Global+Awareness

Global Awareness




 * __Description__**

In an increasingly populated online community, it becomes imperative to familiarize ourselves with the cultural expectations and interactions we will engage in. It was for this reason that a Global Awareness activity was developed that would authentically engage students in the Global Economy. It has students study a foreign culture and its customs, then develop a business proposal (basically it is a presentation) to a business class from that actual country. Students would be graded by their international peers as to how well they prepared in respects to their behaviors toward the students from the partner-nation, as well as how well their presentation was in general. They would then prepare a slideshow presentation for their actual class that reflects on participating in a global economy.

So, for the purpose of this assignment, students would be using the Internet to research their country, develop their presentation, and create their reflection presentation. They would also be using a global communication tool (such as Skype) in order to have a face-to-face webconference with students from another nation.


 * __Selection Process and Artifact__**

In order to choose this project, my partner and I looked closely at what activities could really engage learners in an authentic setting. With her being a high school business teacher, we brainstormed and came out with our great lesson of engaging the students in an online economic business setting, where a deal can most certainly be a 'make or break' case in how well you know and treat your multi-national partners.

Likewise, it involves all aspects of a complete and highly effective lesson. It has students pick a nation that interests them, research that nation, come up with what is (for all intents and purposes) an actual business proposal that takes into account their research, and end with a reflection on everything they learned.

Our lesson plan can be downloaded from this link:


 * __Reflection__**

As a nod toward to "societal... issues associated with information and communication technologies," this assignment addresses it excellently. I feel as though it gave the class an excellent starting point to view the world as an oyster for technological lesson plans. It also allowed us, as a class, to experience what planning in respect to Global Awareness would entail. It is a much less daunting task than I had originally expected.

I also thoroughly enjoyed coming up with the lesson plan itself. We were able to create it in what was basically a sandbox format, making the sky the limit. Just like with our students, when we remove that ceiling, the best of our creative output is achieved. My partner and I were able to come up with, what I view to be, an excellent lesson plan that, all things considered, would probably be extremely feasible in a current classroom with just some minor tweaking.


 * __References__**

Michigan State University,. (2008, December 8). //4-h global & cultural education//. Retrieved from http://web1.msue.msu.edu/4h/culture.html