Teachers are often responsible for showing students the world. Thanks to technology,  global collaboration is possible—classrooms around the globe can partner on projects. This month’s #ILAChat, on Sept. 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET, coincides with  International Literacy Day, a time when we draw attention to education all over the world. Our Twitter chat hosts, Rusul Alrubail and Jennifer Williams, will take this opportunity to share their experiences and insights about global collaboration.

Alrubail is an education writer, consultant, and blogger who fled Iraq as a child to settle in Canada. Her education-focused career has taken her from teaching English to college undergraduates, to cofounding The Writing Project, an app helping students write better essays. She has written for major education publications including Edutopia, Education Week, and PBSNewshour, focusing her work on pedagogical practices in and out of the classroom, ESL learners, and the influence of education on global solidarity. A staunch advocate for worldwide literacy promotion, Alrubail shares her beliefs about education, social justice, and the power of student voices through social media and as a TEDx speaker.

Jennifer Williams has worked in education for more than 20 years as a school administrator, literacy specialist, and classroom teacher.  Currently, she is an education professor at Saint Leo University, a member of the ILA Board of Directors, and the lead program developer and cofounder of Calliope Global where she works with schools, universities, and organizations across the globe on initiatives to empower teachers and students to learn and explore together as digital composers in common learning spaces. She has presented her research on international connections through educational technology most recently  at the International Society for Technology in Education conference in 2016. Her research also earned her the American Montessori Society Research Award Grant in2015. Williams writes for Edutopia, Education Week, Literacy Today, and Literacy Daily, and is cofounder of Edcamp Tampa Bay, the #Read4Fun Twitter Chat, Edcamp Global, and several other literacy advocacy activities. Like Alrubail, Williams shares in the power and awe of teachers’ and students’ capacities for global change.

Both Alrubail and Williams have extensive experience with global collaboration and use it as a vital part of literacy education. Be sure to follow #ILAChat and @ILAToday on Sept. 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET to join the conversation.

Samantha Brant is ILA’s communication intern.