(962)CREATIVELY CONNECTING GLOBAL CLASSROOMS: STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES

摘要

It is easy to say we are living in the world of technology;;some call it the computer age, but it is ofgreat concern because many Malawians have never touched a computer. On the other hand, 83.8%of households in the United States own some type of computer, tablet, or mobile device (File & Ryan,2014). Therefore, creating a collaborative environment between two secondary classes that operatewith vastly different resources is a challenge. The purpose of this project began as a pen pal servicelearningproject for American students to correspond with paired Malawian counterparts to help themlearn English and pass their Standard 8 Exam (Primary School Leaving Certificate Exams), whichqualifies them to attend secondary school. Innovation and problem solving has allowed thispartnership to embark into digital strategies. Students from a secondary school in Wadesboro, NorthCarolina have paired with a community day secondary school in Zomba, Malawi for cooperativelearning through creative digital strategies. Malawian learners like to be exposed to emerging issuesand someone good at computer technology is looked upon as being prestigious in status. Mostlearners are very curious to know more about technology and are more intrigued when a teacher hasbrought a device to class in which they are unfamiliar. Learners in the classroom would push eachother to be up front, just to have the opportunity to press a key on the computer. This shows howcurious Malawian learners are about technology. Secondary students in Wadesboro, North Carolinaare issued a school laptop for academic use in the classroom as well as the home. These studentsmaster the operation of various software and platforms of both pc and Apple computers. Engagementin the classroom is high and a wealth of information is at their fingertips by wireless routers and stablehigh speed Internet. Even though Wadesboro, the county seat of Anson County has one of the highestchild poverty rates at 35.1 percent (US Census, 2013), grants and funding for low-income schoolshave provided many digital resources for these students. Many methods and strategies have beenimplemented to connect the class with multiple technologies available per student compared to theother classroom of multiple students utilizing two devices. These two devices are personal property ofthe Zomba teacher, in which he uses to teach some computer lessons to the students at a ratio of 40students to one computer. A second challenge for any simultaneous interaction is the six to sevenhour time zone span, depending on Daylight Savings Time. Malawian students dismiss from school asthe American students arrive for their school day. Additionally, the location of the school in a remoteZomba rural area has no electricity and a weak cellular signal. The signal is too weak for anytelecommunications such as Skype. Therefore, asynchronous collaboration is necessary in thispartnership. This partnership that began as a pen pal project for American students to learn about theMalawian culture has evolved into utilizing digital software such as a shared Google drive, mobilephones with video and camera capabilities, multimedia software, and social media's periscope app.Various software has allowed for communication and sharing of cultural history between the twoclasses and instructors. As Malawi upgrades infrastructure for Internet and cellular signals improve,this collaboration will expand and flourish.