Circle News: First Edition!
The first Learning Circle activities are designed to help you and your students learn more about your Learning Circle partners. Learning Circles open on a certain date. The opening message is the first edition of a weekly CIRCLE NEWS broadcast, which is sent by the Circle Coordinator. It welcomes you to the Learning Circle and lists your Learning Circle partners. It is a good idea to make a print copy of this message and save for future reference. You may want to post it in your classroom for your students as well. CIRCLE NEWS on a weekly basis continues to provide direction and support for Circle Interaction. It is a bit like loudspeaker that reaches across classrooms with news and information.

Electronic Roll Call

Once your Learning Circle is set up, there is an electronic roll call to see who is present and ready for Learning Circle interactions. Your first message will assure the members of your Circle that you are able to receive and send messages.

We know that many teachers are very busy and will not be able to begin sending messages with their class on the first day of the session. But you will find that your Learning Circle partners are eager to meet you and will want to know when you will be ready to participate. It is important to send a message to your Learning Circle as soon as possible. This assures the members of your group that you are really "there" and gives them a sense of when to expect the next message from you and your class.

If you have any difficulty getting through to your Learning Circle, please check with your service provider. Remember that being in a Learning Circle is a commitment to a team. Others will be depending on you and your students. If you fail to contact your Learning Circle, your Learning Circle Coordinator, or your network provider, you may miss out on the planning phase making it difficult for others to incorporate your Learning Circle project into their schedule.

"Hello" Message

Your first message is your class introduction to your Learning Circle.

Send your hello message in e-mail that has the subject line identifying your class and the word "Introduction". For example if you were class 1 you would send a message with the subject line:

Class 1 Introduction

Take this opportunity to say how often and on what days you plan to check mail. This information will be vital as your Learning Circle tries to decide on which projects are possible to complete during the session. A teacher who regularly checks mail (even every other week) can make a very worthwhile contribution to the Learning Circle if everyone knows that this is the pattern to expect.

Bulletin Board Displays

A bulletin board display is one effective way to share your Learning Circle experience with other students and teachers in the school and with parents and classroom visitors. Using a world map and a Learning Circle banner, each of the partner classes can be displayed and a place can be identified to display the messages as they arrive from these different places. This display makes it possible for students in other classrooms to share in the excitement of the long distance exchanges. Creating this public display also visually communicates to students the value you place on their collaborative work.

Go to phase 3

Adapted for ASEAN Schoolnet from Learning Circle Teachers' Guide by Margaret Riel