How STEAM Activities Prepare Students for the Global Economy

Presented by Amy McCooe, CEO, Level Up Village; Esra Murray, Fifth Grade Teacher, International School at Dundee, CT; and Fran Kompar, Director, Instructional Technology and Digital Learning, Wilton Public Schools, CT

Sponsored by Level Up Village

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This edWebinar highlights the necessity of global learning now, provide global collaboration options available today, and emphasize the benefits of global inclusion in all aspects of the classroom.

The growth of emerging and developing economies offers great opportunities but it also requires businesses to take on greater risks and require global communication and collaboration skills from its workforce. Large multinational and international companies are responding to national policy environments and realizing they need to establish local operations and alliances with local firms, rather than just exporting to a country. They are looking for employees with 21st century global collaboration and communication skills.

Simultaneously, today’s young citizens have been raised with a greater awareness of global issues, such as water scarcity and pollution, than any other generation. In order to engage this population in STEAM, and to remain relevant, the learning must be authentic and fully immersed in the backdrop of the global context. To teach global citizenship, we must recognize our role in impacting and engaging students in STEAM activities through global inclusion, equity and diversity so they may reach their full potential in any K-12 classroom. Global project-based learning programs that connect students around the world virtually deliver the importance and immediate impact of global context when teaching STEAM in the classroom.

This recorded edWebinar will be of interest to preK-8 teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders.

About the Presenters

Amy McCooe brings a wealth of business experience and her lifelong passion for education to the global STEAM arena. Amy co-founded and is CEO of Level Up Village (LUV), a global STEAM education company which was recently acquired by Language Testing International, a Samsung Subsidiary. Level Up Village is globalizing the classroom and facilitating seamless collaboration between students around the world through global STEAM courses. Fueling her passion for project-based learning and design thinking, Amy created and developed the LUV STEAM curriculum and collaboration methodology LUV incorporates to achieve authentic communication and collaboration between teachers and students across the globe. LUV has run programs in over 600 schools internationally creating global STEAM connections between more than 50,000 students. Before Level Up Village, Amy worked in management consulting and investment banking and has her BA from Trinity College in Connecticut and MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

Esra Murray is a lifelong learner loving her journey in the pursuit of creating the most desirable conditions to cultivate lifelong learners, compassionate citizens, conscious innovators, and connected individuals. Recognized as a Distinguished Teacher in her district, her expertise and passion intersect at designing, implementing and evaluating innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Esra’s collaborative work with the classroom teachers earned the 2019 Connecticut Educators Computer Association (CECA), an affiliate of ISTE, Educator Award for supporting the vision to transform learning and teaching in developing creativity and openness to new ideas through technology integration. She is a frequent presenter of her journey both locally and at international conferences. Her collaborative work has been highlighted in teacher | librarian and The International Dyslexia Association Perspectives, peer-reviewed journals, along with contributions to TechRepublic, EdSurge, International Baccalaureate Organization, and Level Up Village. Esra shares her journey in her blog, esramurray.com.

Fran Kompar is currently Director, Instructional Technology and Digital Learning, Wilton Public Schools in Wilton, CT. She also serves as an educational consultant for Cooperative Educational Services (C.E.S) where she implemented a multi-year program entitled Re-Imagining the School Library (14 districts, over 133 schools represented). She has presented on various topics, most recently on the LMS in a digital transition, open educational resources and co-teaching strategies. The Wilton Public Schools Library Learning Commons Program was awarded the “Bunny Yesner” Library Media Program of the Year by the Connecticut Association for School Librarians (CASL) for excellence and innovation in programming. Fran is also a columnist for the national publication, Teacher Librarian, and invites edWeb members to follow her on her journey on Twitter @fkompar

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Level Up Village (LUV) delivers pioneering Global STEAM (STEM + arts) enrichment courses that promote design thinking and one-to-one collaboration between Pre-K – 9 students from around the world.