ePals+Review

Article Review ** ePals ** Standard Addressed ** This seems like a really cool site. There are a lot of options for both teachers and students and best of all most of it appears to be free. There are four different parts to the ePals site: I am still a bit unfamiliar with how this all works, but I feel after a bit of playing around with it I would understand. I am definitely going to set up an account and try and use the free programs that are offered to help enhance my teaching.
 * 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility (a,b,c,d)
 * __ ePals Learning Space __** - There is a cost to use the part of the site. It allows students and teachers to use things like blogging, wikis, forums, etc. In the reading it mentions that this is very safe and secure way to collaborate online.
 * __ ePals Global Community __** – This part of the site is free. I thought it was really cool that you could email to over 200 countries and it would translate your words so that the other students knew what you were talking about. I also really enjoyed how you could post videos. I tried to watch a few, but they didn’t work. I also really enjoyed the different units of study that are available to teachers. Through this you also had access to National Geographic digital content.
 * __ ePals SchoolMail __** - This is also free. This particular part to the site allows students to email back and forth, but under the watchful eye of the teachers. The teachers can monitor what is written and still allow some freedom to the students. This program also translates what you write into 35 different languages. Super Cool!!!!
 * __ ePals in2books __** - There is also a cost to this particular program. This program pairs students in grades 3-5 with adult pen pals who read the same books and then question the students on what they are reading. I think this would be pretty neat, but I don’t think that my school would spring for the expense.