Global Education in a Digital Age

Michael H. Levine, Joan Ganz Cooney CenterAsia Society: Preparing Global Leaders Conference

July 2008

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Overview

• How Digital Media are Engaging Children

• Transforming Global Education with Curriculum-Based Media

• Envisioning a New “Global Schoolhouse”

• Next Steps for Schools and Districts

Agenda

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How many hours do they spend on media everyday?

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Pop Quiz: How Digital Media are Engaging Children

What percentage of those who live in low-income, minority households own a game player?

What percentage of them own cell phones?

How much do you know about the digital lives of 10-year-olds?

What percentage of those who live in low-income, minority households read proficiently?

6 ½ hours

Over 80%

45%, up from 10% five years ago…

33%

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Media Usage

Although TV remains dominant, other media are on the rise among 6-9 year olds

Source: Sesame Workshop (2006), Media Utilization Study.

Ho

use

ho

ld O

wn

ersh

ip

0

20

40

60

80

100

TV Cable orSatellite

LearningToys

Internet Game Boy Ipod VOD Treo

6 months - 2 years 3 - 5 years 6 - 9 years

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Media Usage

Children’s media use increases dramatically with age

Source: Sesame Workshop (2006), Media Utilization Study.

0

20

40

60

80

100

TV DVD/ Videos Internet Video Games Reading

6 months - 2 years 3 - 5 years 6 - 9 years

Eve

r U

sed

(ty

pic

al w

eekd

ay)

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Mexico 1972

Brazil 1972

Canada 1973 The Netherlands 1976

France 1978Spain 1979

Portugal 1989

Norway 1991

Russia 1996

Poland 1996

Germany 1973

South Africa 1998

Egypt 2000 Kuwait 1979

Afghanistan 2003

Turkey 1989

Israel 1983

Kosovo 2004

Philippines 1983

Sweden 1981

India 2006

United States 1969 Japan 2003

Bangladesh 2005

United Kingdom2005

Indonesia 2006

Australia 2004

China 1998

Palestine 2007

The Workshop’s coproductions benefit more children in more countries across more cultures than any single children’s program in history.

Largest Informal Educator of Children in the World

Jordan 2007

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Leveraging a Unique Legacy

Commitment to:

Championing children’s potential Research-based innovation Multidisciplinary collaboration Engaging the creative community

Our Mission

To catalyze and support knowledge development, innovation and investment in new media technologies to advance children’s learning.

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D is for Digital: a market scan of informal digital media for ages 3-11

Research

Recommends actions to promote the development of quality educational media products within the children’s interactive media environment.

Scans the market for toys, video games, computer software and web destinations marketed as educational.

Identifies macro-factors that are influencing the environment in two areas: children’s media usage and consumer market trends.

►Analysis of the digital interactive media environment

American children ages 3 to 11

Mass-marketed, informal learning products

Looked at ~300 products

Released at The Sandbox Summit

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The Power of Pow! Wham!Children, Digital Media & Our Nation’s Future

Dr. Rima Shore, Cooney FellowAdelaide Weismann Chair in Educational Leadership at Bank Street College of Education

“The Cooney Challenges”•Build a coherent R&D effort

•Rethink literacy & learning for the 21st century

•Advance digital equity, reaching all children with today’s most powerful learning tools

Research

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Cooney Challenge Paper

BEYOND THE 3 R’S… WHAT EVERY 5th GRADER SHOULD KNOW AND BE ABLE TO DO

• Use digital tools, especially complex communication tools, effectively and safely.

• Think critically.• Understand key principles about how complex systems

work. • Know about other countries and cultures.• Participate in collaborative learning communities.• Invent, design & create — alone and with others.• Find wholeness in a remix world.

Research

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• Student Engagement/Motivation

• Tested with Children in Different Settings

• Developing Key 21st Century Skills

• Leveraging Publicly Financed Assets

• Breaks down barriers across cultural, linguistic and geographic divides

Advantages of integrating educational media into global education

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Transforming Global Education with Curriculum-Based Media

• Panwapa Virtual World

• International Children’s Digital Library

• Sesame Chinese

3 Exemplars

1.Awareness of the Wider World

2. Appreciating Similarities and Valuing Differences

3. Taking Responsibility for One’s Behaviors

4. Community Participation and Willingness to Take Action

5. Understanding of and Responsiveness to Economic Disparity

Educational Objectives (PK-3)

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The Panwapa Experience

Panwapa is designed as…

• a child’s first online identity— his projection of self.

• a child’s first immersive online experience.

• a child’s first encounter with the world—its people, languages and geography.

• a child’s first community action project – her engagement with the world around them, starting right at home.

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Key Elements

• www.Panwapa.com Initiative centerpiece. Users can travel Panwapa Island and the world, find other Panwapa children and participate in games and activities

• DVD Stories of new Muppet characters who build a community on Panwapa Island with live action films from around the world

• Print Package containing• DVD• Participatory poster of the world• Game board• Panwapa Magazine

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Panwapa Languages

We are employing the following six languages to maximize the reach and impact of the project globally:

English Spanish

Japanese

Mandarin* Arabic

Baaah!

*Print materials will also be available in traditional Chinese

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Panwapa and the Schools

• Panwapa Set of Teacher plans.– Formal Lesson Plans – ten-part scope and sequence– Informal Lesson Plans – Set of one-off activities– Information Booths – Six part, outcome-driven activity

• Apple Learning Interchange – Piloting Panwapa in Mt. Laurel, NJ…leading to an online community of teachers on ALI.

• iEARN – New global Panwapa classroom project, originating our Pakistan, starting in the Fall of ’08.

• Curriki – Full online presence there starting later this spring. • US Schools Districts – In discussion with pilot programs from

Oakland, Maine to Los Angeles, California.• Global – In discussions with the Department of Education in

Mexico, Japan and the UK.

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Today’s ICDL…• research led by the University of Maryland

• 2,000,000 patrons

• 150,000 pages of digitized books

• books in 45 languages

• Website (www.childrenslibrary.org) in 16 languages

• users in 200+ countries

ICDL: Transforming Global Education with Curriculum-Based Media

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ICDL: Transforming Global Education with Digital Media

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• 10 faculty, staff, and graduate students• 18 children from New Zealand, Germany,

Honduras, U.S.• 6 children (7-10 yrs old) in U.S. lab• partners in brainstorming new ideas,

testing technology, cataloging and reviewing books

The ICDL Kidsteam

ICDL: Child Tested and Developed

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Sesame Chinese: Transforming Global Education With Curriculum-Based Media

Introducing Sesame Street Chinese

What is it?A pilot program to introduce and integrate the teaching of Mandarin and

Chinese culture to young children ages 4-6

Goals•Expose teachers/ children to words and phrases in Mandarin•Help non-Chinese speaking teachers comfortably and easily introduce and integrate Chinese culture into their existing curriculum.

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Sesame Chinese: Meeting the Educational Needs of Teachers and Children

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Sesame Chinese: Teacher Guide

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Next Steps for Schools and Districts

• Global Elementary School Prototype, including Inventory of Digital Assets (Asia Society and Cooney Center)

•Adapt Going Global: Preparing Our Students for An Interconnected World & Guide to Internationalizing Afterschool (Asia Society and Mott Foundation)

• Participate in Online Teacher Communities (Apple Distinguished Educators, iEarn)

• Test model elements ( Panwapa, Sesame Languages, Children’s Digital Library) in school and afterschool

Building a Global Elementary Model: Next Steps

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www.joanganzcooneycenter.org

Website

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Thank You!