One of the discussion threads in the KidCast community is being used as a forum for teachers to meet others interested in participating in a "PodPal" classroom exchange.
What's PodPal?
A PodPal is podcasting's answer to traditional pen pal or educational twinning programs used to promote global cross-cultural exchanges, reading, writing, literacy, and dialogue among children.
Kevin, a school teacher from North Carolina, posted a terrific idea for a class "PodPal" exchange:
"You know, I was thinking that a Spanish Class in the States could link up with an English Club in another country and they could translate each others messages.What a fantastic idea Kevin!
The English Club would relay the message back to check for accuracy and then send their own message and so on and so forth. Seems like a cool way to spark interest, hear authentic language/accents, and bring the student that much closer to the culture."
Participation in a PodPal program is a great way to weave technology skills into your social studies, geography, or language arts curriculum. You can use "traditional" podcasting technology, or you can use a web-based voice messaging tool like YackPack. Remember, you can easily embed YackPack into your class web site or blog!
But what makes a PodPal program so unique is the ability of the human voice to convey emotion that postcards, letters, or even pictures.
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