# data[].attributes.body
The Smithsonian's Center for Learning and Digital Access, including their Learning Lab, has tons of resources for the classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
The Library of Congress offers tons of free teaching sources, including lots of primary documents. They also have opportunities for professional development.

# data[].attributes.body
This site has knowledge to action planning guides, as well as opportunities to connect to other classrooms.

# data[].attributes.headline
Globalized Learning in Special Education

# data[].attributes.subject
Globalized Learning in Special Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Special Education

5 Ways Teachers Are Opening Up the World to Special Education Through Technology

Teachers who work with special needs students are finding that technology can not only broaden their students' experiences but engage them in learning, help them retain information, improve their socialization and boost their self-esteem.

On World Global Collaboration Day September 17, 2015, students with special needs from Finland, Sweden, Germany, South Africa and the United States shared videos with each other introducing themselves and their school. The event kicked off an extended online global collaboration between the students, called the SMARTee Project. The students use SMART Amp technology to collaborate online and teach each other about their local cultural traditions and events.

The six special education teachers from around the world first met and formed the idea for the collaboration at SMART Technologies' Exemplary Educators conference last summer. While attending the conference, they found they had more in common with each other than with the general education teachers in attendance.

Visual tools used in Owens' SMARTee program

"We were talking about some of the challenges that we have compared to a general education teacher," said Brianna Owens, a special education teacher at Petroglyph Elementary School in Albuquerque, NM. "We do things so differently, but special ed really does look very similar on the global scale, be it South Africa or Germany or Finland, and so we talked about how we could meet some of the challenges by having our kids work together."

Other teachers around the United States and the world have also discovered the power of online global collaboration projects for students with all types of special needs. Students who have severe or multiple disabilities, those in inclusive classrooms, and those who struggle with verbal communication and face-to-face socialization are using technology to connect with all types of kids around the world, and are feeling more engaged in the learning process through this inclusive online environment.

Connecting Across Cultures
Students in the SMARTee Project are using SMART Amp software to share their work with the other classes, create workspaces for each other to use and collaborate within a shared workspace. Owens' students taught the other classes about the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, an annual event featuring hundreds of hot air and gas balloons. "This is a project I would teach my kids every year, but this year it really took it to that next level because they had to understand it at a level to be able to go back and teach other students," said Owens.

Many of the students in Owens' class have learning disabilities or other special needs such as autism that create challenges with communication and socialization, so they often use pictures and other visuals instead of spoken or written language. Owens said those communication differences can create barriers to interaction with the general education students in the school, but they actually facilitated communication with students in non-English-speaking countries because all of the students could understand picture communication, regardless of their language. Owens' quoted Jörgen Holmberg, one of her SMARTee Project colleagues, who said, "Many of the students have problems collaborating with a student sitting next to them or even talking to the kid next to them. That's a huge barrier. But with our kids it's easier for them to collaborate with a kid sitting in another country."

Many of the students in Owens' class have learning disabilities or other special needs such as autism that create challenges with communication and socialization, so they often use pictures and other visuals instead of spoken or written language.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
not perfect hat club global blogging challenge

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 Ways Teachers Are Opening Up the World to Special Education Through Technology -- THE Journal

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Special Education Teachers who work with special needs students are finding that technology can not only broaden their students' experiences but engage them in learning, help them retain information, improve their socialization and boost their self-esteem.

# data[].attributes.body
Global lessons for both science and math.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teach global competency in your classroom with lesson plans focus on cultural understanding and 21st century skills.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a searchable treasure trove of case studies on a broad range of scientific topics.  Many of these do bring up issues of global concern.

# data[].attributes.body
Students work to share data with other students throughout the world.  Student engagement is enhanced by more well known scientists (NASA, etc) using the student data in their work.

# data[].attributes.body
Videos and curriculum resources for science and math.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a library of math and science simulations that help students explore topics as close to hands on as possible when it they aren't able to do so in the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hi there. We're ExploreLearning!

We're an education technology company creating seriously fun solutions for the most critical challenges in K-12 STEM learning.

What's this serious fun business all about? Tell me more...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We're an education technology company creating seriously fun solutions for the most critical challenges in K-12 STEM learning.

# data[].attributes.body
A great starting point for science teachers

# data[].attributes.body
This free course provides great inspiration for the science teachers out there.

# data[].attributes.headline
Teaching Controversial Issues Guide (OxFam)

# data[].attributes.subject
Teaching Controversial Issues Guide (OxFam)

# data[].attributes.body
This resource from OxFam as well seems particularly useful in my time of dealing with naysayers. Downloaded in case I have continued trouble accessing the site.

# data[].attributes.body
These are a little more general and geared toward undergrad, but the content within the curriculum, in particular that related to human rights, could in fact be adaptable.

# data[].attributes.body
Stands for College, Career, and Civic life. More easily used by government and social studies teachers, but pretty cool "inquiry" questions that may overlap with my big question units at times.

# data[].attributes.headline
Basic Ways to Integrate Media Literacy and Critical Thinking into Any Curriculum

# data[].attributes.subject
Basic Ways to Integrate Media Literacy and Critical Thinking into Any Curriculum

# data[].attributes.body
This handout gives simple ideas for moving down the SAMR model toward redefinition.

# data[].attributes.headline
Hyperdoc: Globalize Standards and Schools

# data[].attributes.subject
Hyperdoc: Globalize Standards and Schools

# data[].attributes.body
This (slightly overwhelming) hyperdoc gives a plethora of sources for taking global action to the school and district (or even just department) level.

# data[].attributes.body
I may have a little more difficulty incorporating these lessons into my own curriculum aside from more guided ideas for our Wonder Projects, but these are mostly to do with saving the world from waste.

# data[].attributes.body
This website's lessons are particularly useful because you can search by discipline, and they are accompanied by true "stories," films, or articles to pique interest. You can also search by topic and save like Pinterest, which is useful for English teachers following a specific theme. There's an awesome one on the "5 steps to heal democracy" that I am excited about.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a resource from one of the webinars. Love its introduction: "What would I change?"

# data[].attributes.body
This PDF has loads of ideas about how to integrate Empathy-oriented curriculum into any classroom. It includes lesson plans and reflections on what works and what doesn't

# data[].attributes.headline
National Geographic Lessons and Activities

# data[].attributes.subject
National Geographic Lessons and Activities

# data[].attributes.body
These units and their activities are useful because you can choose activities independent of larger lessons, and therefore more easily incorporate them into lessons/units you are already developing. Easily searchable by age group and topic.

# data[].attributes.body
"Educating Global Citizens." This site requires a sign-up as well and a fair portion of the materials are only available with a paid membership. However, the guides  available to all do look quality. Conveniently separated by region. Would be more useful for providing students with resources if they were doing research

# data[].attributes.body
This is the last OxFam guide I want to keep. It will be particularly useful when trying to expand global teaching philosophies into classes beyond my own. It too I downloaded in Google Drive in case of difficulty accessing.

# data[].attributes.body
Had trouble opening OxFam's website so I downloaded this through an independent search and it's now in my Google Drive. The document itself however is brimming with not just case studies but also strategies for explaining the global education and its purposes to those who might be reticent.

# data[].attributes.headline
United Nations: Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform

# data[].attributes.subject
United Nations: Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform

# data[].attributes.body
Not sure how I didn't add this earlier, but this resource contains a small description of each of the UN's 17 goals of sustainability. Clicking on any goal will link you to a more in-depth explanation as well as examples of what these goals would mean in terms of law and government action.

# data[].attributes.body
Well, if Ken Robinson endorses it...this website has plenty of lesson plans available for all age groups if you sign up.

# data[].attributes.body
Easily searchable. I like that these lessons incorporate multimedia to cover a single question or topic.

# data[].attributes.body
It's a little too late this year, but I can't wait to incorporate info from this site for my Middle East unit for sophomores.

# data[].attributes.body
These lessons focus on conflict resolution strategies for developing understanding of the other. Includes interesting alternative methodologies that I like but may be difficult to connect to required English standards.