PenPal Schools Evaluation
PenPal Schools is a web application that enables “creativity, 
collaboration, critical thinking, and discussion” through Project-Based Learning (PjBL) and an emphasis on global-citizenship (PenPal Schools, 2020). It is used by schools in over 150 countries and allows students (8 and older) to engage with other learners in “thoughtfully designed, collaborative projects” (Wilson, 2018). These projects are offered in many of the core subjects along with others such as Environmentalism, Social Justice, and Current Events (PenPal Schools, 2020). They involve “self-guided, differentiated and mixed media” lessons based on a chosen topic (Wilson, 2018). In the lessons, learners read and analyze texts, watch videos, share ideas in a forum space, and collaborate all while “[building] empathy, curiosity, and respect” (PenPal Schools, 2020). The team at PenPal Schools curates each lesson to align with different international educational standards in the areas of “reading, writing, digital citizenship, and social-emotional skills” (PenPal Schools, 2020). Teachers sign up for PenPal Schools and receive their first topic for free (more topics can be obtained through referrals, fees, or scholarships) (PenPal Schools, 2020). In regards to safety, students can only join through a teacher invitation and the only personal information required is the student’s first names, last initials, and country. Every post is moderated and student safety is the application’s number one concern. Click here to dive deeper into the key features, safety, and cost of this multimedia app. Through the integration of PjBL, global citizenship, and multimedia, PenPal Schools provides students with the ability to connect with similar aged children around the world thus enhancing their cross-cultural respect, sensitivities, tolerance, and worldview
In 2015, President Barack Obama said PenPal Schools was one of the world’s leading social enterprises (Wilson, 2018)! The program also received a “Top Pick for Learning” award in 2018 from Common Sense Education (PenPal Schools, 2020).
Multimedia Principles
PenPal Schools expertly crafts a multimedia learning environment that fosters the growth of knowledge on a global scale. Since each topic includes videos and readings that incorporate a mix of visual and auditory components, the Multimedia Principle is present (Mayer, 2014, p.8). Each forum section provides potential information to be used in the writing prompts along with worked examples to help students create a resource on a given topic (Mayer, 2014, p.9). Helpful hints and worked examples guide students (Guided Discovery Principle) towards certain learning outcomes, allowing each topic to expand learners’ worldviews while teaching them critical literacy skills(Mayer, 2014, p.9). The website is designed for learners of varying abilities, evidenced by the different difficulty levels within each topic. These levelled resources establish the Coherence Principle as extraneous information and resources are left out of a students’ dashboard (Mayer, 2014, p.8). All of this creates a user-friendly learning platform that allows learners to feel confident enough to explore new topics and share their ideas with their penpal. Each pairing works through a topic at their own pace (Segmenting Principle): watching videos, doing readings, responding to prompts, and creating an end project (Mayer, 2014, p.8). PenPal Schools is a useful multimedia-based, learner-centred tool, that integrates technology organically and authentically.
Collaboration
PenPal Schools works to create a collaborative learning experience that is safe, interactive, and engaging. Through the lessons, students can “[build] on” their own existing knowledge by learning from the provided videos, readings, and experiences of their penpal (Van Den Bossche et al., 2006, p.494). Van Den Bossche et al. states that collaborative learning “…offers poss
ibilities to learn from other viewpoints” by understanding that while another person’s viewsmay differ from one’s own, those views are still legitimate and worthy (2006, p.496). PenPal Schools offers an opportunity to listen and share with friends across the globe and develop those conversations into collaborative projects involving both students’ new learning and their pre-existing viewpoints. A teacher, Jillian W., supports this by stating that “students [connect] globallyon PenPal Schools to collaborate and learn together” (Common Sense Education, 2019).
Project-Based Learning
An important facet of PenPal Schools is its foundation in project-based learning (PjBL), a “type of inquiry-based learning” that emphasizes student choice, autonomy, and self-reliance (Kokotsaki et al., 2016, p.268-269). PjBL leads to meaningful learning experiences through its basis in the following constructivist ideas: “learning is context-specific,” “learners are involved actively in the learning process” and goals are achieved “through social interactions and the sharing of knowledge and understanding” (Kokotsaki et al., 2016, p.267-268). Key aspects of PjBL are “time management”, encouraging thoughtful learning, “establishing a culture that stresses student self-management”, connecting with community members, using technological resources effectively, and using varied assessment methods (Kokotsaki et al., 2016, p.273-274).
Tying digital multimedia tools into PjBL allows students to “comfortably engage with the process of designing and developing their project” and being able to easily share and documenttheir creations in “a digital format” (Kokotsaki et al., 2016, p.272). For elementary ages, PjBL improves “experiential reasoning and comprehension of relations,” content knowledge and group work skills, motivation, positivity in the classroom, and literacy (Kokotsaki et al., 2016, p.269-270). PenPal Schools is an effective tool for the implementation of PjBL into any classroom.
Global Citizenship
PenPal Schools promotes global citizenship by connecting students around the world through the exploration of various topics that build a “global awareness…[and] interconnectedness with others” (Katzarska-Miller & Reysen, 2019, p.26). While traditional classrooms may overlook current or social justice events, PenPal Schools provides educators with opportunities to tackle global issues that “[are] simply too important to be dominated by other curricular imperatives” (Schweisfurth, 2006, p.47).
Learning about different countries around the world allows students to gain a better understanding of humanity and appreciate the similarities and differences between one another. The goal of globalized education, and PenPal Schools, is to form “a greater understanding of interconnectedness between self and world, skills and values” (Katzarska-Miller & Reysen, 2019, p.31). By connecting with other cultures, students can learn to empathize with others and work towards “sustainable development and peaceful societies” (Schweisfurth, 2006, p.42). PenPal Schools makes it easy for teachers to integrate global awareness into their classrooms by increasing their “global content,” “[supporting] the idea of student-perceived awareness,” and “[encouraging] student connections” (Katzarska-Miller & Reysen, 2019, p.28). While global citizenship may not be a concrete part of the BC Curriculum, teachers must integrate PenPal Schools or other similar multimedia technologies to work towards a more inclusive world.
Alicia M. from Saraland Elementary School says PenPal Schools “creates an understanding of culture differences!”
PenPal Schools provides opportunities to connect with other learners around the world, share experiences, and explore project-based learning collaboratively, all of which are “key to becoming an educated global and digital citizen” (Bjelde, 2020).
– Ms. Bjelde, Ms. L. McLean, Ms. A. McLean, Ms. Gustavsson
References
Katzarska-Miller, I., & Reysen, S. (2019). Educating for global citizenship: Lessons from psychology. Childhood Education, 95(6), 24-33. doi:10.1080/00094056.2019.1689055
Kokotsaki, D., Menzies, V., & Wiggins, A. (2016). Project-based learning: A review of the literature. Improving Schools, 19(3), 267-277. doi:10.1177/1365480216659733
Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2014). The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning(2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139547369
PenPal Schools. 2020. A Global Project Based Learning Community. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2020, from https://www.penpalschools.com/index.html
Schweisfurth, M. (2006). Education for global citizenship: Teacher agency and curricular structure in ontario schools. Educational Review: Global Citizenship Education, 58(1), 41-50. doi:10.1080/00131910500352648
Van den Bossche, P., Gijselaers, W. H., Segers, M., & Kirschner, P. A. (2006). Social and Cognitive Factors Driving Teamwork in Collaborative Learning Environments: Team Learning Beliefs and Behaviors. Small Group Research, 37(5), 490–521.
Wilson, L. (2018, May 03). Everything You Need To Know To Get Started With PenPal Schools. Retrieved June 13, 2020, from https://hundred.org/en/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-to-get-started-with-penpal-schools
ulturally-sensitive, aware, and understanding.
the learning outcomes, the breakdown of the lesson, and the guide for educators to follow. One of the best parts is for each lesson you, as the educator, can choose between the lesson plan for in class or at home. Lessons can be sent home and done between guardians and children. These lessons can be lengthy so asking the Guardian to do it can be a big ask. As the lessons are clearly laid out it is easy to pick and choose which lessons or units one would want to implement in the classroom at all. It is quite a lengthy curriculum, and getting through the whole thing in one school year could potentially be hard.
says what it is. Additionally, one can hover the mouse over the picture, and it will say the emotion that is displayed. One can then click on a question mark near the face to learn more about the emotion as well. This is a great example of the multimedia principle as words and pictures are better than just words alone (Mayer, p. 8, 2016). It also supports the spatial contiguity principle as the word that is associated is right next to the picture (Mayer, p. 8, 2016). Before assessing emotions it prompts one to close their eyes and breath in and out five times. This is a great tool for helping students center themselves and tap into what they are feeling. myPeakaville engages learners in technology with the specific purpose of teaching students important lessons in SEL. Sensory modalities are used throughout the myPeakaville site as there is narration throughout, along with text and pictures (Mayer, p.8, 2016). It supports the segmenting principle as is a learner paced experience. Students can work through the led experiences at their own pace and learn through the process (Mayer, p. 8, 2016). The myPeakaville site is an example of the guided discovery principle. Students are led through activities that teach, test, and guide students through the self-discovery of emotions and the emotions of others- guided discovery principle (Mayer, p. 9, 2016).
This leads to less autonomy for the students. The lesson plans that are provided begin with a story that immediately sets the tone for multimedia learning. Aj Juliani says in his article “The Importance of Teaching With Stories”, stories fully engage the learner and sync them to the storyteller. By beginning the lesson plans with a letter from Leo the Hedgehog and a story the learners are invested in Leo’s narrative and form a connection with the teacher. Through the text and pictures, the narration that is provided in the audio recording, or narration by the teacher, students are given worked examples of how-to and how not to handle certain situations (Mayer, p. 9, 2016). Each of the lessons builds upon the last, giving a well-rounded experience and understanding, specific for that grade level, in an SEL topic, thus supporting the prior knowledge principle (Mayer, p. 9, 2016).
This web-based site provides opportunities for fun, meaningful and important learning to occur that provide teachers with a jumping-off point for teaching SEL topics that can be hard to approach (Sorden, p. 6, 2012). Beyond teaching students how to be good people it integrates multimedia learning seamlessly and purposefully.