Technology Tools for Global Education
Global CTE Toolkit
Connecting to Schools Abroad
British Council: Their Connecting Classrooms program will help you find a school or classroom to partner with. They also have helpful tips on their website.
Empatico: An initiative of The KIND Foundation, this free online tool connects students aged 7–11 to classrooms around the world using video conference technology. Activities are standards-based and designed to promote meaningful interactions and positive perceptions.
ePals: A community of collaborative classrooms engaged in cross-cultural exchanges, project sharing, and language learning. (Free)
Generation Global: Online platform for connecting students to peers around the world. (Free)
Global Nomads Group: Videoconferencing, virtual reality, and other interactive technologies bring young people together across cultural and national boundaries to examine world issues and to learn from experts in a variety of fields. Website includes lesson plans, videos, and other resources. (Free)
Global Read Aloud: Classrooms around the world read books together. (Free)
GlobalSchoolNet.org: Helps teachers find learning partners and projects to engage in international project based learning. (Basic services are free, membership also available)
International Education and Resource Network (iEARN): A global network that facilitates online project-based collaborative learning in classrooms around the world. (Small fee applies)
Level Up Village: STEAM curriculum that connects students to partners around the globe. (Fees apply)
MapWorks Learning: Paired classrooms tackle the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals through Narrative Atlas, a fully integrated collaborative learning platform that works on any computer, tablet, or smartphone. You can make videos, maps and more. (Free to participants in MapWorks Learning programs; fee-based hosting is available for other organizations.)
One Globe Kids: a digital library of global friendship stories and education resources for the youngest learners, designed to help students draw connections between their life and that of peers in other countries. (Try for free, online or app)
People-to-People International School and Classroom Program: Creates classroom partnerships and provides classroom tools and resources. (Free)
PenPal Schools: Provides curriculum and classroom partners. (Sliding scale)
Apps for Global Learning and Asynchronous Projects
Buncee: Create and share projects or participate in the global pen pal program, Buncee Buddies.
Geo Badges: Aims to improve the geographic literacy of the citizenry and to have a bit of fun. Join in and earn a GeoBadge today!
Kahoot!: Create, share, and play learning games.
Padlet: A virtual corkboard for sharing projects.
Seesaw: Platform for student portfolios.
Voxer: Share, plan, and discuss global projects. Leave voice, text, video, or phone messages.
Professional Development for Educators
Annenberg Learner: Online teacher professional development resource devoted to video, print, and web resources to help teachers increase their expertise in their field.
Choices for the 21st Century Education Program at Brown University: A program of Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies that provides teaching resources on historical and current international issues, PD for classroom teachers, and programs for students.
Digital Promise Global Microcredentials: A suite of eight microcredentials for teachers to examine practice in elements of global competence/global citizenship.
Global Competence Certificate: Online graduate-level certificate program in global competence education for in-service educators.
Primary Source: Promotes history and humanities education by connecting educators to people and cultures throughout the world.
Project Zero Visible Thinking Routines: The core Visible Thinking routines are a set of approximately seven routines that target different types of thinking from across the modules. These routines are easy to get started with and are commonly found in Visible Thinking teachers' toolkits.
Stanford Program on International and Cross Cultural Education (SPICE): Provides curriculum resources, workshops, and other resources to internationalize elementary and secondary schools by drawing on the resources of Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI).
World Savvy: A global education nonprofit working to educate and engage youth in community and world affairs to prepare them to learn, work, and live as responsible global citizens.
Transatlantic Educators Dialogue: An opportunity for educators in the U.S. and the European Union to come together online for shared exploration of a variety of educational topics, such as immigration, religion in education, active teaching methods, and issues related to identity and difference. Professional development hours and CEUs are available.
Hot Topics in the Global Media
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting: Building on the Pulitzer Center's mission to spread global awareness, the Global Gateway program engages the next generation on pressing international issues. Pulitzer Center reporting projects serve as the departure point for a multi-dimensional educational experience.
Extended Learning/Afterschool
Global Kids: Using interactive and experiential methods, the program aims to educate youth about critical international and foreign policy issues. Through its professional development program, GK also provides educators with strategies for integrating a youth development approach and international issues into their classrooms.
National History Day: Making history come alive for students by engaging them in the discovery of the historical, cultural, and social experiences of the past. Through hands-on experiences and presentations, today's kids are better able to inform the present and shape the future. NHD inspires children through exciting competitions and transforms teaching through project-based curriculum and instruction.
Making Global/Local Connections
Mapping the Nation: Online mapping resource and toolkit from the Longview Foundation & Asia Society to promote and support international education at the national, state, and county levels.
TakingIT Global: A global online community that seeks to inspire, inform, connect, and empower youth to take action in to improve communities locally and globally.
Finding International Speakers
Exploring By the Seat of Your Pants: Science, exploration, and adventure for classrooms through guest speakers and virtual field trips.
Peace Corps World Wide Schools: Classroom resources based on the experiences of Peace Corps volunteers, including lesson plans, multimedia, and opportunities to connect classrooms with current volunteers and match returned volunteer speakers with interested groups.
Resources for Global Student Research
GeoGuessr: An interactive game using Google maps. You are dropped in a place and have to determine your location based on context.
World Resources Institute: A comprehensive online database that focuses on the environmental, social, and economic trends shaping our world. Maps and articles searchable by research topic.
Global Issues that Affect Everyone: A personal perspective on global issues with links to independent international news reports.
Sally Ride EarthKam: A NASA-sponsored program that shares high-quality photos of Earth taken from the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station; offers materials and resources for students and teachers to incorporate the images into classroom use.
World Atlas: Atlases and guides for school and travel, information, and statistics on many countries.
The World and I: An e-magazine with lesson plans and multi-media resources on a huge variety of international topics, for k-12 teachers, and homeschoolers.
Curriculum
CTECS: These free, online curriculum modules and vocabulary exercises help students develop workplace readiness skills, such as respect for diversity, creativity and innovation, work ethic, teamwork, and conflict resolution, all integral to the world of work.
Edmodo: Find curriculum from teachers around the world.
Global Oneness Project: Free multicultural stories, videos, and accompanying lesson plans for high school and college classrooms.
Journeys in Film: Films that promote international education, cultural understanding, and media literacy for middle school students.
National Education Association Global Fellows: Teaching units created by global fellows.
National Geographic Educators: Multimedia activities, lessons, and units aligned with national standards.
UN Sustainable Development Goals: excellent teachers from across the world as the website has various resources developed around each of the goals.
The World's Largest Lesson: uses the UN Sustainable Development Goals to connect young people across the world to discuss the goals and unite them in action.
Children's Literature
International Children's Digital Library: An online library of approximately 4,000 high-quality children's books from 54 countries.
United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY): The U.S. national section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) promotes international understanding through literature for children and teenagers.
Worlds of Words: A web based database of information on international children's literature, online publications, and other resources to help teachers and others use books to open the world to children around the world.
Broken link? Know of a resource not listed here? Please contact Heather Singmaster.
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Global CTE Toolkit
This is part of the Center for Global Education's Global CTE Toolkit, which provides professional development, tools, and resources to help CTE educators integrate global competence into their curriculum. Learn more »