Uniting Educators Worldwide for Improved Instruction Worldwide
In the midst of the pandemic, Jacqueline Gardy, the Global Program Officer at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC, for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the Office of English Language Programs, launched a groundbreaking virtual learning project. The initiative, which began on March 15, 2020, aimed to help teachers adapt to the sudden shift to online learning.
To ensure participant diversity, the teacher pods were set up using timeline groups along latitudinal lines, with no more than three hours apart. This arrangement allowed for a mix of educators from various parts of the world, each bringing their unique experiences to the table.
The curriculum development project was carried out with a limited budget, utilizing tools such as Google Docs, Google YouTube channel, Slack, and Adobe Spark. The project's focus was on collaboration, with multiple teachers from around the world working together to develop curriculum for use in the classroom, particularly in the creation of comics.
During these virtual exchanges, 40 teachers were divided into 4 facilitator groups, each consisting of 10 teachers. The program combined synchronous and asynchronous interactions, including discussion boards and Zoom calls, to enhance teachers' knowledge on particular topics. The similarity of teachers' COVID experiences served as the foundation for expanding the program with more virtual exchanges.
Since the pilot, 16 other virtual exchanges have been developed on various topics, such as Climate Action, Global Perspectives in the Classroom, Global Citizenship, Business and Entrepreneurship, and Digital Citizenship. Teachers were required to attend 70% of the synchronous events, with the option to watch recordings and fill out exit tickets if they missed any.
The weekly conversation group during the pandemic allowed teachers from around the world to share their COVID experiences, fostering a ready-built rapport. This camaraderie extended beyond the virtual exchanges, as Gardy recently received an Innovative Leader Award for Best Example of Virtual Learning at a Tech & Learning Regional Leadership Summit. However, further details about the "Jacqueline Gardy Innovative Leader Award" or the Virtual Learning Project could not be found in our research.
For more authoritative and specific information on these topics, consider consulting the official website or publications of the organization that offers the Jacqueline Gardy Innovative Leader Award or related academic/industry announcements about the Virtual Learning Project.
- Jacqueline Gardy, a Global Program Officer, launched a virtual learning project in March 2020, intended to aid teachers in adapting to online education due to the pandemic.
- The curriculum development for this project was carried out with a limited budget, using tools like Google Docs, YouTube, Slack, and Adobe Spark, with a focus on collaboration among educators worldwide.
- During the project, 40 teachers were divided into groups, where they participated in a mix of synchronous and asynchronous interactions to enhance their knowledge on specific topics, such as Climate Action, Digital Citizenship, and Global Citizenship.
- The virtual exchanges facilitated by this project offered an opportunity for teachers from around the world to share their COVID experiences, fostering camaraderie and promoting diversity in digital learning and education-and-self-development.
