Monday, April 8, 2013

ePals- Connect the students



   Epals is a global teaching and learning community which connects more than 200 countries and territories. It's a great platform which promotes a meaningful and secure web 2.0 environment, and also it helps teachers and students from different age to reach  other learners of different background and reach different online sources for learning. Epals projects are centered around content and experience require teamwork, brainstorm and communication. By learning about relevant issues, students, teachers work together, and different people share their ideas. It's a communicative way to learn and teach, and  this learning experience motivates students for self-study, and helps their future career as well.
  I love the Global community products of ePals. It helps students and teachers to connect the others to cooperate and learn through communication. For example, Class in USA Seeks Email Exchange in Chinese , the teacher is asking for exchange of emails and skype for the students who learn Chinese in the states. It's a great way for students to learn the original languages, and to motivate their interests. I cannot help but thinking that if I were younger and I know to use ePals, I would have more connection to the English native speakers as well. Technology Class in Texas, USA Seeks Partners for Countries Around the World Project
is also a good project, which help students around the world to communicate based on the exploration of the Internet, and it also requires the learning of powerpoint, and students can learn the public presenting skills through the project.
  I'd like to apply the use of ePals in my future classroom, and I will start the project for the objects of letting Chinese students connect to the native English speakers of the same age, and letting my students to change the emails and skypes to communicate with others, and gain knowledge of both cultural and linguistic.


  

2 comments:

  1. Check out the new project: 1. for classes in China learning English to practice with native English speakers and 2. for classes learning Mandarin to practice with native speakers in China.
    It's free to participate: http://bit.ly/ChinaPals

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  2. I hope you will check out the project mentioned above. Although you are now presently teaching, you may have friends who are teaching and may be interested.

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