The ëBridging the Distanceí project allowed for two classes at Rhoades Elementary in Indianapolis to collaborate with classes in Mexico City and London. 

The media specialist at Rhoades emailed the high school media specialist at the American School in Mexico City to ask her to find a teacher interested in collaborative learning with Mrs. Carey's 3rd grade class at Rhoades Elementary in Indianapolis. Ms. Quintanilla agreed to do a pen pal project with her 4th grade students. 

Over summer break, Ms. Alexander from Rhoades visited London, England. Seeing uniformed students walking to school, she joined them to visit their school, Churchill Gardens Primary School. The assistant head teacher talked to Ms. Alexander about an email project with pen pals between the two schools. She made arrangements to collaborate with Miss Ottley's grade 2 from Churchill Gardens Primary School class during the school year. The teachers emailed each other their plans for a pen pal project for the next school year.

The students communicated with email, letters, drawings, & videotapes sent through the post. Throughout the project students saved their work to a network folder and the media specialist copied the work into an email to send to the partner school. Release forms to publish student work on the Internet was obtained from parents. Student writing, drawings, and photographs were shared through web pages.

In May, Rhoades' students ëmetí their pen pals via telecommunications using the distance learning equipment at Rhoades and the University of Mexico and London College. Mrs. Careyís students discussed their favorite part of the novel, Ramonaís World, and told something interesting they learned from research or from the emails with their pen pals. Ms. Qunitanillaís students passed around a microphone to talk with their Rhoadesí pen pals. When Ms. Alexanderís students had their videoconference, they performed a skit based on the book, Amelia Bedelia. Miss Ottley's students asked questions about Rhoades school and how Rhoades students lived. It was a satisfying conclusion to see the students be able to truly meet and talk with each other.

The success of a collaborative learning project rested on the commitment of both teachers. The media specialist and teachers wrote several grants and asked PTO for funds to buy novels, postage costs, equipment, and cost for the videoconference. These projects were successful because the teachers made the effort to keep regular communication between the teachers and students.

 Project web sites to begin searching for a partner class for your students

• ePals.com Classroom Exchange at http://www.epals.com

Since 1996, this web site lets you search for teachers in other countries who want their students to connect with your students. You can search by language, country, and grade level.  Their are projects to join and a listserv for teachers.  A language translation tool lets you translate for basic meaning to seven different languages.

• iEARN at http://www.iearn.org/circles/

iEARN sponsors learning circles to facilitate student collaborating with other students through their web site. Learning Circles are highly interactive, project-based partnerships among a small number of schools located throughout the world. Look here for a guide to promoting cross-classroom collaboration with telecommunications.

• Kidlink at http://www.kidlink.org/english/general/intro.html

The site promotes collaboration of students from around the world.  The goal is to have students involved in global dialog.  Teachers can plan collaborative projects together. To join an ongoing project go to http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/index.html

• KeyPals Club at http://www.teaching.com/keypals/

Mighty Media presents the KeyPals Club, a place for young people, teachers and students to locate and correspond with other students and classes around the world.