Over the Thanksgiving break, each of Scott's students will interview an elder, take notes, and bring the information back to class, where it will be edited and shared on a site with the interviews of their Japanese school keypals, who are carrying out the same project halfway around the world. This interview curriculum will hopefully lead the children and the elders to better appreciate one another. Since Japan is in a different time zone, connections are hard to arrange. Twice the students in Japan have had sleepovers so that Scott's class could conference in the early morning. Scott's class plans to stay late one afternoon to connect with the Japanese students early in their class day.
Email is exchanged as frequently as either set of kids can get their correspondences compiled.
A. Scott feels that using pictures and only first names ensures the safety of his students. He realizes that there are those who disagree, but he has found no real evidence that students whose internet use is monitored are being victimized. Publishing the experiences increases parental communication and provides a way for the children to revisit those encounters and continue learn from them, as well as a vehicle for them to share them more extensively with their parents and friends.