PikiFriends.net – Penpals For EFL Students
PikiFriends is an online penpal program that is aimed at foreign junior and senior high school students. The idea is that these will begin corresponding electronically under the supervision of their teachers, and improve their English communication skills.
Teachers actually play out a very important role in the whole process, as they have organizing tools for ensuring the safety of their students at all times. In any case, it must be pointed out that these students that use PikiFriends are not required to disclose their real names and surnames.
As a service, PikiFriends is free to accredited secondary schools, and it is meant to remain like that. Some premium features might be implemented later on, but the basic service that is provided by the site (letting students communicate and interact to the full) will always be rendered at no cost.
If you are a teacher and you want to get started, all you will need from a technical point of view is a computer with an Internet connection and Flash. All major web browsers are already fully-supported.