The other main area TINFA is involved in, is relationships in between schools, supporting exchanges in between schools that we support and schools in the Northwest.

We have started this work in 2006 with a yearlong virtual exchange in between Santa Maria in Bogota Colombia, and Coe Elementary in Seattle.

Last year, our family joined a long standing physical exchange that my children’s school (John Stanford Int’l) had with a school in the outskirt of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico (Juan de la Barrera). This year, I joined the trip again, this time through TINFA and as part of the organizing committee. I have been specifically focused on the interest of the school we are partnering with:

How can we support the strengthening of local capacities, among teachers, among the parent community, in between the administration and the district?
How can the long term current exchange evolve from a punctual week long visit to a continuous exchange?
How can technology support such initiatives?

TINFA will support the school in Mexico by providing technology training to the teachers for the year to come, as well as coordination engagement for the four virtual exchanges that both schools have defined and are planning on engaging in, during the coming school year.