ePals SchoolMail Teacher`sGuide Final

A Quick Start Guide for ePals Teachers
Using ePals SchoolMail and Global Community
Original developed by Marcia Jeans and Jenny Gridley of Wichita Public Schools
in partnership with ePals
Revised by ePals: January 2009
What is ePals?
ePals SchoolM@il™ is a safe Internet-based email solution and a collaborative tool designed for
the education environment. With ePals tools you can:
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Provide safe and secure e-mail to your educational community
Find classrooms to share ideas and learn about new cultures
Collaborate on projects that foster critical thinking, reading comprehension, writing
skills, and 21st Century Skills
Access digital content from National Geographic on a variety of topics, including maps
and geography, habitats, global warming, natural disasters, people and culture, great
leaders, water, and weather
Incorporate authentic, project-based learning via Web 2.0 tools
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Accessing ePals
To access ePals go to www.epals.com.
ePals HomePage
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Sending and Receiving Emails
To access your own ePals email account, click on
“My Mail.”
From here you can send and receive messages, add an email signature, set your spam control
options and more. Keep in mind that your school may have placed restrictions on who you can
email through your ePals account. You may want to check with your district administrator for
specific details on restrictions.
Anytime you want to return to your ePals homepage, click the “Home” icon in the top left of
the screen.
Keeping Students Safe: Monitoring Student Emails
ePals allows you to monitor your student email accounts. Your Kan-Ed Desktop
administrator will assign your students to you so that you can monitor their email.
Monitoring enables you to:
• Safely bring email technology into the classroom.
• Preview students’ incoming and outgoing email messages.
• Ensure that messages are appropriate to age, setting and context.
• Safely integrate student email in appropriate, educational ways.
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To access monitored mail, click on the Monitored
Mail” link from the ePals homepage.
If you have any flagged emails, you will see this
here. Flagged emails are emails that may contain
inappropriate material.
This is the inbox for your monitored mail. Notice the tabs at the top of the screen. You can use
those tabs to go back and forth between your own teacher ePals email account and your
student monitored mail.
You’ll see flag marks next to student monitored mail messages on the right side of the screen.
You’ll have the ability to see both incoming and outgoing student messages when they are
flagged on the filter system.
Emails may have different icons that appear in the Flag column. Here is the meaning of each
icon:
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Certain types of flagged emails need to be
approved by you before they will be sent. To
view a flagged message, click on the subject link
of the email in question.
Depending on the content of the email you can chose to delete, approve, or forward the
message.
Note: There are several different filters that are available in ePals that will effect which emails
are flagged. See your district administrator to discuss what level would be best for your class
or school.
Using the Language Translation Tool
ePals offers a simple way to translate emails and text in a variety of different
languages. Please note that automatic translation software is effective for conveying
the "gist" of your message, and will not be a perfect translation.
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Helps eliminate language barriers for yourself and your students within the
ePals global community
Helps communication with parents who do not share your same native language
Can be applied to incoming and outgoing mail
To Translate Emails
To translate an email, simply type the e-mail and then choose the desired language from the
dropdown menus. Then click “Translate.”
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To Translate Text
From your ePals homepage, click on “Instant Translation.”
Type the desired text here or copy and paste it from another source. Then choose the desired
language from the dropdown menus. Then click “Translate.”
To Translate Text in a Community Search
Some classroom profiles will be written in other languages or your profile may be viewed by a
foreign language member. Simply use our translation tool to translate it into a language that is
easy for you to read.
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Submit an ePals Classroom Profile
Until teachers have an approved profile, they will not be able to send or receive emails to
others in the ePals community, or actively search for, or be considered for, collaborative
partnerships.
A successful profile includes:
• Age-range of class (age in years as well as grade level)
• Language(s) the students speak
• Location of the classroom
• Location of desired partner
• Methods with which you would like to collaborate (email, postal mail, blogs, video
conferences)
• Length of desired collaboration (school year, semester and months your school in session)
• Frequency of desired collaboration (weekly, monthly, at holidays)
• Topic of desired collaboration (the more specific the better. Global warming is better than
science)
Click on the link
“Click here to create a profile”
to begin the process.
Fill out the profile information. Remember the more details, the better!
Click “Continue.”
Review your profile, make any necessary changes, and then click “Submit Profile.”
Note: Your profile isn’t written in stone. You can always return to this same place on your
homepage to revise and resubmit.
Once you have submitted your profile, it will go through the ePals approval process. Approval
takes up to 48 hours.
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To check on your approval status, return to the profile page where you will see if your profile
was approved or if ePals wants you to make a few changes.
Once you are approved, you can begin contacting other classrooms within the ePals global
community.
Search the ePals Global Community
ePals offers the world’s largest online global learning community. Search the community to find
classrooms to share ideas and learn about new cultures.
Note: In order to contact classrooms, you will first need to submit your own classroom profile
and wait for it to be approved. This process takes only 48 hours, and is an additional way ePals
works hard to maintain a safe and protected experience for your students. Until you have an
approved profile, you may search the ePals Global Community, but you may not contact a
classroom.
Quick Search using Classroom Match
From this screen you can search for other classroom by a variety of categories. You can search
for classroom by location, category, language, age and more.
Tip: Hold down the Ctrl-key (the Command-key on a Macintosh) while clicking to choose more
than one item from the list.
You may also search by clicking on the map interface by location.
Once you have submitted your search request you will be taken to the search results page.
Should you wish to further define your search request click on “Advanced Search”.
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You will then be able to further define and narrow your search by requesting specific
information such as city, state, number of participants, method of communication …..
To contact a classroom, click on “Contact this profile” link below the profile.
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Search Using the Map
Searching using the map tool is an interactive and visual way of searching. To perform a
search using the map tool, click on the “Map Search” link.
You can also quickly search for partners in any country by using the pull-down menu
underneath each map. Continue to click until you have the desired country.
Your search will reveal a list of profiles from classrooms within the country you selected.
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Read the list of potential matches, and then click more to read a detailed profile that interests
you.
Hint: Simply use our translation tool to translate profiles into a language that is easy for you
to read.
Searching ePals Projects
Take advantage of our new project search to discover exciting projects that center around
global collaborations and rich National Geographic content. If you are new to ePals and global
collaboration, these projects are a great way to start your journey. We provide lesson and
project support. Our projects combine critical thinking with the NETS-S standards. If you are
an experienced ePals member, our projects offer a new way to collaborate with students
around the world.
To search for ePals, click on the “ePals Projects” link form the homepage.
You can browse the available projects based on theme and connect with other teachers who
are interested in finding classrooms that want to participate in the project theme. To get more
details about the theme, click on the image of the theme.
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Takes you back
to your ePals
homepage
Go directly to
your ePals
email.
Takes you back
to search the
ePals
community.
Need help? This
is a great place
to start.
Discussion
forums for you,
your students,
and family.
Click here to connect with
other classrooms
interested in the theme.
Students can discuss
things related to the
project topic.
Click on the project image
for supporting materials for
the unit.
Each theme has supporting
materials and documents, a
calendar, websites,
culminating activity,
evaluation ideas, online
rubrics and much more.
Click here for more
instructor materials and
project calendar.
Ideas for Getting Started with ePals
Step 1: Come up with a great idea you know would benefit from global learning
• Do your students study different cultures or geographic locations?
• Would they benefit from collecting data and sharing it with another class?
• Are there any issues such as the environment or animal protection your students would
be passionate about?
Step 2: Create a Plan to Make it Happen
• Create a project calendar - set up deadlines, beginnings and endings, and milestones
• Look at state standards to make sure your project is supported
• Create Measurable Goals - what will the students produce
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Keep it manageable - What can you really handle? How much time can you dedicate to
the project?
Determine how you will communicate with your partner schools
Step 3: Find Partners
• Submit your ePals Classroom Profile
• Reach out to Others through the ePals Global Community Classroom Search
Handling Misuse of Student Email
Be proactive! Set clear expectations for students before they begin using ePals. See Appendix
B for suggestions.
• Create an acceptable use policy in your classroom with your students.
• Create a building-wide acceptable use policy for email.
• Make parents aware by getting parental permission for using email at school. See
appendix A for a sample.
Professional Development
ePals offers online WebEx web conferening demonstrations for ePals users. Contact
[email protected] for more information.
You may also contact ePals at [email protected] for training materials.
Support
Teachers have several options for support while using ePals.
• Contact Victoria McEachern, Director Customer Fulfillment and Management at
[email protected]
• Contact ePals support by emailing [email protected]
• Contact your School / District Administrator
You may also download the complete
teacher’s guide from your ePals
homepage.
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Appendix A – Best Practices for Student Email
ePals SchoolMail
Best Practices for Student Email
• Be a Smart Writer
o Make a Good Impression with your ePal
o Proofread (revise and edit) before sending
o Let your personality shine through your words
o Use powerful words
o Ask questions to encourage more conversation
• Follow Class Rules when Communicating
o Stay on task
o Use your words to show respect and compassion
• Use Appropriate Language
o No bullying—teasing
o No gossiping—talking about others
o No naughty words
o No “texting” language – email is more formal than
texting
• Internet Safety
o Don’t give personal information such as your last
name, address, or phone number
o Only communicate using your ePals account don’t use other e-mail accounts
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