Students Exploring PenPalSchools Updates

Currently I am using PenPalSchools-World Explorer Project as a Blended Learning Opportunity for my 6th Grade World Culture Students. Each week the students watch a video, read a brief article and explore regions of the world to learn about an aspect of culture. After they explore the site, each student answers a question about our community's cultures, once the answer is submitted the students have access to thousands of students' answers from all over the world. At this point they also have an opportunity to discuss each answer with the author. The project works well in blended learning setting, the project is not meant to be used in isolation. Many of the students that I have in my classroom have not had interactions with a variety of world cultures, The World Explorer Project allows them to gain experiences that they can bring to classroom discussions and activities.

This is the third year that I have been using PenPalSchools but recently there has been significant changes. The changes happen right before school started and did not allow time for me to explore before starting the students on their projects. The students and I are investigating the new the changes to PenPalSchools together! A change that the students have shown excitement for is the showcase and the project choices. Previously the project was not introduced until the reflection (the last reflection) and there was only one. The students now have four different choices with the fourth option to design their own project. The showcase allows the students to work on the choice project throughout with feedback from the penpal community (ISTE Student 1 & 4). Right now, I do not know how to use the showcase to benefit the students. The students are playing with showcase, adding notes for the finally project and sharing thoughts with the community. At the end we will share our final project in the showcase. The students will then tell me what they thought, provide feedback before we decide how it will be used. In previous projects students struggled with what they called “campers.” Students that had been placed in their groups but did not respond or take part in the project discussions. (I learned that camper is a gaming term that many used in Fortnite.) PenPalSchools has eliminated the “camper” by creating a forum. Students now have access to thousands of responses from all over the world not just a pod of 3 or 4. This will be an amazing help to our class, especially for 1st quarter when we have started school and the rest of the world is still on summer vacation. (ISTE Student 2 &7). These are major changes I would not have been able to discover without the help of students.

As an educator my favorite change is no more waiting for a match day! We can work at our pace, design the projects to work fit into our schedules and our class lessons to create a truly blended learning experience (ISTE Educator 5 & 6). Finally, I can invite educators I have connected with join in our the projects my students. I can continue to make connections and help my students make connections all over the world (ISTE Educator 3 & 4).

Check out PenPalSchools and Happy PenPal-ing!