How Internet Games and Virtual Worlds Can Help You Deliver a More Global Education

Global Classroom Workshops made possible by:

THE NORCLIFFE FOUNDATION

A Resource Packet for Educators

Resources Compiled by Gloria K. Chang, Laura Adriance, Kristin M. Jensen, and Kevin Kerr May 20, 2009

And World Affairs Council Members

How Internet Games and Virtual Worlds Can Help You Deliver a More Global Education
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I: EDUCATIONAL ONLINE VIDEO GAMES
Elementary___________________________________________________________________1 Middle School________________________________________________________________ 4 High School__________________________________________________________________7

Part II: VIRTUAL WORLDS

VIRTUAL WORLDS IN THE CLASSROOM: FOCUS ON SECOND LIFE_____________10 Second Life Basic Skills__________________________________________________12 Professional Development Sites in Second Life________________________________14 OTHER EDUCATIONAL VIRTUAL WORLDS___________________________________15

Part III: RESOURCES

LESSON IDEAS ____________________________________________________________17 WEBSITES (BY CATEGORY) _________________________________________________18 Educational games_________________________________________________18 Online Social Studies Simulations______________________________________ 18 Machinima _______________________________________________________19 For Stimulating Discussions Among Staff________________________________19 BOOKS__________________________________________________________________22

PART IV: RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Five Ways to Use Technology and Digital Media for Global Learning_______________________22 Asia Society Digital Media and Learning Fact Sheet ______________________________________________22 MacArthur Foundation Recommendations to the President and Secretary of Education___________________________22 Asia Society Teens, Video Games, and Civics ___________________________________________________22 Pew Internet Study, Excerpt

HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE GUIDE Please note: many descriptions were excerpted directly from the websites. Packet published: 5/18/2009; Websites checked: 10/14/2009 Links that Include Lesson Plans & Teacher Resources Video

Or are Recommended Resources

How Internet Games and Virtual Worlds Can Help You Deliver a More Global Education
PART I: EDUCATIONAL VIDEO GAMES ONLINE ELEMENTARY
39 CLUES http://www.the39clues.com/ *Need to purchase accompanying books and playing cards Age: 6 -14 Educational Issues: History, Problem Solving, Reading Description: This game combines a series of fantasy adventure books, by Rick Riordan, with online gaming and card collecting into an interactive learning experience. The book deals with fictional character Grace Cahills will, that unlocks the secret of the Cahill family's hidden power, and includes real, famous characters. Players search for the 39 clues to become the "richest, most important people in history" through the books, cards, and online game. Players are able to win real prizes. Developer: Scholastic CHALLENGE YOU http://www.challengeyou.com/ Age: 8 -14 Educational Issues: orientation, observation, and critical thinking skills Description: Create a 3D world, build multi-level games, scavenger hunts, and join forums with other Tweens to discuss gaming. Developer: Challengeyou ESCAPE FROM WOOMERA http://www.selectparks.net/archive/escapefromwoomera/ *Need to download game Age: 7+ Educational Issues: Human Rights Description: Players 'live' through the experiences of a modern day refugee at Immigration Reception and Processing Centers in Australia, such as Woomera Baxter, Port Hedland, Maribyrnong, and Villawood. The game depicts life experiences within the most secretive and controversial places on the Australian political and geographical landscape locked-out from public media. Developer: SelectParks.net Katharine Neil & Matthew Jones FOOD FORCE http://www.food-force.com/ * Need to download game Age: 7+ Educational Issues: World Hunger, Poverty Description: Food Force is an educational action computer game that teaches kids about the problem of global hunger and the importance of humanitarian aid work. **The website also provides additional educational resources Developer: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

FREE RICE http://freerice.com/ Age: 7+ Educational Issues: Poverty, Vocab games to include those for Spanish and other languages Description: Free Rice is a free online vocabulary game that donates 20 grains of rice to the World Food Programme (WFP) for every correct answer. WFP distributes the rice to hungry people all over the world. Developer: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University GO GOAT GO http://www.globalgang.org/funandgames/games/gogoatgo/game.html Age: 3+ (simple) Educational Issues: Poverty Description: A simple game about the importance of goats to the livelihood of a poor village. Developer: Christian Aid GUMBEAT http://gambit.mit.edu/loadgame/gumbeat.php *Need to download game Age: 7+ Educational Issues: Human Rights Description: In the world of GumBeat, players take the role of a defiant teenage girl who musters up the courage to stand up against an oppressive government. Developer: GAMBIT-MIT Lab MEDMYST: MEDICAL MYSTERIES ON THE WEB http://medmyst.rice.edu/index.html Age: All ages WAC suggested use: grades 4-5 Educational Issues: Health Issues/ Disease, Sciences Description: MedMyst is an Internet-based adventure in which you are on a mission to discover the cause of diseases. As you follow clues to solve the mystery, you are also given the opportunity to explore chemistry, pharmacology, neuroscience, medicine, public policy, history, and more. Developer: Rice University, Adobe Flash PETER PACKET http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/netacad/packetville/pr/games.html Age: Packet Riders is for ages 8 -11 & Hacker Busters is for ages 12-14 Educational Issues: Education, International Issues, Disease Prevention, Water Issues Description: Help Peter help students get a good education in India, Prevent Diseases in Zimbabwe, or get clean drinking water to people in Haiti. Packetville is an online community with educational games, lesson plans, assessment materials, awards for students, great graphics and music. Developer: Cisco Games POOKS PAGE UN CYBERSCHOOLBUS http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/pook/index.asp Age: 6+ Educational Issues: World Affairs, Health Issues Description: While guiding Pook through various missions, players will learn about major global issues. There is also a learning guide with quizzes and links to help enhance the educational experience. Developer: United Nations

SILVERBACKERS http://www.silverbackers.org/ *Need to download game **Download only for phones Age: 8+ Educational Issues: Wildlife Conservation, International Conflict Description: Silverbackers is a game about saving mountain gorillas in the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. The game helps students learn about the challenges of gorilla conservation in conflict zones. Developer: Masabi WATER QUIZ http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/waterquiz/waterquiz4/index.asp Age: Not specified but WAC suggested use: Elementary and Middle School ages Educational Issues: Water, Poverty Description: Interactive image and quiz on the topic of water and water usage. Developer: UN CyberSchoolbus

MIDDLE SCHOOL
AYITI: THE COST OF LIFE http://www.unicef.org/voy/explore/rights/explore_3142.html *Games 4 Change Award Winner Age: 11+ Educational Issues: Human Rights, Poverty Description: This game challenges players to manage a rural family of five in Haiti over four years and keep them healthy, educated, and help them survive. Developer: Youth-Produced, Global Kids & GameLab EDUCATION FOR ALL HUMAN RIGHTS GAME http://www.fanpop.com/external/3177404 Age: Not specified but WAC suggested use: Middle School ages or below Educational Issues: Human Rights, Education Description: This game is set up like a memory card game with one set of statement cards and one set of picture cards to be matched. The text describes general issues of human rights and education. Developer: Fanpop Beta FLAG TAG http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/flagtag/frm_ft_intro.asp?score=0&screen_height=768 Age: Not specified but WAC suggested use: Middle School and up Educational Issues: Global affairs Description: Identify flags of different nations beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Developer: UN CyberSchoolbus A FORCE MORE POWERFUL http://www.aforcemorepowerful.org/game/index.php *Must purchase game for $10 (call for institutional discounted orders) Age: Created for adults but appropriate for ages 14+ Educational Issues: Nonviolence, Conflict Resolution Description: A computer game to help people learn how to defeat dictators, military occupiers, and corrupt rulers, not with lasers or AK47s, but with a non-military strategy and nonviolent weapons. Developer: International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC), BreakAway Ltd. HUSH http://www.jamieantonisse.com/hush/ *Need to download game Age: 11+ Educational Issues: Global Conflict, Rwanda, Human Rights Description: Player is a young mother trying to call her crying infant in a Rwandan Tutsi Community, where Hutu soldiers have come to raid the village. Developer: Jamie Antonisse, Devon Johnson (University of Southern California Interactive Media Division MFA students) KARMA TYCOON http://www.karmatycoon.com/ *Need to register for log-in Age: 11+ Educational Issues: Economics, Poverty (in the US)

Description: Karma Tycoon is an online strategy game in which players solve community problems, such as homelessness, in cities across the U.S. Players learn the ins and outs of the not-for-profit world as they apply for grants, receive donations, and have to manage their budget efficiently. Developer: 9mmedia & Do Something OILIGARCHY http://www.molleindustria.org/en/oiligarchy Age: 11+ Educational Issues: Economics, Environment, Human Rights, Politics Description: This game places the player in the position of the protagonist of the petroleum era: exploring and drilling for oil around the world, corrupting politicians, stopping alternative energies and increasing the oil addiction before the resources begin to deplete. Developer: Molleindustria ORANGE REVOLUTION http://www.tigweb.org/games/orange/ Age: 11+ Educational Issues: Global Conflict, Politics Description: A high tech simulation guiding players through the events of the Orange Revolution of 2004 in Ukraine, through the eyes of the two main presidential candidates. Players must secure democratic reform without violence. Game includes real photo graphics. Developer: TakingITGlobal PICTURES FOR TRUTH http://www.picturesfortruth.com/indexIE.html *Computer configuration needed, not suitable for Macs, additional requirements (1.5 GHz processor, 1 gigabyte of main memory, Graphics card supporting Shader Model 2.0 with 128 megabytes of memory) Age: 11+ Educational Issues: Human Rights Description: A 3D adventure game where, as a journalist in China taking pictures and publishing articles, you help raise awareness about human rights related problems. Developer: Florent Guinier, Karim Osman, Patrick Boutot, Vincent Theriault THIRD WORLD FARMER GAME http://www.arcadetown.com/3rdworldfarmer/gameonline.asp *Tutorial Video: http://www.technogogy.org.uk/games/farmer.html Age: 11+ Educational Issues: Economics, Global Conflict, Politics, Poverty Description: Players manage a virtual farm in a developing country and experience the hardships and dilemmas faced by the poor. Developer: 3rd World Farmer Team SHOPPED! http://www.blss.portsmouth.sch.uk/asylum/shopper/index.shtml#faq Age: Not specified but WAC suggested use: Middle School and up Educational Issues: Immigrant issues Description: This game is intended to give the experience of shopping in another country where you may have to use a different currency and may find it hard to identify foods because of different packaging and labeling in another script/language. Developer: Portsmouth Ethnic Minority Achievement Service, UK

STOP DISASTERS INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY FOR DISASTER REDUCTION (ISDR) http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/ *Long uploading time Age: 9 -16 Educational Issues: Natural Disasters and Evacuation Planning, Urban Planning, Climate Technology Description: This game aims to teach children how to build safer villages and cities against disasters. They will learn how location and construction materials of houses can make a difference when disasters strike and how early warning systems, evacuation plans, and education can save lives. Developer: PlayerThree THE VIRTUAL FORBIDDEN CITY: BEYOND SPACE AND TIME http://www.beyondspaceandtime.org/FCBSTWeb/web/index.html#link=index *Need to download Age: Not specified but WAC suggested use: Middle to High School ages Educational Issues: International Education, History Description: As students explore the Virtual Forbidden City (China), visitors can choose to simply observe the buzz of action, participate in activities that provide insights into important aspects of the Qing dynasty, or take guided tours that uncover new insights into the stories of the Forbidden City. Developer: IBM

HIGH SCHOOL
AGAINST ALL ODDS, REFUGEE GAME UNHCR http://www.playagainstallodds.com/ *E-mail required for log-in Age: 14+ Educational Issues: Global Conflict, Human Rights Description: This game teaches the global refugee experience from the time people are forced to leave their countries of origin, to the beginning of their new lives abroad. Developer: UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency DARFUR IS DYING http://www.darfurisdying.com/ Age: 18+ Educational Issues: Global Conflict Description: Web-based, viral video game that provides a window into the experience of the 2.5 million refugees in the Darfur region of Sudan. The game is designed to raise awareness of the genocide taking place in Darfur and empower students to help stop the crisis. Developer: interFUEL, LLC GLOBAL CONFLICTS: PALESTINE GLOBAL CONFLICTS: LATIN AMERICA *Demo available only* http://www.globalconflicts.eu/ Age: 13 -19 Educational Issues: Global Conflict Description: A 3D-roleplaying game that let players explore key problems in Latin American/Palestine countries. These regions are some of the most turbulent, violent, and povertystricken places in the world. (To purchase: 20EU consumer version/100EU edu. Version- each can be found at http://shop.seriousgames.dk) Developer: Serious Games Interactive HEIFER VIRTUAL VILLAGE: NEPAL http://www.heifervillage.org/nepal/ *Long load time Age: 18+ Educational Issues: Poverty, Nepal Description: Browser-based, real-time, 3D simulation where the player's character must navigate a virtual Nepalese environment, interact with other characters in the village, and correctly complete tasks associated with the game's goal. Developer: ForgeFX I CAN END DEPORTATION (ICED) http://www.icedgame.com/ Age: 14+ Educational Issues: Human Rights Description: This online game with impressive graphics puts players in the shoes of an immigrant to illustrate how unfair immigration laws deny due process and violate human rights. These laws affect all immigrants: legal residents, those fleeing persecution, students, and undocumented people. Developer: Breakthrough

NOTHING BUT NETS http://nothingbutnets.net/ From the Nothing but Nets campaign which aims to help reduce and stop malaria in Africa. Provides education on social issues, malaria, and bed nets in Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, and Tanzania. There is also an interactive game. NUCLEAR WEAPONS http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/peace/nuclear_weapons/index.html Age: 14+ Educational Issues: Global Conflict Description: Players are on a mission to disarm the world of nuclear weapons utilizing eight "Peace Doves" to help disarm countries possessing nuclear weapons. Developer: The United Nations PEACE CORPS CHALLENGE ONLINE GAME http://www.peacecorps.gov/kids/ *Lesson plan ideas: World Wise http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/educators/enrichment/wanzuzu Age: Teaching resources available for incorporating the game in grades 3-12 Educational Issues: Water Contamination, Sanitation and Disease, Microfinance, Agriculture, Agroforestry, Education, Womens Issues Description: Students navigate through the tiny town of Wazunu to solve problems. Developer: Peace Corps PEACEMAKER http://peacemakergame.com *Cost to purchase game: $20 Age: 14+ Educational Issues: Global Conflict, News, Politics Description: Inspired by real events in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The game challenges players to succeed as a leader where others have failed: bringing peace to the Middle-East. Playing both perspectives, players could experience the joy of winning the Nobel Prize or the agony of plunging the region into disaster. Developer: ImpactGames PERSUASIVE GAMES WEBSITE http://www.persuasivegames.com/games/ Contains several educational games focusing on a wide range of topics. PLAY THE NEWS http://www.playthenewsgame.com/portal/home.action *Multiple small games **Teachers should preview individual games Age: Not specified but WAC suggested use: for adults and High School students Educational Issues: Current Events, Local and International Politics Description: Play the News is a web-based platform that brings interactive gaming elements to the online 'news media' industry changing news consumption from passive reading to active engagement. The experience is made up of the game component, or news games, and the community of participation around them such as commenting, rankings, and many features to come. The profile allows you to build a snapshot of your socio-political profile over time on a range of issues. Developer: Impact Games

TRACES OF HOPE http://www.tracesofhope.com/ *Requires registration to play Age: 15+ *Have to be at least players Educational Issues: Global Conflict Description: The vicious war in northern Uganda has destroyed Josephs home and torn his family apart. He has one goal, to find out from the Red Cross if his mother is alive or dead. Developer: British Red Cross WORLD WITHOUT OIL http://worldwithoutoil.org/ Age: 14+ Educational Issues: Global Oil Crisis Description: This online video is a massively collaborative imagining of the first 32 weeks of a global oil crisis. It provides an alternative reality chronicled online in 1,500 personal blog entries, videos, voicemails and images. Developer: ITVS Interactive ZON http://enterzon.com/ Age: 14+ Educational Issues: Learn Mandarin Description: Zon is an unique interactive massively multiplayer online role playing game for learning Mandarin Chinese . . . you will be exposed to Chinese language and cultural knowledge in a new and exciting way. Developer: Michigan State University

PART II: VIRTUAL WORLDS USING VIRTUAL WORLDS IN THE CLASSROOM: FOCUS ON SECOND LIFE
TOPICS: Interaction with different cultures & languages Virtual pen pals Collaborative projects and online events ISSUES TO BE AWARE OF: Steep learning curve Parental education required May be challenging to get unblocked There are many educational and non-educational VWs and each is quite unique

Examples to Consider
SKOOLABORATE http://www.skoolaborate.com/ EDUSCAPE BLOG https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/education?view=overview
Educator blog from Linden Labs, the creators of Second Life.

GLOBAL KIDS DIGITAL MEDIA INITIATIVE http://www.holymeatballs.org LANGUAGE PRACTICE http://www.guardianweekly.co.uk/?page=editorial&id=732&catID=18 REZED.ORG http://www.rezed.org/ RezEd is an online hub providing practitioners using virtual worlds with access to the highest quality resources and research in the field to establish a strong network of those using virtual worlds for learning. PREPARING FOR THE WORLD OF WORK http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004451820_virtualbiz02.html This June 2008 Seattle Times article highlights how universities, conference planners and global companies have started holding gatherings for employees and students in the online world known as Second Life. SUFFERN MIDDLE SCHOOL IN SECOND LIFE
http://ramapoislands.edublogs.org/ Follow the blog of one of the more active middle schools in Second Life for ideas on projects suitable for middle school students.

TEACHER AND STUDENT RESPONSES TO USING SECOND LIFE FOR EDUCATION

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=65118 Students and Suffern Middle School share their experiences with using Second Life to digest John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men.

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UNICEF TEEN SECOND LIFE http://www.unicef.org/voy/takeaction/takeaction_3506.html In December 2006, Voices of Youth helped to educate Teen Second Life participants in a week-long creative festival based on the World Fit for Children declaration on child rights. VIRTUAL PIONEERS NING http://virtualpioneers.ning.com/ This site is dedicated to teachers exploring the potential of using MUVEs (Multi User Virtual Environments) for teaching and learning about Social Studies.

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SECOND LIFE BASICS SKILLS

MASTER THESE BASICS and then EXPLORE:

- Navigate: walk, fly, teleport, sit, stand - Look around: camera controls! - Communicate: text chat and IM; voice chat (you will want a headset eventually) - Search: for places, people, groups - Interact: with objects Navigate: Walk - Use arrow keys Run - Running toggles on and off using Control+R Fly - Use fly button at bottom of screen + "page up" and "page down" and arrow keys Sit - Right click on a chair, rock, or other object and choose "sit here" from the pie menu (use the "stand up" button at the bottom of the screen) Teleport - Search for a location or use a SLURL or a landmark Use Camera Controls: Focus/Zoom - Hold down the alt key, put your cursor on whatever you want to focus on and hold down the mouse key as well; moving your mouse forward will zoom; moving side to side will rotate around the object Rotate 3D - Hold down both the control key and the alt key Communicate: Local chat IM Voice Searching for Places, People, and Groups: Use the "search" button at the bottom of the screen Choose the appropriate tab For "people" enter the name of the avatar (first name followed by last name with no spaces or punctuation needed); once found, you can click on a profile to learn about this person or send him/her an IM For places enter whatever you know; once located you can teleport Interact with objects: Try clicking or right clicking on an object (you may need to choose "touch" from the pie menu after right clicking) Some objects may offer a notecard with information; choose "keep" and the notecard should open so you can read it Second Life URL (SLURL): ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Newcomer Orientation Pathway a great place to start because it is designed for teachers and there are step-by-step directions for learning basic skills http://slurl.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/165/27/30 Note: When you enter the ISTE Headquarters building in Second Life, there is a wall on your right with landmarks to all sorts of educational sims. This is a great place to start exploring. ISTE docents will also answer your questions and help you get started.

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What can I do in SL? Visit educational sims (simulations) to get an idea of what is possible Attend an event, presentation, or workshop to learn and meet people Join groups to find others with similar interests and to hear about upcoming events; Network! Eventually - try building, scripting, doing a presentation, having meetings, and more Longer term - you can stream video, build educational sites, create simulations, and whatever you imagine PLACES to check out (use the search button at the bottom of the screen): Robert Frost Story World at Atlantis Rising Campus Camp Darfur Land of Lincoln Roma David Rumsey Maps Holocaust Memorial Museum *King Tuts Virtual Exhibit (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kings%20Rezzable/199/157/23) Holodecks at English Village (http://slurl.com/secondlife/English%20Village/116/64/21) There are plenty more! See the following websites for lists: Pete Eidenbach at New Mexico State Univ keeps this list and others: http://nmsua.edu/tiopete/sl-world-heritage-international-sites/ Lists for educators at the Salamander Wiki: http://www.eduisland.net/salamanderwiki/index.php?title=Main_Page How Can I Meet Other Educators Working in SL/TSL? Join the RezEd online community. http://www.rezed.org/ They have groups for all different educational interests, particularly K-12. This space includes all virtual worlds, not just SL/TSL. So, you will find groups and people working in There.com, Whyville, Dizzywood, Quest Atlantis, and more. Join groups within Second Life. You will receive announcements about their upcoming events. Attend some presentations, meetings, or workshops. Use the Search function in SL and click on the "groups" tab. Good groups to try might include: ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education): http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Membership/Member_Networking/ISTE_Se cond_Life.htm Virtual Pioneers: http://virtualpioneers.ning.com/ Atlantis Rising: http://atlantisrisingcampus.us/ PBS Teachers Connect DEN (Discovery Educators Network) K-12 Educators Join the SLED listserv or the SL Educators Working with Teens listserv. Introduce yourself to the list and ask questions: https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/educators https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/educatorsandteens Look for info about more groups here: http://www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ict/slteengrid/

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SITES IN SECOND LIFE

There are many great opportunities for educator professional development in Second Life. Here are some locations in Second Life offering professional development resources. ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) http://slurl.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/90/80/30/ EduServ http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduserv%20Island/97/41/30 Lighthouse Learning Island http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lighthouse%20Learning%20Island/ University of New Mexico Virtual Campus http://slurl.com/secondlife/Teaching%202/224/198/26

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OTHER EDUCATIONAL VIRTUAL WORLDS

CLUB PENGUIN http://www.clubpenguin.com/ Ages: 6-14 Description: Club Penguin is a snow-covered, virtual world where children play games and interact with friends in the guise of colourful penguin avatars. Players create a penguin and explore the island of Club Penguin, engaging in a variety of fun and imaginative activities. Players can chat, send greeting cards, use emotes (emotion icons), or choose from a set of pre-defined actions such as waving or dancing. DIZZYWOOD http://www.dizzywood.com/ Age: 8-12 Description: Dizzywood helps kids build self-confidence, develop positive social behaviors, express themselves creatively and have fun while learning. Kids start by creating a character and then explore the many areas of Dizzywood. Along the way, they'll have the opportunity to interact with other children, engage in challenging activities, and earn many rewards, such as items, achievement badges, and even super powers. Dizzywood encourages kids to play and interact in a positive and cooperative manner with other kids. PANWAPA http://panwapa.com/ Age: 4-7 Description: The goals of Panwapa are; Awareness of a wider world; Appreciating similarities and valuing differences; Taking responsibility for ones behavior; Community participation and willingness to take action; Understanding of and responsiveness to economic disparity. PROJECT WONDERLAND https://lg3d-wonderland.dev.java.net/index.html Age: Not specified but WAC suggested use: technologically savvy users high school and above Description: Project Wonderland is a 100% Java and open source toolkit for creating collaborative 3D virtual worlds. Within those worlds, users can communicate with high-fidelity, immersive audio, share live desktop applications and documents, and conduct real business. Wonderland is completely extensible; developers and graphic artists can extend its functionality to create entire new worlds and new features in existing worlds. QUEST ATLANTIS (QA) http://atlantis.crlt.indiana.edu/ Age: 9-15 Description: Quest Atlantis is an international learning and teaching project that uses a 3D multi-user environment to immerse children in educational tasks. QA combines strategies used in the commercial gaming environment with lessons from educational research on learning and motivation. Participation in this game is designed to enhance the lives of children while helping them grow into knowledgeable, responsible, and empathetic adults. RIVER CITY http://muve.gse.harvard.edu/rivercityproject/index.html Ages: Grades 6-9 Description: With funding from the National Science Foundation, they have developed an interactive computer simulation for middle grade students to learn scientific inquiry and 21st century skills.

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THERE.COM http://www.there.com// Age: 13+ Description: There.com is an online hangout where your teen can meet friends, play games, and explore a 3D virtual world. Our members enjoy a variety of activities, from vehicle races to fashion shows to paintball games. Members can create their own character (called an "avatar"), own and decorate virtual homes, participate in trivia contests and other games, chat with friends, and participate in a variety of themed events. The Virtual Forbidden City: Beyond Space and Time http://www.beyondspaceandtime.org/FCBSTWeb/web/index.html#link=index *Need to download Age: Not specified but WAC suggested use: Middle to High School ages Educational Issues: International Education, History Description: As students explore the Virtual Forbidden City (China), visitors can choose to simply observe the buzz of action, participate in activities that provide insights into important aspects of the Qing dynasty, or take guided tours that uncover new insights into the stories of the Forbidden City. Developer: IBM WHYVILLE http://www.whyville.net/smmk/nice Ages: Middle School ages Description: Inside Whyville, citizens learn about art history, science, journalism, civics, economics, and much more. Whyville works directly with the Getty, NASA, the School Nutrition Association, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (to name just a few) to bring incredible educational content to kids in an incredibly engaging manner. ADDITIONAL MULTI-USER VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS (MUVES) OF INTEREST: SIMS World Of Warcraft (WOW) Lego Universe

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PART III: RESOURCES LESSON IDEAS

Lesson Idea: Taking a Look at Serious Games
Ask your students to design a video game about a topic that they are studying. First, have students try out two or more of your favorite educational online games. Ask them to review the games using the worksheet found below: Then, challenge them to design their own games. They might choose to work alone or in a group. They might write a description of the game, draw sketches, or even make a storyboard. Let students know that their work will be assessed in terms of: 1) Can I easily discern the learning objective of the proposed game? Is it meant to raise awareness about a certain issue? To teach a concept? To inspire players to take action? 2) What does the player have to do while playing the game? Earn points? Collect water? Stay alive? 3) Does the answer to #2, relate directly to the answer to #1, above? 4) How do details of the game serve to reinforce the learning objective? This might include visuals, interactive objects, dialogue, and so on.
You might use the four questions above to begin writing your own rubric for grading the proposed games.

Worksheet Taking a Look at Serious Games

Name of Game: ___________________________________________ 1. For what age level is this game most appropriate? 2. Was it difficult to understand how to play the game? What specifically was difficult? 3. Do you think the game is effective when it comes to educating players about the issue? 4. Is the game entertaining? 5. Can you imagine using the game in a classroom setting? A club setting? Where/How could this game be used?
* Lesson ideas developed by Laura Adriance, Global Classroom

For another lesson plan that asks students to critique serious games, see Education World: EDUCATION WORLD http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/techlp/techlp064.shtml This is a teaching plan that addresses First and Third World Challenges. Students develop their understanding of Third World and First World problems and discuss issues related to the role of computer games in education.

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WEBSITES
EDUCATIONAL GAMES: ORGANIZATIONS AND RESEARCH
EPISTEMIC GAMES (UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON) http://epistemicgames.org/eg/

The Epistemic Games Group is made up of researchers, educators, and game designers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If youre interested in building and studying epistemic games and the future of education, find out more about who we are, and what we do. Were always interested in talking with potential collaborators and new epistemic gamers.

GAMES4CHANGE http://www.gamesforchange.org/newindex

Games for Change seeks to harness the extraordinary power of video games to address the most pressing issues of our day, including poverty, human rights, global conflict and climate change. We are a voice for the transformative power of games, bringing together organizations and individuals from the nonprofit sector, government, journalism, academia, industry and the arts, to grow the sector and provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and resources.

LEARNING GAMES NETWORK http://www.learninggamesnetwork.org/content/about

The Learning Games Network is a non-profit organization established to spark innovation in the design and use of learning games . . . We host events. We provide resources. We encourage conversation. And, we build bridges across wide gulfs between industry and research universities and between these and schools, kitchen tables.

ONLINE SOCIAL STUDIES SIMULATIONS

ICONS PROJECT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND http://www.icons.umd.edu This project offers role-playing political simulations. Students interact with students from other schools are more expensive. Topics include Confronting Globalization, Crisis in North Korea, and more. New teacher special is $35 for a single-class simulation (reg. $75). LEGSIM: LEGISLATIVE SIMULATION http://www.legsim.org/ *Developed by a local UW professor. LegSim can be used to simulate any legislative body on the planet. OUR COURTS: 21ST CENTURY CIVICS http://www.ourcourts.org/ Justice Sandra Day OConnor welcomes teachers and students to the site for civic games, lesson plans, comprehensive resource links, civics-in-action projects, and more. Here one can find information and useful teaching resources for an engaging civic curriculum.

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MACHINIMA EXAMPLES
TEACHER TUBE http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=108370&title=Educators_in_a__quot_Digit al_Nation_quot_ This three-minute video shows an event for teachers on ISTE Island (International Society for Technology in Education) in May 2009. ISTE holds regular gatherings and lecture or workshop events for teachers in Second Life. YOUTUBE: GLOBAL KIDS CHANNEL http://www.youtube.com/user/holymeatballs Access a variety of videos, including machinima made by students in Teen Second Life. Topics include child soldiers, civil liberties, and more.

RESOURCES FOR STIMULATING DISCUSSION AMONG STAFF

21ST CENTURY LEARNING MATTERS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L2XwWq4_BY&NR=1 21st Century Learning Matters provides an introduction and conversation starter for considering the transformations needed in education. Additional information can be found at http://tpscolorado.mscd.edu or http://www.C21L.org/. (9:30) BEST PRACTICES IN USING VIRTUAL WORLDS FOR EDUCATION - GLOBAL KIDS INC. http://www.holymeatballs.org/pdfs/BestPractices.pdf BIG AVATAR ON CAMPUS KQED TV http://www.kqed.org/quest/television/view/611 It's a virtual world, but the transactions are real. Go inside Second Life, an online game where millions of people are creating digital personalities called avatars and are living virtual livesmeeting other avatars, going to events, and even buying property with real money. DOES OBAMA PLAY VIDEO GAMES? HUFFINGTON POST (Nov. 24, 2008) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suzanne-seggerman/does-obama-play-video-gam_b_146037.html A discussion of the positive role video games can have as a learning tool. Ms. Seggerman argues here that games have far greater potential than just entertainment, the most interesting area is the new genre of video games about real world issues - games about the environment, global hunger, poverty, disease. These games keep kids more thoughtful, responsible, citizens. EDUCATION TODAY AND TOMORROW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnh9q_cQcUE&NR=1 By Tom Woodward of Henrico County Schools Virginia. Tom used the work of Karl Fisch from Colorado who created a PPT using various quotes and statistics from "flat world" thinking. (2:30) EDUCATION WORLD http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/techlp/techlp064.shtml A teaching plan addressing First and Third World Challenges. Students develop their understanding of Third World and First World problems and discuss issues related to the role of computer games in education.

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EDUSCAPE BLOG https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/education?view=overview Educator blog from Linden Labs, the creators of Second Life. JOURNAL OF VIRTUAL WORLDS RESEARCH http://jvwresearch.org/ The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is an online, open access, academic journal that adheres to the highest standards of peer review and engages established and emerging scholars from anywhere in the world. The Journal is transdisciplinary from and for the many disciplines and approaches that intersect virtual worlds research. The most recent issue is entitled Pedagogy, Education and Innovation in Virtual Worlds and it includes at least one article about Quest Atlantis as used with gifted elementary school students. It may have other K-12 specific articles as well. METAVERSE TOUR THE SOCIAL VIRTUAL WORLDS A STAGE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CijdlYOSPc This video quickly overviews several online virtual worlds. NEW STUDENTS NEW TOOLS NEW TEACHING http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4xk2DgWIwU&feature=related Students are using technology in all sorts of innovative ways. Schools, on the other hand, are still stuck in the dark ages. By Dale Thompson. (0:58) PBS FRONTLINE: DIGITAL NATION http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/learning/games-that-teach/

Digital Nation is a new, open source PBS project that explores what it means to be human in an entirely new world -- a digital world. It consists of this Web site as well as a major FRONTLINE documentary to be broadcast in winter 2010. (This link takes you to the section on learning and games, but there are also sections of this website for virtual worlds, military uses, health and healing, and all sorts of topics.)

PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF 3D VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR LEARNING IN HIGH SCHOOL HAPPYSTEVE (Apr. 13, 2009) http://www.happysteve.com/2009/04/practical-examples-of-3d-virtual-environments-for-learningin-high-school.html Steve Collis is the Head of Innovation at Northern Beaches Christian School in Sydney, Australia. He has taken a group of high school students online into Second Life. Steve guides us through a range of activities he has led his students through in this online video. Every single one of the activities meets my two golden criteria of being low effort (for the teacher) but high impact (for the students). SHIFT HAPPENS: BRINGING EDUCATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig27w_YIx0s&feature=related Todays school system is simply not ready to prepare students for life in the information age. We are children of a new generation, and need to help build a school system that embraces the future instead of resists it. Provides interesting Statistics; UK-based. (4:27) STUDENTS AND THE 21ST CENTURY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI2r7C8pQOs&feature=related Are the educators of today preparing students properly for the technology of the 21st century? By Josh Fick. (4:20)

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SUFFERN MIDDLE SCHOOL IN SECOND LIFE http://ramapoislands.edublogs.org/ Follow the blog of one of the more active middle schools in Second Life for ideas on projects suitable for middle school students. TEACHER AND STUDENT RESPONSES TO USING SECOND LIFE FOR EDUCATION http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=65118 Students and Suffern Middle School share their experiences with using Second Life to digest John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men. TAKING IT GLOBAL http://www.takingitglobal.org/games/ This is a large online community that facilitates youth engagement in world affairs issues to create a more a more inclusive, peaceful, and sustainable world. Offers means of communication and education programs geared towards middle and high school students. TEENS, VIDEO GAMES AND CIVICS PEW INTERNET (Sep. 30, 2008) http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Teens-Video-Games-and-Civics.aspx The Pew survey report on teens and gaming concludes that, "game playing is social and can incorporate many aspects of civic and political life." Also see the link to white paper in right column. UNDERSTANDING ISLAM THROUGH VIRTUAL WORLDS: COLLABORATION, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr2Scu-vQp4 The product of a year of research across the internet and four continents, Dancing Ink Productions' Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts explored the potential of virtual worlds as a tool for public diplomacy and a venue for cultural dialog with Islamic Cultures as senior fellows at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, funded by a grant from the Lounsbery Foundation. A VISION OF K-12 STUDENTS TODAY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8 This project was created to inspire teachers to use technology in engaging ways to help students develop higher level thinking skills. Equally important, it serves to motivate district level leaders to provide teachers with the tools and training to do so. A VISION OF STUDENTS TODAY KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o&feature=related A short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. 'WORLD OF WARCRAFT' GETS KIDS INTERESTED IN SCHOOL FOX NEWS (Oct. 6, 2008) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,432383,00.html An educational researcher organizes an afterschool group to play, for educational purposes, the massive multiplayer online role-playing game. The kids want to play video games. But they also learn everything from math skills to social skills along the way.

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BOOKS
Bell , Lori and Rhonda B. Trueman, Eds.Virtual Worlds, Real Libraries: Librarians and Educators in Second Life and Other Multi-User Virtual Environments. Medford, New Jersey: Information Today, 2008.
http://www.infotoday.com/books/books/VirtualWorlds.shtml

Deutschmann, Mats and Judith Molka-Danielsen, eds. Learning and Teaching in the Virtual World of Second Life. Trondheim, Norway: Tapir Academic Press, 2009. http://butikk.tapirforlag.no/en/node/1195 Robbins, Sarah and Mark Bell. Second Life for Dummies. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley, 2008.
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470180250.html

White, Brian A. Second Life: A Guide to Your Virtual World. Indianapolis, Indiana: Que Publishing, 2008.

If you want to start a discussion at your school and youd like more articles or videos like these, check out our Delicious page (URL below) and e-mail Laura Adriance @ ladriance@world-affairs.org

GLOBAL CLASSROOM DELICIOUS PAGE http://delicious.com/globalclassroom Large collection of online resources and articles compiled by Global Classroom. Click on the tags in the right-hand column to find the type of resource you are looking for.

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PART IV: RELATED PUBLICATIONS

5 WAYS TO USE TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL MEDIA FOR GLOBAL LEARNING ASIA SOCIETY http://www.asiasociety.org/education/pgl/article-globaltech.htm Digital media literacy in a global era offers more than using technology to do the things that were done by hand before such as data or word processing, retrieving information, presenting knowledge, and one-to-one communication it now allows easy participation in the sophisticated global experiences and networks that our wired world affords.

(Article provided on the following page)

DIGITAL MEDIA AND LEARNING FACT SHEET MACARTHUR FOUNDATION http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9CE807E1B0AE4E%7D/DL%20FACT%20SHEET.PDF The digital media and learning initiative is exploring the hypothesis that digital media tools now enable new forms of knowledge production, social networking, communication, and play. Through the use of such tools, young people are engaged in an exploration of language, games, social interaction, and self-directed education that can be used to support learning. This fact sheet provides current statistics and information on the relevance of media use in youth lives today.

(Article provided on the following pages)

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY OF EDUCATION ASIA SOCIETY http://www.asiasociety.org/education/pgl/national.htm Asia Society and six national education organizations call on President Obama, Secretary Duncan, and Congress to prioritize international education as part of an economic recovery and development plan. Signatories: Asia Society, Alliance for Excellent Education, Committee for Economic Development, Council of Chief State School Officers, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Education Association, National Middle School Association.

(Article provided on the following pages)

TEENS, VIDEO GAMES, AND CIVICS PEW INTERNET STUDY EXCERPT http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2008/PIP_Teens_Games_and_Civics_Repo rt_FINAL.pdf.pdf The first national survey of its kind finds that virtually all American teens play computer, console, or cell phone games and that the gaming experience is rich and varied, with a significant amount of social interaction and potential for civic engagement. The survey was conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, an initiative of the Pew Research Center and was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

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Five Ways to Use Technology and Digital Media for Global Learning
Note: From Aprils, Special Technology Edition of the Partnership for Global Learning newsletter

http://www.asiasociety.org/education/pgl/article-globaltech.htm Our global future is developing through communication, collaboration, and innovation all of which are dependent on technology. The Internet is now a global marketplace, a global workspace, and a global meeting place that provides a vast array of opportunities to not only learn about the world, but interact with the world. And yet researchers such as Henry Jenkins from MIT have found that the digital divide in the United States can now be more accurately characterized as a participation gap. This gap is growing between youth who have the opportunities and support to participate in rich digital media experiences through technology and the Internet, and those who are not given opportunities to access, create, and participate in the global digital media culture.

Are you giving your students the advantage of global perspectives and experiences? A Global and Digital Opportunity for Educators Digital media literacy in a global era offers more than using technology to do the things that were done by hand before such as data or word processing, retrieving information, presenting knowledge, and one-to-one communication it now allows easy participation in the sophisticated global experiences and networks that our wired world affords. Much has been learned in the past decade about the potential of a technology-rich approach in education. This is recognized in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which includes funds for classroom technology and related professional development. To truly transform teaching and learning for the global era, educators can seize this moment to pair digital media and technology with global learning for the 21st century. How to Harness Digital Media and Technology for Global Learning Consider the following strategies for using digital media and technology to help students both understand and contribute to the richness and complexity of our wide world. 1. Develop media literacy on a global scale. Help students identify, access, analyze, and evaluate media from around the world, including international news sources that are available in both local languages and English translation. Go deeper to facilitate awareness of how and why different events, peoples, communities, and cultures are represented in the global mass media and how this both reflects different contexts and affects cross-cultural understanding. Just a sampling of world headlines after President Obamas recent trip to Turkey shows that

mass media can often shape how an event is perceived in multiple countries: Arabs hail Obama overture to Muslims (Agence France-Presse), Good but not enough (Daily Star, Lebanon), Turkish leader criticizes Obama (AP), and American public did not understand this visit (Hrriyet, Turkey). Get started: Ask students to use multiple foreign media outlets when conducting research, and ask them to analyze the reasons why different sources take different angles as part of their findings. Be sure to build this into assessment rubrics. 2. Discover personal opinions behind global issues. Broaden students exposure to opinions from other countries through digital media created by individuals, such as blog posts, podcasts, and videos as well as dialogue via comment boards, video-conferences, and any number of collaborative technology tools. Asia Societys Creative Voices of Islam project helps foster an increased understanding of the diversity of Islamic voices within the multicultural societies of Asia. Started this year in high schools in the U.S. and Indonesia, students create digital audio slideshows about their communities history, cultures, and traditions, which they exchange and discuss on Asia Societys website. Students use the new perspectives they gained through online exchange to create collaborative productions and screen the media projects in their communities. Get started: Look for 'citizen journalist' reporters on the Internet. They can often be found commenting on or breaking news about unfolding world events. Ask students to analyze in what ways these perspectives are similar and/or different from media reports and why individual voices are important in global dialogue. Beyond accessing others opinions, help students exchange theirs through a number of youth-to-youth global sites, such as TakingITGlobal or Youth Media Exchange. 3. Tap into global knowledge networks. Help students realize the power of collective intelligence through global networks where information is collected and analyzed. Participation in these networks enables students to develop cross-cultural understanding while addressing global issues, synthesizing information from multiple cultures and collaborating in global teams to responsibly build on existing knowledge as well as generate new knowledge. There are many online collaborative science projects leading the way. The GLOBE program (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment), operated by NASA and the National Science Foundation in 110 countries, engages youth, educators, community members, and scientists in collecting and sharing data internationally about critical environmental issues. Get started: Contact organizations that allow students to work together on global issues and projects. As well as GLOBE, try SEED ePALs, or iEARN. They offer pedagogical support for educators and engaging programming for students. 4. Engage a global audience through online publishing. These days, students should not only share their research and ideas through technology within a classroom or school, but also share their learning worldwide through online publishing tools and websites that reach a global audience. One example is the International Insider student newspaper of the College of Staten Island

High School for International Studies (CSI) in New York City. To cover topics from global warming to the conflict in Iraq, CSI students are in constant dialogue--using a free blogging program--with student reporters in other countries, such as Bahrain, Belarus, Egypt, Poland, and Syria. They have also contributed to student newspapers around the world through the PEARL World Youth News Service, a partnership between iEARN and the Daniel Pearl Foundation that acts as an international wire service for publishing youth-produced news articles online and in student newspapers worldwide. Get started: Publishing is as easy as starting a free blog using Blogger or WordPress and other similar programs. For a more structured--and more advanced--option, consider Oracle Foundation's ThinkQuest competition for students. Integrated global teams tackle world issues and publish research and recommendations for the world. 5. Harness the power of virtual simulation to understand global complexity and create solutions. Through the use of virtual reality, games, and modeling applications that simulate real-world experiences through technology, students can test out global theories while immersing themselves in the target content. Global Kids, an afterschool program in New York City, integrated game design into their Online Leadership Program for teens. Working with Global Kids staff and a game design company, a group of high school youth created Ayiti: The Cost of Life, in which players learn about poverty by assuming virtual responsibility for a fictional family in Haiti, making decisions about when to send children to school vs. work, and how to spend scarce resources. Get started: Ayiti and other 'serious games' on global issues can be found through Games for Change, an organization that promotes digital games for social change. Any of these examples can contain more than one way to integrate global knowledge and skills. Get started to see how these can come together in your digital media projects.

Digital Media and Learning Fact Sheet

Youth today live media saturated lives.
Young people today spend an average of almost 6.5 hours a day with media. The total amount of media content young people are exposed to each day has increased by more than an hour since 2000, with most of the increase coming from video games and computers. Eighty-seven percent of U.S. teens aged 12-17 now use the Internet. That is up 24% from 2000. Half of those teen internet users go online every day.

Young people access media in their homes, schools and through portable electronic devices.
The typical 8-18 year-old lives in a home with 3.6 CD or tape players, 3.5 TVs, 3.3 radios, 2.9 VCRs/DVD players, 2.1 video game consoles, and 1.5 computers, according to a 2005 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Seventy-eight percent of online teenagers have used the Internet at school.

Youth make use of new media and technology.

The Kaiser study found that 64% of young people ages 8-18 have downloaded music from the Internet; 66% use instant messaging; 39% have a cell phone; 32% have created a personal website or web page; 18% have an MP3 player; and 13% have a handheld device that connects to the Internet. Seventy-ve percent of online teenagers aged 12-17 use instant messaging, compared with 42% of online adults, according to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Eight in 10 online teenagers play games online.

Todays youth get news online, make online purchases, create their own content for the Internet, and often use more than one digital medium at a time.
Between a quarter and one-third of young people report using more than one digital medium at a time (reading and listening to music or going online while watching TV, for example). The amount of time young people spend media multi-tasking is increasing. More than half of online teens have created content for the Internet. For example, created a blog, personal web page, or shared artwork, photos, stories or videos online. Nineteen percent of online teens keep a blog and 38% read blogs.

Most youth today now have Internet access, but race and class divides remain.
The majority of young people from each of the major ethnic and socio-economic groups now have Internet access at home. Teens who are not online are more likely to be low-income, African-American and have limited access to technology.

Sources: Lenhart, Amanda, Mary Madden, and Paul Hitlin. 2005. Teens and Technology: Youth are leading the transition to a fully wired and mobile nation. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Rideout, Victoria, Donald F Roberts, and Ulla G. Foehr. 2005. Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 . Year-olds. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Lenhart, Amanda and Mary Madden. 2005. Teen Content Creators and Consumers. Pew Internet & American Life Project.

www.digitallearning.macfound.org

www.macfound.org

Putting the World into World-Class Education: A National Imperative and a State and Local Responsibility
One of our great strengths as a nation is our creativity and determination to lead the world in developing innovations and technologies that can catapult us into a new era. Today, we stand at a critical moment in our history. The quickening pace of globalization over the past twenty years driven by the profound technological changes described by Thomas Friedman in The World is Flat; by the economic rise of China and India; and by the accelerating pace of educational expansion and scientific discovery has produced a whole new world. Education is at the core of responding to its challenges and opportunities. Even as we tackle the immediate economic crisis, our long-term economic competitiveness and ability to deal with global military and environmental challenges urgently requires citizens prepared for the interconnected world of the 21st century. Our national goals must therefore include ensuring that every student has access to a world-class education and producing an internationally competent workforce and informed citizenry. To succeed in this new global era, we need not only to increase the number of high school graduates and improve the rigor of our math and science curriculum, but also to ensure that our graduates are globally competent. While definitions of global competence and international education vary, it is generally agreed to include: knowledge of other world regions, cultures, economies, and global issues; skills to communicate in languages other than English, to work in cross-cultural teams, and to assess information from different sources around the world; and values of respect for other cultures. Teaching and learning about the world can take place in many ways - through arts and culture, languages, economics, geography, history, and through science, math, and technology. It is not a separate discipline, but a perspective that informs and modernizes every discipline. Increasing the number of globally competent graduates, ready to compete and contribute to the world they will enter five, ten, or even twenty years from now, will require significant innovation and strategic new investments. But we can no longer afford to be lagging behind other countries in high school graduation rates and math and science standards, while producing graduates who lack the world knowledge, skills, and perspectives to be successful in this global era. A recent report by the National Research Council warns, The pervasive lack of knowledge about foreign cultures and languages threatens the security of the United States as well as its ability to compete in the global marketplace and produce an informed citizenry.i This national challenge demands immediate action by our new President and Congress, working with the nations Governors, educators, and business leaders, to help create internationally competitive education systems that are held to world-class standards and benchmarks.

A New F eder al, State, and Local Partner ship Ultimately, states must assume the responsibility of raising our nations graduation rate and helping local communities and schools prepare students to graduate college-ready and globally competent. States are no longer competing with the state next door they are competing with countries around the world for trade, foreign direct investment, and job creation. States are therefore critical to creating internationally competitive education systems that will prepare students to support dynamic economies. They need incentives and support to benchmark their education systems internationally and build capacity to improve. At the same time that Governors are trying to create new economic opportunities, they are facing a high school dropout crisis that many are calling catastrophic. Today the United States high school graduation rate ranks near the bottom among developed nations belonging to OECD 18 among 24 countries with comparable data, with countries like Finland, Germany, Japan, and South Korea more than 15 percentage points ahead.ii Over the last two decades, our competitors have recognized that raising high school and college graduation rates are the keys to developing a workforce capable of succeeding in the global knowledge economy. Unfortunately, America has almost stood still while the global talent pool has grown across the world. The greatest challenge in most countries is the continuing education and opportunity gap between different socio-economic groups. As education expands and improves in many parts of the world, we must engage all of our talent pool. For lowincome minority students, closing the achievement gap on basic skills is an essential step towards real equality of opportunity. But to be successful in the 21st century global environment, students must acquire the global knowledge and skills that are part of a new definition of equal opportunity. States and local school districts are beginning to recognize the challenge. Governors have agreed to accurately measure graduation rates beginning no later than 2012. Many districts and secondary schools are stepping up to this challenge, but to ensure that all students have the opportunity to graduate globally competent and collegeready will require leadership from the federal level. A federal investment, in partnership with states, must target funds to communities with the greatest needs to turn around dropout factories that graduate less than 60 percent of their students and the failing middle schools that feed into them. To do this, schools must better engage students in learning and make it relevant to the real world of the 21st century if they expect students to stay in school. We cannot realize a secure and prosperous 21st century America without ensuring access to a world-class education for all students, including disadvantaged and minority youth for whom American schools have historically fallen short. Business leaders, educators, policymakers, and parents are recognizing that knowledge of the world is not a luxury, but a necessity for every student. They agree that we can no longer afford to ask whether we should teach about the world
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beyond our borders but how to do it in the context of other demands on our schools. According to the Committee for Economic Development, a non-profit organization of more than 200 business leaders and university presidents, to compete successfully in the global marketplace, both U.S.-based multinational corporations as well as small businesses increasingly need employees with knowledge of foreign languages and cultures to market products to customers around the globe and to work effectively with foreign employees and partners in other countries.iii However, many of our teachers and school leaders are not prepared to introduce global content, lacking the same knowledge of world languages, cultures, and issues as their students.iv Some people fear diverting attention from a focus on basic skills, but emerging research shows that teaching with a global context need not be an added burden, but rather can be a driving force in improving student learning, scores on standards-based tests, and graduation rates.v It can also make our nations diversity one of its greatest strengths, drawing on the diversity of our communities while extending our students horizons from the neighborhood to the world. Every American deserves access to an international education, and information and communications technology has immense potential to address issues of quality, equity, and the new global skill set. Education is no longer synonymous with a building containing blackboards and teachers. As connectivity becomes ubiquitous, technology can provide, for example: an open-access library of high-quality materials that are available free to children anywhere; interactive online courses in subjects for which teachers are not available locally such as critical languages, global economics, or global environmental challenges; and online connections to students and teachers around the world. Across the United States, states and schools are recognizing the need to prepare our students with the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century. Hundreds of schools have updated their mission to produce graduates who are globally ready.vi More than twenty-five states are working to integrate international content into their state standards, to create internationally themed schools, and to expand languages, including less commonly taught languages such as Chinese and Arabic.vii But these efforts are just beginning and often lack the sustained support to go to scale. Ultimately, if our nation is to meet the new challenges and opportunities of a globalized world, national leadership and resources will be needed. National Policy Recomm endations: Putting the World into World-Class E ducation With the education of our citizens and Americas standing as a world leader at stake, we urge the new President and 111th Congress to make graduating globally competent citizens a national priority and to provide the leadership necessary to make strategic new investments in education that address this challenge.

Five key policy ar eas should be addressed: Providing states with incentives to internationally benchmark their educational systems and standards against other countries. OECD has begun to identify common characteristics of educationally high performing countries including: high ambitions and universally high standards; serious attention to equity, diversity, and individualized learning; systems for recruiting, preparing, and supporting high-quality teachers and school leaders; and combining universal standards with substantial autonomy for schools. Incentives should be provided to states to benchmark their performance against other countries and support more work in this area so that policymakers can examine the highest performing schools and also those rapidly improving countries that will compete for American jobs and expertise. Redesigning and creating middle and high schools to address equity, excellence, and global competence for all students. In the 20th century, the United States was the first in the world to achieve universal primary and secondary education. However universal access has not produced universal high school graduation. On graduation rates as well as international tests of student achievement, our students have fallen behind students in half of other advanced countries. Focused efforts are needed to support state and local initiatives to redesign middle and high schools to raise high school graduation rates and transform schools to create college-ready and globally competent graduates. Investing in our education leaders and teachers capacity to teach the international dimensions of their subjects. Partnerships should be stimulated across all levels of government, the community, and the private sector to provide opportunities for teachers, principals, and teacher educators to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the 21st century including: updating their knowledge of world regions, economics, and global challenges; understanding how to work as part of international teams to address these challenges; and the ability to communicate across cultures. Building national capacity in world languages from pre-school through college. To increase our capacity to communicate in other languages, instruction must start in the early grades and continue through high school and college, making use of interactive technologies and effective practices such as immersion and dual-language programs. A federal, state, and local partnership could dramatically increase the pipeline of language learners, especially in languages that have been identified as critical to Americas economic competitiveness and national security. Expanding federal programs that support the engagement of U.S. students and teachers with the rest of the world. Whereas 0.5 percent of U.S. college students studied abroad in 2000, the comparable figures were 3 percent for France and China, 16 percent for Ireland, and 30 percent for Singapore. Only 50
4

percent of U.S. high school students take even one year of a foreign language. In many other countries, education leaders study education practices internationally, teachers are encouraged to study abroad, schools are encouraged to form sisterschool partnerships with schools in other countries, and all students learn a second language. We need to do far more to encourage our students and teachers to experience other cultures both at home and abroad. Substantial and strategic new investments are needed in human capital, research, and proven practices and a federal, state, and local partnership must be created that focuses national attention on redesigning our schools for the 21st century. The purpose of this partnership must be clear: to ensure our nations long-term economic competitiveness and national security by dramatically upgrading the skills of our graduates.
Signatories Asia Society Alliance for Excellent Education Committee for Economic Development Council of Chief State School Officers National Association of Secondary Schools Principal National Education Association National Middle School Association
i

Committee to Review the Title VI and Fulbright-Hays International Education Programs. International Education and Foreign Languages: Keys to Securing America's Future. 2007, National Academies Press: Washington, D.C. OECD, 2008. Education at a Glance OECD Indicators. OECD, Paris. Available: http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?CID=&LANG=EN&SF1=DI&ST1=5KZN0WRKCDTG# MultiLingualSummaries Committee for Economic Development. Education for Global Leadership: The Importance of International Studies and Foreign Language Education for U.S.Economic and National Security. (Washington, DC, 2006). Available: http://www.ced.org
iv iii

ii

Teacher Preparation for the Global Age: The Imperative for Change; Longview Foundation; 2008 Jackson, T. High schools in the global age. Educational Leadership. 65(8), 2008: 58 62.

Asia Society. Going Global: Preparing Our Students for an Interconnected World. New York: 2008. Available: AsiaSociety.org/Education
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vi

Putting the World into World-Class Education: State Innovations and Opportunities, Council of Chief State School Officers, Asia Society, 2008.