Local4Global

London Grid for Learning - LGfL - Global portal

Using London Grid for Learning and Fronter to engage Schools with the Political Processes of the UK Government’s Support for Development

The global area for the London Grid for Learning has been promoted in partnership with the e-learning advisory teams and LGfL to recruit some 24 schools across 15 London Boroughs to use a webquest for classroom debates on what the Department for International Development should fund? Should it fund education, water, governance, trade or health? The activity was developed through work by St Pauls Way School’s Head of Citizenship Joel McIlvern, a year 10 class, and  DfID, in partnership with HEC.

Students are doing web research on one of the five areas, using the information to create a persuasive argument for a debate. A sixth group will research the Department itself and will run the class debate, informing the other students of the workings of DfID.

The webquest has links, video clips and downloadable documents. The schools have been encouraged to video their debates and upload them on Wildern TV, a DCSF funded website for schools based on Youtube. The video clips can then be viewed by the other schools and voted on via the web.

The webquest was linked to the White Paper consultation and all the schools were invited to send their student ideas to the DfID.

This is culminating in a July conference at the Isaac Newton Centre, Kensington and Chelsea, for three students from each of the 24 schools, to meet and interview a DfID minister, work with the DfID young journalists team, to explore and respond to the soon to be launched White Paper.

They will act as e-journalists, broadcasting live from the Centre back to their classmates, making short film reports during the day, and responding to an online discussion using Fronter.

To see the webquest go to www.global.lgfl.net and click, under ‘highlights’ on ‘What should we fund?’

Promotion of the global dimension in learning using the web

"It is critical that our learners have the best grasp of the global issues which have such a major impact on their lives and their futures. Through e-learning we now have the tools not only to educate young people on these issues, but to empower them, by collaboration, enquiry and independent thinking. The London Grid for Learning's Local4Global portal is a great starting point."
Terry Patterson, Head of e-Learning, London Borough of Tower Hamlets

A portal on London Grid for Learning has been created with the input of young people. This has several parts to it:

Webquests: self-contained sets of activities, with support material for teachers to learn from good practice and to be able to replicate it. Each is based on case studies developed with schools or City Learning Centres.

Global interactives: a guide to using online interactives, creating interactives using LGfL and scratch. How interactives can be used in design activities, decision making, simulations and experimentation.

Topics: set of 12 issues, each with an area for teachers and an area for young people.

Use of ICT across the curriculum: beginning with Science

The Humanities Education Centre was invited to make a presentation to LGfL Editorial Board to explore the promotion of the global dimension across the curriculum in London. The board has representatives from all the London Local Authorities.

The Board were keen to engage with Local4Global and excited by the use of LGfL in the engagement with schools. The board offered to promote the Global area by linking it to the LGfL front page with a News announcement and inclusion in the e-newsletter. The URL www.global.lgfl.net was created to simplify ease of access and to raise the status.

The Board also arranged for HEC to make a presentation on the global dimension and the Local4Global strategy to the four sector meetings. The Board recommended, and agreed to support, the organisation of a Pan-London School video conference on the global dimension. It was agreed that the webquest ‘What Should we Fund?', based on the launch of the DfID White Paper would be the focal point for the video conference.

Presentations were made to each of the four London sector meetings, whose members are London Borough ICT inspectors and advisers, on the importance of the global to e-learning, how to use the global area, and the objective of recruiting schools to take part in the ‘What Should We Fund' project.

Background

Humanities Education Centre is working with the resources of the London Grid for Learning (LGfL) this site brings together a range of global dimension resources into a framework of familiar issues. It has emphasis on on-line activities and web-based information but also cross-references to printed materials. It is undergoing a process of teacher review and the content is being supplemented with new ideas using ICT tools.
Go to website: www.global.lgfl.net

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