Pen Freak

VIRTUAL SCHOOL COMMUNITIES

Digital Pen Pals

Many people never forget writing pen pal letters when they were young.
Some people even become life-long friends with pen pals they first wrote to
in elementary school.

Today, as communicating with people on the other side of the world is as simple
as a click of a mouse, the art of writing pen pal letters should not become a lost
teaching tool. On the contrary, today's technology can only enhance and improve the
pen pal experience for your students.

Here are some tips to help you give your students an enriched pen pal experience:

1) Alternate between handwritten letters and emails.

2) Allow students to communicate with pen pals via instant messaging.

3) Have student create audio and/or video clips for their pen pals.

4) Have video conferences with your pen pal class.

5) Create projects that students and their pen pals can work on together
via the internet.

6) Encourage your students to continue to write to their pen pals over the summer and in future years even when the leave your class.

Using technology to write pen pals in the 21st century will help teach our students
how to better work within the global community around them. My class has been writing letters, emailing, and talking to many different classes from around the world. They are fascinated with the similarities and difference between them and their pen pals on the other side of the world. To get started visit People to People international at http://www.ptpi.org and get matched up with another class from almost anywhere in the world.