ICT and School Partnerships

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enables Asia capable teachers to select and use ICT with effective teaching strategies to expand learning opportunities and content knowledge for all students, connecting students with peers in Asia and utilizing a range of resources that connect the classroom to Asia.

Adapted from AITSL: Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

ICT plays a critical role in providing opportunities for teachers and students to connect with peers globally. The following table provides some initial ideas of digital content and tools that support you to Investigate, Communicate and Create.

Also provided are materials to support you to ensure that students develop as Digitial Citizens as well as Global Citizens.

Activities:

Each strand of the ICT capability can be used to prepare and plan for the school partnership, as well as facilitate the relationship itself through a number of platforms and methods:

ICT organising elements

School partnership activity

Investigate Asia

Explore your partner’s country through online newspapers:
China

India

Indonesia

Japan

Korea

Malaysia
Myanmar

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Viêt-nam
Walk the streets of your partner school using Asia with Google Maps or a Trip Around Asia with Google Earth.

Use Asia for Educators, the Art of Asia and a number of Museums to investigate your partner school’s country.

Communicate with Asia

Use collaborative platforms like Wordpress, Edmodo or Wikispaces for a shared online classroom.
Share resources and comments on a Studies of Asia blog.
Try ideas about Pen Pals in the 21st Century from Edutopia.
Talk with peers in Asia through Skype, Fuze or relevant and accessible forms of local communication tools:

China
- Wechat: Connect with friends across platforms in a walkie-talkie format
- QQ International: Video calls, voice messages and texting
- Weibo: Popular microblogging website, similar to Twitter or Facebook
- RenRen: Social networking site very close to Facebook
Indonesia
- Yahoo Messenger: Connect with friends from any web browser, no download required.
- WhatsApp: Allows for mobile messaging without SMS fees, available on most smartphones
- Classting: Allows teachers to communicate with students in their classes
- Oovoo: Free video chat, can communicate with up to 12 people at one time
Thailand
- Line: Chat app
South Korea
- Kakao Talk: Chat one-on-one, or with an unlimited number of friends worldwide for free

Create with Asia

Create music and culture through Sound Infusion or podcasts with SoundCloud.
Document a shared history of both countries or your local areas and communities with Making History.
Create videos with GoAnimate, Tellagami or Animoto.
Post an InstaGram Photo Journal.
Create a visual tour of your respective countries, communities or local areas through Google Tourbuilder.
Use collaborative learning spaces Padlet, Voicethread or Google apps.

Managing and operating ICTs for Asia

Manage knowledge with Evernote, OneNote or Diigo.
Gather resources like Pinterests of Southeast or Central Asia.

Social and ethical protocols and practices

Engage students from both schools in exploring Digital Citizenship from Edutopia and GlobalDigitalCitizen’s Fluency Snapshot (PDF).
Review what Google says about Managing your Online Reputation or Australia on the CyberSmart site.

Acknowledgements

Image: ICT organising elements, adapted from the Australian Curriculum

By Subject/LEARNING AREAS

By Year Level

BRIDGE school partnership programs connect educators across Australia and 23 Asia-Pacific nations in collaborative learning

Student and youth programs to support student voice, agency, intercultural understanding, global citizenship and global competence

Explore whole school and pedagogical approaches that embed intercultural learning, global citizenship and global competence

A Rationale - Recent publication on the importance of studying Indonesia in schools

Professional Learning