to apply for an
education)

Later, during their English lessons, they prepared an English version of the presentation.
On 26th June they had to present the results of their research to many teachers and students from abroad.

(students are reporting about the apprenticeship doing your vocational education at the regional  hospital. Jury members (small pics below) at that time are Lin-Lin Tan, English teacher, and her class from Taiwan, Maria Colussa, English teacher  from Argentina, Monika Kern, Cognition Educator and Digital Technologies Facilitator, from New Zealand and Sebastian Panakal, English teacher from India (from left to the right).)

(Blinera, Joenna and Yvonne presented our regional hospital
 "Karolinen- Hospital" in Hüsten ... 

We used two video channels (from nine
maximum) for the presentations of the students. One laptop (this one in front) took the video from the students in front of the SMART- Board, the second laptop relayed the slideshow and the audio signal to the board and to the audience.

... as well as Vanessa, Lena and Aysun ...

... as well as Leon, Antonia, Jasmin and Marie- Christin.)

Tobias, Felix and Stefan presented the local comapany
SKS from Sundern ... 

All three topics were presented by more than one group. The foreign jury members and local teachers had the opportunity to compare digital presentations and the variety of the gathered information among those groups of the same topic.

... as well as Alica, Marie and Norina.

While Mr Marx tried to manage the technique and supported students' motivations, the English teacher, Mr Baier, stood backstage in the classroom, listening and watching the students presentations.

(Jasper, Felix and Jona reporting about the municipality of Sundern ...

Seven German students' groups in this class did their presentations, got comments from the viewing teachers and students and they vote for the best presentation typing in points into a prepared internet spreadsheet.

(... as well as Taulant, Yannic and Lukas.)

(Cerita Hsu, English teacher from Taiwan (on the board) typing
in points into the spreadsheet.)

Mr Baier used these small time slots as opportunities to gather his own and all comments from the guest jury members into a brief statement after each presentation while the jury members were typing in the points into the spreadsheet.





Then the jury members sequence changed and the seven German students' groups restarted their presentations, trying to involve these comments into their second issue. The second issue ended like the first one.  The jury changed again and the students did their third issue. They got the chance to present their slideshow 5 times during this 4 hours' event.

(jury members changed meanwhile: Cerita Sue, English teacher from Taiwan,
Kim Nilsson, ICT teacher from Sweden, Livingston Kegode,
English teacher from  Kenia, Sebastian Panakal and Tracy Hanson, educator  from the USA)

The winners' group (on the picture right hand) had a difference of 0,8 points only to the second winner.
Thanks to all jury members, about 40 international guest from North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania and Australia; foreign teachers, educators and teachers' trainers who took their time joining this presentations; to the German students and to the English teacher Mr Baier.

(The final jury members had some more
time to comment on the presentations:
Joe Mc Nulty, ICT teacher from Newton, PA, USA and
Eman El Amin, senior student, Kharthoum International School,
Khartoum, Sudan)

All participants of this event learned a lot. Hopefully we can repeat such a presentation during this actual school year as well. See you soon!

German islands and drinking water - the final presentation of class 7c

Sometimes it happens that students are missing unfortunately at school on the day you scheduled the presentation. But they had done a lot of hard work of research, collecting pictures, translating phrases into English, etc. It was their primar wish to get a second chance to present "their" island to an international audience. Three students' groups introduced the German islands Sylt, Norderney and Pellworm to an international audience.

Despite of the main presentation there were not adult guests only. Some classes were joing the presentation as well. Because Skype has closed their free access to group conversations we used google hangout to gather all groups into one meeting.

Grade 7 students from Rock Academy School in Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa, and their teacher, Mrs Beal, Grade 4 kids from Kiohsiung, Taiwan, and their teacher Mrs Tan at the Public Primary School as well as Mrs Mirtschin from Hawkesdale College in Hawkesdale, Victoria, Australia, listened to the kids and watched the slides on the screenshared board.

The whole session took about 30 minutes time. Thanks to all guests and we hope to do our next presentation very soon.

Mrs Tan prepares a little slideshow with the pictures she has taken from this meeting.

Thank you very much to all our guests for their kind support.

A Close encounter of the Third Kind

A "close encounter to the Third Kind", that could be the impressions people might have received during the first meeting of my grade 8 kids this morning with students of the same age from the "Born To Excel - Success Motivation Center", Muttar, District of Kerala, India.

Promissing to tell their partners about themselves and their lifes students from both sides started with staring, viewing, joking, but telling nothing, asking nothing, just greet them with a shy  "Hello". After the teachers of both countries, Prof. Joseph and I, started communication first some students took heart and made the first step into the right direction.
After a few minutes the connection was closed down with the aim to reconnect very soon after the ice has been broken.


Some short view into the session can be seen here: Born to Excel in Germany