Using E-mail in the Classroom

by Janice Itsuno & Sally Kam

OBJECTIVES:

Students will use telecommunications to establish keypals in other parts of the world.
Students wlll develop a greater understanding of the multicultural diversities existing in different localities.
Students will broaden skills in language arts:

Gr.3 Hawaii Performance Standards

Participate in shared reading experiences;

Communicate ideas and issues of personal significance;

Revise writing;

Understand and use conventional standard English;

Respond appropriately back to others. Strategies:

Student writes in a rough draft of letter to be e-mailed (enabling student to refer to message).

Teacher helps to edit.

Student types letter, using Claris Word Processor, and saves to own numbered disk. (SAVE process: name of keypal and date.)

Student will be assigned a period to e-mail to keypal. Note:
Send attachments so pictures can be exchanged. This enables students to see their keypals and have a point of reference.

Sample Topics in Keypal Discussions:

School routines and activities (e.g. compare and contrast schedules, rules, subjects, intramural sports, dress code);

Friends and Family

AuthorÕs Chair - shared creative writing CyberSchools.NET

Shoebox - an aid to help students describe self and interests Global Connections Resources:

E-mail in the Classroom

eMail Classroom Exchange

Assessments:

Successful linking to keypals
Student journal assessments
Student computer folders of e-mail drafts