First Steps: The School Introduction Process

Abstract

GigaPan School Exchange: Diversity and Inclusion in the Community is jointly organized by the UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE) and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in collaboration with the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet). This project aims to encourage and facilitate the development of competencies related to Learning to Live Together (LTLT) and inclusion based on their collaborative work on topics relevant to their schools and communities. It also aims to promote dialogue and exchanges between school-age students on selected topics such as inclusion, Learning to Live Together, equity, cross-cultural inclusion and environment with a view to foster a more in-depth approach to cultural and social issues, as well as enhanced inter-cultural understanding across different geographical regions and cultures. A major focus of the project is to use GigaPan technology and integrate it within a curricular framework to establish a robust Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education project capable of delivering tangible improvements in both classroom experience and learning results. This report details the technology introduction project carried out at three pilot institutions from April 22nd through June 30th 2008. The documentation offers both a chronology of the process as executed, and a reflection of the relative shortcomings of the pilot project. However, the familiarization of students with the GigaPan technology and their participation in exchanges and dialogues via the GigaPan website set up by CMU constitutes only a first step for what the project is supposed to achieve. Based on their mastering of the GigaPan tool and webrelated interactions, students and teachers are empowered to inquire into possibilities for a comprehensive project design and implementation on relevant topics of inclusion and Learning to Live Together that can be integrated in both the formal and non-formal curriculum.