What is ePales?

How to extend your classroom to the whole world?
How to fueled your students to know more about what you taught?
How to let your students to exchange their opinion to students with different backgrounds (culture, language, geographic, religious, country, economic, etc…)?

I think “ePals” is great tool to connect classrooms to become an international community.
It offers a global platform for learning online.

What do you need to know about “ePals”
http://www.epals.com/groups/about/pages/epals-overview.aspx

How do I use ePals in my class?

Topic

How typhoon Morakot affect Taiwan ---Aug 9, 2009.
Typhoon is type of natural disaster.

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1026804&lang=eng_news
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/16/taiwan.president.typhoon/index.html


Essential Questions
1. What is typhoon?
2. What combination of factors causes typhoon?
3. What type nature disasters occur in your country?
Objectives
1. Students will be able to identify typhoon characteristics.
2. Students will be able to identify where specific typhoon occur.
3. Students will be able to describe methods of predicting typhoon.
4. Students will learn how to prepare for typhoon and what to do when it occur.
5. Students will create natural disaster preparedness presentations about natural disasters that could occur where their ePals live.

Culminating Activity
Student pairs (or groups 3~5) create natural disaster preparedness presentations about a natural disaster that could occur in their ePals’ country. Students choose from a variety of presentation formats: a homepage, a PowerPoint slide show or a television advertisement.

Project Elements
This project has four parts:
1. Engage, Activate Prior Knowledge and Build Context;
2. Students exchange three emails with their ePals;
3. Create presentations about their ePals’ countries as a culminating activity; and,
4. Reflect/Assess.
Supporting Questions
1. Which natural disasters have occurred or may occur in your community and in your ePals’ communities?
2. How can you prepare for natural disasters?
3. What should you do when a natural disaster occurs in your area?
Academic Vocabulary
typhoon, natural disaster, flood, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, tsunami, thunderstorm, volcano.


Materials/Handouts
Culminating Activity Rubric
Email Rubric Reflections/Assessments
1. Students respond to essential and supporting questions.
2. Students share their personal experiences with typhoon (or other natural disasters).
3. Evaluate natural disaster preparedness presentations for accuracy of information, fulfillment of criteria, and engagement of audience.
4. Review email exchanges to assess:
· student communication skills,
· comprehension of subject matter,
· ability to fulfill requirements of the program,
· interest in the experience,
· growth and change.

First Grader's Speech Contest

The way I use blogs in class

1. It provides a platform to interact with students and parents.
2. It gives students motivation to excel and use their life experience to life-long learning.
3. It can also be a tool for global communication.