The Buddys function of JigZone membership is the most wonderful bonus for teachers wanting to build community both within the classroom and to help students learn to make contact with those outside.  (How to Make a Jigzone Jigsaw neat PDF Version just uploaded.)

Throughout the day I will be uploading worksheets that help teachers set up literacy and numeracy or coding exercises that can be incorporated into associated project based activities.  (Thank You Letter ) This safe environment  can also provide a way to involve others from across the school, into the International penpal community.  It can also be a way of setting up a sharing function so that family members can share in what has been learned in class of a day. (Even in real time)

It is interesting to note that when I chose the picture for communication, pictures of equipment came up but no images of people communicating! (That is as far as I scrolled down.)  Interestingly enough hand signing did come up and because this has a more human element, I chose one of these pictures. 
A member who has been added as a buddy can share their solve times with others who they have chosen as their buddies.  So imagine you have a buddy system functioning in your school.  After morning introduction all students can share a jigsaw with their buddy.  Much of the times buddys are drawn by paring up younger students with older ones.  This could be done while the students are in separate classrooms ro on the days when “buddys get together”
For every puzzle, the solve times of your buddies will be displayed next to the Fastest, Average, and your own time.  There could be competitions on Grand Parents day – the sky is the limit.

Jigzone Members Can Add Buddies at the Member Page

Prospective buddies will be sent an e-mail inviting them to be your buddy who will need to sign up to jigzone if they have not already

Teachers will need to introduce the word asynchronous because although the competitions could be done together in real time it does not have to be “a real-time head-to-head competition”, your buddies can solve puzzles at their own convenience.

This definition will now be added to the G_C_Glossary.

• Asynchronous learning, a student-centered teaching method that uses online learning resources to facilitate information sharing outside the constraints of time and place among a network of people. (Wikipeadia 2013)

NB* The solve times are held in our system for 4 days. You can see the solve times of all puzzles done by all of your buddies at the All Solve Times page.

Safe Environment in Which to Teach Profiling

This environment seems safe for students, buddies can see uploaded pictures if the students choose? There is a function for students to send messages attached to their challenges.
Jigzone does not have a global high score table because  more than half a million puzzles are solved every day, so a high score table would be impractical.  But the information is kept for four days and you could teach the students about html required for tabling and have them keep a running score.  This would be quite nice integration of Art, Math and Coding.

There dosen’t seem to be any draws backs to Jigzone that I can find.  Student challenges are timed but the timer can be paused.  So if the lunch bell rings they can pause the timer and finish it when the return.  I remember being asked at an inservice once “How do you think a child feels if you make them pack up their jigsaw before they are finished?”  With Jigzone there is no reason to do this to the student as they simply un-click the pause button and continue.

For Project Based education strategies to be effective each and every member of the community must feel safe, cared for and valued.  I asked the author of Eye Can’t Hear You! Andrea Williams who wrote  My Brave Sister (Roberta) this question….

“We work with closed caption video. There is of course no method of teaching that would be ideal.  Were there teaching and learning strategies which made this learning journey easier for you?  Did you find school frustrating? (It’s OK to rant) I will read back through your posts as well.”

Andrea gave a much longer reply but I wanted to focus in this article on her final words.

“I’m not really sure what would have helped but the only thing I know is that I didn’t want to be singled out. I am still like that to a degree. I prefer blending with the crowd rather than being the center of attention. If there is a way to teach without making someone feel different or stupid then I am all for that.” Eye Can’t Hear You! on My Brave Sister

I believe there is a way to provide this kind of education and these exercises, activities and insights books and programs are all designed to fit together to help create fully inclusive, high quality caring environments in which to teach.

Resources:

• Eye Can’t Hear You! on My Brave Sister
• How to Make a Jigzone Jigsaw.  This is the neat PDF Version.  You can download and print off the instructions for the students.  Let me know if you have suggestions about what would make this easier for you.
• Global Citizens Creative Arts Text. Kindle.
• Virtual & Traditional Jigsaws in the Classroom. Book soon to be released: Educators if you sign up for TPT through this link I will support you in your endeavour to publish educational texts though a FaceBook Community.
• Thanks to J.Durham for these images.
• FaceBook Support Site for Educators.  (Love to hear your thoughts)