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GreenLearning Canada Announces COOL 2.0!

GreenLearning Canada has just launched COOL 2.0, a powerful new online community for teaching and learning about climate change. COOL 2.0 gives you access to hundreds of teaching resources on energy, the environment, and sustainability. Look for resources created by teachers, GreenLearning Canada, and many of its partner ENGOs — among them, UNICEF Canada, Sustainability Frontiers,Biosphere, Wild BC, and Earth Day Canada. COOL 2.0 also provides you with a robust web 2.0 platform, powered by TiGed, for customizing resources, creating assignments, and connecting with colleagues.

What can you do at cool.greenlearning.ca?

• Access lesson plans and activities, videos, research and data, and collaborative projects in the Education Database.
• Search for teaching resources by keyword, grade level, subject, province, language, and more.
• Use Teacher Space to tailor COOL 2.0 resources for your students.
• Create assignments that integrate blogs, mapping, online discussions, and media galleries.
• Exchange ideas in the Teacher Forum, meet colleagues, and team up to collaborate on class projects.

Anyone can access the resources in the COOL 2.0 Education Database. To access the COOL 2.0 Teacher Space, log in with your GreenLearning or TIGed ID and password, or register on the COOL 2.0 homepage. Like all GreenLearning programs, COOL 2.0 is free to teachers. Discover the best in climate change education at cool.greenlearning.ca!

Ever wonder what the world would be like if everyone was willing to share - information, expertise, and even failures? How would the processes of international development change if this were possible? Well, over the past few weeks working on the YouthMovements program at TIG, I’ve come to understand that the barrier to this ideal picture isn’t necessarily a willingness to share, but simply the ability to do so.

So far, we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response from organizations and individuals whom we’ve approached to partner with us - and I bet you’re interested in hearing more about who we’ve been talking to...

But first, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Daphne, the new YouthMovements program assistant here at TIG. A recent university graduate, I’m very excited to be able to work in a diverse and internationally-engaged workplace - I love that I have to check which time zone our meetings are scheduled in!

This morning, Liam and I started the day with a call to Louisville, Kentucky to speak with Njideka from the Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF). Founded in Nigeria nearly 12 years ago, YTF works to sustainably integrate the use of technology into disadvantaged communities throughout Africa. In addition to providing programming for youths, YTF has responded to the desires and wishes of their participants’ mothers and friends by establishing an economic empowerment program for women. It was great to see such a significant overlap in the values and approaches of TIG and YTF, particularly on the nascent power of technology in social engagement amongst youth.

We then said ‘good evening’ to Philip in Accra, Ghana at 11am EST. Representing the Alliance For African Women Initiative (AFAWI), Philip explained the range of issues and ages that their programming addresses. In addition to women’s empowerment, AFAWI is heavily involved in HIV/AIDS awareness and youth development initiatives across Ghana. He mentioned that securing financial support was something that AFAWI sometimes struggles with - By mapping their various projects on YouthMovements.org, AFAWI will be able to increase their profile amongst international sponsors and establish new, financially sustainable partnerships.

Later this week, we’ll be meeting with Jacque from the Pacific Youth Council to find out more about the projects they operate in the South Pacific, as well as Judith from Leaders of Tomorrow in Lebanon. Its great to see so many organizations from all over the world willing to get on board, and be able to work together towards our common goals. Imagine how much more effective our sector could be if sharing became the normal way we operate...

Thanks to our Program Assistant, Michelle Smith, for writing this blog!

Given the increasingly interconnected global community that we live in, the chances are quite high that you know and interact with migrants on a daily basis. Perhaps you or your family has migrated from another country. A migrant is essentially anyone who is working outside of their home country. In 2000, The United Nations declared December 18^th as International Migrants Day. Observing this day brings to light many issues surrounding migration - including securing formal and substantive fundamental rights for migrant workers and their families. Debates regarding immigrant policy, and combating racism are also prevalent themes.

While these issues are important, the circumstances that led to migration in various countries are often left unaddressed. Often underlying the reality of a mass movement of migrant workers is a lack of opportunity in underdeveloped nations or countries faced with crisis. Even more ignored are questions of power and privilege implicit within migration. Who gets to decide the value of contributions made by migrants and how they are compensated? What are the social implications of families broken apart by migration in labor-exporting countries? These are questions that never crossed my mind until pursuing higher education, but I strongly believe that they should be addressed when studying migration in the classroom at the secondary level.

Despite these issues, migration in countries rich with multicultural identities, presents people with a rare opportunity to interact with various cultures, world views and experiences first hand. This is no doubt one of the benefits of migration – it is a valuable contribution to the multicultural identity of a nation by helping to create a more informed and inclusive society. Growing up in Canada, I’ve always tried to develop a more adequate understanding of the world through connecting with a diverse group of people. However in my experience, the lessons that I’ve learned have often been taught outside of the classroom, rather than being included in school curricula. For example, it was in my afterschool multicultural club, that I first started to question why history is dominantly taught from the perspective of Anglo Saxons. It seems more appropriate for the multinational Canadian identity to be adequately reflected in the nation’s history.

So what does International Migrate Day mean for education? It should cause us to reflect on the changing nature of our society, and how we should incorporate new perspectives, debates, voices and information into the classroom. I would encourage all educators and students to reflect on these themes, not just on International migration day, but whenever possible.

Photo credit: fdecomite

TakingITGlobal and the Centre for Global Education are proud sponsors of the MindShare Learning 21st Century Classroom Video Challenge, which celebrates new thinking and new possibilities through the power of education technology. 

TIGed was thrilled to be hosted by Pearson Education at the National Council for Social Studies Annual Conference in Washington, DC to engage with social studies educators about our programs and offerings. TIGed is a proud partner of Pearson Education on myWorld TIGed, which combines the resources of TIGed with a focus on the Essential Questions and 21st Century Learning Activities found in Pearson’s myWorld Geography and myWorld History programs. Social studies teachers use myWorld TIGed to help students connect to different cultures and peoples, experience the world in new ways, and understand the key concepts in world geography and world history. Teachers using Pearson's myWorld textbooks can visit http://myworld.tigweb.org/ to learn more about how your class can benefit from this program.

Thanks Pearson, for helping us to reach for our vision of classrooms everywhere actively engaged in shaping a more inclusive, peaceful, and sustainable world!

The TIGed Team 

How are young people engaging with COP 17 (the 17th Conference of the Parties) Conference, as world leaders and environment ministers meet to discuss Climate Change and the future of our planet?

In many ways: young people an important role to play because we have the most at stake in these negotiations, it is our future which is being decided, and we who will inherit the decisions made or the terribly implications of the decisions not made at these conferences.

There is also a wide variety of young people here and we all have different ideas about how to be most effective in the process itself.

Firstly, there is YOUNGO, the official group for youth which has the ability to make interventions (deliver speeches) in the plenary sessions. This youth group meets every morning in a spokes council to share information, decide how to effectively engage and plot strategy for the day to come.

Some government delegations have young people participating in the delegations themselves. These young people wear pink badges in the conference center and are involved in tracking the negotiations, help to shape national policy, and represent the voice of youth in the delegations.

Next up there are nationally organized youth delegations such as the SustainUS, the Indian Youth Climate Coalition, the United Kingdom Youth Climate Coalition and the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, These groups work to raise the profile of their countries policy stances, amplify the voices of communities which are not being heard in the negotiations and harness the power of traditional and social media to communicate the events at the conference to the world.

As a young person witnessing the process and the sometimes painful inaction on the part of those who hold power in the negotiations, each day is an incredibly fast paced and very very long roller-coaster. Each hour can bring new highs and lows and sometimes it is difficult to say exactly how effective our actions are at moving the negotiations themselves.

When I meet with other youth from around the world and learn about how climate change is effecting front line communitiies along with what they are doing to confront this immense challenge, I can’t help but be motivated to rise to the occasion, push through the exhaustion and fight with all I’ve got for a better, sustainable future.

What a fantastic week! The Global Education Conference, hosted by the Global Education Collaborative, has come to a close. The conference was a great success, with online sessions happening around the clock from an extremely diverse group of presenters that included: leading educational theorists, consultants, teachers, and students. Check out this amazing map of where participants logged onto the conference from. The inspiration, wisdom and ideas were flying all week! TIGed hosted sessions with engaged participants from all around the world. Thanks to all those who attend our sessions! If you missed out, don’t worry – recordings are available from all of our sessions! Below, you will find a link to each session that TIGed hosted that you can watch at your leisure. We have also included links to the sessions hosted by our friend and colleague, Jennifer Klein. A special thanks is due to conference co-chairs, Steve Hargadon and Lucy Gray for all their hard work organizing this wonderful conference. We can’t wait for next year!

Take Your Classroom Global!:

https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/dropin.jnlp?sid=2008350&suid=D.6A2E66498EB9B2205A23B9C065E66C

DeforestACTION!: Global Education for Environmental Stewardship!:  

https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/dropin.jnlp?sid=2008350&suid=D.C7869F08B195D1EE2225470B05DD2F

Las Mejores Practicas en la Education Global Basada en Proyectos:

 https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/dropin.jnlp?sid=2008350&suid=D.A44B0DACAD842FA08637D85CBE03D7

Best Practices in Global Project-Based Learning:

https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/dropin.jnlp?sid=2008350&suid=D.0B3187EFFC07A47EF1440A96F7B85F

Arab Spring: Using Social Media to Teach in Real Time:

 https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/dropin.jnlp?sid=2008350&suid=D.2ECF221115BB1D84CE99D670E5E95F

Building a High Stakes Educational Partnership between Brooklyn, NR and Bumpe, Sierra Leone:

https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/dropin.jnlp?sid=2008350&suid=D.4226408803BA7DA00599AD1A2BFB9C

Live Video Conferencing: Strategies for Humanizing Global Education:

https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/dropin.jnlp?sid=2008350&suid=D.D0C1C22C5BF929AE5CEA92995ADB85

The Global Education Collaborative is hosting a free virtual conference with a spectacular line-up! Join us for the Global Education Conference from November 14-18, and choose from a variety of over 60 free sessions offered at convenient times for people around the world! This event is scheduled to fall during International Education Week – what better way to celebrate than to explore new ideas, learn from a variety of perspectives, and learn from each other? Ideas, projects and programs will be presented from students, educators and organizations at all levels.

We hope that you will join us for the following sessions:

Take Your Classroom Global!  (Spotlight Session)

Tuesday November 15, 10-11am ET

Learn to use online social networking and digital media tools to facilitate global education and inspire student leadership in local and global communities.

Best Practices in Global Project-Based Learning  (Spotlight Session)

Wednesday November 16, 3-4pm ET (English) and 9-10pm ET (Spanish)

Explore the importance of global education, and how technology can help bring the world into our classrooms. Note: this session will also be offered in Spanish on the same day from 9-10pm ET (Las Mejores Prácticas en la Educación Global Basada en Proyectos).

DeforestACTION: Global Education for Environmental Stewardship

Thursday November 17, 11-12pm ET

Learn about DeforestACTION, a global learning project connecting students around the world to learn and take action on deforestation by using innovative social media and technology tools that make engaging with global issues fun and exciting!

We also encourage you to join our Professional Development Instructor, Jennifer Klein for the following sessions:

Building a High Stakes Educational Partnership between Brooklyn, NY and Bumpe Sierra Leone

Tuesday November 15,^,4-5pm ET

This session will explore the high-stakes school partnership in development between The Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn, New York and the war-torn Bumpe region in Sierra Leone.

Live Video Conferencing: Strategies for Humanizing Global Education

Wednesday, November 16, 12-1pm ET

This session will provide strategies for integrating effective, humanizing video conference experiences into the classroom, allowing students to make authentic, transformative connections with young people in other parts of the world.

Arab Spring: Using Social Media to Teach in Real Time

Thursday November 17, 12-1pm ET

Social media ignited revolution across the Arab World in 2011. Experience how educators use live video conferencing, connecting students to those experiencing political turmoil.  

Keynote speakers at this year’s conference include: Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education Harvard University; Alan November, Senior Partner with November Learning; Esther Wojcicki, Teacher at Palo Alto High and Ed Gragert, Executive Director for iEARN-USA, among several other renowned contributors to the field of global education.

We hope that you are all as excited as we are to participate in the Global Education Conference this year. We look forward to learning from all of the fabulous speakers as well as the participants in our own sessions. See you online!

Think the Energy Program

From the last month, I have been participating "電力の未来を考える会" which means “think the future of the energy”, a program for University students held by Mentor Diamond in Tokyo.

There is no wonder why this kind of program was organized for University students.

Since the 3.11 earthquake and the following explosions of the Fukushima nuclear power plants that brought blackouts & brownouts, there were a lot of discussions on energy in Japan.

Politicians, corporate managers, heads of the related organizations, decision makers, academics, etc. were involved in those arguments, but what they were talking with technical terms, jargons, was too difficult to understand for ordinary people - like us.

(Of course this is not applied to everyone. Some academics are putting out the information through their blog, website, Twitter or Ustream in an informative way.)

The main purpose of this 3-month-program is to get involve the University students into the discussion on energy by giving them basic knowledge and opportunity to talk to the relevant actors.

And at the end of the program, each of the participants is supposed to submit a report (提言書).

What should be discussed?

The first session was held on Sunday, October 16^th at Harajuku, Tokyo.

We had guest speakers from various areas.

Mr. Itaru Yasui, emeritus professor of Tokyo University,

Mr. Akihiro Sawa, Executive of The 21st Century Public Policy Institute,

Mr. Tetsunari Iida, Manager of Institute for Sustainable Energy Politics,

and Mr. Thomas Breuer, Head of Energy Department of Green Peace.

Mr. Sawa has been working in METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) and involved in promotion of the use of the nuclear energy. On the other hand, Mr. Iida is well known as a strong supporter of the renewable energy.

It was very interesting to hear both sides of the story.

Actually, Mr. Sawa’s statement sounded rather reasonable. He pointed out that we cannot quit nuclear energy like RIGHT NOW, but what we have to do is to think the ratio of the resource of the electricity. He insisted that we should not depend on only one resource (ex. 100% natural gas) considering the ‘risk management’, and it is needed to use several resources for a stable energy supply. Considering that, he said, we should keep the nuclear energy as one of the options of our energy strategy.

It was kind of surprising because I was supporting the idea that we should STOP nuclear energy AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and shift to the renewable energy.

What hit me was that, Mr. Sawa’s point weighs the growth of the economy.

Well, many says we need electricity to keep the current economic status, but is the electricity for the economy or the human being?

If it could do harm on people and the environment yet does good to the economy, would it be justified?

I think we should discuss not only whether to go on with nuclear energy or with 100% renewable energy, but also what does Japan aims at, what kind of society we are trying to design, and how much energy will be needed to realize that.

I am looking forward to the next session coming soon, November 12 – 13.

In the city of bicycles and canals, we wrapped up our series of environment forums in style - on a houseboat! After a conversation with Pauline at NEWNRG Academy, a renewable energy enterprise, she offered us her houseboat office space as a venue. It was a great fit because it was completely off the grid, using renewable energy sources.

Pauline also connected us with Claire, a recent university graduate in Environmental Resource Management who took on the role of event organizer extraordinaire, coordinating the houseboat preparations and arranging for delicious refreshments, including organic soda donated from Oggu, an Amsterdam company. Claire's dedication and attention to detail were inspiring, she was instrumental in putting together a fabulous event. 

Marloes, Tread Lightly's Dutch Language and Engagement Coordinator, also joined in to help recruit participants and prepare some tasty appetizers.

Before we got started, Layana from NEWNRG Academy gave us an overview of the features of the houseboat and its innovative renewable energy sources. 

The Amsterdam forum brought together players in environmental education and Rio+20 organizers from across the city, including NME Centrum, Eco-schools, FELT Agency, and JMA. Many of the participants were involved in Rio+20 work in their respective organizations, which made for a well-informed discussion. 

We were pleased to welcome three representatives from Staples Europe at the event: Katy, Jamie and Mark from the Amsterdam office joined in to talk about Staples' ongoing support for Tread Lightly and participate in the discussion. Several ideas arose around how to connect companies such as Staples with community efforts, thanks to their contributions. 

The Staples involvement extended the the Lunch and Learn event at the Amsterdam office, where I presented to a group of 20 employees, introducing Tread Lightly with the goal of encouraging environmental responsibility among the Staples crowd. Everyone in attendance enjoyed a delicious lunch and contributed to a discussion around environmental initiatives that could be implemented at their office. 

With the Amsterdam event behind us, the next step is to compile the recommendations from each summit and submit to the UN and Peace Child International's Rio+20 contributions! Stay tuned for a summary of our recommendations. 

Youthmovements.org held our first inquiry group meeting earlier this week. This collaborative online session brought representatives together from across the youth development sector to discuss, share and investigate the issues and challenges facing our movements.

"There is a positive feedback loop happening. As students and young people see others creating change, they try becoming involved, even in small bits at a time, and as they realize they have a voice, the voice gets louder." Nikos Theodasakis - OliveUS Education Network

• Ali Perrotto, National Sexual Violence Resource Center
• Hassanatu Blake, Focal Point Global
• Danielle Miranda, Youth Service America
• Larry Mah, Youth in Motion
• Julie Caldwell, Emerging Futures Youth Network 
• Nikos Theodosakis OliveUS Education Network
• Nicolo Wojewoda, Peace Child International, Road to Rio+20 
• Razwan Nabin, Bangladesh Youth Movement for Climate
• Rini Banerjee, Overbrook
• Monique Leger, Canadian Heritage  
• Sabrina Veser, Servicestelle Jugendbeteiligung

• We have hired a new web developer to add more technical capacity to our team.
• We have also completed scopping data requirements for the database structure for our Open Access Map.
• We have explored our TIGed classroom infrastructure and begun updating for our project pages revamp.

• AIESEC
• Learn 360
• Freedom house
• Our American Generation
• Center for International Virtual schooling 
• World Association of Girl guides, Girl Scouts
• Canada World Youth
• YouthService America
• Youth in Motion

I was welcomed to Paris by the lovely Sarah Toumi, one of the founders of DREAM and an active TakingITGlobal member who has represented TIG at many conferences and events. Sarah was also the French Coordinator for Tread Lightly during its inaugural year, so it was fitting that she came on board to make arrangements for our Parisian Youth Environment and Education Forum. 

Sarah's organizational skills blew me away - she put together a fabulous event with involved and interested participants, all of whom had participated in a preparatory meeting to discuss the issues prior to coming to the forum. Attendees included university students and representatives from various environmental groups, including a group that was putting on a model Rio+20 event. All the participants took the work of making recommendations very seriously, and their contributions didn't end when the forum finished - they created Google docs so they could continue and polish up their work in progress, before making a final submission. 

Coinciding with the timing of this forum was the Girls20 Summit, a conference on the topic of global issues related to girls and women. I had the chance to attend along with Sarah and Chiara Palieri, Tread Lightly's Italian Coordinator. It was a great place for networking to promote the Tread Lightly educational materials, and it also turned out to be a star-studded event, featuring talks from Academy Award winner Forrest Whittaker, Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek, and Canada's very own Jann Arden, who closed the event with an acoustic serenade of "Good Mother." 

I was welcomed to Paris by the lovely Sarah Toumi, one of the founders of DREAM and an active TakingITGlobal member who has represented TIG at many conferences and events. Sarah was also the French Coordinator for Tread Lightly during its inaugural year, so it was fitting that she came on board to make arrangements for our Parisian Youth Environment and Education Forum. 

Sarah's organizational skills blew me away - she put together a fabulous event with involved and interested participants, all of whom had participated in a preparatory meeting to discuss the issues prior to coming to the forum. Attendees included university students and representatives from various environmental groups, including a group that was putting on a model Rio+20 event. All the participants took the work of making recommendations very seriously, and their contributions didn't end when the forum finished - they created Google docs so they could continue and polish up their work in progress, before making a final submission. 

Coinciding with the timing of this forum was the Girls20 Summit, a conference on the topic of global issues related to girls and women. I had the chance to attend along with Sarah and Chiara Palieri, Tread Lightly's Italian Coordinator. It was a great place for networking to promote the Tread Lightly educational materials, and it also turned out to be a star-studded event, featuring talks from Academy Award winner Forrest Whittaker, Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek, and Canada's very own Jann Arden, who closed the event with an acoustic serenade of "Good Mother." 

In bella Italia, I headed to Milan for the third forum, and to meet with Staples Associates in nearby Castelletto Cervo. 

At the beautiful offices of the Commissione Europea in the centre of the city, I met with Valentina from the World Wildlife Fund's Lombardia office, to start setting up for the forum. Tread Lightly partnered with the WWF to run the Italian Youth Environment and Education forum, a perfect fit since WWF works with teachers across Italy on education initiatives, so we were able to reach out to their networks to spread the word about the event. Participants were a mix of university students involved in environmental initiatives, and teachers, so we had some diverse perspectives contributing to the discussion.

I was lucky to have Federico Brocchieri as a co-facilitator - one of the most dedicated people I know when it comes to climate change issues and giving youth a voice. Federico traveled all the way from Rome for the event, to co-host and share his expertise as a former Climate Champion with the British Council and a crusader for climate change education - he has given hundreds of presentations to students across Italy to introduce them to climate change issues and encourage them to make a difference, all on his own initiative. Meeting people like Federico has been my favourite part of this forum series - I am constantly inspired by the amazing individuals creating awareness and action. 

I had an opportunity to meet with Staples Associates at the Italian headquarters in Castelletto Cervo, a small town outside of Milan situated among fields and farms. The rural setting was great news for the lunch part of our lunch and learn - it was not difficult to find local food, and as expected, the Italians did not disappoint! The spread included cheeses, salamis, breads, and even strawberries and tomatoes, all from nearby farms and producers. It was a delicious example of how to reduce your ecological footprint. 

I learned about some impressive environmental initiatives at the Italian office, spearheaded by employees like Alessandro, who operates an office-wide recycling program that is setting an example for the local municipality, which currently does not have a central recycling system.

Paris is my next stop, arriverderci! 

After a great start in Oslo, I traveled to London for the second round of the Youth Environment and Education Forums. We partnered with Stakeholder Forum (http://www.stakeholderforum.org), an international organization that works to advance sustainable development and promote democracy at a global level. With such a mission statement, Stakeholder Forum was an ideal partner! The event was hosted by Defra, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and attendees included approximately 50 representatives from major UK charities, including Oxfam and Friends of the Earth. It was a spirited forum with insightful input from all the participants. 

Next, I visited the Staples UK headquarters in High Wycombe, just outside of London. Staff there worked hard to organize a breakfast version of a "lunch and learn" event to engage Staples Associates in reducing their ecological footprint, in the spirit of Tread Lightly. There was an impressive breakfast spread of local and organic products, featuring apple juice from a local farmer and producer.

I gave a presentation to highlight the successes of Tread Lightly in the last two years, including over 2,000 student participants in video conferences, and over 4,000 downloads of the teacher toolkit. Then, the Staples Associates participated in a lively discussion about how to apply the ideas behind the Tread Lightly program - reducing your ecological footprint in the categories of food, energy, water, waste and transportation - in their own office, communities and homes. Suggestions brought up included a cycle-to-work program to encourage Associates to use sustainable methods of transportation. 

Onwards to Italy!