Tippecanoe teacher Shannon Arnett and her 5th grade students at L.T. Ball Intermediate got to visit California, New Jersey, Mexico, Canada, and Israel, last month, without even leaving the comfort of their classroom.
Arnett and her students were participants in the iEARN program.
The program's name is an acronym for "International Education and Resource Network." According to Arnett, the program was a great success.
"I think this was an experience the students will never forget," Arnett told the Tipp City Board of Education during their June 23 meeting.
Arnett and her students began their globe trotting adventure when the state invited the class to take part in a global learning program.
When Arnett was informed that a grant would be provided to participate in the project, the class jumped on board. The program connected Arnett's class with other classes around the world through the Internet.
"It was basically sharing ideas across the world," explained Arnett. "It was interesting to see the similarities."
One of the ways the program helped L.T. Ball students connect with the foreign counterparts was the MYHERO program.
Students got to write an essay about one of their heroes and post them on the Internet at a web page that was created specifically for the project.
Children in Arnett's class identified grandfathers, dads, moms, and even Arnett herself as their heroes. The stories were shared by the students during a web cast.
The children recieved the opportunity to appear in front of a webcam and share the source of their inspiration with an international audience.
All the participants agreed that the experience was fun and exciting as well as educational.
At the close of the class presentation to the board, Arnett expressed her hope that the program will continue on a larger scale and her desire to participate in it again.
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