Why Exchange Postcards?

WHY EXCHANGE POSTCARDS?

What is the benefit of exchanging postcards with classrooms and children in different parts of the world? Here are some of the comments from teachers and parents when asked why they wanted to be part of the Imagiverse PostcardCafe postcard exchange.

Why?

I was a member last year and the class and I enjoyed and looked forward to all the neat postcards we received throughout the year.

I participated last year and my students LOVED learning about the different places in this unique fashion.

I have been a member for four years. My students enjoy the cards, and I believe that communication with others is an effective means of learning.

I'll be teaching history as well as writing, and this sounds like a great way to teach students about meeting new friends through letter writing.

I think this would be a wonderful learning opportunity for my students. Many of them have never left Arizona - I can't think of a better way to bring the world to them.

The postcard exchange seems like an excellent idea!

To practice writing skills as well as see and learn about different places.

This will give my students a chance to learn about the 50 states in a real-world situation and not just reading about them from a social studies book.

The postcard exchange opens windows to the world to children around the world. It can be adapted to use in every age classroom and ... it is FUN!

Learning about the United States is a California 5th grade standard. Postcards with a personal message helps makes this standard more meaningful and opens my students eyes to other places.

This is a terrific project for introducing young students to the study of geography in a "hands on" manner.

This sounds like an exciting way to bring the world into our classroom by giving students a meaningful writing experience.

To teach my students about geography and how the mail works.

To cultivate an understanding of geography by means of interacting with various students across the United States.

My students have such a narrow minded view of the world and I want them to know that there is a big world out there. There is more to life than driving cool cars and having babies.

I like the idea of using postcards to help students learn about geography and other cultures.

I have been a member of the PostcardCafe exchange for 2 years now.

To teach the students geography in a fun way.

I think participating in this exchange will enhance my students understanding of people and places throughout the US and other countries.

As an enrichment to my students' geography and world culture studies. We love to learn about new places around the US and around the world!

In my district, writing is a main focus in 2nd grade, and I like to use writing postcards as a fun way to get them to write. I integrate it with State lessons throughout the year.

I want my students to learn from students outside their community.

We enjoyed this project last year.

My daughter loves learning about other places and she collects postcards. This will help her earn a Brownie try-it. She wants to share her cards with her Girl Scout Troop.

Great way to learn about other places and teach geography skills.

I am very interested in collecting postcards from around the world, and seeing the different postmarks.

For the exciting, motivating way to incorporate into technology and social studies.

I have belonged to a postcard project for the last 8 years. It has been a great way to introduce geography to the children, which is just one of the benefits.

I would like to use the project to help my children learn about different parts of our country, and the world, as well as learn map skills.

I'm so excited about introducing my students to United States geography through this activity! I know they will love sending and receiving post cards from around the U.S.

Our class is working on a United States unit.

We have heard great things about postcard exchanges and believe that it would be a great way for our fifth grades to learn more about other states and bring an excitement of receiving postcards that can be included in state projects throughout the year.

Another teacher did this project last school year and I really enjoyed seeing her students engaged in what was going on. I would love to bring information to my students about other places that they know nothing about.

Seventeen of my twenty students are ESL students, I would use the postcard exchange as an chance to expand their vocabulary as well as use it to share information and to develop activities with their parents that would teach them about their new country.

My class was involved in a postcard exchange last year and really enjoyed the project!

This will be my fourth year. The kids learn so much and really enjoy it.

It motivates and interests my students to learn about other parts of the world.

My Kindergarten class consists of both regular and ESL students. I feel that the Postcard Exchange will be a valuable teaching tool to be used throughout the school year.

To help learn Geography and other state information.

I have done this for the past several years. The students love learning about other states. They also like writing to others about their state.

I think this is awesome! Many of my students are new to the country and have little knowledge of this country and the world. I think this is an awesome way to "interact" with the world!

My kids love getting mail and as their teacher I love all the things they learn about life in the USA.

Would love to be involved in this project to show my students how big the world is and to generate interest in reading and writing and meeting new friends.

A postcard exchange is a wonderful way to integrate subjects and teach students about various cultures.

I would love to use this as a Geography project for my students!

Sounds like a fun way to learn about the different areas of the world and different classrooms!

I think that this is a great way to add excitement to our curriculum, also this is will open the gateway to the outdoor world for my students.

I am a homeschooling mom and my girls are interested in learning about other cultures in the US as well as worldwide. We will put together a scrapbook of the information as it is received.

Highlight curriculum.

My son and I have been collecting post cards for a few weeks now, our goal is to collect 100 by the 100th day of school for a project. We are also learning from the cards, we have a map on the wall and as they come in we put a pin where is came from.

I have done postcard exchanges in the past and think it is incredible. I have done them with students of all ages and have found so many different ways to fit them into a variety of curriculums. This one seems to be very involved and interesting.

I have found this a great way for my students to learn about other states and countries. They love hearing about each state and locating them on the map.

I have participated in the postcard exchange in the past and find it very educational and rewarding for my students.

I did this last year - we loved it!

I would like to teach the children about different parts of the world and different cultures.

I (and my students) really enjoyed doing this last year. I really look forward to sharing the county with my students.

To build my class's sense of community.

I did it the 2005-2006 school year and my kids love it!

We study the 50 states; this would be a great addition.

To provide my students the opportunity to learn about other countries.

I have participated in postcard exchanges previously and my students really enjoyed the process. It is important for my inner city students to build background knowledge related to other areas and to learn about similarities/differences.

This will be the third year as a member of the postcard exchange and it has provided a wonderful way of meeting learning objectives and content standards in both language arts and social studies/geography. The children really enjoy receiving and sending postcards; they actively participate in lessons using the cards. I can adjust the lessons in both time and content - sometimes I fill 10 minutes at the end of the day by reading and passing three to four postcards and then have children put them on the map next to where they came from - Another time I might do a 40 minute geography lesson using all of the cards we have received so far. I have even made a reading center out of the postcards. The benefits of the exchange balance out the expense of buying cards and postage - maybe even out weighs the expense since my school district reimbursed me for the postage this past year. My biggest concern is picking out that 'just right' postcard from our state - if I save the receipt, my school district will probably reimburse those funds as well as the postage this next year - they see the value to learning that a postcard exchange can provide.

To increase awareness of students of location of cities, states, countries. To motivate writing and research on different locations.

I want to expand my students' world.

My students will be studying the U.S.A. They will have to complete a report on a state. They will also be studying about countries around the world. I think that this will be an exciting incentive for my students. I am excited about it!

I will be teaching social studies and history this school year. Post cards are good teaching tools for both subjects.

I want to broaden the views of my students.

To incorporate different cultures and places into curriculum.

I would very much like my students to learn about people from around the world on a personal level.

This will help me show my son there is more to our country than our home state.

To give my students knowledge of other states and countries.

I think it is a great idea to integrate social studies and writing. Plus, the students will love it. I can't wait.

Because I have been a member of a post card exchange for many years and the students in my class will (and do) learn about other states and other people.

I think the Postcard Exchange is an excellent idea. Students can learn about other people and places. It makes learning geography more fun.

I wanted to expose the students to different cities, countries, etc. since geography is such a big concept in any grade.

It will be a fantastic learning experience for my students.

We enjoy getting postcards from all over the country, and we learn about our country and the map.

I want to join so my students have a better understanding of our country as well as other countries.

For Social Studies and geography as well as making students aware of other places of interest.

I thought it would be a fun to integrate the postcards into my social studies curriculum.

My students will be more interested in the world when they "meet" others from around the world. I really think they'll enjoy receiving postcards from around the world.

I thought it would be a great way for my students to learn about other places in the big world we live in. Also, it will be a good geography lesson when we locate where each card comes from.

I would like my students to learn about the world outside of our small town.

I would like my students to experience a cultural exchange of ideas and thoughts from other countries.

The opportunity for our community of 50 multiaged kids to interact with the world and other kids in other places---fun and powerful!

My Third Grade Social Studies Curriculum focuses on Communities. This is an excellent way for my students to "visit" other communities around the world.

I am homeschooling my children and am using post cards from around the world to teach them geography.

To introduce and teach my son about all different cultures and places from around the world.

Our history curriculum is ancient civilizations from all over the Mediterranean and China and India.

Being a first grade teacher in a low-socioeconomic school, I feel like most of my students have never been out of their back yard, so I will bring the world to them.

It is a good activity for the children to know children from different countries of culture.

I love to send and receive postcards. Also learning about other cultures as well as telling about mine really appeals to me.

We are a Home Educating family and I did something similar a few years ago with my two eldest children. It was very exciting for them to receive postcards from other children overseas.

I love the idea of bringing more cultural awareness to my students and spark discussion/discovery of different places around the world. "Break them out of their protective bubble."