One of my focal points the last couple of months has been working with select teachers to develop student-based collaborative projects with students outisde their classroom/school. 

Classes in the two schools I work with are now working on collaborative projects with students in Grand Manan Island here in New Brunswick, New Orleans, France, Africa and an exciting new writing project incubating with Clay Burell in Seoul, Korea.  These projects are all exciting and designed to give students the 21st century literacy and collaboration skills that will help them be successful in their future.

I make contact with potential class partners in many ways (conferences, blog responses, etc.) but perhaps the simplest resource for teachers looking to develop learning partnerships for their students is E-Pals.  This web based service is designed specifically to link classes with each other.  They also can provide student blog space and secure student e-mails, but frankly we already have those services.  It’s the contact that this important.

This is an exciting new, and flatter, world!

technorati tags: education, technology