iEARN in Action

That's another quotation from the Book of Matthew. Too many planning efforts related to large scale investments in ICT use in education dwell too long on what is possible, while ignoring much of what is predictable, and in the end what is practical to do doesn't benefit the poor and disadvantaged all that much. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Many organizations are already doing great things to help us achieve our goals. We need to amplify these efforts, support one another and highlight our successes if we are to become A World at School.

The United Nations Secretary-General, through his Global Education First initiative, is rallying everyone to make a difference.

Since 2000, tens of millions of children have enrolled in school. We reduced school fees, improved learning, developed incentive programs, reached out to the marginalized and disadvantaged, and built political will.

But we need to do more.

Malala, and her father Ziauddin, have both raised their hands – a symbolic gesture which calls on the United Nations and governments around the world to make girls’ education a global priority.

Malala is now preparing to lead the first ever youth takeover of the United Nations in New York on her 16th birthday on 12 July – which has become known as Malala Day.

“This is an opportunity for every young person on the planet to get together and tell the world: we will get our education, be it at home, in school or any place,” says Malala.

Learn more about our 25 years of working with educational, youth service, relief and development organizations, agencies, and institutions to build a network of opportunities for young people to work together on educational programs that make a meaningful difference in the world.

iEARN teams will be presenting in five sessions at the upcoming ISTE Conference in San Antonio, Texas.  With nearly 700 sessions, 150 additional workshops, and informal learning environments, the annual ISTE conference provides a multitude of professional development opportunities for educators interested in integrating technology into their teaching. 

Attending ISTE?  We look forward to seeing you there!

From iEARN-USA’s new executive director, Daniel Rosenblum:

I am honored to join iEARN-USA as executive director as we celebrate our 25th birthday. Looking to the future, our goal is to expand access to online exchange and project-based learning to all schools in the United States, regardless of socio-economic background, age or geographic location.

Through our secure Collaboration Centre, iEARN-USA connects American educators and youth to their peers in over 140 countries for collaborative learning and dialogue.  In doing so, we are strengthening international education, broadening global awareness, and preparing young Americans for the professional, economic and geopolitical challenges of the 21st century.

My main takeaway from the day was a reaffirmation that the social entrepreneurship movement is reaching a certain level of maturity and credibility, and that we have enough collective experience to learn from each other.  Most of us in this space learn the most from practical examples and guidelines, which was the hallmark of the day.  The quotes that resonated the most with me were:

"If your users are not your customers, then your users are part of your products and you are selling them to your customers." -- Joel Selanikio, DataDyne

"Our disruptive technology is communication—listening first, giving voice to others, letting people take action. We come in to each country with a beginner’s mind and give people the chance to take action."  -- Ronni Goldfarb, EqualAccess

"Don’t underestimate the power of unleashing youth to work on real-life problems." – Lisa Jobson, iEARN

"People make incredibly important decisions based on guesses if they don’t have access to information." – Kristine Pearson, Lifeline Energy

"Corporations aren’t yet organized to work with the social enterprise space, so you end up going around with the corporate social responsibility division to the emerging markets to the foundation to who knows where else." – Al Hammond, Ashoka

Students, teachers, and many more are gathering at iEARN Qatar in July to tackle the problems and identify the solutions of global education.

Here is the fundamental question that public policymakers (e.g., federal and state officials, local school board members and superintendents) have to answer when making decisions that involve children and youth compelled to attend public school. Such a question, however, about the effectiveness of online instruction in raising student’s academic achievement and producing other desirable outcomes such as increased attendance, higher graduation and lower dropout rates, and college admissions—that is what I mean by “work”– gives educational leaders heartburn.

From the iEARN Archives:

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) 2001 Report, "Educating Children and Youth Against Racism" highlights the work on iEARN:

'iEARN is not solely devoted to anti-racism projects: others of its projects focus on the environment, on poverty, and on child labour, to take just a few examples. Still, its anti-racism work is prominent, and far-reaching. Of interest here is the combination of the Internet context – promising the widest possible dissemination of anti-racism materials adaptable to local contexts by local teachers and students – with the formal classroom setting, where materials from everywhere can be marshaled, developed, and contextualized for local needs.'