What Pals?

Pen pals? Students in today’s world have never heard of such a thing…except maybe in a movie from “way back when” (circa early 90s). But update that “pen” to an electronic “E” and now you’re speaking their language.

You've got mail.

When I was teaching in Guatemala (2012-2013) I collaborated with a friend student teaching in a Spanish class in Western New York. We matched our students up to write messages back and forth, in Spanish. It was win-win; my students were able to sharpen their writing skills and practice spelling, while hers were using the L2 for an authentic communicative purpose.

An opportunity like this may sound great and wonderful, but how can you match up your foreign language classes with others if you have no international connections? That’s where a site like ePals comes in. ePals’ purports that they are “your passport to learning adventures.” And they certainly do open up access to classrooms around the world much like a passport does for a traveler. The Global Community product is the perfect solution to finding a class that matches your needs and learning goals. A search engine allows you to search for the language, age, and topic you wish to discuss as well as the type of collaboration you are seeking (email, Skype, project workspace).

Also, my friend and I gave some classes prompts or specific questions to ask/address, but otherwise it was not a very structured “project.” ePals provides not only the option of email exchange, but hosts projects (join an existing one or create your own!) that allow students to collaborate and work with other students from around the world. Thus, students are able to communicate and learn together.

These experiences are ideal for a foreign language classroom in the 21^st century. Students should be able to connect with others, and ePals makes this once daunting process very simple. It can easily be used for an email exchange between native Spanish speakers and L2 Spanish speakers. Or perhaps a collaborative project (maybe comparing Spanish and English) could be started for Spanish and English speakers/learners to work on together. Regardless of the project, ePals is a great way to connect students and promote authentic communication and interaction. That’s way better than a scripted role-play or non-communicative writing project! Its time to log on, log in, upload, and connect!