How to use ePals

to find a
collaborative
partner
classroom

Rita Oates, PhD

[email protected]
www.epals.com
 What collaborations do you have
now?
1. Within school
2. Within school district
3. Within state, province or region
4. Within your country
5. Outside borders of your country
6. NO collaborations at all
Have you ever used ePals for
a global project of any kind?
YES: Click on the green check
mark
NO: Click on the red X
How do you find collaborative
partners?

Type a brief statement in

the chat box on the left.
Summary of Suggestions
Learning Objective: To summarize suggestions of how to find a collaborative partner

Suggestions to help find a collaborative partner

Be active in asking others to collaborate with you
Check the date of the profiles
Ask for a referral
Change your method of search
Open your search to other areas or ages
Take a look at Teacher Spotlight!
Update your profile so your classroom is on the front page
Ask one of your colleagues who uses ePals to help you
Contact ePals Support if all else fails
Tips from an ePals Teacher
John L. of Maryland, USA offers this tip on searching classroom profiles

New Classroom Profiles

If you are looking for an eager partner, check classroom profiles approved today.
Brand new members of ePals are often very eager to get started, and they respond
enthusiastically to requests for collaboration. -- John L, USA
Tips from an ePals Teacher
Reinhard Marx of Germany offers tips on finding a collaborative partner

Finding a Collaborative Partner

Even if you only want one partner, try to
find about five. Sometimes, teachers will
stop their cooperation just before the
active part of the project. You can’t always
plan interruptions, so it can be better to
have a few partners.
 If you try to find partners from abroad,
start looking at least six months ahead of
time to get everything arranged.
 Have specific details ready: when you
want to start; how long your project will
run.
Tips from an ePals Teacher
Hagit G of Israel offers this tip for searching classroom profiles

Searching classroom profiles: Check the date

• When searching classroom profiles, pay close attention to the two dates listed: Posted
On and Member Since.
• Many active ePals users regularly update their profiles. So, if a member joined more
than a year ago, and has a newer profile date, the teacher may have had some
collaborative experiences and be looking for a new partner classroom.
• If a teacher already has a match, ask him or her for suggestions. – Hagit G, Israel
 Hill City Elementary

Bringing the world to rural Kansas

through social networking
USA Statewide projects with ePals
• Maine: 150,000 students
• Wisconsin: 800,000 students
• Pennsylvania: 1.8 million students
• Kansas: 400,000 students
• Colorado: 800,000 students

States with a few large cities and many

students in rural schools.
 Country and area agreements
• Ministry of Education, Kenya
• Thailand, L.E.A.P. (public and private)
• Eduteka, Latin America, 75,000 teachers
• Global Gateway, UK
Example profile: Students learning to
speak English
 Example profile:
Science class studying habitats
 Goals
• What is ePals?
• Stories of collaboration
• Finding a global partner with ePals
• What are my first steps?
• More resources
• Connecting 600,000
classrooms in 200
countries & territories
• 2,500 new
schools/month
• Policy managed and
Teacher supervised
• Trusted pipeline
to the world’s
classrooms
• TRUSTe certification
ePals Brings Next-Generation Solutions to Schools
free -- students and their teachers locate, connect
with and work collaboratively with another class
free -- secure online communication for students, parents,
teachers and administrators, instant translation in 58
languages, allows administrators to establish school-
safe usage policies. Used by New York City and many
other districts.

A virtual workspace optimized for creating, sharing,

managing and collaborating on educational content.
Integrated web 2.0 tools: new version of
SchoolBlog, wikis, forums, digital portfolios, cloud-
based storage and ePals SchoolMail, all with
industry-leading safety and security for K-12
schools. $4 per student license

ePals’ grade 3-5 curriculum-based e-mentoring program

 Partnerships
• National Geographic
• Microsoft
• Low-cost laptop projects:
– One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)
– Intel Classmate PC
• STEM eMentoring Platform
– 14,000 mentors / mentees
– Secondary school activity (US gr. 6-12)
– funded by IBM Foundation
 Goals
• What is ePals?
• Stories of collaboration
• Finding a global partner with ePals
• What are my first steps?
• More resources
We'd like you to meet our ePals from Brazil
Mrs. Russell's First Grade
Glenwood Elementary
Vestal, NY
 Hello From Sao Paolo, Brazil

School: EMEIF "Terezinha do Menino Jesus Porto Wuó"

Town: Santa Branca
State: Sao Paolo
Country: Brazil
The School in Brazil
Our square is being rebuilt. See how our town
is a hilly place!
 Collaboration across the Digital Divide:
New York Students and their ePals in
Botswana

A story of global
connections that
transcend socio-
economic status,
culture and place.
Students from the Guangxi School, China

A story that
embraces shared
language and
cultural awareness.
Collaborating with Their California ePals………

These teachers have worked

together for eight years….some
projects are just a few weeks or
months!
Email Improves Reading and
Writing Test Scores

State standardized test scores from a

Newark Public Schools 4th grade class
show significant reading and writing
improvement through twice weekly use of
email letter writing with fellow classmates
and a peer classroom in Italy.
http://www.epalscorp.com/about/news/press_feb08_06.html
Louisiana and United Kingdom
The students had so much fun reading emails
from their new friends. They learned many ways
they were alike as well as different.

The student groups wrote about different

aspects of their schools and videoed themselves
to create a "documentary" about their school and
community. We then exchanged "culture
parcels" with the other class.
 Loudoun County (VA)
Public Schools
• Students study communities in grade 3.
• Contact classrooms from elsewhere in Virginia
(urban/rural/suburban) and exchange information about
their communities. 
• Children grasp the idea of “rural,” “urban,” to compare to
their own “suburban” as they communicate with peers
from these areas. 
• Next the class has a collaboration with a classroom in an
area like theirs but in another country!
• Teachers use videoconferences with classrooms. 
• Students use presentations and Google Earth to
showcase their communities.
 Most Popular Long-term Matches
#1 English as a Second Language teachers
outside an English-speaking country want
to pair their students with students in
English countries
#2 Teachers of foreign language want to
pair their students with native speakers
(i.e., teacher of Spanish wants to have
Spanish speakers in Mexico, Chile, Spain)
French class in Spain
Spanish class in S. Korea
 Goals
• What is ePals?
• Stories of collaboration
• Finding a global partner with ePals
• What are my first steps?
• More resources
 Finding a global match
• Search by map
• Look at “new schools” scroll on home
page for newest profiles
• Search by classroom
• Search in Project Forums or Teacher
Forums
Search by Map
1. Select a continent
2. Select a
Country
3. Select a classroom from the profiles
Eliminate language barriers
with translation tool!
 English version
of the Spanish profile
 Translation to 58 languages!
• Most common languages listed first
• Less common languages listed second
• Both in alphabetical order
• This is an expansion as of late June 2009
from eight languages
Cautions…about your assumptions
• What age students are in Primary School?
• What age students are in a school called
“College”? Or a “colegio”?

• When does the school year start and end?

• When are vacations or holidays?
 Finding a global match
• Search by map
• Look at “new schools” scroll on home
page for newest profiles
• Search by classroom
• Search in Project Forums or Teacher
Forums
ePals home page
New schools today
Profile from Poland
ESL students in Ireland
New Zealand
Rural Oregon gr. 3-4
 Finding a global match
• Search by map
• Look at “new schools” scroll on home
page for newest profiles
• Search by classroom
• Search in Project Forums or Teacher
Forums
Searching Classroom Profiles
Learning Objective: To understand different ways to search classroom profiles

Search Options
• Key Word (“environment”)
• Language spoken in classroom
(ePals tracks 136 languages)
• Geography: US, Canada, World
• Advanced Search
Search Classroom Profiles
Learning Objective: To know how to find a partner by searching classroom profiles

1. Go to Collaborate Tab.
2. Click on Search Classroom Profiles.
3. Click on link for Advanced Search.
4. Fill in 1-2 boxes to target results.
5. If necessary, remove one of the
filters to have a wider search.
6. Results are displayed with newest
profiles first.

 Remember: You must have an approved

profile to contact ePals members through
Classroom Match.
 Be specific about what you want!
• What do you study?
– Use keywords from your curriculum
– Geography: Mexico, Brazil, Russia
• Do you want to use an ePals project?
– Which one?
• When does your school year start and end?
– March-June is end of year in Iowa, but start of school
year in Chile
• Interesting way for your students to practice
writing to non-English speakers
– Make them more aware of how they say things so
they aren’t confusing!
 Finding a global match
• Search by map
• Look at “new schools” scroll on home
page for newest profiles
• Search by classroom
• Search in Project Forums or Teacher
Forums
Search Project Forums
Learning Objective: To know how to find a partner by searching Project Forums

Project Forums
• Digital Storytelling
• The Way We Are
• Global Warming
• Habitats
• Maps
• Natural Disasters
 Reminder: You must have an
• Water approved profile to contact ePals
• Weather members of the Global Community
through Classroom Match
 How to Search Project Forums
Learning Objective: To understand how to find a partner by searching Project Forums

1. Go to Collaborate Tab.
2. Click on Search by Project.
3. View Index Page for Project Forums
4. Choose a Project
• Teacher Forum: Find a Partner
• Student Forum: Discuss Project
• Project Resources: Discuss
Project details or suggest
resources to help with it
5. Respond to messages or post your
own.
Search Teacher Forums
Learning Objective: To know how to find a partner by searching Teacher Forums

Teacher Forums
• ePals Wanted
• Literature in the Classroom
• Teacher Spotlight
• Ongoing Projects
 How to Search Teacher Forums
Learning Objective: To know how to find a partner by searching Teacher Forums

1. Go to Collaborate Tab.
2. Click on Search in Teacher Forum.
3. Index Page for Teacher Forum
• ePals Wanted
• Ongoing Projects
• Literature in the Classroom
• ePals Teacher Spotlight
4. Respond to messages or post your
own.
 Reminder: You must have an approved profile
to contact ePals members in the Global
Community through Classroom Match
Tips from an ePals Teacher
Reinhard Marx of Germany offers tips on finding a collaborative partner

Finding a Collaborative Partner

Even if you only want one partner, try to
find about five. Sometimes, teachers will
stop their cooperation just before the
active part of the project. You can’t always
plan interruptions, so it can be better to
have a few partners.
 If you try to find partners from abroad,
start looking at least six months ahead of
time to get everything arranged.
 Have specific details ready: when you
want to start; how long your project will
run.
Finding a Collaborative Partner:
Key Factors
Learning Objective: To understand potential problems in finding a partner

1. When are school vacations?

2. What languages do your students
speak?
3. How large is your classroom?
4. How old are your students?
Finding a Partner: Be Flexible!
Learning Objective: To know how to find a partner by being flexible

Communication is Important – Be Flexible!

Be Open – try new topics and projects
Be Clear – outline project and activities clearly
Be Flexible – adapt your project as needed
Be Understanding – help the other teacher
meet her instructional goals too
Be a Leader – be willing to direct the project
Tips from an ePals Teacher
John Doubleday, Australia, offers these tips for ePals teachers

Tips to Finding a Partner

Be patient. Start looking for a
classroom match six months before
you are ready to start your project
Be flexible. If you find a teacher on
ePals with whom you can talk easily,
but who doesn’t teach your subject --
don’t throw away the contact. See if
you can get that to recommend a
colleague who may be interested.
--John Doubleday
Australia
Tips from an ePals Teacher
Carole Schacter, Pennsylvania, USA, offers these tips for ePals teachers

Tips to Finding a Partner

Work as a team with others in your
school. I search for partners for several
teachers from my middle school. When I
was looking for my own students, I would
see potential partners for them too. I
wanted partners grade 5 for my language
arts students, but I could find similar age
students for other teachers and make the
first contact for them. --Carole Schacter
Pennsylvania, USA
 How do you get a profile?
• You fill out some basic contact info
• You write your profile
• We have real people who read and
approve them…or ask for revisions!

Teachers can’t contact other classrooms

without having a profile submitted and
approved.
 ePals Global Community
Classroom Match – Create Your Classroom Profile
 ePals Forums (also free)
• Student Forums
– We mediate the forums, so you don’t have to
read and approve postings.
– Your students can collaborate with other
students safely, over the weekend.
– Your students can search and read student
postings to see what others have said, a great
way to practice authentic reading and writing!

• Adults can post in adult forums; students

in Student Forum
Student Forums
Student Forum: Social Issues
Student viewpoints: Turkey, USA
 Goals
• What is ePals?
• Stories of collaboration
• Finding a global partner with ePals
• What are my first steps?
– Join ePals
– Write your profile
– Look for matches
– See what other teachers have done
– Your students can look at teacher profiles too!
• More resources
ePals Members Create Global Projects
 ePals classroom teachers are
presenting during this conference
Wednesday, 11/17
• 10 pm EST: Elizabeth Simmons,
keynote, USA
Thursday, 11/18:
• 6 am EST: Namita Verma, Charlotte
Pederson and Eather Newaz, India
• 3 pm EST: Hagit Goldstein, Israel
• 11 pm EST: Thomas Beckett, Hong Kong
Friday, 11/19:
• noon EST: Laurel Strothers, Canada
Keynotes speaking about ePals
• 10 pm EST 11/17: Elizabeth Simmons,
keynote, GA, USA
– Six projects for NETS-S in elementary writing
• 11 am EST, 11/18: Dr. Howie DiBlasi,
keynote, Texas, USA
– Creativity
• Noon EST, 11/19: Ken Graham, NY, USA
– District-wide Collaboration Platform
 One-email exchanges too!
• Students create 10 questions for a classroom in
a country they are studying in Geography, things
“not in the book”
• Students search global community and find five
potential partner classes
• Students copy profiles into a Word file
• Students submit questions and profiles to
teacher
• Teacher writes to the other teachers, pasting in
the student questions…..
Sample one-email from teacher
Dear (teachername),
My geography class in Massachusetts has
questions about your country. Could you please
have a few students answer these questions in
an email to me?
If possible I would like to have the answers by
Nov. 15.
Here are the questions:
<paste in the students’ questions>
Thanks so much for your help. Please let us know
if we can answer any questions about
Massachusetts!
 Goals
• What is ePals?
• Stories of collaboration
• Finding a global partner with ePals
• What are my first steps?
• More resources
 How Tos, Manuals
Under Help from home page
Finding a Collaborative Partner
Tutorial # 12

In this tutorial, we show

how to find collaborative
classroom partners. We
show different ways to
search for a partner,
suggest factors to consider
when searching, and help
French and American ePals
set expectations about meet in New York City after
working collaboratively. A few sampleforpages
collaborating a whole
from tutorial
school year
Goals of this Tutorial
Learning Objective: To understand the process of finding collaborative partners

The goals of this tutorial are:

• To demonstrate different
ways to find collaborative
partners
• to suggest factors to
consider when searching for
partners
• to set expectations about
finding partners
• to share tips for creating a
great classroom match
Search by Country
Learning Objective: To know how to find a partner by searching classroom profiles

1. Go to Collaborate Tab.
2. Click on Search By Country.
3. Click on a region on the interactive
map.
4. Choose a country.
5. Read profiles from that country.

 Reminder: You must have an approved profile

to contact ePals members of the Global
Community through Classroom Match
 Student Testimonial
Inês M of Portugal comments on her collaborative experience

When we were told that we were going to

talk with American students, we didn’t
really know what we were getting into.
We already knew things about the
American culture by what we saw in the
movies or read in books, but it’s completely
different when we are talking about it with
people who live there and can tell us their
perspective of it. . . .In my point of view,
this was a great experience because the
USA is the country that fascinates me the
most, and I love to speak English, so I try to
speak it whenever I get the chance.
Inês M and her classmates in Braga,
--Inês M, Portugal Portugal
Summary of Suggestions
Learning Objective: To summarize suggestions of how to find a collaborative partner

Suggestions to help find a collaborative partner

Be active in asking others to collaborate with you
Check the date of the profiles
Ask for a referral
Change your method of search
Open your search to other areas or ages
Take a look at Teacher Spotlight!
Update your profile so your classroom is on the front page
Ask one of your colleagues who uses ePals to help you
Contact ePals Support if all else fails
Review
Learning Objective: To know how to find collaborative partners for your classroom

This tutorial:
• Demonstrated several ways to find collaborative partners
• Help set expectations about finding collaborative partners
• Shared tips for having a successful search for partners
Thank you!
Rita Oates, PhD
[email protected]
www.epals.com