Drs. Estes and Koubek partner with Malmo University in Sweden

This past year, JMU’s College of Education has partnered with Malmo University, a university located in the Baltic Sea port city in Sweden. The relationship between the two universities has been mutually beneficial as it has allowed JMU's College of Education the opportunity to share innovative research and practice in the area of Educational Technology.

Malmo University (MU) does not currently offer a degree in Educational Technology. At the 2015 MU International Week Conference, Dr. Michele Estes delivered an invited keynote presentation on the topic of innovative technologies that may help serve a diverse student population. Diversity is a common thread between the cities of Harrisonburg and Malmo, where each boasts of having tens of languages and cultures represented in the public school systems.

Dr. Estes and Dr. Katya Koubek, also of JMU, delivered afternoon workshops at the International Week Conference in Malmo, on technology-related topics. Drs. Estes & Koubek made their first visit to Malmo University in October 2014, with support from OIP, to help initiate partnerships between JMU and MU Education faculty and programs. While at MU, Estes and Koubek also visited with faculty in the Glocal Classroom in the Communications and Development program at MU. The Glocal Classroom connects students participating in graduate work to provide learning opportunities that occur in real-time, across four continents.

During the Spring 2015 semester, Estes participated in a STINT grant application with the MU Communications and Development faculty to expand the Glocal Classroom to include JMU in some innovative ways. In addition, Estes was recently contacted by Glocal Classroom faculty who have an interest in visiting JMU as part of their fall visit to Rochester Institute of Technology, another U. S. partner. As a result of their Fall 2014 work, Mr. Mats Johnsson, MU Assistant Professor, came to JMU for a university-wide panel presentation and served as a participant in the 3-year JMU Summit Series.

The emerging international partnership between MU and JMU has so far resulted in faculty exchanging visits, a new study abroad program for TESOL students proposed by Dr. Koubek, and collaborative writing and research activities that engage Dr. Estes and the Education and Glocal faculty at Malmo University.

The remote collaboration process has already begun. These photos show Swedish faculty traveling through JMU’s Memorial Hall as they discuss emerging plans with Dr. Estes.

You can view Dr. Estes's entire keynote address online: "Innovative Technologies that Serve a Diverse and Engaged Classroom" (http://embed.bambuser.com/broadcast/5837458?autoplay=1)