After viewing the assigned Global Education Conference 2012 video, Intruduction to Project Based Global Learning, write

a journal reflection with a minimum of 500 words. What are the qualities of a good global education project? In your response, address these topics:
global competence development of global competence key elements of global competence problem based learning and quality of a driving question your personal reaction to sample projects

The Global Education Conference is a platform educators and other professionals are using to spread and grow global education. According to this particular webinar by Honor Moorman and Jennifer D. Klein, The mission of the Global Education Conference is to present ideas, examples and projects related to connecting educators and classrooms with strong emphasis on promoting global awareness, fostering global competence, and inspiring action towards solving real-world problems. This particular interactive webinar focuses on global education principles, Project Based Learning (PBL) essentials, and the way the two can be integrated to create a strong global education projects. These strong global education projects have many qualities that can all be connected back to the fact that they are real world issues/problems, cooperative, problem based, student driven, investigative, cross cultural, glocal, do not have a simple answer or solution, relevant to students, and foster and grow global competence. Global Competence is defined by the capacity and disposition t o understand and act on issues of global significance. This definition focuses on the understanding of the world and the issues today as well as the ability and drive to improve those conditions. Curriculum that grows global competence requires students to investigate the world, recognize perspective, communicate ideas, and take action and usually does so through student driven learning many times best applied within a PBL framework. To truly develop global competence, teachers must recognize the importance of growing in students empathy and compassion for others, understanding of challenges people face, awareness of environmental issues, respect and appreciation for cultural differences and similarities, compassion for others, flexibility to deal with challenges and change, understanding of what causes challenges, the interconnections of people, awareness of ethnocentrism, digital literacy and competency, collaboration skills, and cooperation abilities. Many, including myself, argue that PBL is the best way to truly grow and develop these abilities in our students. However, like any other educational model, for PBL to be effective, certain criteria must be met. First, effective PBL starts with a strong driving question. A strong driving question offers multiple answers, perspectives or solutions, is un-googleable, is relevant to the students lives and interests, places a strong emphasis on finding a solution or creating a plan to make a positive change, is authentic and grounded in real-world problems, gives students a real-world role, requires research, and fosters collaboration. While communicating to students the driving questions teachers must effectively hook the student by cultivating the Need to Know in students. An effective hook initia tes intellectual curiosity within students that activates intrinsic motivation to work towards in-depth inquiry of the issue. The PBL must provide the students with a degree of choice of topic, research methods, presentation options, possible solutions, among others and needs to provide students with an avenue in which they feel their thoughts and voice on the issue are heard and valued. Finally, an effective PBL requires revision and reflection by students to promote important dialogue in which students make connections to local, domestic, and global issues.

If we as teachers create PBL curriculum that contains the required criteria for effective PBL within the infrastructure of global learning that focuses on developing global competency, then we are effectively using PBL to develop global learners. In my opinion the connection between these two is so strong that if you create truly effective PBL then you grow global competency. Also, the visca versa is correct in that you cannot develop true global competency without using PBL. With regards to the sample projects, the Globe hydrology project satisfies many of the PBL and global competency criteria. The project is global in its analysis of the foundations of hydration and water systems and the extensions it has students make to this important global issue. It is also local in that it requires students to investigate a local creek and issue important to their community, is student driven, provides the students with real world roles, requires cooperation and collaboration and more. The project is very well organized and planned out and very much student driven. However, according to the criteria of Moorman and Klein, the question What is the condition of the earths surface waters and how do they vary with time is not a very strong guiding question. The guiding question could use a better hook, should be more problem and solution based, and should be able to connect to more interdisciplinary connections no global issues. Effective alterations to meet these criteria would make this a more effective PBL assignment that develops global competence.