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SAFETY PROCEDURES

Do you have a document that we can see and also send to parents to understand more about DigiPals and its safety protocol? 

Yes, send us a message or email (info@digipals.co) and we will send you a document detailing all of this information. 

 

Do you share any information that we give you with third parties or anyone else?

No, your information is kept confidential. We never share the data that we obtain from you. We keep your information secure and only use it to be able to match classes appropriately and effectively.

 

Are all the teachers/schools verified who use DigiPals?

Yes, we verify everyone.

We will reach out if a user doesn't meet our verification standards, (for example, if a user doesn't sign up with an academic email address) and ask for various pieces of information to be able to verify them. This usually takes a few days.

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Are you compliant with FERPA, COPPA and GDPR?

Yes.

 

Who makes sure all the students work is appropriate?

The teachers (or people facilitating this activity) who are connected need to review their students’ work before sending it on to their partner class.

 

Do you require any information or an email address from the students?

No. We do not collect any student information. Students are not required to sign up or submit an email address or provide their name. Students’ locations are never shared by us (other than the country).

 

MATCHING AND CONNECTING (FOR CLASSES)

How do I find a class to partner with?

Check out our page on “how it works”. In short, you complete a short form and once we find you a partner class based on the information you give us, we will let you know that we have found you a match

 

How long does it take to be matched to a partner class after submitting the DigiPals search form?

A few days but it depends on the size and the number of students in your class. For small groups, it’s likely that it may take a bit longer. It may also take longer at certain times of the year, such as times when it is coming to the ends of a semester/term 

 

How do you match classes?

We match classes based on the age group and number of students in each class. We limit the age difference between students to two years. For example, we tend to match classes together who are in the same grade, such as fourth grade (9-10 years old) but if we don't have any classes available, we may see if we have any classes in the grade below (8-9 years old) or above (10-11 years old) as there is an age overlap. Once we notify you about the partner class we have found, you can then decide if to proceed or wait for a different class. 

 

How long does it take to be connected to a class after we have been matched?

We need to receive confirmation from both teachers which usually takes around 1-3 working days. This may take longer if it is a weekend or public holiday.

 

When can we tell our class about our new DigiPals?

We highly recommend not sharing the news with your students until you have been connected to your partner teacher just in case something comes up which delays or prevents your partner class being able to start. This doesn't happen often but the last thing we want to do is disappoint your students and let them down in anyway.

 

What do we do after we have been connected?

You can click on ‘Matches’ in the main menu and see your connection. Here, you can correspond with your partner teacher and discuss how you would both like to move forward, your expectations, how to start, how to introduce your classes etc. After being connected, you will receive some getting started tips to help you with this. 

 

How and where can I write to my partner teacher?

Once you have been connected to your partner teacher, you will see the connection under ‘Matches’ in the main menu. You will be able to click on this which will enable you to start interacting with your partner teacher. 

It is best to write each new message at the top of the page so you can both see the latest message. 

 

How do we send our students’ work?

This will depend on which activity you choose. Click here for more information on the different activities. Most teachers tend to upload their students’ work to their shared Google Drive folder (which we create for you.) The folder has restricted access and is only made accessible for you and your partner teacher. We do not share or use any of the information in this folder. This is simply just to help the teachers share their students’ work. If you choose the snail mail option, then this will entail going physically to the post office and paying to send the letters. Please keep in mind that DigiPals is not responsible for paying for postage costs.

 

What do we do if our partner teacher doesn't respond?

Contact us right away and we will help you out. If for some reason, your partner teacher informs us that they can no longer participate then we will find you a new partner class as soon as possible.

 

How will I know if my partner teacher has written me a message?

You will receive a notification email. 

 

What activities can we do?

We have listed some recommended activities here. We also have some templates and collaborative project ideas that you can use.

 

Can we exchange email addresses with our partner teacher and just communicate via email?

Yes, of course. However, it is much harder for us to support you this way. You will also not receive notification emails and reminders to respond to your partner teacher. This often leads to little communication, and projects not working so effectively.

 

 

MATCHING AND CONNECTING (FOR INDIVIDUAL CHILDREN)

How do I find a partner for my child?

Check out our page on “how it works”. In short, you complete a short form and once we find your child a partner based on the information you give us, we will let you know that we have found you a match

 

How long does it take to be matched after submitting the DigiPals search form?

A few days but it depends on the age of the child.

 

How do you match children?

We match children based on their age. We limit the age difference between children to one year. For example, we tend to match children together who are the same age, (such as 10 years old) but if we don't have any children available, we may see if we have any children in the year below (9 years old) or above (11 years old). Once we notify you about the match we have found, you can then decide if to proceed or wait for a different match. 

 

How long does it take to be connected after we have been matched?

We need to receive confirmation from both parties (i.e., the parents facilitating the activity) which usually takes around 1-3 working days. This may take longer if it is a weekend or public holiday.

 

When can we tell our child about their new DigiPal?

We highly recommend not sharing the news with your child until we confirm that the other party has also confirmed just in case he/she isn't quite ready to start or they decide that they can’t commit just yet. This doesn't happen often but the last thing we want to do is disappoint your child and let them down in anyway.

 

What do we do after we have been connected?

You can click on ‘Matches’ in the main menu and see your connection. Here, you can correspond with your the other party  discuss how you would both like to move forward, your expectations, how to start, how your children will communicate etc. After being connected, you will receive some getting started tips to help you with this. 

 

How and where can I write to the other party about our children?

Once you have been connected, you will see the connection under ‘Matches’ in the main menu. You will be able to click on this which will enable you to start interacting with the other party and start organising

It is best to write each new message at the top of the page so you can both see the latest message. 

 

How do we send our child's work?

This will depend on which activity you choose. Click here for more information on the different activities. Most of the time, the parent (or person facilitating the project) tends to upload their child’s work to their shared Google Drive folder (which we create for you.) The folder has restricted access and is only made accessible for you and the other party (i.e., parent or person facilitating the project). We do not share or use any of the information in this folder. This is simply just to help the parties share their child's work. If you choose the snail mail option, then this will entail going physically to the post office and paying to send the letters. Please keep in mind that DigiPals is not responsible for paying for postage costs.

 

What do we do if the other party doesn't respond?

Contact us right away and we will help you out. If for some reason, they inform us that they can no longer participate then we will find you a new match as soon as possible.

 

How will I know if the other party has written me a message?

You will receive a notification email. 

 

What activities can we do?

We have listed some recommended activities here. We also have some templates and collaborative project ideas that you can use.

 

Can we exchange email addresses with the other party and just communicate via email?

Yes, of course. However, it is much harder for us to support you this way. You will also not receive notification emails and reminders to respond. This often leads to little communication, and projects not working so effectively.

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SUBSCRIPTION PLANS

What's the difference between the Free plan and the Premium plan?

The Free plan lets you have a free trial. This means that you can do one free DigiPal search and have access to many of our features. If you want to find DigiPals for more of your classes and have access to all of our features then you will need to upgrade to our Premium plan which allows you to find DigiPals for as many classes as you need. For more information on our plans click here.

*You can also receive more FREE DigiPal searches by referring a a peer. Click here more information.

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How many free searches do I receive with the free trial?

You receive one free search. For more searches, you can refer a peer. Click here for more information, upgrade to our premium plan, and watch out for special promo codes we share every now and then. 

 

USERS

Who uses DigiPals? The teachers or students?

Teachers or anyone who is facilitating the activity (i.e., tutors, parents, instructor etc.)

If the teachers choose to use our ‘Class Chat Room’ feature then students will be required to sign up too. Other than that, the teachers are the ones who use the DigiPals platform and facilitate the project. 

 

Which ages and grades does DigiPals serve?

Grades 1-12/ages 6-18.

 

SUPPORT

Can we be in touch with you after we have been connected to our partner class?

YES, 100%. Please let us know if you need any help or have any questions.

 

How long does it take to get a response from DigiPals support?

You should receive a reply within 24 hours. It might be slightly longer on a weekend. 

 

TERMS THAT WE USE:

DigiPals - based on the very popular and amazing concept called Pen Pals. A pen pal is a person with whom one becomes friendly by exchanging letters, especially someone in a foreign country whom one has never met.

 

Technology advancements make pen pals more accessible than ever before as they allow us to connect with people from all around the world with efficiency and ease. Additionally, people can now further their communication and knowledge by collaborating on projects and other technological activities. Due to this, we developed DigiPals - the digital friendly version of pen pals. We are the gateway to not just connecting you to another class but also a platform to communicate with your partner teacher, share your students' work and give you information and support to make this as easy and positive as possible.

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Partner teacher - the teacher of the class who you are partnered with. 

 

Partner class - the class we match and connect you with

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Match - a class with the same or similar age group and the same or similar number of students. 

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