Using Online, Collaborative Projects To Internationalize A Social Studies Teacher-Education Program
Abstract: The presenter will describe his attempt to add—without cost—substantive and dynamic international, tele-collaborative experiences to the secondary social studies education program he facilitates. The author primarily describes (1) the overarching goals of a collaborative, online, international learning project, (2) the curriculum he helped design and the classroom experiences he helped orchestrate to accomplish those goals, and (3) the project’s international context. Specifically, this Best Practices session will advocate for the use of technology to promote internationalization by providing a description of a five-week, inquiry-based project for pre-service social studies teachers in the United States; they were to collaborate, virtually and asynchronously, with Japanese peers. Because this work shares a schedule, assignments, and rubrics, it may prove helpful for teacher-educators as they envision ways to further prepare novice teachers to think and act globally.