History of IEARN

I*EARN history in the world

iEARN has been linking schools internationally since 1988! In that year, the Copen Family Foundation, under the leadership of Peter Copen, linked 12 schools in Moscow with 12 schools in New York State in a pioneering demonstration that education could be enhanced and the quality of life on the planet improved if young people were to have the opportunity to use telecommunications technologies to engage in collaborative projects. Working with the New York State Education Department and the Academy of Science of the former Soviet Union, students worked in both English and Russian on curriculum-based projects designed by participating teachers. An independent evaluation of this demonstration project noted:

• students discussed political/social issues and international events more frequently than a control group
• students read more at home more news magazines and books by authors from other countries
• the project impacted students' awareness and understanding of international issues and current events
• enrollments in second language courses increased as students wrote for an authenic audience

The heart of the program was (and continues to be) the principle that students can be empowered to enhance their learning through interactive project-based learning and that they can, by addressing local, national and global issues in these projects, make a meaningful difference in the quality of life on the planet.

Based on teacher reactions (one told evaluators that it "was the most dynamic and rewarding educational experience I have had in my 22 years of teaching"), iEARN expanded to nine countries in 1990. In each country a "Center" was created to provide training and support for teachers who were at the cutting edge of educational change.

Based on the successful project work completed between 1990 and 1994, iEARN opened its network to schools worldwide and in 2000-2001 works with schools in over 90 countries. Most of these countries have their own iEARN Coordinator and teacher support structure to help educators integrate this technology into their classroom teaching and learning. In some countries the iEARN program is within the Ministry of Education. In other countries it is a separate non-profit organization with close ties to education and youth-service institutions. iEARN involves approximately 350,000 students annually in collaborative project work. It is growing exponentially as more classes become connected! These students and teachers speak a total of 29 languages!

During the last decade, iEARN teachers have received worldwide recognition and many awards. They have accumulated centuries of collective experience in how to design and implement collaborative project work on-line. They are now active leaders in the field of professional development and conduct trainings to enable additional educators to participate in interactive on-line educational work.

In 1994, iEARN teachers came together physically in Argentina to hold the first iEARN International Conference--which has become an annual event (Australia-1995, Hungary-1996, Spain-1997, USA-1998, Puerto Rico, 1999, Beijing, China, 2000) and will be held in Cape Town, South Africa in July 2001. Educators from over 60countries gather each year. This conference, which is open to all educators, is a chance to share and learn from teachers how technology is being used in their/your classroom (and to meet other teachers with whom you have been working on-line!). During the year, many other conferences/camps/meetings are held on the national and regional levels thoughout the world.

From 1998, iEARN has held an International Youth Summit in conjunction with the International Conference. Students from over 20 countries come together to build bonds of friendship and plan future collaborative project work.

Today, iEARN is a worldwide global community of educators who share a commitment and vision that telecommunications technologies can enhance teaching and learning--and make a human difference at the same time. iEARN involves students in interactive educational work for an authentic audience--their peers around the world.

iEARN is facilitated by Coordinators in each country. Each country with an iEARN Center is represented on the iEARN International Assembly, which determines policy for the worldwide program. This Assembly elects an "International Secretariat" to carry out its policies. Every two years the iEARN International Secretariat moves to a new country--insuring a truly global perspective and giving experience administering an international non-governmental organization to Center Coordinators throughout the world.