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January 25, 2001 Preparing Students for a Smaller World: Global Nomads Group Equips K-12 Educational Institutions with Innovative Methods for International Learning. New York (January 25, 2001) -- Global Nomads Group is becoming an important reference among international education initiatives across the US and internationally. Based in Dallas and New York, the 501c(3) non-profit organization is one of a new breed of organizations whose social mission stresses the importance of international learning and global exposure in K-12 education. GNG partners with educational institutions wishing to provide their students with unique international learning opportunities. Using satellite communications and videoconferencing equipment, GNG organizes and moderates videoconferences between students in different countries, no matter how far apart the two classes. It also conducts live remote broadcasts to classrooms from the world's most important cultural and historical sites, such as Petra (Jordan) or the Mayan ruins of Copan (Honduras). Beyond supplying the necessary technology for the projects, GNG carefully prepares each event in coordination with teachers to ensure a seamless integration into regular class activities. Locations, topics of discussion, student preparation, the level of moderation from Global Nomads Group, real-time translations, lectures from experts, are all carefully thought out in advance. GNG's service allows teachers an alternative to field trips abroad: "videoconferences and live broadcasts are the next best thing to actually bringing children to foreign countries. They're less expensive, takes less time to prepare, and can be directly integrated into an already existing lesson plan " says Kamal El-Wattar, GNG Director of Operations. GNG's projects have been hailed as a distinctive method of teaching communications and diplomacy skills to student participants: "The power of the videoconferencing medium is that it lends a sense of importance to the conference or event. As a participant, you feel a bit like a person being interviewed, where the way you present yourself to the other will affect that person's perception of you. This challenges and empowers students to develop their communications skills early on," says GNG co-founder Mark von Sponeck. Global Nomads Group was created in 1998 by college friends Mark von Sponeck, Jonathan Giesen and Christopher Plutte, who believed that as the interdependence of nations increased, due to social, economic, and ecological forces, youth should be given the skills and knowledge to prepare them for a truly international environment. Says von Sponeck: "Our goal as a non-profit organization is to encourage trans-cultural dialogue and understanding among kids, the world's future leaders. Through our projects, they learn to appreciate foreign countries and to get rid of cultural stereotypes". GNG's educational projects have the logistical, technical and financial support from organizations and corporations ranging from the United Nations (UN), Kinko's, the Women's Museum: an institute for the future, and Picturetel. The organization has also developed relationships with over a dozen schools in the US and abroad. |
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