Issue link: https://takingitglobal.uberflip.com/i/134182
DeforestACTION is a global movement of youth and schools taking action against deforestation and building a permanent home for orangutans and other species that depend on forest ecosystems. http://dfa.tigweb.org Since 2010, the program has grown from a facilitated, online collaboration between eight schools in Asia Pacific to a movement of over 170 schools engaging in collaborative learning and action. DeforestACTION provides online educational resources, videoconferences and Earthwatchers, a companion program developed by Geodan that allows participants to monitor the rainforests of Borneo, Indonesia. 2012 was an unprecedented year for DeforestACTION. In March, the Eco Warriors returned to Borneo for 80 days to implement their impact projects in the areas of education, reforestation, animal rescue and rehabilitation and community mapping in collaboration with Dr. Willie Smits and the Masarang Foundation. TakingITGlobal helped more than 12,000 students follow their experiences through online engagement and live videoconferencing, where students witnessed first-hand how their fundraising support translated into real-life impact for communities in the region. Over the course of 2012, TakingITGlobal, through the support of Microsoft Partners in Learning, and the Centre for Global Education coordinated and co-hosted more than 30 international student video conferences, connecting over 17,000 students to researchers and scientists working in the environmental sector. Interactive conferences live from Borneo welcomed new schools and shared stories from participating schools on the progress of their deforestation fund and awareness raising campaigns. This work has been showcased at various international conferences, including a closing keynote address at the International Society for Technology in Education Conference in June 2012. " y students are learning that their voice does matter M and that the world is waiting to hear what they have to say." — Educator, Chris Gauthier, Australia. The DeforestACTION team also expanded to include School Engagement Coordinators: North America, East Africa and West Africa. This supported the expansion of DeforestACTION initiatives into Nigeria and Kenya, with a focus on tree-planting and community engagement. 220 Schools from 30+ countries engaged 17,000 Students engaged through video conferences 900 Earthwatchers monitoring the rainforest of Borneo Shout http://shoutlearning.org Since 2010, SHOUT, a partnership between TakingITGlobal, Microsoft Partners in Learning and the Smithsonian Institution, has been offering a diverse of set webinars and projects to help educators and students to take an active role in global environmental issues. Through this partnership, TakingITGlobal, in collaboration with the K-team from Microsoft Partners-in-Learning UK, developed five technical webinars with more than 4000 educators learning how to use Microsoft tools like Kinect, Kodu, Skype, Photostory and Mouse Mischief to create innovative SHOUT learning resources. As a result, educators have uploaded developed resources to the Partners in Learning network, enabling educators to share their work and facilitate dialogue on the use of Microsoft tools in the classroom. TakingITGlobal Annual Report 2012 19