WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Applications are accepted from full-time teachers or other staff who influence classroom instruction (i.e., principals, curriculum coordinators, media specialists, technology specialists) and who work in a Chatham, Durham, Orange, or Wake County public or private school. Applicants "must show commitment and excitement for the theory and practice of technology as it applies to education." The fund particularly encourages teachers or administrators "with little experience abroad, but will not penalize those with ample international experience." We accept applications from educators in the noted counties served by the Triangle Community Foundation (funding agency) across all grade levels and content areas. In past cohorts, we have not had equal participation from minority educators, male educators, or educators outside of Wake County, so we particularly encourage persons in these demographics to apply.
Applications are accepted from full-time teachers or other staff who influence classroom instruction (i.e., principals, curriculum coordinators, media specialists, technology specialists) and who work in a Chatham, Durham, Orange, or Wake County public or private school. Applicants "must show commitment and excitement for the theory and practice of technology as it applies to education." The fund particularly encourages teachers or administrators "with little experience abroad, but will not penalize those with ample international experience." We accept applications from educators in the noted counties served by the Triangle Community Foundation (funding agency) across all grade levels and content areas. In past cohorts, we have not had equal participation from minority educators, male educators, or educators outside of Wake County, so we particularly encourage persons in these demographics to apply.
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WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We seek educators who understand why there is a need to build cultural understanding among students and who are interested in developing their expertise to bring further cultural lessons supported by digital activities into classrooms or media centers. We seek educators who are interested in promoting technology use in the classroom or media center, although participants need not be expert technology users. We seek inquisitive educators who can articulate a particular cultural theme that they would be interested in studying in the host country, which should relate back to the educator's own classroom, content area, or media center for maximal impact. We seek educators who collaborate well with others in small groups and who can accommodate cultural differences at home and abroad. We seek educators who travel well and can accommodate unexpected circumstances (e.g., travel delays, closures, weather). |
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WHAT TO EXPECT BEFORE APPLYING
- What Are the Dates, Where Are We Going, What Are We Seeing: Our next program is targeting the cities of Vienna in Austria and nearby Bratislava in Slovakia, and is summarized on this syllabus and travel schedule (July 13-27, 2023).
- Participants Will Study a Cultural Theme: Applicants will need to articulate a cultural theme they are interested in studying in their application. This theme is used to provide focus for the digital representations of culture that each educator will develop during the program. Refer to the "professional development" section of this web site for further information about cultural themes and resources to help identify relevant themes.
- Participants Will Build a Portfolio of Projects: Participants who are selected for the program will complete four digital representations of their self-selected cultural theme (e.g., marked-up map, timeline), compiling those representations on a portfolio page. A few reading reflections and one summary lesson plan will also be added to the portfolio. See aforementioned syllabus for details. Teachers who complete the program will receive three CEUs of continuing education credit in digital learning competencies (2 credits) and English/literacy (1 credit). If participants are enrolled in NC State graduate programs, they can also receive course credit for completing the program (3 credit hours).
- Required Classes Are Held Before, During, and After Study Abroad: Applicants should be available to attend three Saturday professional development classes at NC State before and after the international travel. As our formal class time is very limited, it is very important that applicants are available to attend ALL of these scheduled classes. Applicants should also expect to participate in scheduled work time while abroad. Designated class times have been set aside during the study abroad portion for participants to compile the cultural information they have been gathering and work on digital projects, with instructors available to provide assistance.
- Traveling With the Group: Participants should expect to travel with the larger group to designated cultural sites while in the host country, but will also have some free time in which to plan their own cultural tours and activities with peers on the trip. The expectation is accepted participants will stay with and travel with the group during the designated program period, while any further travel with friends/family will be before or after the program, not during.
- Hotels and Flights: Our home base in 2023 will be Vienna, and we have booked a block of studio apartments at the highly-rated Adina Hotel right beside the main train station with grocery and Belvedere museums/gardens, with quick access by tram into the city center and other attractions. Each participant will stay in their own apartment with air conditioning, wifi, fully-equipped kitchenette, and private bath, with access to other hotel amenities such as the gym, spa, and indoor pool. Breakfast has been included in the daily rate, so participants can start the day together with a hearty meal. As lodging consumes approximately half of our annual budget, regrettably educators must provide their own airfare which is beyond the scope of our budget (average of $1400-1800 for summer round-trip flights to Europe).
- Partial Expense Reimbursement: In late August, participants who have completed their portfolio will receive a $450 reimbursement by direct deposit to partially offset expenses they are likely to incur (e.g., airport transfers, dining out, tours and activities scheduled on one's own). The grant covers: instruction, web services and tools, lodging with breakfast, Vienna transit passes, admission tickets into museums during any group excursions, and food during classes.
WEHN TO APPLY, AND APPLICATION LINK
We are no longer accepting applications for the 2023 Vienna cohort (deadline of December 31, 2022). However, you may apply at any time in 2023 for the summer 2024 cohort (tentatively set for Buenos Aires). See link below. To apply, eligible educators should first make a short video of themselves discussing answers to the questions listed below. The video can be created with a cell phone camera and video app or a laptop camera and video capture software. It is not necessary to use props or Powerpoint slides, just capture yourself answering the questions below. After creating the video, place it online using any Web service that generates a "shareable URL" (e.g., YouTube). When filling out the application form, paste-in the URL to your video. Please test your video URL to make sure it can be watched/viewed publicly by anyone with the link.
Answer these questions in your application video (max of four minutes for entire video, or about 1 minute per question):
**Please do not let the questions above dissuade you from applying. We don't expect you to describe the perfect cultural theme, to know about all of the cultural resources that can inform your theme, or to know about all of the ways to digitally represent your theme at the time of application. We will help you make some of these choices, identify resources, and train you to use digital tools. We are only interested in your INITIAL ideas about these elements. We understand they will be refined as you get into the program.**
We are no longer accepting applications for the 2023 Vienna cohort (deadline of December 31, 2022). However, you may apply at any time in 2023 for the summer 2024 cohort (tentatively set for Buenos Aires). See link below. To apply, eligible educators should first make a short video of themselves discussing answers to the questions listed below. The video can be created with a cell phone camera and video app or a laptop camera and video capture software. It is not necessary to use props or Powerpoint slides, just capture yourself answering the questions below. After creating the video, place it online using any Web service that generates a "shareable URL" (e.g., YouTube). When filling out the application form, paste-in the URL to your video. Please test your video URL to make sure it can be watched/viewed publicly by anyone with the link.
Answer these questions in your application video (max of four minutes for entire video, or about 1 minute per question):
- Describe your existing grade level and content area(s) and how teaching about culture is relevant in your curriculum or setting. If an administrator, describe your school and why teaching about culture is relevant in your curriculum or setting.
- One of our program expectations is that participants will select a cultural theme, research that theme online and on-site in the host country, and use different technology tools to digitally represent that theme and their reflections on it. Describe the cultural theme that you would be interested in learning more about if accepted into this program, and if applicable, how that theme ties into your teaching. Examples of cultural themes are available in the "professional development" section of this site (e.g., elementary teachers might be interested in studying another country's folk tales; high school history teachers might be interested in studying political movements in certain countries such as nationalism; PE teachers might be interested in studying another country's approaches to fitness; a business teacher might be interested in unique business practices in a particular industry; music/art teachers might be interested in musical/artistic styles popular in the host country). Your theme can be modified, we would just like to hear what you might be interested in studying up front.
- The "professional development" section of this web site lists cultural resources available in the host country for the following summer's program (museums, schools, historic sites). Other cultural resources may be available online. In your application video, try to mention a few cultural resources you might use to inform your cultural theme. Program staff can help you identify other appropriate resources as you get into the program, we would just like to hear if you are aware of any specific resources at the time of application.
- Finally, the "professional development" section of this web site lists examples of how one can digitally represent a cultural theme (e.g., through maps, through augment/virtual reality, through data, through documentary, through writing, through a game or digital objects). Thinking about your theme, do any of these forms of representation stand out to you now? Which do you think would work best to represent your theme? Your response is not binding and forms of representation can change as you learn more about each. Program staff will help you choose appropriate representations as you get into the program, we would just like to hear if any representations stand out to you at this time as you think about your theme.
**Please do not let the questions above dissuade you from applying. We don't expect you to describe the perfect cultural theme, to know about all of the cultural resources that can inform your theme, or to know about all of the ways to digitally represent your theme at the time of application. We will help you make some of these choices, identify resources, and train you to use digital tools. We are only interested in your INITIAL ideas about these elements. We understand they will be refined as you get into the program.**
