I'm in the middle of a collaboration with a school in Australia with my homeroom class, and I think I may be starting another collaboration with a school in New Zealand with a SS class I have.
IN addition, 've been attempting to create a collaboration with a Canadian class with similar ages and focus. All this has led me to wonder: which do you find more beneficial - inter-national or intra-national collaboration? Do you find working with other Canadians more beneficial/rewarding than working with people outside of Canada?
This isn't meant to be a criticism of other countries or a zenophobia. As well, I know, it probably has to do with the project and other factors.
I have been keeping this in my collection getting ready to have it redrawn for teachers. It comes from the collborative-consultative work of Anita deBoer who used to say that this was at least a 5 year process of starting with your friends and allies, gathering in the next tier of reluctant but lurking, and the letting them carry the work outward to the their friends and so forth.
Hi Pat -- I'm doing an online Master's Degree with a group that includes Canadians (BC, Sask., Ont,) and US people. I have to say that I love meeting online with that group on Tuesday nights. I really have had my eyes opened about how well off many of us in Canada are when it comes to classroom work, cutbacks, professional autonomy and so forth. However, with kids I'd love to see more East/West & anglophone/francophone collaboration. When I was a student and a young teacher, I was involved in 3 cross-Canada exchange trips with students from Quebec. That kind of initiative might go some distance to reconnecting young people across this country. --SueH