“With cuts to school budgets, teachers are often left searching for ways to innovate without breaking the bank. In fact, a recent survey reveals that educators are incorporating more internet-related resources into their lessons, but shrinking school budgets have prompted many educators to look for free resources to enhance their lessons.

There are numerous sites that can help, but we’ve picked 10 that our among our favorites. Click through to browse our list, and then tell us what some of your favorites are in the comments section.”

View the full list here

For a group of eighth graders in Iowa a language arts assignment turned into an eye-opening experience when they got the chance to speak with some of the CNN Heroes winners.

Their teacher assigned them to draw names of the CNN Hero finalists and try to reach out to them for a Skype session for class. Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, who was named a hero for his efforts to towards global hunger relief, shared stories with the students of other kids, worlds away, who don’t have even the simple luxuries the Dickinson County kids likely took for granted.

“For our kids to hear these stories about other students their age that all they want out of life is education and a meal,” teacher Chris Block told the Dickinson County News. “That’s pretty amazing– for our students to know what life is really like in other places.”

Read the full story here: http://tinyurl.com/6h85dxn
Learn more about CNN Heroes: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/index.html

“They grew up as Americans and pledge allegiance to our flag, and yet they live every day with the threat of deportation… Let’s stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing our research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation.”

“So we’ve had a pretty busy morning at the White House,” said Mrs. Obama, addressing an audience of more than a thousand young people from the Washington, DC area. President Obama and the First Lady began the day by welcoming Chinese President Hu Jintao for a State Visit.

Following the Arrival Ceremony, and continuing her focus on engaging youth around the world, the First Lady spoke to students about the importance of building relationships with their peers in China and creating a mutual understanding around the world.

She focused on the importance of studying abroad in support of the President’s “100,000 Strong Initiative” – a program that aims to increase the number of Americans who have the opportunity to study in China:

The fact is, with every friendship you make, and every bond of trust you establish, you are shaping the image of America projected to the rest of the world. That is so important. So when you study abroad, you’re actually helping to make America stronger.

And these experiences also set the stage for young people all over the world to come together and work together to make our world stronger, because make no mistake about it, whether it’s climate change or terrorism, economic recovery or the spread of nuclear weapons, for the U.S. and China, the defining challenges of our time are shared challenges. Neither of our countries can confront these alone. The only way forward, the only way to solve these problems, is by working together.

That’s why it is so important for more of our young people to live and study in each other’s countries. That’s how, student by student, we develop that habit of cooperation, by immersing yourself in someone else’s culture, by sharing your stories and letting them share theirs, by taking the time to get past the stereotypes and misperceptions that too often divide us.

Read the full post here: http://tinyurl.com/4vnx5kt

Michael Stone from “Are We Listening” interviews Jess Rimington, the Founder and Executive Director of One World Youth Project, about the unique global education opportunity it provides to University students as well as to middle/high school students worldwide.

Check out this inspiring video slideshow of how OWYP’s global curriculum has manifested in classrooms around the world, and how you can get involved!

To start off the year, we decided to share a story about a Grade 6 classroom in Ahmedabad, India, who “infected” India with the courage to lead change through innovation. View their story here:

“Children were designing solutions to a diverse range of problems – right from loneliness, to filling potholes on the street, to alcoholism, and 32 children who stopped 16 marriages in Rajasthan… it was incredible”

“So how can we stay immune? How can we stay immune to that passion, that energy, that excitement?”

Here’s to 2011, a year of global awareness and informed action among youth, leading change towards a more just world.

In the words of Secretary of State Clinton in her opening letter:

“New actors, good and bad, have the power to shape international affairs like never before. The challenges we face-nuclear proliferation, global pandemics, climate change, terrorism-are more complex than ever.”

http://globalsolutions.org/blog/2010/12/qddr-asks-question-how-can-us-do-better-peacekeeping-and-conflict-prevention

You could be one of these actors. Most people don’t realize the potential of focused thought and meticulous problem-solving to resolve challenges that impact thousands of people. Do you? Are you taking an innovation-driven approach to global and local issues?

One World Project Ambassadors inspire their communities with the creativity in their thought and action -

Project Ambassadors at the Prishtina (Kosovo) Hub during their extensive training

Project Ambassadors at the Doha (Qatar) Hub discussing topics to teach their Middle School students

Kim Fernandes, Campus Coordinator of the Doha (Qatar) Hub –

“One World Youth Project taught me to think about the future, to the degree that I have never done before. The program taught me to think about as many possible solutions around a problem as I could. The constant evaluation and problem-solving of issues in the community helped me to understand what I now believe to be an important part of education.”