We Inspire Futures is very pleased to bring you a conversation with visionary educators Mali Bickley and Jim Carleton. Listen as Mali and Jim explain the concept of balanced digital literacy in teacher and administrator professional development. Jim discusses the Lord of the Eflies and Mali explains how important it is to add a shared component to our practice. Setting a purpose for technology use is the key to success with projects that inspire students to collaborate with students around the world. http://www.weinspirefutures.com Mali Bickley has 31 years experience as a classroom teacher and literacy coach. Over the past 8 years, she has used ICT and successfully integrated literacy and content area curriculum to have her students connect, communicate and collaborate with several classes from around the world... She is the assistant country coordinator of iEARN Canada and designs and facilitates many international projects. Along with Jim Carleton, Mali was the Opening Keynote speaker at the National Education Computing Conference in 2008, speaking to 5000 educators, in San Antonio Texas and was interviewed by Lestor Holt of NBC News. Jim Carleton been a classroom teacher for 28 years. Presently Jim is the Informations Communications and Technology consultant at the Simcoe County District School Board in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Jim is passionate about using technology to connect students together globally to make a difference in the world. He has won numerous local and national awards for his work in using ICT to connect students from around the world in meaningful projects. Jim is the county coordinator for the Canadian division of the International Educational and Resource Network (iEARN) and also a member of several organizations that focus on global collaboration and responsible use of ICT. Both Jim Carlton and Mali Bickley have given workshops on collaborative Global Education projects and integrating ICT into classroom practice to many schools, districts, universities and organizations, including Taking it Global, World Vision, ECOO and NECC both nationally and internationally. They have helped students become highly engaged in global collaborative projects that use ICT. Jim and Mali facilitate several online courses, supporting teachers and students as they explore project based learning initiatives as they work collaboratively with others globally.