ePals+Global+Community


 * Overview:**

ePals is an online resource that connects teachers to projects and other schools around the world. The site is said to be safe and secure and can even provide students with safe school email addresses. Below are some "Reasons to Join ePals" as listed on [|www.epals.com]:




 * Projects:**

ePals has many projects available for teachers to choose from. There are project sponsored by the website and National Geographic as well as projects that are posted by site members.
 * There appears to be eight ePals/Nat Geo projects available. They each contain essential questions and correlate with national standards. Here is an example of a project listed on the ePals website:

When you click on the "Digital Storytelling" link, it brings you "project elements" and a "project calendar". Each collaborative project is well-organized and seeminly easy to implement. The projects on ePals are comprehensive and interesting. Topics include high-profile topics such as global warming and natural disasters.

If you were to decide to collaborate with another classroom, it would be a challenge to follow through with the project step-by-step according to the timeline given. It would take a big commitment to do so. You do not have to pair up with another class, but the project assignments include sending emails that answer questions that explore the topic.

If you were to commit to completeing a project with another class, there are a lot of positives. First of all, your students would be exposed to perspecitves of another culture (if you choose to pair up with students from another country/region). I think it would be exciting for your students to collaborate with other students from across the globe. It could generate excitement about that culture which in turn would lead to more learning.

Drawbacks include student safety. While the website claims to be "save and secure", you are still exposing your class to people outside of the safe school walls. Such interactions could be looked down upon by parents and/or the school system.


 * How to Join:**

Joining ePals is free. You sign up, they send you an email, you verify your email and complete your registration. After you are registered, you can sign up your students and/or create a profile so you can find other schools to collaborate with.