The DOs and DON'Ts for using keypals for language practice Thomas N. Robb Kyoto Sangyo University

Types of Keypal Configurations 1-on-1 1-to-many class-to-class many-to-many

Timing Considerations The starting and ending times for class terms varies from country to country as does the number of class meetings during the week. You need to find a class that is relative compatible with your own schedule. See this link for the term times of many countries:

Where to find keypals Social networking sites Myspace.com, facebook.com IECC -- Intercultural Classroom Connections (class-to-class) KidCafe: eypals-a.htmlhttp:// eypals-a.html

SL Project web-based corresponence in Moodle forums Archive of all messages Teachers can view and track the messages of particular students

Tandem Learning Learning in tandem is a form of open learning, where people with different native languages work together in pairs in order to learn each other's language. to learn more about their partner and his culture. to exchange knowledge - e.g. about their professions.

Preparing your students Show them models of good s Teach them the essential parts (To, cc, bcc, subject line, body, attachments) Have them practice among themselves first. Check their first before they hit the “send” button

What to do after the first time Set some goals for your students In class-to-class arrangements, make sure that your goal and those of the other class agree.

Understanding The Other Class's Expectations Be sure that you and your partner teacher(s) mutually understand: how each teacher plans to integrate the keypal relationship into his/her own curriculum. Is it a just an 'add-on' activity or is at an integral part of the course? how frequent the correspondence will be and of what general length.

. how the students' participation will be evaluated. Both teachers should be placing similar weight on the keypal project since this strongly affects the frequency and quality of the correspondence. If a mismatch occurs, students who are depending on the e- mail might be disappointed Continued...

Thank you!