VALDOSTA, Ga. — A small group of students from a Georgia elementary school and a Pennsylvania high school shared a glimpse of each others’ life experiences last week through online chats from their respective schools.

A mentoring program called On Giants’ Shoulders united the students of Scintilla Charter Academy in Valdosta, Georgia, and students of North Allegheny Intermediate High in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Still a fairly new concept, cyber-mentoring has gained momentum among educators and administrators both domestically and abroad, offering young, impressionable students the opportunity to interact with older, accomplished students who can serve as motivators and positive influences. A number of cyber-mentoring programs employ the use of geographical diversity to add another unique trait to the mobile device-based mentorship.

Peering into an iPad, SCA fifth-graders Jabari Williams and Shye Richardson told North Allegheny tenth-graders Takouma Goto and Alex Pizob about their weekend plans, according to a school press release.

“My plans are just playing a game,” Williams said.

“Life is just a game,” Goto joked, then paused.

“I don’t know the rest of that quote,” Goto said, smiling.

The four students discussed the events of their days, dodgeball, kickball and spring break.

“It’s pretty educational and pretty fun,” Goto said.

“Our favorite part is how we get to know what it’s like to be in high school and what it’s like in Pennsylvania,” Williams said.

Richardson agreed.

As outlined by the parameters of On Giants’ Shoulders, the Georgia students spend 15 minutes a day once per week talking to academically accomplished students from a Pennsylvania high school, Jennifer Denham, SCA communications director, said.

“Many younger students do not consider it cool to be smart,” SCA academic coach and testing coordinator Liz Freitag said. “Accomplished older peers can be powerful role models.”

The Valdosta, Georgia Daily Times contributed details to this story.