LETTER TO READERS Template

Here is a template letter sent to Learning Circle Facilitators each session.
They are free to use the letter with minor modifications (changing the name
of the Learning Circle, add their name) or rewrite it in any way they want.

To Our Readers...

Telecommunications links minds. The teachers and students listed in this
Circle Publication worked together in a Learning Circle called [SOCIETY'S
PROBLEMS] on the [name of network]. While the authors listed in this
publication did not physically meet one another, they worked cooperatively
over the past fifteen weeks and shared together in a new form of teamwork.
This teamwork was made possible by links between computers and the work of
the teachers who helped their students participate in this exciting new
form of learning.

Students typed their messages on their classroom computers and then, using
modems and telephone lines, sent their messages to all of the other
classrooms in the Learning Circle by typing a single command on their
computer. Just as easily, they were able to receive messages that were sent
from these distant locations and different time zones.

Their first messages were class surveys in which they described themselves,
their schools and their communities. Once they learned a bit about one
another, they worked together to design Learning Circle Projects. The
results of these cooperative projects make up the content of this
publication. While this publication marks the end of their time together,
for many it also marks the beginning of a new pattern of teamwork over
distances. This cooperative work across geographic and cultural boundaries
is likely to play an increasingly vital role in all aspects of the future.

We hope you will enjoy reading the work of our students!

NAME
SOCIETY'S PROBLEMS
Learning Circle Facilitator

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Copyright © 1997, 2002, Margaret Riel