In April, Joli Barker was named a finalist in round 1 of the Microsoft Partners in Learning 2012 US forum. Although Joli and I live in the same area, I had a chance to meet her face to face at DENSI2012 in Montana. I love meeting other educators that are passionate about what they are doing. I enjoy it even more when these educators are willing to share their talents. Joli is NO exception!
Joli’s project: XBROX 360: the iConnect Project was chosen as one of the winners of the Partners in Learning U.S. Forum.
“Joli Barker, Slaughter Elementary (McKinney, Texas)
Project: XBOX 360: the iConnect Project
Using Kodu gaming, gaming vernacular and concepts, 2nd grade students utilized ePals, Edmodo, Skype, and Microsoft Office, PhotoStory, Skype, and Xbox 360 to participate in a global literary book study and multimedia festival. The class connected with over 8 classrooms across the world who read the Magic Tree House books with us and participated in creating multimedia reports and Kodu games to extend and express their learning. When the book series took us to a new country, the classroom from which the book was set “hosted” the Q&A for that book via Skype. The overall result was an extraordinary literary experience that transcended reading comprehension into a cultural study and a global connection that far surpassed the original goal.”
From http://blogs.msdn.com/b/teachertech/archive/2012/08/02/microsoft-partners-in-learning-2012-us-forum-finalists.aspx
Each of the 16 projects chosen will represent the United States at the Microsoft Partners in Learning 2012 Global Forum in Prague, Czech Republic this November.
Congratulations Joli on an AMAZING project and the possibilities that you have created for your students and school. I can’t wait to see what you do next and hear about your adventures!
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