ePals for Projects

It's the middle of the 'summer' and already the grey matter is focused on the foundations of a project-tastic year ahead. Already, I've made contact with teachers abroad and we are in the process of thrashing out some great learning units. Although I've tried various forums for finding partner schools, it is ePals that really stands out as the leader. If you're short of ideas, they have a bank of projects just waiting to go, but the real reason to bookmark this site is its primary purpose - connecting classrooms. You can either browse the forums to see what projects others are looking for partners to do, or post your own request for collaborators. The forums are searchable by age range, location and even topic so it couldn't be easier. And rather than giving out your email to unknowns, you use the ePals email system to send and receive messages, until you've found your ideal match, when you can continue through ePals or exchange external contacts. You can even create class email addresses to reassure parents and management that your learners won't be meeting new people with their personal accounts. This is one that needs to be planned for, so be sure to leave enough time to get it sorted before the relevant unit begins.