~ Global PBL Challenges ~

I feel that one of the challenges of global PBL are time issues. We realized this obstacle when my classroom video-conferenced with a former student in Russia. Being flexible and willing to use hours that are outside the normal school day is necessary. Hours outside of normal classroom time would definitely need to be utilized, because so much planning goes into a successful project. Also, challenges could arise with time differences that are wide-ranged, because being a day ahead of or behind another classroom could also impact the type of project chosen, and the learning activities shared.

Language issues could be a challenge with my classroom also. The translation sites are convenient and nice, but if my students in first grade are still learning how to read their own language, they would have trouble trying to translate another. This obstacle could be overcome by possibly having parent volunteers or older student buddies within the building help them to read and translate the language using the www.epals.com site.

District filters could also be a challenge. Many Web2.0 tools within districts are blocked, despite educational value. Acknowledging these issues beforehand would make this challenge easier to overcome. If there is value to a site being used with the project, teachers could ask their technology department to unblock it. Bandwidth within a district could also be an obstacle. It could require classrooms to find other means of communicating. For example, they may not have the means to video, so instead they'd have to chat... which would be feasible, but may not have the same impact on the learning experience.

Cultural differences may also be challenging, because students' expectations and behaviors differ with different cultures. Educational and personal values are different between countries. Understanding other cultures before the initial project starts is very important. Providing that background to students will make the project more meaningful and will enable them to realize commonalities and differences that may arise.