The Skype sessions were engaging
because we were learning about
other people and felt empowered
as we shared our culture and lives.
But I knew it was only the tip of the
iceberg. There was literally a world
of connections in front of me.
students were organized into groups
of eight: four from Hawaii and four
from Maryland. Creating small groups
in Edmodo was an essential step in
the collaborative process. It allowed
for ongoing, student-directed interaction among students and teachers. The
students shared things about themselves by creating an All About Me
PowerPoint that they uploaded to Edmodo. Sometimes students don’t get
excited about creating a simple PowerPoint presentation. This time, they
were energized. They had an audience
that reached beyond the walls of our
room and thousands of miles across
the sea. The interaction and discussion that occurred based on what the
students shared about themselves
strengthened and deepened the bonds
that had been established during the
initial Skype session.
After these get-to-know-you activi-
ties, students began interacting online,
guiding their own discussions and
spontaneously sharing their work. As
they learned more about each other,
they became more curious. Edmodo
allowed them to communicate, but it
wasn’t long before they were asking to
Skype with their “buddies” again. This
time, small groups of students Skyped
face to face.
