A Small Act

Roger Ebert published his annual list of top ten documentaries earlier this month. What a pleasure to see that he has included A Small Act! Released by HBO Documentary Films in January 2010, this film by Jennifer Arnold will be of interest to those considering global partnerships and service learning in Kenya.

This is the story of Chris Mburu, a United Nations human rights advocate, Hilde Back, the Swedish sponsor of his primary and secondary school education, and a scholarship program that Mburu has founded in her name. The film follows several children competing to participate in the scholarship program and, in the process, gives us a small window on living in rural Kenya and on the country's nation-wide achievement test for secondary school eligibility. While the issues to which it alludes are complex and troubling, this is an essentially optimistic film that reminds the viewer about the power of relationships, of the individual to make a difference, and of each "small act."

Screenings are being held currently in the U.S. and Canada.

Claudia

The Global Education Collaborative

Another rich source of information about global education philosophy, initiatives, and partnership projects is The Global Education Collaborative. This Ning, an outgrowth of the Global Education Conference, is administered by Lucy Gray (mentioned last week in our discussion of Connect All Classrooms). With over 4,000 members worldwide, it offers plenty of opportunity for sharing and discussing ideas with colleagues. The Global Education Collaborative calendar of events is a particularly good resource, listing events offered by a variety of organizations including Primary Source, Flat Classroom, and PhotoVoice.

Claudia

Global School-to-School Connections: A Resource

Connect All Schools looks like a terrific resource for connecting students around the world. This non-profit organization's goal is an ambitious one: To connect every school in the U.S. with at least one other school somewhere in the world—through virtual (and other) exchanges by 2016.

Their website provides a narrative description of projects underway and an interactive map that allows the reader to search by participating U.S. school and by country of partnership. Three partnerships with Kenyan schools are noted, all involving participation in "Computer Chronicles," a global learning circle program facilitated by iEARN-USA, the International Education and Resource Network:

Cameron High School, OH, Grades 7-12, Cameron, WV
Fishers Island School, PK-Grade 12, Fishers Island, NY
The John Muir School, PK-Grade 12, San Diego, CA

Thanks to Lucy Gray (@elemenous), independent consultant and co-chair of the Global Education Conference, for bringing Connect All Schools to our attention via Twitter.

Claudia

Logo image from: http://www.connectallschools.org/

Photo Exchange Project Germinates

We're back, following a holiday break, with an update:

Muddy Waters, fellow ESHA traveler, has stepped up to pilot a photo exchange project at The Pike School in Andover, MA. He's exploring implementing the project with classes at three levels: prekindergarten to grade 2, grades 3-5, and grades 6-9.

Steven Labarakwe, our Kenyan host, has agreed to connect us with partners in the Laisaimis District in northern Kenya. We'll share more information as this begins to take shape.

Claudia

Photo: The Pike School
(From: http://www.pikeschool.org/home/admission/overview)