You may have noticed that we’ve added a couple of new features to MyWonderfulWorld.org. One is Back to School: Global Schools, Global Students, which has tools and resources for you—whether you’re a teacher, student, or parent—to use all year. It’s got a special My Wonderful World-PTA Kit, plus information on how teens can become international journalists.
Another new section is Games & Cool Stuff, which is full of, well, games and cool stuff. Like great map mashups* we’ve found and sites where you can make your own, plus geography trivia and adventure games, world music sites, and geocaching activities.
*What’s a map mashup? It’s a map overlaid with information in the form of video, photos, text, even music. Check out these sites for links to lots of map mashups:
Let us know about cool mashups you’ve found—or created!
Children need game/tool to learn the oceans on line.
PassportM is offering a unique on-line (or DVD) learning resource that explores the world’s cultures. This interactive video adventure allows students to learn about their own backgrounds and exposes them to the cultures of their ethnically diverse classmates. The intent of this program is to 1) encourage cross-cultural communication and 2) foster a positive appreciation for ethnic diversity.
This innovative experience complements and integrates current Standards curriculum and has been adopted by CLRN (California Learning Resource Network http://www.clrn.org) as a wonderful way to increase students’ use of technology in education. The program uses exclusive video content to deliver its message through the universal language of music. Each unit contains approximately 8-12 short (1-2 minute) video episodes consisting of interviews with musicians from all over the world. Through their instruments and music, they tell the story of their cultures, customs, and rituals. Thus the title, “Travels with Music”. This is not a music course/program as such – we are using music as a “hook” to attract the interest of all students and open them to learning more about social studies, history, geography, cultures and the arts.
As individuals watch videos of the countries, read information about the geography, and hear the music of each culture that is being performed by the host musicians, they gain a sense of pride in their own background in addition to learning about the many rich cultures of the world. You can explore 2 sample units of TWM, featuring Peru and the Yunaan Province of China, by visiting http://www.travelswithmusic.org.