New Century Learning

This is from the website of the school I will be teaching at in Barcelona. I thought it was very Altermodernesque.


New Century Learning
Our children live in a culture of YouTube, blogs, iPods, MP3s, cell phones, and the Internet. The advent of these tools has profoundly affected all aspects of life, especially, what it means to be a democratic citizen.
At BFIS, we believe technology, coupled with thoughtful instruction and supervision, will enable students to communicate, investigate, and create in contemporary modes where new literacies are essential. New literacies include:
Appropriation: the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content.
Collective Intelligence: the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal.
Distributed Cognition: the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities.
Judgment: the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources.
Multitasking: the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient details.
Negotiation: the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms.
Networking: the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information.
Play: the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem solving.
Simulation: the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world processes.
These skills build on the foundation of traditional literacy, research skills, technical skills, and critical analysis skills taught in the classroom.
Committed to learning that is driven by inquiry, problem solving, and communication, BFIS must provide the resources for students to evolve in these critical ways— as culture makers. To realize this, the schools’ infrastructure must support global learning by offering access to state-of-the-art applications and tools. 
Beginning Spring 2008, the New Century Learning (NCL) initiative, a three-tier strategy of tool upgrade, professional development, and technology integration will be implemented over a three-year period. NCL will be foundational to realizing our mission of cultivating multi-literate, global citizens of the twenty-first century.
It is both timely and significant that the European Commission has named 2008 as the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. Its purpose is to celebrate the continent’s cultural diversity while also highlighting the need for greater intercultural communication.
Similarly, at the end of January, BFIS and the American School of Barcelona will be co-hosting with the US Consulate General, a round table symposium for directors of international schools in Barcelona, along with their country’s respective cultural ambassador. The event, “Preparing Global Citizens for a Collaborative Future,” will take place at the North American Institute. Its goal is to forge new collaborative relationships based on the exchange of resources, knowledge and practices that are consistent with the development of true global citizens.
The world is in need on an educated citizenry who will choose to live, learn and lead in ways that support life. Benjamin Franklin and other members of the international school community are uniquely positioned to collectively impact this vision. We have the opportunity and responsibility to cultivate such open-minded citizens.
Our goals for this symposium also include the generating of a range of inventive ideas and action items such as partnerships with major cultural institutions, a youth leadership round table, interleague sports, and a city-wide arts festival.
It is befitting that BFIS take the lead in convening—for the first time—Barcelona’s international schools to define a sense of hopefulness for the future. It is part of what schools do when they strive to become extraordinary.

Information on International Schools

Teach International Education http://www.tieonline.com/ ($40 annual fee and worth every penny)

International School Services http://www.iss.edu/index.asp

Search Associates http://www.searchassociates.com/

Benjamin Franklin International School http://www.bfischool.org/ (This is where I'll be teaching and they have a great website)

Other Helpful Information
I also know of Queens' University in Kingston, Ontario (where I got my job) and Hunter College in New York City. The largest International Teacher fair is at the University of Iowa.

Most schools have you commit to two years as a minimum, occasionally you'll see one or three years, and but you may continue to sign contracts beyond that if you enjoy the location. Middle Eastern countries offer as little as 6 month commitments and pay really well as they have a harder time finding qualified candidates to teach there and have a high percentage of American military children.

When you see a percentage listed next to a school that is the approximate percentage you are able to save. This is their way of giving you a better idea of your salary in comparison to the cost of living in that location.

Families and significant others who are teachers as well are often welcome and even preferred by some schools as they often view that as a reason for you to stay at your position longer.

I plan to use this blog to document my travels so stay tuned!
Also, if you have any additional questions for me I will be checking my regular email more often than this blog so send me a message at tiffanyemerick@gmail.com

Take Care!