Teddy Bear" Project"
Dr. Nimer Baya'a , Manal Fitiani
Dr. Nimer Baya'a, Computer Consultant &
Senior Lecturer - "Al-Qasemi" Academic
College of Education, Supervisor of
Computers in the Arab schools -
Department of Education.
Eng. Manal Fitiani, Computer Mentor in
Arab schools of East Jerusalem, Lecturer
in the Center for Development of
Teaching Staff – East Jerusalem.
One of the world's largest non-profit
global network, that enables teachers
and pupils to use the Internet and other
new technologies to collaborate on
projects that both enhance learning and
make difference in the world, is iEARN
(International Education and Resource
Network)
It has interactive curriculum-based
projects in which pupils are creating,
researching, sharing opinions, and
becoming global citizens. Pupils and
educators communicate and collaborate in
over 200 forums through text, images,
videos, sound and real-time media, all
in a multi-lingual and visual platform.
"Teddy Bear" project is one of iEARN
projects which is designed to foster
tolerance, understanding and to assist
in the breakdown of cultural barriers.
After teachers register, the facilitator
matches each one with a partner class.
The classes send each other a Teddy Bear
or other soft toy by airmail. The bear
sends home diary messages by email at
least once a week, describing its
adventures, the places it has been in
them, as well as the things it has seen
and done. The project aims to encourage
authentic writing by providing children
with a real audience. They write their
email messages as if they are the
visiting bear, and sometimes Internet
video conference between two classes may
deepen their friendship.
About six schools in east Jerusalem are
participating in this project and
through it pupils participate in
different activities to create various
educational substances (presentations,
video clips, web pages…) about their own
culture and their partners (some of
these partners are in Russia). In these
activities the pupils used Google earth,
Wikimapia, WebQuest for learning
geography, history and science. They
also exchanged information about their
culture folklore, tradition and daily
life via project forum. The pupils made
some presents and sent them to their
partners and are planning to use Skype
to listen and speak with them through
video conferences.
In this project, pupils learn in an
interactive, collaborative, interesting
and enjoyable educational environment.
They expand their multi-cultural
knowledge and awareness and they improve
their technological skills.
In the conference, we shall give a
description of the "Teddy Bear" project,
and shall present various activities and
samples of the pupils' products.
