Introduction to Virtual Exchanges
What is a Virtual Exchange?
Not a dumb question at all!
If you’re an educator who has attended professional development seminars of late and heard about the various advantages of telecollaboration and new ways to help students draw from the myriad benefits of experiential learning while still working within the somewhat limited confines of your classroom, you’ve no doubt been intrigued by the concept of virtual exchanges. Simply put, a virtual exchange can be any collaborative project or learning experience between two or more schools in which students interact via the use of technology, whether it be writing, message boards, blogging, or audio and video, to exchange ideas, practice languages, and grow.
Naturally, the richness and uniqueness of these experiences transcends the day-to-day curriculum grind and gives projects and interactions like virtual exchanges a singular importance: virtual exchanges can lead to memorable experiences, heightened curiosity, experiential learning, significant cultural exposure, and a lot of fun. They’re as close as you can get to taking a class trip every week to somewhere on the other side of the world, so it’s no wonder that educators and institutions take these sorts of projects on with burgeoning enthusiasm. Nevertheless, virtual exchanges, like any educational medium, come with challenges.
Virtual exchanges don’t just come with a “one size fits all,” “just add water” efficaciousness; they’re unique and require—even in the best-case scenarios—willing and experienced educators like you to get off the ground, stay afloat, and reach their pedagogical destination. The challenges in virtual exchanges present themselves as minor inconveniences, or downright obstacles, but they can always be overcome. Despite our best intentions, anything can turn from a curiosity to chaos if not properly managed; from communication to tech issues, differences in culture and time zones, or the need for both student and teacher buy-in, in the form of engagement for the pupils and training and support for the educators, a variety of hurdles can challenge a smooth experience. But remember, there are no problems—only solutions.
Virtual Exchanges Challenges and Solutions
You’re trying something new in your classroom, and you’ve explored just about everything that could go wrong, carefully mapped out the various scenarios, troubleshooted the plan with colleagues, and still—the unexpected wild card blindsides you and derails your lesson. We’ve all been there, and it never hits any less hard, no matter how long you’ve been in the classroom.But, as educators, we also have a superpower, a sort of educational optimism where we see solutions locked inside of problems. Think of the following common hindrances and pitfalls of a traditional virtual exchange, and let’s reveal the learning moments inside each one.
Communication Barriers
So you’re paired up with another school and you task your students with the goal of introducing themselves to their new partner and, predictably, one group of students must speak a second language. Now the other pupils complain of the struggle to understand one another, hesitation sets in, and endless questions arise as to what people mean, will they understand one another, and all the rest.
Well, you know this to be a not-so-uncommon issue: while one and a half billion people speak English in the world, only about a third or fewer of them speak it as a second language. Turn this into a moment of practicing patience, empathy, and humility for your students. Perhaps they’ll take an interest in the differences in mannerisms of speech, dialect, and phrasings. Emphasize the enjoyment of the dialogue over the effectiveness of understanding one another immediately. Encourage clarifying questions and likely, the students will open up even more about their ways and what’s important to them.
Technological Difficulties
Of course, we surround ourselves with the most incredible tools which can simplify our lives and allow us to achieve incredible goals…until they fail us at the most inopportune moment.
And isn’t it always the case that these errors come right in the middle of a lesson when it’s most inconvenient?
Lean into that–and remember that different parts of the world find themselves in different levels of advancement. Digital privacy, access to high-speed internet, and government firewalls all widely differ depending on where you go, and every one of these hot button topics makes for a fascinating discussion, and a reminder for your students of a bigger world. In some cases, this reminder may also help them feel thankful for the level of tech in their own world and remind them that we rely on these great tools sometimes to our own peril!
Also, have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?
Cultural Misunderstandings
Well, it’s only a matter of time before your students embarrass themselves, and you by proxy. Saddled with the anxiety and nervousness of representing their community, they say something absurd, and even if they intended to sound confident and knowledgeable, they fail to stick the landing.
But truly, how can we teach empathy and cultural competency without these moments? Don’t overanalyze or aggrandize the problem—remind them (and yourself) that in all likelihood, you can assume good intentions, and allow for a meaningful interaction to take place. The only misunderstandings are the ones we leave in the dark.
Time Zone Differences
You’ve moved around lessons for the week and reserved a special room in the building with a webcam and adequate seating, and it’s five minutes past the hour…no word from the school in India…
And then you remember—last weekend was daylight saving time…Fall back, spring forward… maybe they don’t turn back the clocks?
Don’t worry–it’s happened to all of us. Time zones can really prove a nuisance, especially when you’re trying to connect with a partner in a virtual exchange that’s far, far away from you, and the time zone makes it nearly impossible.
Never fear—while it seems like the very best way for your students to interact with their partners is in real time, this isn’t always the case, and it’s certainly not what they’re used to, either.
Remember, young people prefer asynchronous communication far more now than ever. Text messages, comments, and likes on social media do not happen in real time. Their favorite content creators make consumable content on social media to appear spontaneously, but we all know the curation and preparation involved. Relax. Unless someone is sitting right in front of you, chances are there’s going to be some lag in communication, and that can oftentimes allow people to collect their thoughts, respond thoughtfully, and reflect on the dialogue.
Lack of Student Engagement
We’ve all struggled with student attention, focus, and buy-in, both with our nascent and burgeoning love affair with screens and the lingering effects of lockdown and virtual learning still present in our collective consciousness. So your students drag their feet and, whether implicitly or explicitly, bemoan having to do this dumb virtual exchange thing.
As with all student complaints, it’s hard not to take them personally, but we should remember that our class does not often rank in the top five most important aspects of their life.
However, with virtual exchanges, we have some leverage: they’re talking with peers! Keep the focus on what the students want to discuss. Let them determine the tone and subject matter of exchange. Encourage them to get creative with their videos and learn and practice valuable skills in production in the process. A virtual exchange doesn’t just pair up two classes so they can talk about a book; it’s an exercise in making friends, presenting oneself, writing, ambassadorship, oratory, and filming, to say the least. Find out what part of this multi-tool assignment does interest your pupils the most and lean heavily into that.
Teacher Training and Support
supposed to find the time to learn a new technology, or whatever system or platform students will use to perform a virtual exchange? How can I make sure it’s safe? Who’s going to help me when I don’t know what to do?
Well, the uncertainty is only natural, but these questions should underscore the importance of picking the right means of exchange that will work for you and your students. As we alluded to, a virtual exchange can be as complex as the bells and whistles you want to put on it! If you just want to start simple, you can do that by reenacting a simple online pen pal exchange, or just set up a call or video conference for a discussion. But, if safety, troubleshooting, and support arise as your priorities, you’ll want to engage a more comprehensive platform that simplifies the work for the educator and meets the students with familiar tools and a user-friendly interface.
Case Studies: Successful Virtual Exchange Programs
Level Up Village boasts one of the most successful catalogs of programs with an impressive number of successful virtual exchanges. Many of the language-based virtual exchanges really address and lean into communication barriers. They challenge students to think deeply about the symbols, artifacts, and signifiers, both linguistic and beyond, that make up the identities of their family, their communities, and their countries. Cultural misunderstandings, too, if they creep up, can become a safe space and fertile ground for critical inquiry and practicing cultural humility and empathy. The best Level Up Village courses offer engaging questions where the students look both outward and inward.
The technology offered by Level Up Village couldn’t be easier. It’s intuitive, allows the students to upload original content videos and response videos from any device, and makes viewing and approving the videos a breeze. The system looks and feels familiar, and it proves compatible with any interface, and any level of technology education. And best of all, it’s safe and secure within its own confines. Because the video exchange relies largely on asynchronous, weekly back and forth communication, the Level Up Village schedule really can fit any scholastic situation. It’s flexible and tailor-made for whatever scheduling difficulties you may encounter at your institution.
Finally, Level Up Village’s platform and courses are designed with teachers, and for students. You won’t see any stuffy, drawn-out discussions that feel tired and out of touch. The goal of these modules continues to be student-centered and engaging; it’s a place where students can talk about what’s important to them and hear with the same passion and enthusiasm about their peers all over the world.
Conclusion
A virtual exchange can be any collaborative project or learning experience between two or more schools in which students interact via the use of technology, whether it be writing, message boards, blogging, or audio and video, to exchange ideas, practice languages, and grow. Of course, there are challenges in virtual exchanges, chiefly having to do with communication, cultural differences, technology, time zones, and the ease at which students and teachers can interact with the systems. However, in each of these roadblocks there lies an opportunity to teach meaningful skills and present students with a-ha moments that you’d not normally find within the walls of a classroom. Therein lie the solutions for virtual exchange issues: teaching resilience, patience, humility, creative problem solving, and emphasizing ingenuity and self-reflection.
Level Up Village brings together some of the most up-to-date technology on a clean and simple, safe platform for teachers and students to meet, discuss, share, and grow their ideas about themselves and their world.
