When school lets out for the day, children are bombarded by parents with the famous question, “What did you do in school today?” In which most children glumly reply, “Nothing.”  Well not today and not my students. My students have been taking part in my thesis research on international collaboration. The Global Explorers have been connecting and collaborating with a group of students in Bucaramanga, Colombia through podcasting and a wiki. Today these students connected on a closer level. For 1 ½ hours, 46 students in Michigan and 46 students in Colombia taught each other words in their native language, discussed authors, sports, weather, hobbies and money. Using Skype and webcams, these students had the experience of a lifetime. They talked, questioned, laughed, and cheered. They were still talking about the conversation long after the computer was shut down. In the words of one student, “My parents ask me every night at dinner about my day and what I did in school. This can’t wait until dinner. I can’t wait until I get home to tell them I talked to kids in Colombia!”

The fire has been lit!

Skype Video call 11/14/07