I whole heartedly believe that if we can't do actual learning exchanges (or to ensure that all students can participate in exchanges), virtual exchanges can be an excellent way for students to create a product together. Last spring, our students researched migration flows between two countries of their choice, and then created podcasts that described the push and pull factors, art and literature that addressed the issue, and then created podcasts. Each group had two students from India, one from Poland, and two from the US. To prepare students, I had each one take the Strengths Finder test, a business strengths test, and then formed groups based on their results so that each group knew they had a balanced set of talents and needed every member. This interdisciplinary approach included tech, computer, geography and research curriculuar goals as well as creating texts for diverse audiences. They figured out how to collaborate across time zones, were able to ask each other questions about what was happening in each other's countries during the pandemic, and they presented their projects to each school head. We even made the news in India!
