How many students and classes do you think are taking part in this challenge? If you guessed about 100 classes and 1300 students you were correct. In fact we are represented by 18 different countries of the world, so we are definitely going global.
This week’s activities relate to all things global – tracking widgets, maps, translators and other forms of global challenges.
Students
Activity 1 – How do you know where your visitors are coming from?
Do you have a widget tracking these visitors? If not, then perhaps you could put one or more of these widgets on your blog.
- Clustrmap – embedding for free Edublogs, Pro Edublogs, Blogger,
- Flag counter – embedding same as for free Edublogs and Blogger
- Feedjit – same as for flag counter
- Revolver map – same as for flag counter
Remember, if you have a free Edublogs blog, often you can’t embed widgets in your sidebar because of the coding. Check if your teacher has a paid pro blog where they can then upgrade 50 student or teacher blogs, then you will be able to use code.
Can you recommend any other tracking widgets suitable for class or student blogs? Leave a comment if you can.
Activity 2 – How do you read a blog written in a language other than your mother tongue?
Natasa, a teacher of one of the class blogs, is located in Serbia and her blog is written in Serbian. How can you translate that page so you can read it in English or Spanish if that is your mother tongue? Do you leave a comment in English, your mother tongue or Serbian?
A visitor from Colombia has come across your blog and wants to read it in their mother tongue, how will they translate it?
A good idea would be for you to have a translator button or widget on your blog. Visit the widget box to find one that you think will do the job of translating your blog into another language. Add the widget the same as instructions for the flag counter.
Activity 3 – Write a post in another language
Most students around the world have to learn another language as part of their school curriculum. This might be a challenge for those who are just beginning their language learning but for students like Dominique, this should be a breeze. Make sure you have a translator widget on your blog to make it easier for your visitors to read the post.
Activity 4 – Write a post about a global activity you have taken part in
Have you taken part in :
- World Maths or Spelling Day
- World Water Day – this is happening on Tuesday, March 22 – theme is water for cities
- Earth Hour – this is happening on Saturday, March 26 – see video in class section of challenge
These global events often have widgets or buttons you can embed on your blog.
Activity 5 – Leave a comment on ten blogs
Each blog must be from a different country of the world. Check out the list of students and classes taking part. Remember there are actually 18 countries represented – some have only one person taking part, so you might need to check carefully.
Classes
Activity 1 – Complete student activities 1, 2 and 4
What other types of global activities have you taken part in as a class? ePals, postcards from home, quadblogging – tell us about it in a great post with images if possible. Or write a post linking to other global activity posts you have already written about.
Activity 2 – Take part in Earth Hour this year and write a post about how students, teachers and families spent that hour. Earth Hour began three years ago in Australia in one town – see how it has now grown to be a global activity.
Activity 3 – How many languages are spoken by the students in your class?
- Is your class multicultural or is it predominantly a one language classroom?
- What are some of the cultural activities you might celebrate in your classroom?
- What do your students celebrate at home?
Perhaps you could create a poll to put on your class blog and have parents and grand parents answer where they came from originally.
Perhaps one of them could write a post, with their child or grandchild, about a celebration from their country to put on your class blog.
Activity 4 – Visit at least ten blogs each from a different country
Remember when writing your posts to include a link back to this post.
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Original image: ‘3d person and globe‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40780016@N02/3915514240
Released under an Attribution-NonCommercial License
i am confuzzled!!
It has taken us longer than the week to get all our stories collected, written and posted…but they are finally there. The global challenge was a great one for us because our parents and students have shared some terrific tales of where they’ve come and students found out that all roads led to Kansas. Stop by and see what you think!!!
I would like to recommend one of my student blogs. He wrote his blog on Sunday after Earth Day…a student working on a Sunday – Wow.
Here is his blog http://www.jaydenpro.edublogs.org
Thanks!
Miss Hutchinson
I currently use Visitors Flags, Visitors Locations and 3D WORLD (Revolver Map). I find these widgets interesting, because I can see where people visiting my blog have come from.
Bree
I don’t understand what to do for activity #4
G’day shb15,
Have you or your class or your family taken part in an activity that relates to the world? eg you might have taken part in Earth Hour last night or perhaps your class has ePals? Did you take part in world maths day earlier in March? If you answered no to these then you probably can’t do activity 4.
Lots of my students decided to try out the translator features and I sort of merged that into another article I read about digital footprints. on my blog .
What about if we’ve never participated in any global event.. let alone any community service…
I finished week three challenges for week 3. I had fun doing this week’s challenges. Hope you come and visit my blog and see them.
AnnaS has posted a great story about her dad’s early life in Inner Monogolia. Come read about it in her post . She’s a great writer and always willing to answer questions.
Mrs. R
I haven’t taken part in any global activities. What do I do now?
Sean,
Why not take part in Earth Hour this Saturday night with your family, then write a post telling us what your family did when the lights were out in your house for that hour?
I ahven’t participated in any global events, plus I may not be at my house this Saturday… adn I think I’d die without electricity and InuYasha for a whole hour…
On the other hand, if it’s for Japan… I’ll mamage…. I bet they can;t weatch their anime either… I’ll bear with them
….
That’s a great idea! Thanks Miss W.!
Here is our Krebs’ Class Blogs French post.
I can’t seem to find a translator widget that works in the Free Edublogs format. Perhaps I need to finally upgrade. Has anyone found a widget that works for the Free version of Edublog?
Can anybody post the embed code of a good translator widget that has translate to Japanese on it? My school blocks widgetbox, so…
Melissa,
For some reason your post in Spanish is not appearing on your blog. Make sure you have actually published it and it is still not a draft in your dashboard.
Sorry, I don’t know how I managed that. She re-posted it to this URL:
http://melissascs15.edublogs.org/2011/03/23/mi-fin-de-semana/
Thanks!
Hi Sue,
Can’t find any of these that translate to Karen or Chin or Burmese?? Anyone notice any of these languages somewhere?
Jane
Pemuda Kelas blog di bahasa Indonesia. Ya betul, dengan Google translate!!
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=id&u=http://2ycroydon.edublogs.org/&rurl=translate.google.com
Haha,
Jane