I have just posted a new podcast- an interview with Lisa Parisi. You can find it here. There are a number of things she said that really struck me.

She talked about how her teaching has changed since she started adding telecollaborative projects. She said her students are more in control of their learning. They self-select topics and are much more invested in their work. When the work comes out of the interest of the child, the work is much better. Whereas in the past she tried to be more in control of what happened in the class, she has learned to give more control to the students.

Lisa’s students have expressed how they prepare differently (whether written work, a podcast or video) if they know they have an outside audience.

Another issue she addressed was how to find teachers who are interested in collaborating with her students. She talked about the importance of her network. One difficulty she has is finding a teacher who is as interested in continuing a connection with her class.

She made many more important points. Listen to the whole podcast (just 15 minutes). I’d love to hear your feedback on what she is doing. Have you found any changes in your classes? How are your students reacting to being part of an online project?

Susan