Egyptian School Shares a Memorable Connection with Global Partners

By Ms. Aliaa Samaha

Through IVECA International Virtual Schooling, my students from Hayah Academy had the opportunity to engage in a global education experience this semester. IVECA partnered my students with classes from Butler Tech Ross High School in Hamilton, Ohio, USA and Daeshin High School in Daejeon, South Korea. Students had the opportunity to share a virtual conversation with their international friends that lasted throughout the semester as they all exchanged thoughts on each other's work and became friends.

Students were not only representing themselves, but also their school and their country. From this experience, my students learned to appreciate the similarities and differences in their communities, made meaningful connections, and shared ideas about promoting peace and sustainable development locally and globally.

Students across three continents worked collaboratively through virtual learning environments, using STEAM principles to find innovative solutions for the United Nations Sustainable Developments Goals. In teams, students identified concrete problem areas and proposed feasible solutions. The feedback my students received from their IVECA partners, encouraged them to design creative solutions taking into consideration possible obstacles and challenges.

During the “Live Class” on December 21st, 2020 students presented their solutions, shared cultural performances, and heard inspiring messages from their principals. Most importantly, students enjoyed celebrating their achievements with their friends around the world!

#IVECA#Education#InterculturalCompetence#GlobalCitizenship#21stCenturySkills#DigitalCitizenship#GlobalEd#GlobalEdChat#SmartPlanet#STEAM#VirtualExchange

Educations for A New Era: through the IVECA Program

By Ms. Kyunghee Hong

We participated in the 2020 IVECA program with Butler Ross Tech High School in the USA and Hayah International Academy in Egypt. Because of COVID 19, I was worried this semester, but our students didn’t give up and they were willing to participate in IVECA class.

The IVECA activities this semester were based on UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our school social teachers and English teachers shared this topic and collaborated on the extended classroom project. In social class, they researched the issued areas that our community needs to solve. And they discussed the differences and similarities among the communities in three countries in English class. The IVECA program enriched our existing curriculum and students’ activities during the class.

Through the IVECA program, students are able to develop intercultural competence by discussing their activities including exchange ideas, cultures, and global issues. During this pandemic, our students’ activities were very limited, but thanks to the IVECA program, I could provide a wonderful experience to them. Using technologies involved in IVECA, I could offer opportunities to apply their understanding and discuss the activities with team members anytime in this pandemic situation. It was a little different from the way it used to be, for example, students from Butter and Hayah participated in our live class at home through an online program individually and we shared recorded culture performances. It was good to see students’ faces much closer and hear their voices clearly. Because of COVID 19, we showed new forms of a live class and extended the way of the IVECA program.

As a teacher, I always wanted to provide authentic activities and great experience to my students. I recommend this program to teachers who teach English as a foreign language. It would be a great opportunity to offer authentic activities and opportunity to meet global friends. I really appreciated teachers who collaborated this semester and also the IVECA team. It was a great honor to work with them. I hope we meet again. Thank you.

#IVECA#Education#InterculturalCompetence#GlobalCitizenship#21stCenturySkills#DigitalCitizenship#GlobalEd#GlobalEdChat#SmartPlanet#STEAM#VirtualExchange

Opportunity and Growth through IVECA

I am thrilled to have joined such an amazing team at IVECA. My journey with IVECA began as a teacher in Guatemala. I collaborated on several projects with different student groups and partnered with different countries across the world. Each course with IVECA brought to me a unique and powerful experience which contributed to my growth and development as a teacher.

This year, I am honored to join IVECA as a Global Facilitator. My hope is to expand the opportunity for teachers and students to participate in the intercultural program as I did. Especially this year, during the pandemic, the need for meaningful online schooling has become essential to the wellbeing of students and teachers across the world. I believe in the power of IVECA to connect students from across the globe, increase understanding between cultures, and ultimately to make the world a more peaceful and loving home.