Electronic Postcards in the Classroom

How can I integrate electronic postcards into the classroom?
 
How can I link visual and writing activities?
 
What kinds of activities can I do with electronic postcards?

Explore the electronic postcard sites below. Brainstorm different types of activities you could do with the postcards. For example, you might ask students to write a short story about the picture, describe a scientific aspect of the photo, answer questions, write a question to an expert, or write a poem. Your students don't have to have email accounts to do an electronic postcard project. You could have students send the postcards to the teacher's account, you could print out the postcards, or you could copy the pictures into a word processor.

Go to eNature cards. They have over 5000 nature images that can be used as ecards.

If you can't find a postcard topic you like at the links below, try doing a search in Google for your topic and the word postcard or electronic postcard. For example, try Iowa electronic postcard.

• Jan Brett - postcards by the illustrator
• Australia - postcards from Australia
• History Channel - history greetings
• American's Library - historical
• Volition.com - free epostcards
• NetCards - lots of artwork
• CyberZoo Postcards - San Diego Zoo - lots of great animal pictures
• NASA Epostcards
• The Electronic Postcard
• Scholastic Cards - clifford, magic schoolbus, miss spider, dear America and others
• eCards - plants, animals, endangered animals, landscapes, flowers, places
• CyberCards - many categories
• Scenic Postcards - cards from each US state
• Blue Mountain Arts - must register
• PostCards From - postcards from around the US - can't send, just look at them
• Send a Quote - choose a quote, write about it, and send it
• Awesome Card
• All4Kids Postcards - Kids version of Awesome Cards
• Paddington Bear Postcard - send a Paddington postcard
• Hallmark Cards
• Magic Schoolbus Card Factory
• MOMA ecard
• ARM Education Site - good for science and habitat
• 1001 Postcards
• Wired 2000 Virtual Postcards
• Alfy Sends a PostCard
• WayBack Summer Vacation - historic
  

Across the Curriculum

Shocked Poetry
http://www.shockedpoetry.com/
Choose a theme, create a poem, and send as an e-greeting card. You can even add nouns, verbs, adjectives, and little words.

Create a Seasonal Postcard
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/games_quizzes/postcards/index.asp
These postcards are intended to print rather than email.

Integrating Electronic Postcards

Create a handout with step-by-step instructions for using the postcard page. Include the specific activity. Be sure the activity is associated with a particular learning outcome. Remember, your students don't need email do these activities. They could send the postcard to your email address. Do a Writing a Postcard activity practicing vowels.
 
Read books such as The Armadillo from Amarillo, Letters for Felix or other books about ending postcards or letters. Explore classroom projects that use postcards.

• Postcards Around Australia (Grades 4-8)
• Language Arts Lesson - you're a stowaway writing cards
• HP Telementor Lesson - share information and math activities with mentor
• Classroom Resources for Postcards Across America
• PostCards and Epostcards - EDSITEment lesson (Grades 3-8)
• Arthur Postcards Lesson - paper postcards
• A Letter to Armadillo (Grade 3) - letter writing
• Exploring the Local Landscapes - (Grade 3)  
  
  

Design an eCard Activity

Send an Electronic Postcard. Create your own postcard activity.

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