Taking Pen Pals to a New Level

I remember when I was in grade school how absolutely awesome I thought it was whenever we were given the chance to have a pen pal. Getting to talk to a person in a different place, with different friends, maybe experienced different seasons, or even lived in a different country, was something that I thought was fascinating. Back in those days we used pen and paper though and I can also remember waiting and waiting to hear back from my far away friend. After reading this chapter I can again feel the excitement of getting to talk to someone far away, but with technology I can get a response the next day! I think that it is important for students to get to discuss things with other kids and see a world outside of their own and with technology this is becoming more and more common place. In my classroom someday I hope to be able to let my students talk to other students in different towns, states, or countries and using technology will make my childhood excitement even more exciting for my students.
I also think that discussion boards are a great resource for classrooms. I think that this allows students that are a little nervous about speaking in class to have a chance to voice their opinions and ideas on a subject. Blogs are another way for students, teachers, and parents stay connected. Teachers can post about what was done that day, what's coming up, assignments, etc. Parents can have discussions and students can comment on what they learned so the teacher can get a better feel about how the lesson went.
Of course there are always things to consider when using technology in the classroom. Not all students have access to computers and may be left out of discussions, discussing also wouldn't necessarily be an effective plan for younger students. Also, when using pen pals teachers need to make sure it is through a school or trusted organization so that they know who exactly the students are talking to. I think that the pros far outweigh the cons in using technology to communicate in the classroom though and I hope to be able to use these tools in my future classroom.