TakingITGlobal

24 TIGed Regional Partnerships EMERGE http://www.tigurl.org/ar09emerge In the summer of 2009, Michael Furdyk keynoted for EMERGE, a research project of Alberta Education focused on one-to-one wireless learning initiatives in support of specific educational goals. We then partnered with EMERGE to continue working together to improve learning in targeted areas. To date, 20 school jurisdictions are now part of the EMERGE Laptop Learning project, involving over 2,000 students using laptops as part of a research project, and all have access to TIGed's virtual classroom platform. The project also involves approximately 200 teachers at 49 schools across the province of Alberta. CORE Education http://www.core-ed.net/takingitglobal TakingITGlobal partnered with CORE Education, a New Zealand organization that reports to international education institutions on the emerging trends of Information and communication technology (ICT). As the partnership further develops, TIGed's online educational platform can be integrated into CORE's Innovation New Zealand Education consortium project to provide learners of all ages with the skills they need for the future. Classrooms for the Future http://www.tigurl.org/ar09cff TIGed partnered with Classrooms for the Future to transform the way teachers teach and the way students learn. Educators in Pennsylvania incorporated TIGed toolkits to develop assignments that not only used technology, but encouraged the development of 21st century skills such as problem-solving, innovation and collaboration. Growing Reflections, Understanding Bites (GRUB) http://www.tigweb.org/games/grub 2009 saw the further development of Growing Reflections, Understanding Bites, a thematic classroom that looks at youth perspectives on food choices and food systems. 2009's addition included the GRUB Card Game, a matching activity comprised of a series of trivia questions designed to enhance players' health and food-related knowledge. The activity improves students' awareness of the food they eat, and encourages them to ask important questions about how they make their food choices and how those choices affect their health. The game is also aimed at increasing awareness of hunger, malnutrition and food security issues around the world. Centre for Global Education http://tcge.tiged.org In December, we collaborated with the Centre for Global Education in Alberta to organize a video conference for Tread Lightly students live from COP15. The event engaged 400 students from 9 countries in discussions with youth climate activists on the ground in Copenhagen. The Centre, led by educator Terry Godwaldt, is quickly becoming an important core partner for many TIGed programs.

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