Students can upload their videos to the Connecting Classrooms platform directly through the link activity link. For more information, please refer to the Connecting Classrooms Platform Instructions for the students. We recommend students do not send their videos directly to the students at their partner school.

Here the instructions for the Connecting Classrooms instructions for teachers

Teachers will decide with their partner school the language for each video activity. Teachers can opt to do all activities in the target language, or can take a blended approach where the first video is completed in the student’s primary language and the second activity is completed in the target language.

Students can create videos individually or in groups, and there is no participation limit. However, we recommend that teachers discuss beforehand how many videos their school will create for each activity and confirm that their partner school will be able to respond appropriately to the number of videos received.

We recommend videos be 2 to 4 minutes in length and aimed at middle and high school students in Spain & France studying English. The video format should include:

• Introduction
  o Introduce yourself/group members (first name only)
  o Explain the purpose of the video e.g. “Today we will tell you/show you…”
• Presentation & discussion of topic
• Ending – What questions do you have for your peers abroad?

Once you receive the contact information of the teacher at your partner school, we encourage you to schedule a video or phone call to discuss the following:

• How and when will you share the videos for the first activity with each other?
• What language will the students at each school use for the first video activity?
• How many videos will your school send for the first video activity?
• When will you send your students’ responses to the questions asked by your partner school in their videos?

If a student is unable to participate or prefers not to create a video, they can share the same information through a slideshow presentation, infographic, drawing, poem, or whatever creative channel they prefer to express their ideas.

Connecting Classrooms involves both sharing videos and responding to the videos that your class receives. Additionally, teachers can arrange a virtual class visit with a Forum staff member to present the program to students and provide them with their first “cultural exchange.” Schools also have the option to participate in a virtual “mixer” between classrooms organized by the teachers.

Forum Language Experience facilitates the connection between classrooms in the U.S., France and Spain, utilizing its relationships with local teachers. The Forum team will support teachers throughout the project and will also be looking for feedback from teachers and students on how to improve the pilot program.

Yes, you can see examples of videos created by students on our YouTube page.

Yes, please see our Connecting Classrooms sample rubric.