The hub for france-american exchange

It brings a new depth to language usage and comprehension, and provides an unforgettable glimpse into other lifestyles and customs; often these exchanges help develop new understandings and forge new connections between two countries.

Often, with budget cuts on both continents, rising airfares, visa requirements, etc., the idea of visiting another country seems to be a daunting task. 

Teachers have faced such difficulties before, and are often quite willing to share their experiences, tips, and methods, as long as they can find each other to share this information.  A teacher in Ohio may have some fantastic insights and advice about raising funds and lesson plans for a trip - but how to find a teacher in California searching for such information? A smaller city in France might love to host an American class – but how would they find one another? With increased internet availability in classrooms, other methods of exchange have become possible, and are well within the reach of many classrooms in the US and France: email exchanges, video conferences, short movies documenting daily life, etc.  Again, the challenge is sorting through the numerous general education sites on the web to find one that might have a forum where they could connect with other like-minded educators.

Recognizing the need for a place where teachers in France and the United States could connect with each other, share ideas and experiences, photos, as well as arrange exchanges of many types –  the Public Affairs office of the American Embassy in Paris,  supported the development of The Franco-American Educational Exchange Network (FAEEN). FAEEN is a social networking site designed to support and develop exchanges specifically between French and American teachers.  These exchanges can take many forms – internet conferences between classrooms using Skype and other video call programs, email exchanges, penpals, video exchanges, and classroom trips.  The site also provides information and links for teachers to study abroad through scholarship and grant opportunities.

The Franco-American Educational Exchange Network is completely free to join and use, while not an official site, the Embassy monitors the site to see if it can support proposed exchanges.

To join the site, simply visit
http://francoamericanedex.ning.com and on the upper right hand side click on ‘Sign Up’. (If you are already a member of another ning.com site, the same ID and password may be used for this group.). The applicant is encouraged to fill out their profile, as it makes it easier for the site moderators to approve new members quickly (Membership must be approved to ensure that all new members are either French or American teachers/student teachers, and to prevent unwanted spam). 

After approval to join the site, the user is invited to explore several groups created to help teachers find other classrooms: there are three groups devoted to high school/lycée, university/université, and middle school/collège. Within the applicable group, the member is encouraged to leave a message, introducing themselves, their classrooms, and the types of exchanges in which they are interested. Other members have left similar postings, which can be perused and replied to at their leisure. There are also groups based on subjects of interest (cooking, literature, etc.) and groups can be created for schools that participate in districts that have Memorandums of Understanding between departments in France and individual states in the U.S. (For example there exists already a Connecticut-Toulouse group). 

Users may also customize their membership page to reflect their interests – changing the background, adding music and profile photos, etc. They may start discussions open to all members, post events of interest, link to other blogs and sites, and upload photos related to Franco-American exchanges. The site is carefully monitored, and a moderator presence is maintained to ensure smooth site navigation, welcome new members, and resolve any issues that may arise.

While the purpose of the site is primarily to facilitate classroom connections, teachers and student teachers are also encouraged to explore exchanges for themselves.

Through scholarships and grants it is possible for them to study or work abroad - most notably through the Fulbright Teacher Exchange and Teachers-in Training programs; however information and applications for the Amity Institute internships and summer study grants through the Cultural Services of the French Consulate of Chicago are also available, and more will be added. Events are also posted on the main page which may be of interest to teachers in a particular area.  It is also possible for members to create their own events, get-togethers and meetups to further connect with other teachers, post the event to the calendar, and send invitations/search for other members to invite, all through FAEEN.

FAEEN has also inspired a seminar on using technology to facilitate classroom exchange that was be held in France in June 2010 by the US Embassy in Paris.  Taking the site’s concept one step further, while spreading the word about its availability and potential as an exchange tool, this seminar will provide methods, ideas, resources and contacts to teachers to help inspire further exchanges by using the internet to reach out to other classrooms.  The response to news of the upcoming seminar has been impressive, underscoring the excitement and interest teachers have in connecting their classrooms in France and the United States.