Online Global Community and Collaborative Tools * SchoolMail * SchoolBlog for Project-Based Learning Dr. Rita Oates, VP Education

EDDIES winner ComputED Gazette EDDIE Award Best Multi-Level (High, Middle & Elem) Internet Communications Website Announced Oct. 8, 2008 Free for K12 students and teachers worldwide

Connecting 135,320+ registered schools in 200 countries 13 million students & teachers 2,000 new schools/month Teacher supervised Oldest social learning network

ePals Global Community Classroom Match

ePals Global Community Classroom Match – Submit Your Classroom Profile

Jennifer S. - United States From: Ms. Sylves | Posted On: October 08, 2008| ENGLISH 11 - ADVANCED PLACEMENT LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL - RURAL SUBURB OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, USA COOPERATIVE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES WANTED: -ANALYZE CURRENT OP-ED ARTICLES (free/online newspapers) IN YOUR ENGLISH/CURRENT EVENTS CLASS? -WANT TO COLLABORATE IN A FORUM DISCUSSION ABOUT CONTEMPORARY NON-FICTION? Please feel free to me; I am interested in working with you and your students. Location Washington, Pennsylvania, United States Language English, Spanish Number of participants100+ Age range14-18

ePals Global Community Classroom Search Classroom Search Search for another classroom interested in the same ePals topic Today’s New Classrooms Search all profiles of recently joined members currently seeking partners Search by Location Click on any area of the world map to find profiles in any country or territory Advanced Search Search according to parameters you set Project Search Join other ePals members in content based projects.

Search Immigration 2 Classroom Search

Search Immigration 2

2

Eliminate Language Barriers!

SchoolMail

Unique Features of SchoolMail 1.Language Translation: ePals SchoolMail is the first with built-in Language Translation. 2.Safe and Secure: Options for monitoring student work. SchoolMail was made specifically for school use with qualities that teachers asked for! 3.World’s Largest Online Learning Community: Use ePals SchoolMail to communicate with students, parents, peer educators, and members of the global community. Set limits that make educational sense for you.

Classroom Integration Authentic assessment Collect, share and analyze data Use vocabulary words within Round robin story writing Write an alternative ending to a story Respond to a daily news headline or topic Augment the textbook with eyewitness info

SchoolMail Language Translation

Students from the Guangxi School, China

Collaborating with Their California ePals………

Reflections The walls came down in my classroom, symbolically, in 2002, as I joined my high school sociology students to other students in the Czech Republic through the exchanging of e- mail letters. Since then, through the use of ePALS.com, I have had my students connected to Ukraine, Italy, France, Austria, Colombia, Romania, Uzbekistan, Germany, Philippines, Taiwan, Belgium, and China. ~ Candace Pauchnick ePals teacher in California

Student Monitored Mail monitoring lets you: Safely bring technology into the classroom. Preview students’ incoming and outgoing messages. Ensure that messages are appropriate to age, setting and context. Safely integrate student in appropriate, educational ways.

Level 1All messages must be approved by the monitor, whether they contain profanity or not. Level 2Messages containing profanity must be approved by the monitor, but unflagged messages will reach their recipients automatically. The monitor will also receive a copy of every unflagged message. Level 3Messages containing profanity must be approved by the monitor, but unflagged messages will reach their recipients automatically. The monitor will not see unflagged messages. Level 4All profanity filters are off. Filter Levels

SchoolBlog

ePals SchoolBlog features: Safe and Protected Personalized Domain Multi-Media Postings Policy Managed Calendar Surveys Design Templates Classroom-only, Parents- Only and Public Access Web Based Management and Storage

Blogging for educational uses Across your class only or all sections of a course, if you wish Share with a partner class (post photos visible only by partner students) Public only for parents, NOT for the larger world (if you wish) Easy substitute for a webpage, with survey questions, calendar, and more

ePals Global Community Free Collaborative Projects

Project Search

Select Project

Project Calendar

ePals Projects for Classroom Collaboration Topics are standards-based and of global interest See project index for all projectsproject index Use Classroom Match to find other classrooms in 200 countries and territories to collaborate with on project-based learningClassroom Match

ePals Training Blog –ePals SchoolMail Training Module –ePals SchoolBlog Training Module –Integration Resources –Reaching the NETS with ePals –ePals Videos –Promote the Vote Lesson

NETS

Here is What You Need To Get Started With ePals in Your Classrooms

Step 1: Come up with a great idea you know would benefit from global learning Do your students study different cultures or geographic locations? Would they benefit from collecting data and sharing it with another class? Are there any issues such as the environment or animal protection your students would be passionate about? Do you have any museums, zoos, or other resources nearby that could partner with you? Would they be interested in discussing a book or selecting the Caldecott winner with other classes?

Step 2: Create a Plan to Make it Happen Create a project calendar - set up deadlines, beginnings and endings, and milestones Look at state standards to make sure your project is supported Create Measurable Goals - what will the students produce? Keep it manageable - What can you really handle? How much time can you dedicate to the project? Determine how you will communicate with your partner schools

Step 3: Find Partners Submit your ePals Classroom Profile Profile Approval Reach out to Others through Classroom Match

Jump in and Watch the Magic Unfold Your students will walk away with a personal connection to the learning For inter-cultural exchanges, they will have tangible items from those regions They discover different perspectives They learn diplomacy They expand their 21st Century Skills

Recent Partnerships National Geographic Intel Classmate PC (on all Intel machines worldwide) One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) (on all desktops) IBM eMentoring Platform (14K mentors / mentees) Kan-Ed ( for 450K students + teachers in Kansas) StudyWiz (content system for Maine 1:1 project) * Ministry of Education, Kenya * * Announced July 15, 2008