5 kids with technology on grassy lawn

Connecting With Other Classrooms

Global Collaborator
World Map

Overview​

Using the website, www.empatico.org to facilitate, students in the classroom will connect with another classroom in a different part of the country or world. They will follow the suggested activities on the website to collaborate with another classroom. The website matches students ages 6-11 to learn about the weather, culture, play and festivals around the world. 

Some sample activities are:

  • Food with Friends
  •  Art From the Heart
  • Get to Know You
  • Ways We Play

Students will:

  • Be able to communicate with other students around the world. 
  • Understand other student's cultures, weather, etc.

To prepare for this lesson:

  • The teacher signs up the class on www.empatico.org specifying:
    • Age of students
    • Desired activity topic
    • Times available for a video chat
  • The teacher reviews the lessons available on the website and chooses which activities to do with the students. 
     
  • When Empatico matches a teacher with another teacher, they can chat with each other via instant messaging on the Empatico website. (An email notification can also be set up to know when the messages have been sent. )
     
  • The teacher will share photos or videos to introduce the classes. 
     
  • The teacher will schedule the exchange (Empatico does the work of converting time zones and will do a test tech run. )

See Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students.net site in the Teacher Resources. 

Directions for this activity:

  1. Prepare the students for the activity using the lessons on the website. (40-70 minutes)
     
  2. Have the video exchange (15-40 minutes)
     
  3. Reflect using the reflection tool provided https://empatico.org/activity-plan/reflection-tool (15-20 minutes)

Different options for assessing the students:

  • Observations
  • Check for understanding
  • Use a rubric for speaking and listening skills. 

MITECS: Michigan adopted the "ISTE Standards for Students" called MITECS (Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students) in 2018.

Global Collaborator
7a. Students use digital tools to connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning.
7b. Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.
7c. Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.
7d. Students explore local and global issues and use collaborative technologies to work with others to investigate solutions.

Device: PC, Chromebook, Mac, iPad

Browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, ALL

App, Extension, or Add-on:

Websites:
Empatico

Empatico Activities

Empatico Reflection Tool

 

CONTENT AREA RESOURCES

Fits with the Speaking & Listening Standards

One of the activities is specifically related to student expression through art.

Use activities that are based on energy, weather, and other science topics.

Most of the activities meet Social Studies standards in Civics and Geography.

Report a bad link, inappropriate content or out-of-date content. 

Credits
This task card was created by Kaelyn Bullock, Melvindale-Northern Allen Park, December 2019. 


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