Working with Kidlink Projects

Here are summary notes extracted from the “Innovative Approaches to the Teaching and Implementing Projects Through Global Interaction and Extensive Use of Communication Tools”, a paper written by Kidlink project manager Lusine Jhangiryan.

Kidlink Project
We are an organization which promotes and provides opportunities for global education via online projects for classrooms. By the cooperation of teachers – volunteers from around the world – the Kidlink Project helps schools from different countries interact with each other and thereby creating a global classroom.

Model of network cooperation
Kidlink uses the following model of network cooperation to provide for coherent work within the association aimed at the successful implementation of global project-based learning:

• Director of the organization
• Co-Director of the organization
• Volunteer project managers/coordinators
• Participating teachers

Each individual role in this chain performs their duties on a volunteer basis. We do not receive any monetary rewards or material benefits for our work, but we all carry it out based on our personal convictions and passion for learning. Any and all voluntary donations are applied to funding payments to maintain our web host and domain service.

The manager/coordinator of a Kidlink Global Project

He/She is ready to:

•  extend the circle of educators and educational institutions interested in joining the activities by presenting my pedagogical knowledge and experience in this field at municipal, regional, federal and international levels;
• create and provide a knowledge base which is necessary for teachers to organize their educational process, including: the project description, as well as rules, duties and rights of the project participants on the Kidlink portal;
• To search for relevant and interesting topics for communication within the project framework;
• To support and provide teachers with additional information and assistance that is published on the Kidlink.net website, as well as communication on other platforms such as private Facebook project groups. 

The project manager/coordinator specific duties and responsibilities

• The project coordinator is always available, and responds to teachers’ e-mails and questions on the social network, maintaining clarity in his instructions and patience with respect to volunteer teachers who are representatives of different cultures and religions.
• The project coordinator checks all pages and publications that teachers publish on the Kidlink website and in the Facebook project group.
• The project coordinator monitors the compliance ofdeadlines and rules of the project.
• The project coordinator maintains the communication of teachers on the website and facilitates a dialogue among them.
• The project coordinator asks questions providing a feedback, offers useful socio-pedagogical resources.
  
  To ensure a successful project, it is necessary to follow several rules:
• To comply with deadlines, instructions, phases.
• To provide meaningful feedback, all of which should be well explained before the project is launched.
• Provide ongoing communication with all participants, paying attention to their requests and questions, doing regular mail checks, including group chats, private chats, messages, letters and all comments that participants make on the Kidlink site.