Entry Information:

• Entries need to describe learning experiences that are focused on collaboration, digital literacy and/or global awareness.
• Contest begins April 15, 2009.
• Entries must be submitted by midnight, May 31, 2009, EDT USA.
• Applicants may nominate themselves, or be nominated by others.
• Questions? Contact: teacherchallenge@epals.com
• Please submit your online application here. You may prefer to prepare your answers ahead of time in a word processing program and then copy your response to our online application form. See application questions or apply now!

Award Information

• Awardees will be announced June 15, 2009
• All awardees will be invited to present their projects via video conference at the ePals Globally Connected Classrooms Conference held on July 28, 2009, in Boston MA. A teacher who would like to present in person may do so, but will be responsible for travel and lodging expenses. ePals will waive the conference registration fee.
• Awardees will need to provide project information and photos for online and conference publications. Dates for these items will be provided after awards are announced.
• ePals will publish winning projects, and authors’ comments, on the ePals website.
• ePals will provide press release information at the ePals Conference 2009 for winners to publicize their awards via their local media.

Criteria For Assessment

Entries will be evaluated by members of ePals Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee will use a rubric based on the following attributes:

• Detailed description of teacher’s project, from initial planning to final evaluation
• Inclusion of successful elements of collaboration, digital literacy, and/or global awareness
• Description and anecdotal evidence of how engaged students were in the project and how the project enhanced regular classroom programs
• Description of what the applicant learned from the project, including comments and recommendations for how other teachers could implement this project and modify it to meet their own classroom requirements
• Quality and originality of educational content

Please note that descriptions should be sufficiently detailed so that other teachers can follow the same process or modify it to meet their own classroom requirements.