A love affair with iEARN

This is a selection of projects and activities I have taken part in over my many years in iEARN. I first learned about this organisation in 1990 when I was searching for a way to link my high school in Seattle with a colleague in London, UK.  Little did I know where this path would lead.  Please go to www.iearnuk.com for a complete listing of current and future projects and to see how you can get involved in iEARN.

1990-1994 - Foster High School restructures for global education

• After visiting schools in Europe, China and South Korea, I was keen to bring the world into my High School and learned about a new programme called I*EARN - The International Education and Resources Network.  This group used fax, email and something called a lumaphone to link students and teachers around the world. It was part of an overhaul of the curriculum at Foster High School.  Learn more ...

• I spent a summer in South Korea on a Fulbright Scholarship.  Later I welcomed our sister city, Taejon Korea to Seattle with a Lumaphone gift to establish a link between our students.  Read article...

• In 1989 I met a headteacher from Walworth School in London, UK.  We established the first transatlantic video link between Foster High School, Seattle, Wa, USA and Walworth School, London, England, UK.  Learn more about Lumaphone .  Read This bulldog breed.  First ever video phone link for Walworth pupils.  Pupils say Yanks a lot to Charity

• After the first Gulf War broke out in 1991, our students at Foster High School learned about the terrors of War from fellow students in Tel Aviv.  Read articles... Israeli teens communicate fear.  Messages describe life with gas masks.  Israeli teacher visiting schools.

• Our classrooms at Foster High School had truly become 'Windows on the world'. (part 2).  Our students were developing a global outlook.

1994 - 'e-mail pals' 

After Brinley and I married in 1992, the link between Foster High School and Walworth School continued with staff exchanges, emails and joint project work.  The drama staff in both schools wrote and performed a  collaborative play about their email experiences. The play won First place in the Washington State Drama Festival.

1996 - Global Response to Dunblane, Scotland massacre, Thanet College, Kent England, UK

In March 1996, a group of iEARN students at Thanet College sent a message to their friends in iEARN expressing their sorrow.  The response to that message changed the lives of everyone it touched.  Learn more...

1997-2003

During this period of time I moved jobs twice - First to City of Bristol College as Key Skills Manager and then to Learning and Skills Development Agency in Wales (later Dysg) as Project Manager for the Welsh Assembly Government initiative, Key Skills.  As the project manager for Key Skills I quickly realised the strong links between collaborative project based learning in iEARN and the need for active student centred learning to develop and accredit key skills.  This led to providing bursaries for teachers in Wales to take part in the new iEARN on-line professional development courses.  One of these courses involved a group of disaffected teenagers from a small Further Education College in the Welsh Valley's. Eight teachers enrolled on the iEARN Online professional development course sponsored by the Learning and Skills Development Agency.  In October 2003, a membership meeting was held and the decision was made to establish a formal iEARN UK organisation.  An Executive Committee was formed and aims and objectives agreed.  Charity status for this organisation was explored. 

Annual report:  iEARN UK 2001

2003-04 - YouthCAN:Aberdare Youth Environment Project

Charles Brewster, a teacher at Aberdare College in Wales, UK wanted to inspire his students to do more than just study IT.  He found the answer through the iEARN project 'YouthCAN'.  Charles later attended the iEARN International Conferences in Japan (2003), Slovakia (2005) and the MIRK conference in Slovenia (2004).  Learn more about the Aberdare Youth Project...

2004 - iEARN UK Centre Established

26 April, 2004.  IEARN UK was formally accepted as an iEARN Centre by iEARN International.  The centre was officially launched at Wales Education Show in Cardiff.  Coordinator, Cheryl Morgan, Executive Officer, Mary Gowers, Trustees, Cheryl Morgan, Rod Ashley, Colin Rees and Adrian Finighan.  First projects:  YouthCAN, Bullying project, Laws of Life and  UNESCO Young Digital Creators.

Annual report:  iEARN UK 2004

Annual report:  iEARN UK 2005

Annual report:  iEARN UK 2006

Annual report: iEARN UK Annual Rpt 2007.doc

2006-07 - Teddy Bear Project: Raglan Primary School, Wales, UK and Chih-kai Elementary School, Taiwan

 In August 2006 I was invited to Tokyo Japan to represent the iEARN Executive Council at the first Asia-Pacific iEARN Regional Conference.  Each delegate was asked to bring a Teddy Bear from a school in their country to take part in the Teddy Bear Exchange (Learn more about the Teddy Bear Project).  I invited my local primary school to take part in this project.  They were delighted.  Read more....

 A Taiwanese teacher named Agnes visited Raglan Primary School to talk to the children about Taiwan and visit with the Taiwanese Teddy Bears.  See photos...

iEARN UK today

iEARN UK continues to grow and prosper.  In 2007 over 2000 young people in the UK participated in iEARN projects.   Under the leadership of Mary Gowers, Executive Officer (and now iEARN UK Coordinator), Services provided by the Centre include management services, professional development courses and working with young people.  We received funding from Welsh Assembly Government  to develop: One world:  One environment  project and to establish a One World Radio station on Radiowaves www.radiowaves.co.uk/oneworld. We also took part in Global Citizenship Learning Circles sponsored by iEARN NetherlandsWe have developed learning circles on Water, Water Everwhere? And Sports – Is it Fair?  Hosted a WEC volunteer for 6 months and managed the Adobe Youth Voices project in UK. 

Annual report:  iEARN UK report 2008.doc

Links:  iEARN UK website:  www.iearnuk.com Moodle courses: http://www.iearnukcpd.com One World Radio Station:  www.radiowaves.co.uk/oneworld