{"id":2459,"date":"2019-05-30T15:36:58","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T19:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/technology.dcds.edu\/?p=2459"},"modified":"2024-03-14T10:59:14","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T14:59:14","slug":"connect-with-a-partner-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/technology.dcds.edu\/index.php\/connect-with-a-partner-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Connect with a Partner Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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When I was young, my family participated in \u00a0student exchange programs from Central America for my older siblings. For several years, during the summer, my brother or sisters were away and a stranger came to live with us. I remember sitting in awe listening and learning about the lives of these people living in my house and marveling at how different their daily life was compared to mine. It opened my eyes to a new angle on the world I never knew existed. <\/span><\/p>

In this digital age we can create these long distance connections right in our classrooms. When our students are able to meet other students that look, learn, and live differently than they do, eyes open and perspectives change. They find so much in common, but also celebrate and appreciate differences. They marvel at new information and new ways of thinking. They feel pride in sharing about their communities and schools. The shy kids become a little less shy when they have the chance to speak and share in the comfort of their classroom but the \u201csafety\u201d of just using video to communicate. They feel validated and uplifted when a class across the country or halfway across the world acknowledges \u201cYes, we hear you and we feel that way too!\u201d Students find their voices, and often find so much more.<\/span><\/p>

If we as educators embrace and unleash the potential of these connections, we can take students far beyond the introductory stuff <\/span>(How long is your recess? What books are you reading? How cold\/hot is it where you live? Whoa\u2026you like Fortnite and Endgame, too?<\/span><\/i>) and we can eventually structure these video chats around some serious global issues! Below are 3 ways you can make connections with other educators and classrooms around the world.<\/span><\/p>