Freshmen at Edgewood High School recently met with another class in Ghana over the internet.
The event was similar to a video call. Students on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were able to see and hear each other.
EHS Digital Learning Coach Linda May set up the meeting through a email list called Collaboration Around the Planet. She said most schools on the list are based in the United States, so when a Ghanaian school put out a call to meet with other schools, she jumped at the chance.
Once the dates were set for the collaboration, six teachers volunteered to bring their classes in to participate. Three met with students from Ghana between Feb. 12 and Feb. 15. Three others will meet with students in Michigan and New Jersey between Feb. 27 and March 1.
May said the goal of the program was to provide students with an opportunity for global education.
“Having the students go right to the source of the information is key,” she said.
“The kids are just fascinated. They’re really engaged and excited to talk to them,” May said.
The Ellettsville Journal was on the scene when two of Joel Sanders’ classes met with the students from Ghana.
Both sides came prepared with presentations to give the other class about their culture and where they lived.
The Ghanaians brought a band that played inspirational music representative of their culture. Edgewood students sang “This Is Indiana” to them.
After some initial stiffness, the students loosened up for a question-and-answer session that had both sides asking and answering questions.
“They ask each other questions that are common for teens,” May said.
The students wanted to know what music they liked, what they did after school, what their favorite movies and books were.
Edgewood students learned that Ghanaian students liked Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne. They learned that it was rare for Ghanaian students to hold a job while they attended school. They were surprised to find that students from Ghana had access to much of the same technology they did.
At the end of the presentation, the Ghanaians, who were five hours ahead and had been out of school for about half an hour, agreed to continue interacting with Edgewood students over Twitter.
“I’ve never seen kids’ faces so lit up as when they were talking to them,” May commented.
School officials hope to continue the program in the future.
“We’re looking into doing more of this, and we’d like to get some better equipment, maybe, in the future. The students are ready and willing,” May said.
This is not the first time EHS has participated in a collaboration like this. In the past, some of the language classes were able to communicate with native speakers in a similar fashion.
May hoped the school would make it a regular thing again.
“We have a sister school in China,” May said. “That would be very exciting to connect with them.”
Originally published in Ellettsville Journal, 2013. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.