Some projects from ePals

            

ePals

http://www.epals.com

              I would like to introduce some projects posted on ePals. ePals is Project-based learning website and it encourage teachers and learners all over the world to development their understanding about projects they are participating in. Through communication with global groups, we can share our ideas and develop our thought about teaching and learning.

1. A National Geographic Project

In this project, students will engage in a collaborative learning experience. Through email exchanges, students will build friendships and learn about the daily lives and characteristics of the local environment of students who live in another region of the world. This unit may be taught to both lower elementary students (grades 2-4) and to upper elementary and secondary students (grades 5-7). Their class is in North Carolina, USA.

2. A McGraw-Hill World Languages Project

This project is designed for native speakers of English who are learning Spanish, and native-Spanish speakers who are learning English. Only classes that meet this description will be accepted. Classes will be paired together for project collaboration so that students have the opportunity to practice the target language with native speakers. Personal interests, values, and beliefs all influence a person’s identity. Culture also plays a role in how humans see themselves and how they identify with the world around them. Through getting to know other people, especially people from different cultures, we have the opportunity not only to gain insight into how others view themselves but also to learn more about ourselves.

3. Education Around the World Project

This project is designed by Ms. Megan Wood, an education student in college at Missouri Western State University. She is a pre-service teacher looking to start a project about education curriculum and systems around the world. She wants to present this information at a conference. She wants to deal with communication (emails, letters, video chat) with elementary schools around the world, Media (pictures, videos, etc.) and contact with students, teachers, and administrators. As a teacher getting ready to go into the workforce, she wants to experience and learn as much diversity in the global education system to prepare herself.

Actually, I could not find lots of language learning projects in this website. However, there are many projects every age groups and interest such as culture, music, nature and so on. Especially, I would like to use 1. A National Geographic Project. Because I will be back to my country after graduation and teach Korean students, I want to apply this project in our EFL educational environment. Without visiting the real classroom of other countries, my future students will be able to communicate with students who live in other countries via email. Through this process, my students will not only learn other cultures and practice their English with friends all over the worlds.