eCards is an environmental education and advocacy tool that aims to empower students to act for the climate by learning about environmental issues, creating informed messages, and acting on them. The digital platform encourages students to become active citizens and use their voice to act for the climate by learning about environmental issues.
Students will:
- select and research a topic that they are passionate about
- use the eCard worksheet to create and design their message
- get feedback on their ecard from their teacher or peers
- submit and send their ecard to their chosen decision-maker
The Topic Resource Center that supports the research phase of the project was written specifically for grade 7-12 learners. With educator support to guide the process and learning of younger grades, elementary school students can also use eCards with success.
By sending an eCard to a decision maker, students express what they have learned through their research and what matters most to them. Through art and writing, eCards supports environmental education and advocates for students to take meaningful, collective action. An excellent tool to empower young people to make a difference.
What skills does this resource explicitly teach?
Students will
- think critically about current environmental issues
- develop their research skills
- identify communication strategies needed for advocacy
- understand how to build informed opinions about a subject
- develop their knowledge of Canada and its natural resources
- enhance their language arts skills, especially their reading comprehension, research and media literacy skills
- advance their visual arts skills
Strengths
- A structured eLearning approach to topical issues
- Comprehensive Educator Materials - from activities that introduce eCards to your class right through to assessment rubrics and wrap-up activities
- A website that is secure and moderated. Green Learning Administrators moderate learner eCards and provide feedback each step of the process
- Ample opportunity to provide online feedback to your learners as they research and create their eCards
- Access to the eCards Showcase— Green Learning’s gallery of learner eCards exemplars
- Equip educators in integrating climate change education across multiple subjects.
- Provides students with an experience in research and advocacy.
Recommendation of how and where to use it
The eCards program provides learning opportunities for students in all grades with some adaptations but was originally designed for students in grades 7-12. The activity allows for student choice and creativity and includes all elements necessary for learning. This resource explicitly teaches students to communicate information and their ideas while acting for the climate.
The program is a fairly tech-dependent activity; adaptations are provided if the school has limited technology tools. All necessary materials are provided, with easy to use step by step instructions and assessment rubrics. Other resources are provided for the teacher and the students to support the research component. The project covers many outcomes in many disciplines.