The Electronic Mentoring Project
The Electronic Mentoring Project is one of many programs under the umbrella of Four Directions: an Indigenous Model. Four Directions is a program designed to enhance the quality of education at Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) affiliated schools using information technology.
Electronic Mentoring uses e-mail and the Internet to link Native American adults with Native American students nationwide.
Mentors and students, or groups of students, are matched according to subject-matter expertise and interests. Examples of mentoring projects include:
The relationship built by Electronic Mentoring serves several purposes. Students enhance their knowledge of a particular subject area. Mentors serve as role models. Students and mentors collaborate and learn from one another, creating strong ties between Native American adults and students.
How it Works
There are currently about 50 volunteer mentors, whose names and areas of expertise are in a database which is available on the Internet. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please fill out our electronic mentors form.
Teachers who are interested in employing the expertise of an online mentor search the online database of mentors. When they have found a mentor that interests them, they contact Heather Ball , coordinator of the Electronic Mentoring Project. Heather contacts the mentor/s and sets up the communication between teacher and mentor.
Teacher and mentor communicate via e-mail and/or telephone. They discuss the structure and content of the mentoring project they are about to undertake. All participants are provided with an e-mail account and chat-room facilities on the First Class system. From this point on, nearly all communication takes place between the teacher, students and the mentor. Heather Ball is always available for help, however.
For more information, please see Information for Teachers and Mentors.
Background Information
The Electronic Mentoring Project is based on Electronic Emissary, an Internet-based communication project for education, developed by Dr. Judy Harris and Greg Jones at the University of Texas at Austin.
Please direct questions and comments to Heather Ball.
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