GenYES student and teachers already know that computers enhance collaborative learning within the classroom, but may not know how they can also help students establish educational ties outside the classroom.
By using what we call Email-pals your students can use e-mail to collaborate with others. This may give students a way to learn about the world in a more direct way than reading a book, watching a video, or doing Internet research.
If you’d like to find another GenYES school to collaborate with, just let me know. I’d be happy to find you an eager partner for this. Some GenYES schools in California and New York have already begun to experiment with this collaboration technique.
All GenYES schools have the option of exercising their complimentary Gaggle subscription to ensure their students have safe email. If you have not activated your Gaggle account please contact megan@genyes.com and we will activate this premium subscription for you.
If E-palling is not an option for your district there are many other ways for your students to collaborate with others. Don’t forget that Generation YES has the OCN (Online Collaboration Network) located right on the GenYES teacher and student homepage. This tool is a wonderful way for student to collaborate with other GenYES students in a safe, private environment.
GenYES teacher Patty Weeg in Maryland has many examples of global collaboration projects for all grades and subject areas on her website. Many of these projects were facillitated by GenYES students working with teachers campus-wide.
You may want to check out these alternatives:
www.globalschoolhouse.org- The Global School House is a free Internet learning community that provides wonderful opportunities for computer-based collaboration. At the Global School House site, students will find collaborative projects such as virtual field trips, cyberfairs, contests, opportunities to create online newspapers, and links to service projects.
www.iearn.org- A subscription based service that allows your students to join a community with worldwide connections using internet-based discussions that revolve around each project, giving kids an international perspective on the topic they are studying. Some of our schools in Kansas use this community with in the GenYES and TechYES programs.
A few more options here.
Please let us know if your school has a neat collaboration tool that links students across the globe! We love to share and collaborate too!
My 5th graders are e-mail pals with a class in New York. This is a wonderful opportunity for these kids in rural Northern California to connect with kids their age across the country. They are excited every day to see if they have received new mail!