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Here is an idea that has been brewing in my mind for a while:
| FieldFindr A space where teachers can meet global citizens who have skills that they are willing to contribute to a class. |
| Teachers can find people in a field of interest that they are working on in their class. Volunteers can tell teachers their field of interest and also tell teachers how they would like to help a class. |
The site could be sort of a combination of Warlick's HitchHikr and MySpace or Facebook. (In a way it is more of a matchmaker site.)
You can sign up and log in as a teacher, or as a willing contributer (Volunteer) in you field of interest.
Basically Volunteers create a profile listing talents and skills. Then they set up a time-line of when they would be interested in helping with, or presenting to, a class. Then teachers can contact volunteers who have profiles of interest.
There could be an opportunity for volunteers to contact teachers too, but I think this should be done through a contact page like this, rather than by direct e-mail.
Here is a mock-up wiki that I built to give you an idea of what I mean. (Yes, I know the profile pictures are a bit big, but they were easy to format that way.)
However, I believe that there is a need for a fully committed portal site that is dedicated to:
CONNECTING TEACHERS TO GLOBAL CITIZENS THAT ARE WILLING TO SHARE THEIR TALENTS WITH A CLASS.
At a dedicated portal:
Tag searches could easily be set-up. (See my 'Super Tags' post [
Teachers could find other teachers to help them.
Positive relationships between business and education can be formed.
Success stories could inspire teachers hesitant to explore web2.0
Retired teachers or field experts can be tapped into.
There is so much opportunity for collaboration! (I came up with this list in about 3-4 minutes... and I'm sure you could add to it:-)
Once the site is set up, the opportunities and possibilities are endless!
Again, just off the top of my head, here are some kinds of volunteers we can easily tap into...Especially if we had a portal to help us do so.
• A musician or poet who is willing to judge a performance or contest.
• A Researcher willing to share new ideas in their field.
• A Math tutor who offers after school assistance on a forum. (Time differences could actually be an advantage here.)
• A dance instructor could teach ballroom dancing at a local high school.
• A retired teacher giving a video tour of a Boreal Forest or a desert he lives close to.
• An art gallery tour from half-way around the world...
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A similar idea originally came to me a few years ago after seeing this award winning Timebank Commercial.
It came to me again a few months ago when I read this David Warlick Post where David is talking about Will Richardson's session at MASSCUE:
"Will did make a passionate point about how we need be talking about sharing our students' work with real audiences. It's engaging them in real conversations with the world they're learning about."
I finally had to get this idea out after reading these Wesley Fryer and Vicki A Davis posts over the weekend.
Feedback?
Comments
It looks like there are only two teachers on the site- can this be right? Interesting notion- and something that I have been chasing (online collaborators for my music classes).
http://digitalmusiceducator.wordpress.com
A special update!
Please see my new venue for this portal on the Ning Network:
FieldFindr
Please head over there now and join!
...bal Citizens can Share Talents and Skills with Students. Teachers can find Global Citizens (Volunteers) willing to help in a field of interest that th...
There I am! Member number 4. I like this idea and I hope it turns into something big.
I share some of Kelly's concerns on safety, but I know David you have previously shown your commitment to safe use of resources.
More on the ning site...
Oops. Forgot to log in to comment. Just signing my previous comment...
Claudia Ceraso (fceblog on Twitter and elsewhere).