Still feeling the effects of jet lag upon my return from the Microsoft Global Summit, I have taken some early morning hours to draft an open letter to the team that organized the event.
One World
A number of hours ago, my learn-a-thon group made a pitch with an inquiry project called 'One World'. Evocative of the 'one' branding that Microsoft has recently undertaken, I believe this project holds incredible potential. For the purposes of the project, an open and social hub was created for this project at www.about.me/oneworldnetwork
Student Inquiry focused on Millennium Development Goals
Many believe that the Millennium Development Goals are a natural fit for the Microsoft Global Summit, and that these goals, tethered to student projects hold the key to realizing Microsoft's stated goal to "Empower people and businesses to reach their full potential". I personally believe that the 'One World' project has the potential for ensuring that the rich cross-cultural conversations I witnessed at the forum, continue year-round, not only among teachers, but among the true global change agents: our students. If you have yet to see our pitch, please take the time to consider our work. It will take ten minutes of your time, but may well hold the key to the future of the Microsoft Global Summit. I have posted our pitch online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRtHDpnCjag
One World in Canada
In order to ensure that the hard work of my team does not fade away, I have shared the details of the One World project with my brother Todd who runs Northern Edge Algonquin, a Canadian retreat centre. If financial support can be found, Todd is willing to assist in hosting a regional summit of educators and students, where One World projects can be shared.
An Elephant in the Room
My project team invested many hours in a project that took but minutes to be judged according to a rubric. We invested our time, talent, emotions and intellect, yet to date, we have received no feedback on our work. We have no way of knowing the project was successful or where it fell short from the judges' perspective. Although our project did not win any of the awards in the poverty category for which it was produced, we are very proud of our work and believe it deserves a larger audience. I believe that all participants, including those who showcased their individual projects, are justified in expecting some kind of feedback other than 'you didn't win'. Any efforts to rectify this gap in this or any future forum events, would be much appreciated.
Continuing the Conversation
The true measure of the value of a project is whether or not it can live in the real world. I welcome any opportunity to discuss the potential of breathing life into the One World project. Please feel free to contact me through email, or through Link or Skype. (My Skype ID is r.lucier, and you can also find me at Skype in the Classroom).
My days in Barcelona will be remembered for the rest of my life. Here's hoping that the full potential of the Microsoft Global Summit will continue to impact teachers and students from around the world. One student project at a time, we can be One World.
