EPal allows teachers to connect with classrooms in 200 countries across the world. Teachers can work together to figure out the logistics of pairing students together to email, how often to email, and what topics to email about (will it be part of a geography or cultural unit). There are also projects that ePal has topics, questions and overviews already created for teachers to use in their classroom. The site also includes sections on biodiversity, black history, storytelling and a Team Earth section that focus on climate change and how to protect the planet. All these options are great add-ons for a teacher to use in lessons throughout a school year.
Students can also use the pen pal opportunity to ask questions to the other students about life in another country. They can use these questions to learn about the similarities and differences that they share with children across the world. How many siblings do you have? Who do you live with? How long is your school day? Whats your favorite color? What do you do for fun? Where do you live?
I also found a site that listed 50 ways to use Skype in the classroom. It listed ways that teachers can use Skype to promote education, and community with links to the information. It also had links to others sites for connecting with others across the world through Skype.
Some of the great ideas for use Skype in the classroom include:
1. See Me, Hear Me: Skype in the Classroom. Read how these students had the opportunity to chat with an author of the book they studied via Skype.
2. Field trips. If students aren't able to participate in a field trip due to factors such as budgetary or distance constraints, use Skype to bring the field trip into the classroom.
3. Field trips. If students aren’t able to participate in a field trip due to factors such as budgetary or distance constraints, use Skype to bring the field trip into the classroom.
4. Inclusion — helping a classmate join the classroom from home. This blog post explains how a 4th grade class used Skype to help a classmate with leukemia become a part of the classroom from her home.
5. Foreign culture lessons. Skype allows students to see first hand what people’s homes, schools, clothing, weather, and more looks like. If a festival takes place, Skype can bring it to your classroom too.
6. Best Day Ever!. This teacher describes three Skype calls her class had in one day–the most exciting being with a class in a different time zone with whom her students had been collaborating on a project through Google docs. With Skype, the students got to work at the same time and actually see each other, too.
It is amazing how big skype has gotten and how quickly it has grown. I think it is an extremely valuable tool for international communication that is relatively simple for young people to use.
ReplyDeleteEpals sounds like a great way for students to communicate around the world, I especially like that teacher have the ability to recommend pairs for their students. I also liked all the ideas you provided for communication through global communities. Like Jessica stated, I'm also amazed by the growth of skype and its involvement in education.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, I like your list for uses of Skype in a classroom. I mostly had thought about Skype as a way for students to connect with long distance pen pals. The "Meeting" an author through the use of Skype is a great way to help students become more excited about literature. I also liked the way that Skype can be used as a way to help connect students who may not be able to physically be in the classroom. Connecting with the global community is becoming increasingly easier!
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