StudentPlanet.org
StudentPlanet was formed in February 2004 and arranges virtual exchanges between secondary schools in China and the United States. Our goal is to offer a new approach to intercultural exchange that generates interest in learning about the world among American teens. In the 2005-06 school year, we are only supporting exchanges between pre-selected secondary schools in Beijing and the Bay Area in California. In the future, we will broaden the program to any secondary school in those two countries, and eventually, globally.
If your school is interested in joining one of our programs, please contact us by email at info@studentplanet.org.
How It Works
StudentPlanet.org provides a rich, collaborative environment for communication and cultural exchange between two classrooms anywhere in the world. The program includes learning the fundamentals of digital video technology in order to produce and share movies created by students about their own lives and communities.
Class-to-Class Approach — Weekly meetings are facilitated by teacher who guides students through a standard curriculum. Lesson plans emphasize discussion, placing teachers in the role of facilitators, and helping students navigate development of intercultural relationships.
Teacher Support — Each classroom is supplied with a Teacher's Guide and Student Workbook. The Teacher's Guide contains the tools for teaching: sample exercises by week, a program timeline, a how to technology section, and an evaluation matrix. The Student Workbook contains details on the blogs that students will write.
Student-centered — The students begin by creating personal digital portfolios — collections of essays, photos, and a short introductory movie. Then, small groups of students in the classes in both countries work as teams to produce short movie sketches describing elements of their everyday lives. The result is that teens involved in the program develop strategies of communicating with people from another culture, and have opportunities to reflect on the lives of their peers abroad.
Requirements
In order to have a successful exchange, the program requires the following from participating schools and teachers:
- Broadband internet connection.
- Access to digital video and still cameras.
- Familiarity with Apple MacOS X or Windows MovieMaker.
- Moderately tech savvy.
- One hour per week dedicated to the program.
- Enthusiasm to learn about another culture.
As a participant, you will be expected to follow the curriculum developed by StudentPlanet. You should review the curriculum before deciding to participate, and make sure that you can commit to complete the entire program.
The exchanges are designed to run for an entire academic year.