Request for classroom collaborations during the 2009/10 school year:

[Nerine Chalmers]

I am writing from Qatar Academy Primary School, Doha, Qatar in order to invite classrooms from around the world to join with our Grade 4 classes in a long term, but fairly low key collaboration. We are a PYP school, and our Grade 4s are 9 – 10 year olds. There are approximately 22 students in each class. What we have in mind is that each of our 5 Grade 4 classrooms will link up with a different classroom, preferably in different continents. We would be asking the students in the partner class to communicate with our students in a variety of ways – possibilities would be by email, voice thread, Skype, a discussion page on a wiki – among others. We would be anticipating some contact every month or six weeks through the school year. Examples of the activities we have in mind are sharing ideas on some pieces of work, survey responses, sharing of relevant photographs of their local area, culminating in participating in a collaborative writing project in April/May 2010.
The school website can be found at http://www.qataracademy.edu.qa/
You can also have a look at the Grade 4 wiki space at http://grade4.qataracademy.wikispaces.net/

[Leslie Davison]

I would like to include my 4th graders in this project. Let me know if you need help finding schools from other countries/continents.

Thanks,

Leslie
Colorado, USA

[Nerine Chalmers]

Hi Leslie
Thanks very much for this response. it will be great to have you on board. We are now on summer vacation, and school only opens again at the end of September. Teachers will be back mid-September, so I will be in touch with you then. It might be easier to communicate by email, so perhaps you'd like to send me a mail at [e-mail] If you have contacts in other continents, I would be grateful if you could spread the word! Thanks very much.

[Pam Long]

Hi Leslie. I teach fourth grade at an independent school in Charlotte, NC. A colleague and I will be teaching a blogging class to about 7-10 3rd-5th graders as an extended day activity. I was wondering if your class would consider blogging with our blogging class.

Pam

[Mary Freeman]

Hi!
My name is Mary Freeman and I teach 5th grade in North Carolina, USA. I would be interested in collaborating with one of your classes, if they don't mind pairing up with 5th graders. Yesterday, I was asked to collaborate with a teacher in Maine, USA. Would you be willing to take both of us on?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Mary

[Nerine Chalmers]

Hi Mary

Good to hear from you. My hands are pretty much tied until school opens at the end of September, and I get to speak to the teachers. I am the librarian, helping to facilitate international links. However we are always looking for opportunities for collaboration, so I feel confident that we will be able to set something up - provided you are able to wait!

[Kitty Sherman]

Hi,
I would love to communicate with your fourth graders. I have 23-28 third graders in Sacramento, California.

[Nerine Chalmers]

Hi Kitty
Thanks very much for this response. I am the librarian in the primary school at Qatar Academy, and am helping to facilitate global links. It might also be possible for you to work with one of our third grade teachers. What kind of collaboration did you have in mind? I will not be able to give you any definite answers until school opens at the end of September, but it will be good to have some ideas to present once everyone gets back.

[Mary Freeman]

Hi Nerine!
Thanks for your reply. I would be very willing to wait until you can set something up for a little later in the school year. Please just keep me posted!
Thanks, Mary

[Nerine Chalmers]

I will certainly do so. Hope you have a great summer.

[Betsye Sargent]

Nerine,
My school would be interested in participating in your project. We would not be able to match a fourth grade with a fourth grade because we are a small school PK-8th. Because we are ungraded, we have the flexibility of fitting in different ages if that would work for you.
The Phoenix School is located in Salem, Massachusetts, 30 miles north of Boston.
Betsye Sargent


www.phoenixschol.org
twitter.com/phoenixschool
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Salem-MA/The-Phoenix-School/56241371119

[Nerine Chalmers]

Hi Betsye
I have just been enjoying looking at your website and fb page - your school sounds wonderful! I would love for our school to have some contact with yours, and will be in touch once I get to talk to the teachers when we open at the end of September

[Bob Greenberg]

We would love to participate. I will be teaching second grade this year. Please check our class blog
http://thebrainwaves.us You will see from our links that we have partnerships around the globe. We would love to add Qatar Academy. We have experience with blogging, Skype, VoiceThread, videos, etc.
Bob Greenberg
Columbus School
Bridgeport, CT USA