--- TIC-TECH message:
We received a request for adult "epals" for a US History project in a
Wyoming classroom. Students will be required to email project partners at
least 8 times during the entire school year, so the time commitment should
not be too extensive. The questions that students ask you will not
necessarily be related to specific content. They will focus on your
opinions about government policy, events, etc. If you or someone you know
is interested, keep reading.....
~Juli Swinnerton
Instructional Technology
<jaswinnerton@seattleschools.org>
Project Rationale:
1. I have developed this project as a way of implementing
technology into
the classroom. My Social Studies I classes have a total of
61
students in three sections. They are for the most part
freshman students
most of whom have identified themselves as being "comfortable"
using
a computer, but do not feel confident to use a computer and/or
the
Internet to obtain information for school assignments. I
developed this
project as a way for students to combine their abilities to
use e-mail with
a content component in our study of U.S. History. The use of
the internet
and e-mail will be a tool to learn our curriculum.
2. Students in Wheatland, Wyoming, often do not have the
opportunity to
learn new perspectives from individuals outside their own
communities.
It is my hope that this project will offer students an
opportunity to
correspond to an adult from outside their community and thus,
gain an
appreciation and respect for the opinions of those who may be
different
from them. Corresponding via e-mail will reinforce the
relevance of
historical issues to today's youth and allow them the fun of
using
technology.
3. In addition to learning new perspectives, this project will
enable students
to practice and develop writing skills. As with most classes,
the students
in these classes have diverse abilities and strengths.
Corresponding will
help students become better writers and communicators.
4. This project will enable students to master the State of
Wyoming and
Platte County School District #1 Social Studies Standards.
Responsibilities of "e-mail pals"
Students will be required to write to you at least eight times during
the upcoming
school year. (September through May) They will teach you the
information they
have learned and will ask you questions about the topics. The topics
covered
will include:
An autobiographical Sketch of the Student
The Progressives and Reform
The U.S. Becomes a World Power
World War I
The 1920's
The Great Depression
The New Deal
World War II
The questions that students ask you will not necessarily be related to
specific
content. They will focus on your opinions about government policy,
events,
etc. For example, "Do you think the government should be involved in
solving
America's economic problems, such as unemployment? Please explain." Or,
" Do you know anyone who lived during the Great Depression? If so, what
experiences did they have?" If you do not feel comfortable answering a
question, that is fine-just mention that to the student. Please feel
free to offer
opinions and suggestions. That is the goal-to offer new perspectives
about
historical issues and events.
It would be helpful if you responded to the students' questions within
one week
after receiving them since we will be discussing what students have
learned in
class discussions during the next week.
I will also be sending you a short questionnaire for you to fill out
before we begin
the project, at about the middle of the project and at the end of the
project. This
will help in my evaluation of the project at the end of the school year.
Thank you for considering my request to become an e-mail pal and taking
the
time to read this rather lengthy description. I hope that you will be
able to
participate in this learning experience with my students. If you are
able to
help, please contact me at rrobbi@platte1.k12.wy.us As soon as I
receive a
confirmation from you, I will assign a student e-mail pal and you should
receive
your first e-mail by mid-October.
Many Thanks,
Sincerely,
Rick Robbins
rrobbi@platte1.k12.wy.us
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Oct 25 2000 - 10:56:38 PDT