1. Awareness of the Wider World
2. Appreciating Similarities and Valuing Differences
3. Taking Responsibility for One's Behaviors
4. Community Participation and Willingness to Take Action
5. Understanding of and Responsiveness to Economic Disparity

Not only does this fit many objectives in Social Studies curricula, but it supports some essential National Educational Technology Standards for Students objectives as well, namely in the areas of "Communication and Collaboration" and "Digital Citizenship:"

Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

• interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media, and
  
• develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.

Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:

• demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning, and
• exhibit leadership for digital citizenship."

I started with Panwapa last year in my first grade classes and they loved it. The content is recommended for ages 5 to 10 years and engages students with three main components. The first is a collection of videos: Episodes about Panwapa, featuring the Muppet characters who are building a community there, as well as video featuring and explaining different cultures around the world. The videos can be streamed directly from the Panwapa site, or acquired via DVD. Another component to the program is the "Outreach Kit" that includes a magazine, game board, and other resources for classroom use. And finally, the Panwapa site itself, where students can create a virtual avatar and house and interact in a completely safe way with other students from around the world, as well as play games with the Panwapa characters.

Panwapa comes from the Tshiluba language which is spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa and means "here on this earth." In the program, Panwapa is an imaginary "floating Island" on which the characters live. Each video episode shows how they work together to build a community, modeling how to learn about and accept different cultures. For instance, in the first episode, a monster by the name of Azibo comes to the Island to live. The other inhabitants learn to overcome their misconceptions and fear of him by getting to know his interests and realizing that they have a lot in common (this is carried out with the "Panwapa card" that all inhabitants create to express their interests). In another episode, a family of sheep come to the Island and the inhabitants have to learn to communicate with them (they speak "Baa") as well as reach a resolution regarding the sharing of Island resources (the sheep need part of the field that has been used for Soccer in order to eat). These are huge issues here, presented in an understandable and entertaining way, helping students to overcome xenophobia at an early age.

At the Panwapa site, students enthusiastically join the virtual community as they create the look of their avatar and house and then create their own Panwapa cards that express individual interests. Students then explore the world by finding other students who share their interests and collecting Panwapa cards throughout their journey. Students can view the world by sorting different attributes (i.e., all those who's favorite food is pizza, or those who love cats), and are able to appreciate the things we have in common as well as come to appreciate our differences throughout the world. Students play games that introduce them to different cultures, such as "Hide and Seek" which can be played in different languages.

Tying all of this together is a comprehensive and outstanding curriculum created by two Apple Distinguished Educators, Kris Vassos and Gayle Berthiaume, available at the Apple Learning Interchange. Vassos and Berthiaume offer up "formal" and "informal" lessons for educators to compliment the program off-line, accomplishing most, if not all, Social Studies objectives for most curricula.

Panwapa is an excellent example of how technology can compliment and enhance curriculum and engage students as they learn about their world and become global citizens in the 21st Century.

----------------------
Citation:
"ISTE | NETS for Students 2007." ISTE | Home. 18 September, 2008.

Bob Sprankle has been a multi-age teacher in Wells, ME for 10 years and has served as the school's Technology Integrator for the past two years.

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