Where in the World?

Where is Mrs. Hembree this week?

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On November 7th, I learned that I was one of the 250 educators chosen to participate in the 2014 Microsoft Expert educator program. One of the opportunities I have with this program is to attend the Microsoft in Education Global Forum in Barcelona, Spain from March 11-14, 2014.

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I will be presenting our Books to Africa program and the various activities the students completed last year, as well as the progress we have been making with out global outreach program this year. This is my second opportunity to participate in the Global Forum. In November 2012, I traveled to Prague, Czech Republic and presented our 4th grade book trailer project.

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To be selected, I had to go through a rigorous application process – I had to fill out an online application, create a learning activity, prepare a 2-3 minute video that describes my project and how it uses technology and innovative teaching practices to impact student outcomes. The winners were selected by a worldwide group of judges who used a broad set of criteria to assess the educators’ evidence of learning, collaboration, knowledge construction, and critical thinking. In Barcelona, each of the 250 educators will go through another judging process. We had to prepare a 3 digtal story outlining our project and then we will explain this to different judges who will assess our project again based the 21st century learning criteria. The Microsoft photos below show the judging room and conference center at the forum in Prague.

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It’s not all judging in Barcelona. I will also have the chance to learn about different Microsoft products, participate in a team project and meet teachers from all across the globe. I will be in Barcelona on March 9th and I am going to spend the day sightseeing as much as possible.

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My first stop is going to  see La Sagrada Familia.  This is a giant basilica (church) that began construction in 1882 and it’s still not complete! The architect Antonio Gaudi designed the structure and the building is not expected to be completed for another 30+ years. After that a group of us are going to Park Guell, where the photo at the top of this post was taken. Gaudi also designed this park and it features a beautiful view of the city of Barcelona and brightly colored mosaic tile seats. I will post photos   as much as I can.

I will also be using a translator program. I can speak some basic German because I lived there many years ago. However,  I don’t know many words in Spanish. Did you know different languages are spoken in Spain? Yes, the people speak Spanish. However, in Barcelona, many people prefer to speak Catalan. You all know I love dogs. The Spanish word for dog is perro. Can you investigate and find the Catalan word for dog? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Fins a la propera vegada…

Mrs. Hembree

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3 thoughts on “Where in the World?

  1. Bon dia!
    Jo vaig viure a Barcelona durant 2 anys – ciutat sorprenent. Adoro Barcelona!
    How wonderful to be in Barcelona, I hope you enjoy every minute of your time there! When I lived there in 1990 – 1992, the central tower and nave on the Sagrada Familia was not begun. There were no queues to visit, and I remember the spiral staircase inside the old towers as one of the scariest climbs of my life! Wish I was there!
    Mrs Monaghan
    PS Gos!

  2. Dear Mrs Hembree,

    I looked up the Catalan word for dog and it is gos. Can you guess what llibre means? Hint, you are surrounded by them everyday!

    Have fun on your trip,by the way did you bring your gos?
    Josa

  3. Dear Mrs. Hembree,

    I am so excited for you and congratulations on your achievements! It is well deserved!

    I have a big smile on my face thinking about you in Barcelona. Spain is one of my favorite countries as I taught there three summers back in the early 90s. I taught in a little Basque village outside of San Sebastian. Before and after the summer school, I traveled quite a bit. Barcelona was one of my favorite cities. I loved La Sagrada Familia and the many architectural creations from the great Antonio Gaudi.

    I look forward to seeing more of you pictures and hearing about your travels!

    Your friend,
    Mrs. Y♥llis

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