Do we have the power to create positive change in the world? Can we come together to put the heart back into the art of education?  I believe we can!  I wish to share with you a window into my classroom, my vision for the future of education and an invitation to collaborate to make a difference. 

What an incredible honor and blessing it is to be here today among some of the most creative educators in the country and the amazing organizations, which set the foundation for the vitally important work we do with children on a daily basis.  I have already learned so much from reading the remarkable essays that everyone has written and a common theme that I picked up on was our insatiable desire to make a difference in lives of the whole child.  This is place where we truly need to get creative and work together given sometimes-painful confines of today’s education system. 

I believe that we have been brought together to work collectively as agents of change to set the wheels in motion to create a new educational paradigm, one where creativity, caring, collaboration, global partnerships, resilience and peace are at the heart. 

No longer is learning confined to the 4 walls of classrooms or even our schools.  We do not have to teach in isolation anymore. It is imperative that we provide access and opportunities to all of our students, especially those who do not have connectivity from home.

I would like to share with you today some iEARN projects that I am involved in that both enhance learning and make a difference in the world.  It is my wish that with a bit of Disney magic, I can encourage you to get involved as well.

iEARN, stands for  the International Education and Resource Network and is  the world's largest non-profit global network that enables teachers and young people to use the Internet and other new technologies  to collaborate on projects. It is in 109 countries and has over 200 projects in a variety of content areas.
These projects enable students to develop:
    •     research and critical thinking skills
    •     experience with new technologies
    •     cultural awareness
    •     the habit of getting involved in community issues.
 Every project must answer the question, "How will this project improve the quality of life on the planet?"

The Teddybear Project aims to foster tolerance and understanding of cultures other than one’s own.

The Comfort Quilts Project is an opportunity for youth  to create comfort quilts for children experiencing needs for caring and comfort while receiving emergency or ongoing needed medical  care,  following natural disasters, or during times of transition, crisis  or displacement from their homes and communities.

As part of the YouthCaN Project Students facilitate an online network using telecommunications technologies to undertake and/or share environmental work locally and around the world.

The Bullying Project helps others around the world cope with being bullied and teased. People can contribute their personal stories, poems, audio files, music, drawings, photographs, animations and films. It uses the power of the Internet to let others know that people dealing with the issues of bullying and teasing "Are NOT alone.

These are only a handful of projects I am involved in that speak to educating the whole child.  I invite you to participate in the conversation at my website where you will find an interactive discussion forum as well as additional resources and project information. Together we can create a powerful and positive new educational paradigm. 

As Albert Pine said, “What we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal”

Thank you!