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"The mission of ePALS Classroom Exchange is to offer safe, innovative ways for learners to make contact with other cultures. They currently connect over 4.5 million users from 191 countries, speaking 136 languages, by providing built-in Webmail language translation and safety features such as monitored e-mail and profanity filters. All of the tools and resources on the site are free to anyone with a computer, anywhere in the world. The site also offers collaborative projects that students can join, as well as tools for creating projects and contacting students in remote locations."

ePals is the social network optimized for K-12 learning. Over half a million classrooms in 200 countries and territories have joined the ePals Global Community to connect, collaborate and exchange ideas. ePals now translates in 35 languages! The benefits of the site are that the students can connect with other students and classrooms around the globe. You connect with them by the projects that you are working on in the classroom. This gives the common ground to talk about back and forth. The possible pitfalls are if you get a classroom that is not as involved as yours. It could be a let down and you may have to find another classroom that you could connect with.

This site is free and connects you with other educators seeking to connect classrooms for global projects. It has great safety features and has a variety of projects for all content areas and grade levels. You can form e-mail pen pal connections with classrooms around the world. Very cool!

"The premise is simple; we pick a book to read aloud to our students during a set 6-week period and during that time we try to make as many global connections as possible. Each teacher decides how much time they would like to dedicate and how involved they would like to be. Some people choose to connect with just one class, while others go for as many as possible. The scope and depth of the project is up to you. In the past we have used Twitter, Skype, Edmodo, our wiki, email, regular mail, Kidblog, and any other tools we can think of to make these connections. Teachers get a community of other educators to do a global project with, hopefully inspiring them to continue these connections through the year."

Connect with teachers and scientists doing research in the polar regions. Great resources for science, PBL, global connections.

This looks like a great opportunity for teachers who want to connect with other classrooms.

Might be a good way to make a connection, and a good opportunity to talk about digital citizenship... and discuss academic conversation/vocabulary into conversation.

Might be a good way to make a connection, and a good opportunity to talk about digital citizenship... and discuss academic conversation/vocabulary into conversation.

The topics are standards-based and of global interest. Each project is designed to be used as is or customized to your classroom's needs. An easy way to find a classroom with which to partner is to check the "Connect with Classrooms" forum on the project index page for posts by interested classrooms. Topics include holidays and festivals, digital storytelling, spanish, global warming, habitats, weather, and natural disasters.

List of projects that make use of global connections to study various topics for late elementary to middle school aged students. I love how the project calendar lays out a specific timeline for when to introduce concepts and exchange emails. The website provides a forum to find cooperating classrooms. The possible pitfall could be not finding a class to exchange ideas.

This is an easy way to collaborate and connect to the community and beyond!!

I think this is such a great idea! I would love to do this at our school next year!

I'm all over this!

Wow! Loved the puzzle idea and how it portrays the journey of all the pieces coming together at the end. It was a great analogy! I wonder where your journey will take you next when your puzzle is completed?

Oscar time! I am leaving my camera at school next year. You have inspired me.

Very nice. I enjoyed your connections to the real world. Great job on the puzzles.

micromobs is the best way to share your life privately with the groups you care about the most. It's the easiest way to start a group discussion. You can start by naming your mob from micromobs.com or forwarding an existing email thread to mobthis@micromobs.com. We're here to connect you with your groups and save your inbox in the process!

I found this from some of our own coaches -- TO and BB. Thanks! Looks fab!

Have students write book reviews and publish their reviews for others to read. "Vicki Davis 07 Oct 13 03:30:18 I noticed that Wikispaces included Dogo books under a new "Education" category in the widget menu. (This looks like a television on the edit bar when you click to Edit a wiki.) So, Dogobooks is a place where kids are writing book reviews about everything. Very cool. You can see the most popular books and ti also has book clubs and other ways for kids to connect. This is a very cool site for helping kids love learning and may also augment Accelerated Reader programs nicely."

InterroBang?! is a game where you get to have fun with problems. Students complete real-world missions with deeds that can win prizes, improve problem solving skills, and connect them with others to do things that just might change the world.

20 Ideas for Engaging Projects via @edutopia http://t.co/YXTP9kdk

Soooooo many amazing resources and sites for PBL! WOW!

Discovery Education provides engaging digital resources to schools and homes with the goal of making educators more effective, increasing student achievement, and connecting classrooms and families to a world of learning. Tons of Web 2.0 tools to utilize in your classrooms.

Lots of possibilities for PBL lessons. There is a place you can sign up to connect with a Peace Corps volunteer in another country so they would have an authentic audience.

Submit your best images to the ThingLink Interactive Image Contest to win an iPad Mini and a Rosen Database subscription for a year. Images must be submitted by May 1, 2013. Enter your images at ThingLinkContest.com!

This post and webinar is about the work all of you, our amazing Collaboration Coaches, have done in this district to transform learning!