Project Linking III

Lisa Frumkes frumkes at u.washington.edu
Wed Apr 3 02:58:46 UTC 1996


This came out on the EDTECH (Educational Technology) list last week.  It's
reaching you folks only now because I'm so behind on mail reading...I'm
surprised no one beat me to it!  I hope some of you out there can take
advantage of it--or pass the message on to someone who can!

Lisa
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
                          Lisa A. Frumkes
     frumkes at u.washington.edu           Lisa_Frumkes at LLC.washington.edu
     Doctoral Candidate                 Slavic Staff Associate
     Slavic Linguistics                 Language Learning Center
     Slavic L&L, Box 353580             Box 353140
                        University of Washington
                           Seattle, WA  98195


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date:    Thu, 28 Mar 1996 01:03:59 EST
From:    "M. Dale Streigle" <streigle at iastate.edu>
Subject: Project Linking III

   Iowa State University is pleased to offer middle-level teachers the
opportunity to participate in the third incarnation of Project Linking, an
endeavor linking educators between the United States and Russia.

   Please forward copies of this announcement to the appropriate audiences
and to any individual teachers whom you feel might be interested in
participating in Project Linking III.

   Thank you.

   M. Dale Steigle
   streigle at iastate.edu

***************************************************************************

          A United States-Russian Curriculum Development Project
                         for Middle-level Teachers


     Project Linking III will provide an exciting opportunity this
summer (June 29 - August 3) for twelve middle-level teachers from the
United States to work in Moscow on a five-week area studies curriculum
development project with twelve Russian teachers.  An activity-centered,
student interaction-based, technology-rich area studies curriculum that
is designed to prepare middle school youth to function successfully in a
world community will be the product of this international collaborative
endeavor.  Project Linking III will shift the area studies learning
paradigm from reading about another culture to actively inquiring about
the culture by asking questions and seeking answers from geographically
distant, contemporary learners.

     Project Linking III is built upon a philosophy that area studies
curriculum materials will be utilized maximally if schools in both
cultures use materials that are developed collaboratively while, at the
same time, maintaining direct communication among students and teachers
via Internet, the international telecommunications system.  Area studies
contribute to the goals of global education by helping students acquire
knowledge of the various cultures and nations in our world community and
by helping students to understand and to appreciate diversity.  A major
outcome of Project Linking III is the development of decision-making and
social action skills in students from the United States and Russia
through the collaborative development of an area studies curriculum.

***********************************************************************

Objectives:

1.  To link, via Internet, twelve middle schools in Moscow,
    Russia, with twelve similar middle schools in the United States
    for the purpose of maintaining an ongoing exchange of ideas among
    students and teachers of the participating schools.

2.  To develop jointly among teachers from Moscow and the United
    States an activity-centered, student interaction-based, area
    studies curriculum for use in their respective schools.

3.  To share, via Internet, cultural data collected by students in
    Moscow and the United States for enrichment of their area studies
    learning units.

4.  To improve the level of student achievement in area studies
    through the use of an activity-centered curriculum where regular
    interaction with members of the country being studied is a
    principal mode of learning.

5.  To gain a deeper cultural understanding of Russia by working
    with teachers and by visiting cultural, religious, and
    governmental institutions in Moscow.

6.  To establish international cooperation and acquire growth
    gained through extensive study, work, and play together.

***********************************************************************

The Work Day:

     Our work day will be full; we will begin at 8:30 am, break at noon
for a small group lunch involving Russian and United States teachers,
and continue working until 4:30 pm.  Group ownership is one of the key
features of Project Linking III.  Each day we will start with group
reports, recording the key points on newsprint for display to all
members.

     By midmorning we will be ready to break into small working groups,
always with a blend of Russian and United States teachers, to begin
completion of the tasks outlined by the group for that day's work.
Small group work will encompass examining present curriculums;
collecting data by visiting local museums, offices, agencies, and
historical sites; writing, typing, and editing; and small group
discussing and decision-making.

     The Moscow summer writing process is divided into three phases.  In
the first phase teachers will share their current social studies or area
studies curriculum for the purposes of familiarization with each others'
curriculum and for seeking appropriate ways to integrate our Project
Linking III activities into each participant's existing curriculum.
This phase will culminate with the development of a common set of goals
for our Project Linking III area studies curriculum.

     Phase two is the development of objectives, student activities, and
teacher support materials.  Intensive discussing, collecting data and
cultural artifacts, writing, and rewriting describe the activities
during this phase.  Phase three will end the summer with one week of
final writing and editing of the completed model.

***********************************************************************

Housing:

     The physical setting for Project Linking III writing is ideal.  We
will be located in northeast Moscow in a pleasant neighborhood.  The
school in which we will do our actual writing is School N 429, a modern
building located about ten minutes by foot from a metro station.  The
United States delegation will be housed in the Rest Haus Hotel, a modern
hotel with security and an on-site restaurant.  The hotel is a five
minute walk from Moscow School N 429 along a well-lighted street.

***********************************************************************

Costs:

     A major portion of the costs of Project Linking III are
underwritten by a grant from the J. William Fulbright Foreign
Scholarship Board and Iowa State University.  Home-to-home round trip
airfare, visa fees, transportation to and from the Moscow airport, daily
breakfasts, lunches (5 days/week), evening meals, and lodging in the
Rest Haus Hotel will be provided. A four-day guided cultural tour of St.
Petersburg including museum tours, hotel, overnight train
transportation, and meals is included.  All participants will receive
four graduate credits at Iowa State University.

     The cost to each participant in this exciting, five-week study
visit, including graduate credit, is $1,300.  In the past schools or
local civic organizations have assisted many teachers in paying this
fee.

     Participants will be responsible for their own incidentals,
passports, and weekend lunches.

***********************************************************************

Application Procedure:

     There is no printed application form.  To apply, submit and number
the following information:

 1.  Name                                  8.  School name
 2.  Gender                                9.  School address
 3.  Your ethnicity                       10.  School telephone number
 4.  Grade level presently teaching       11.  School FAX number
 5.  Subject(s) presently teaching        12.  Home address
 6.  e-mail address                       13.  Home telephone number
 7.  Ethnic distribution of your school   14.  Can you obtain a passport
                                               by May 31?
                                          15.  Date of any prior
                                               Fulbright experience.

     Of prime importance in the selection procedure will be
demonstration of commitment to the objectives of Project Linking III.
The following questions must be answered and co-signed by an
administrator and the applicant:

16.  How will the curriculum materials produced in the project be
     used in your curriculum?
17.  Does your school have regular access to Internet?  If not, how
     and when will this be provided?
18.  What provisions will you make for presenting your school
     activities resulting from this project at an appropriate
     state- or national-level meeting?
19.  Why do you want to participate in Project Linking III, and
     what strengths do you have that will contribute to the success
     of the project?

     In addition, we will seek geographical, gender, and ethnic balance
of participants and their schools when making selections.  Those
applicants without recent Fulbright sponsored experiences will be given
a higher priority.

***********************************************************************

Important Dates:

*    April 26  Application, consisting of a letter from the applicant
               and appropriate administrator addressing the above 19
               points, must be received by Dr. Lynn W. Glass, Project
               Linking III Director.  Materials may be submitted by any
               of the following means:

                 e-mail     lwglass at iastate.edu

                 FAX        (515)294-6206
                            (Note on top of FAX, Attention to Dr. Glass)

                 U.S. mail   E115 Lagomarcino
                             Iowa State University
                             Ames, Iowa 50011-3190

*    May 8    Notification of successful applicants by e-mail or
              telephone.

*    May 17   A check for $1,300 must be received by Project Linking III
              office.

*    May 31   Photocopy of first two pages of current U.S. passport must
              be received by Project Linking III office.
                 IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A PASSPORT, YOU WILL NEED TO
                 OBTAIN ONE WITHIN 3 WEEKS AFTER NOTIFICATION.  YOU
                 WILL NEED TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL FEE FOR QUICK SERVICE.
                 AN ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE IS REQUIRED FOR A
                 PASSPORT.  PASSPORTS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH YOUR
                 POST OFFICE.

*    June 29  Depart home for Moscow.

*    Aug 3    Depart Moscow for home.

***********************************************************************

For additional information please contact:

Ms. JoAnn Brown, (515)294-3376, or Dr. Lynn W. Glass, (515)294-7006



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