"What is it that binds all people together? What do kids in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, have in common with kids from M'bour, Senegal, Africa? Through digital storytelling we can discover those connections and forge new, valuable relationships that were never before possible." -Jeremy Teicher, Film Director/Project Manager, CyberSmart! Africa CyberSmart! Education offers facilitated online professional development, a free K-12 Student Curriculum, and a downloadable Educator's Toolbar. Their newest venture is CyberSmart! Africa.
"CyberSmart! Africa began in 2007 as a personal initiative of Jim Teicher, CEO and cofounder of CyberSmart! Education. After visiting Ecole Sinthiou Mbadane 1, a rural school in Senegal off the electric grid, Jim worked to establish ties that would support the students.This CyberSmart! Africa project enables teachers and students in
rural Senegal to share their personal stories with the rest of the world, revealing the common bonds that connect people across all cultures. The stories will be posted on the CyberSmart.org/Africa web site along with questions for discussion, which will extend into the iEARN and ePals online communities."
The students of Ecole Sinthiou Mbadane 1 "look forward to communicating and learning with a global, connected community of learners." Their video clips will give classes in other countries a unique glimpse into a very different culture.
Through these digital storytelling and laptop initiatives, CyberSmart! Africa hopes to encourage collaboration among students and support efforts to prepare students of many nations to meet the challenges of this century.
Worthy goals, fascinating project.
Full disclosure: I am a part-time employee of CyberSmart! Education in addition to my full-time position as a K-12 teacher/librarian.
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