Connecting Curriculum Across the Continent

by Stephen W. Zsiray, Jr., Zan Burningham, and Lori McGivern


In order to get their students involved in the hot debate over capital punishment, the teachers used writing and art to express their knowledge and understanding about the issue. They had the students study a current popular case. The two teachers, Zan and Lori had met at an exchange program hosted by the American Councils for International Education and used two-way Internet videoconferencing for discussing lessons and presentations with the students and informally with each other as well. Lori covered the social studies part, while Zan covered the art-collages and gesso art pieces. They had four formal sessions using videoconferencing in class.

Q1:How can I use technology to work with other teachers?
A1: Within school districts and classes, it is very common for teachers to collaborate and even team teach. In this article, the teachers work together to teach a lesson. They use technology to their advantage, not allowing distance to keep them from using each other as a resource. With technology, our limitation of personal resources are becoming smaller.

Q2:What was/can be student interaction in a project like this?
A2:In this case, students used email between sessions to clarify discussion topics, research
assignments and other projects. When they were finished with their projects, they sent them to their peers as well. Interactions in groups and between peers is important, and this project shows that you are not limited to the people sitting next to you. Students learn how to communicate through the web and better realize the possibilities of technology through this project.