One Globe Kids

One Globe Kids is an app that aims to give children an understanding of their place in the world, alongside the viewpoint of other children from different backgrounds around the globe.  It provides case studies of eight children from around the world, each with an in depth back story and several other related activities. Because it uses young children and tells their stories in their own words, it is very accessible and understandable for children who may not have much previous experience or knowledge about other global citizens.

After downloading the app, the user is asked a few simple questions, which allow children to get a sense of their position within the world, before they are shown a globe with the option of searching for new friends.  Many children are available here, with a diverse range of locations from across the globe.  Children have the option to explore each child's world from a variety of perspectives – including the story of their typical day, some background facts about their country, several language activities and the opportunity to have a “conversation”.

The combination of a clear voice-over, chronological narrative, interesting details and high-quality photos combine to create a story that will really inspire children in learning about another child's life. Without over-sensationalising, it makes it very clear that children around the world can have very different definitions of “normal”, whilst still providing many opportunities for discussing the similarities of different cultures. From a language perspective, there was a good exposure to vocabulary included within the typical day narrative, providing context for the other learning activities that follow.

After a clear introduction to the focus child, the language activities, although basic, give a good grounding of key vocabulary – in particular the ability to record your own voice and play it back worked well here.  The country facts were interesting, although rather focussed on comparisons with the USA for a global audience.  The final lovely feature though, is the “Tell Me About Yourself” section – where a child can record their part of a conversation consisting of questions supposedly asked by the child they've just found out about. This provides a real opportunity for reflection whilst maintaining user interest, especially since once again you can record your answers and play back the full “conversation” later on.  Photos alongside remind you of the other child's story as you go along.

As well as all the activities for young learners to use, the app contains extensive teacher notes and lesson planning ideas, which should be a real time-saver for any teacher wishing to use this app in class.  The ideas are clearly set out for each of five world locations, with lesson plans, question sets and discussion points included. Overall, this app provides an ideal starting point for lessons on global citizenship, diversity and human geography.