In her first piece, Silvia Tolisano described a global studies program combining geography, technology, and a traveling Teddy Bear named José
at the San José Episcopal Day School in Jacksonville, Florida. In her second guest entry, Silvia explains how José‘s adventures inspired the creation of a Teddy Bear cross-cultural communication and education network. Who needs avatars when you have a bevy of globe-trotting teddies?
Out of the Travel Bear’s trips to China and Egypt
another project seemed to grow naturally:
The site provides a space to wander around, read and communicate
with different teddy bears around the world. Our students hear about their
lives and adventures in different parts of the globe. It allows them to see
each other’s countries, customs and traditions through the eyes of our “teddy
bears” and open their horizons to a more global perspective.
Each time a new Teddy Bear joins the conversation, their image is
added to the “Teddies
of the World Gallery” and a bookmark is placed on the “Where in the World
Map.”
We love to welcome new Teddy Bears. Please consider joining with your
class.
Adding a Clustr
Map to the Teddy Bears Around the World blog, which logs visitors and their
geographic location, has also provided a great visual and opportunity for
conversations with our students.
Twenty-first century skills not
only include being able to make connections, but also stress communication as
well as collaboration. Through our Teddy Bear Project, we are seeing these
skills developing in our students.
For example: The Teddy Bear “Eddy”
from England asked
for help:
“My
class is using all of my Teddy Bear friends around the world to help them with
their geography this term. They are investigating the different climates in the
places you all live and the activities that your children do to compare the
leisure activities that are available depending on the climate and location. If
any of you are able to help we would be most grateful.”
The call for help was answered by Teddy Bears from the USA and Spain. We learned that “José” and
“Eddy” both lived in a town with a river running through and the Atlantic Ocean beach nearby. The activities that are
enjoyed are very similar because of the proximity of the water, but still can
be culturally different.“Peppa” from Spain,
we read, lives close to the Mediterranean Sea.
They like to play the same sports that are played in the USA or England. Peppa and Eddy live in smaller towns, while
Jose lives in a big city.
Thanks again, Silvia! If you enjoyed these two entries about José the Bear, look for the third and final post in the series next week.