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Flint Journal, MI
Feb 5 2005
Computers take students around world for history lessons
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Several Flint Southwestern Academy students wrote essays as part of a
contest sponsored by the U.S. State Department during International
Education Week in November.
Cheryl Jamison, Tionna Lang, Katie McArthur, Shayla Thrash, and
Roneshia Williams, students in John Davidek's world history class,
won awards for their essays on the topic, "Why I want to be
internationally educated."
The students received award certificates signed by the U.S.
ambassador to Armenia and an educational CD for their computers,
Armenian postcards and a hand-crafted necklace with silk threads
wound around a walnut.
***
FLINT - Eva Hughes was talking via computer to a student in
Uzbekistan more than 6,000 miles away when her teacher, John Davidek,
urged her not to create an "international incident."
Eva, 16, was on a Flint Southwestern Academy computer Friday morning
when she was asked a question by her counterpart in Uzbekistan: Did
she think God was involved in natural disasters such as the recent
tsunami in Southeast Asia.
"I myself am not that religious," typed Eva, an 11th-grader and
member of the Model United Nations class at Central High School. "But
natural disasters do seem to be a Godly thing. God always has a job
in the Earth's disasters."
Davidek prodded her to change 'job' to 'hand,' and she did.Learning
how to communicate with students from around the world has been a
year-long project for students in Davidek's world history class at
Southwestern.
His students also have regular Internet chats and joint projects with
peers in Armenia, a country near Russia, and are in the process of
getting linked to youth in Rwanda, an East African country, Davidek
said.
The hope is by linking students across the globe they can learn from
each other while studying history.
"The students learn people are all the same," Davidek said. "Cultures
might vary. Ethnically they might vary, but people are the same. They
all yearn for the same things, especially young people."
The effort is tied to Davidek's selection last summer as one of 22
American educators to participate in an international teacher
exchange program called Project Harmony.
As part of the nonprofit program, Davidek spent several days in
Armenia and stayed with a teacher there. In a couple of months the
Armenian teacher will visit Davidek, his students and Flint.
The Flint Southwestern and Armenian students recently had a joint
assignment in which they reported on a historical figure and the
value the person represented. They also both have watched and studied
the Michael Moore movie "Farenheit 9/11."
"One of the (Armenian) kids did a report on Franklin Roosevelt, and
that was interesting," said Southwestern 11th-grader Alexandria
Umphrey, 16. "It was interesting to me that they thought he was
important even in Armenia."
Davidek said there was a learning curve for his world history
students when trying to communicate with the foreign youth.
"There is some sensitivity," he said. "When we first started doing
this I said use proper English, you can't say, 'What's up' and stuff
like that because they won't understand."
Students said it's been fun to communicate and learn from youngsters
they would otherwise never meet.
"We learned that the kind of things they value are similar to what we
value," said Tionna Lang, an 11th-grader.
Feb 5 2005
Computers take students around world for history lessons
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Several Flint Southwestern Academy students wrote essays as part of a
contest sponsored by the U.S. State Department during International
Education Week in November.
Cheryl Jamison, Tionna Lang, Katie McArthur, Shayla Thrash, and
Roneshia Williams, students in John Davidek's world history class,
won awards for their essays on the topic, "Why I want to be
internationally educated."
The students received award certificates signed by the U.S.
ambassador to Armenia and an educational CD for their computers,
Armenian postcards and a hand-crafted necklace with silk threads
wound around a walnut.
***
FLINT - Eva Hughes was talking via computer to a student in
Uzbekistan more than 6,000 miles away when her teacher, John Davidek,
urged her not to create an "international incident."
Eva, 16, was on a Flint Southwestern Academy computer Friday morning
when she was asked a question by her counterpart in Uzbekistan: Did
she think God was involved in natural disasters such as the recent
tsunami in Southeast Asia.
"I myself am not that religious," typed Eva, an 11th-grader and
member of the Model United Nations class at Central High School. "But
natural disasters do seem to be a Godly thing. God always has a job
in the Earth's disasters."
Davidek prodded her to change 'job' to 'hand,' and she did.Learning
how to communicate with students from around the world has been a
year-long project for students in Davidek's world history class at
Southwestern.
His students also have regular Internet chats and joint projects with
peers in Armenia, a country near Russia, and are in the process of
getting linked to youth in Rwanda, an East African country, Davidek
said.
The hope is by linking students across the globe they can learn from
each other while studying history.
"The students learn people are all the same," Davidek said. "Cultures
might vary. Ethnically they might vary, but people are the same. They
all yearn for the same things, especially young people."
The effort is tied to Davidek's selection last summer as one of 22
American educators to participate in an international teacher
exchange program called Project Harmony.
As part of the nonprofit program, Davidek spent several days in
Armenia and stayed with a teacher there. In a couple of months the
Armenian teacher will visit Davidek, his students and Flint.
The Flint Southwestern and Armenian students recently had a joint
assignment in which they reported on a historical figure and the
value the person represented. They also both have watched and studied
the Michael Moore movie "Farenheit 9/11."
"One of the (Armenian) kids did a report on Franklin Roosevelt, and
that was interesting," said Southwestern 11th-grader Alexandria
Umphrey, 16. "It was interesting to me that they thought he was
important even in Armenia."
Davidek said there was a learning curve for his world history
students when trying to communicate with the foreign youth.
"There is some sensitivity," he said. "When we first started doing
this I said use proper English, you can't say, 'What's up' and stuff
like that because they won't understand."
Students said it's been fun to communicate and learn from youngsters
they would otherwise never meet.
"We learned that the kind of things they value are similar to what we
value," said Tionna Lang, an 11th-grader.