Online E-Projects

Table of Contents:

What is an Online Project?
What Makes a good online project?
Finding existing e-projects
Linking up with others
Exemplary Sample E-Projects to Review
Creating an online database for your e-project
Evaluation / Rubric Resources
Additional Resources

What is an Online Project?

Definition

Online projects use the internet to create a project around a topic and then involve students in solving problems using online resources, connecting with others online, and collecting and analyzing data.

WebTeacher.org has a great description of Telecollaborative projects (in The Web in your Classroom section) - direct link to section: www.webteacher.org/winexp/telecollaborative/telecollaborative.html.
Take a few minutes to read through their description to gain an understanding of what online projects are and how they can be used in the classroom.

Types of Online Projects

Collaborative projects can be categorized into the following types:

Observer of / participant in an adventure such as a trip to a foreign land

Data collection and analysis

Collaboration with another classroom

Using internet resources within your own classroom to enhance existing curricula

and some online projects involve several of these types, often depending on the complexity and duration.

Levels of involvement in online projects

Level 1 - Searching, Browsing, Observing
Find projects that relate to your classroom topics and review them. You can use some of the resources listed below or use search engines or directories to locate online projects. You may uncover many resources that you can use in your curriculum.

Level 2 - Participation
Enroll your class in an online project. Most projects have specific beginning and ending dates and may have required resources. Be sure these fit your schedule, budget and time availability. Some projects have operated several times and the history collected and analyzed creates interesting information.

Level 3 - Create your own Online Project
This takes time, resources and commitment but if you have a project that you would want to develop, you can create one that matches your curriculum and then have the opportunity to connect with others around the world. It takes time, resources and commitment. Set realistic and specific goals and beginning and ending dates. Create a call for participation (see resources below) and post it several weeks before the start of the project. The Seacoast Professional Development Center in Exeter, NH has an annual two-week summer institute that provides the resources and assistance to develop online projects.

Types of Projects and Levels of involvement provided by Mimi Gilman, Lesley University

iEarn - Building Connections - levels of involvement and Getting Started information
http://www.iearn.org/professional/prof_connections.html

Instructional Module on Project Based Learning - designed to give participants a brief introduction to project-based learning. http://glef.org/modules/PBL/index.php

What Makes a Good Online Project?

Characteristics of Effective Student Web Projects

Teacher's Guide for Building Integrated Technology Projects http://www.essdack.org/building/

Using online projects in the classroom - the foundation, telecollaboration, teleresearch, designing and directing projects, assessment, and resource links
http://virtual-architecture.wm.edu/

Finding existing e-projects

Search through these websites for existing projects that may fit your curriculum needs. You may use part or all of an existing project.

Integrated Technology Projects - online database http://www.essdack.org/projects/

Projects-L http://www.project-approach.com/

Global Schoolhouse Project Registry http://www.globalschoolhouse.org/GSH/index.html

The Global Classroom Project has projects for students of all grades.

Loogootee West Elementary School has a list of projects.

CIESE Online Classroom Projects (Stevens Institute of Technology, Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education) http://k12science.ati.stevens-tech.edu/currichome.html

Additional Educational Links provided by CIESE - categorized by Ask an Expert, Collaborative Projects, Real Time Data, Compelling National Internet Projects, Primary Sources, and Pseudo-Science Sources

Education World: Collaborative Projects http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/archives/projects.shtml

OZ Projects http://ozprojects.edna.edu.au/

Oz-TeacherNet - This site provides a starting point for Australian teachers who want to use the Internet for professional development and curriculum purposes.

GlobalNet http://www.globalnet.org.nz/teachers/support.shtml

Houghton Mifflin's Project Center - This site offers teacher-run projects drawn from a variety of sources. Also offers useful links to sites related to designing online projects.

iEarn Projects - worldwide projects http://www.iearn.org

Linking up with Others

Listservs - e-mail lists to share ideas and questions and see what others are doing with e-projects

epals
The Project Approach refers to a set of teaching strategies which enable teachers to guide children through in-depth studies of real world topics. For additional information, see the ECAP Collaborative website from University of Illinois. Sign up for the listserv: http://www.project-approach.com/listserv.htm

Databases and website listings of online projects

Classroom Connect offers subscription-based projects.
The Net Happenings mailing list frequently posts projects that teachers and classes can join. Sign up for this e-mail list.
The Global Classroom Project has projects for students of all grades.
Scholastic's website has a section of Teacher - online activities.
Besides matching classes as e-pals, the ePALS Classroom Exchange also links to online projects such as "No Two Snowflakes," an activity promoting global citizenship and multicultural education; and "Space Day 2002: Adventure to Mars," in which grade 4-8 students use creative problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork to invent a device that will facilitate living and working on Mars.
Critical Issues Forum (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy for grades 9-12) offers the Global Nuclear Visions project
Kidlink - Empower children to build global social and knowledge networks http://www.kidlink.org
Electronic Emissary - http://emissary.wm.edu/

Exemplary Sample E-Projects to Review and Participate in

Rivers of Life - teachers and students learn about and from their watershed - Two major projects: The Mississippi Adventure and the Watershed Atlas Project.
Flat Stanley - A popular elementary-level project has been Flat Stanley, based on the book by Jeff Brown in which Stanley Lambchop is squashed by a bulletin board and then mailed to his friends in other parts of the country. This is a literacy and communications activity in which students create and send journals to people throughout the world. Communication is via both "snail mail" and e-mail.
The Jason Project - Now developed into many different science projects, this project links students to leading scientists who work with them to examine its biological and geological development.
Newsday Project - Student written newspapers - project currently runs twice a year.
Book Chat - Students logon to collaborate about books they have read.
The Cinderella Project is collaborative writing project and comparison study of the different stories of Cinderella from around the world
Roadkill - This project has run several years and began with the idea of monitoring dead animals along the roadway to not only learn the different kinds of animals that are found in different environments but also to keep in touch with each other via the Internet.
Pond Watch - The study of local ponds as a good indicator of the present condition of your immediate environment and a community resource.
Gravenet - The GraveNet project gives students an opportunity to investigate the rich historical value of their community within their local cemeteries.
Friends and Flags is the homepage for an international collaborative project in which students connect with other children from around the world through a forum, email and package exchange.
Journey North - Annenberg/CPB - A Global Study of Wildlife Migration and Seasonal Change -
Whalenet - An interactive educational web site which focuses on whales and marine research.
The Ugly Bug Contest - Participants collect their bugs in the fall and then the ugliest bug will be chosen.
View online projects as aligned with Levels of Technology Integration - LoTi Lounge

Creating an online database for your e-project

Collecting data can be an integral part of structuring an online project. Within SAU 16 we have the capability of hosting custom online databases using Filemaker Pro v6. It is best to keep your database simple and remember to collect date and contact information from each person posting data. View directions for configuring your Filemaker database for the web. Contact Webmaster for more information about getting your project database online.

Evaluation / E-Project Rubric Resources

Rubrics for Web Lessons http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/rubrics/weblessons.htm

Multimedia Rubric http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/mm2002.rubric.htm

Assessing Student Work with Project-Based Learning - The Multimedia Project http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/PBLGuide/AssessPBL.html

University of Missouri-Columbia / College of Education - Learning with Online Projects - Project Rubrics http://www.coe.missouri.edu/~olp/rubrics.html

CARET (Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology) How can technology develop higher order thinking and problem solving? http://caret.iste.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=answers&QuestionID=2

The Assessment Rubric for the Project Based Learning Georgia Project http://www.promotega.org/rubric2003_2004.htm

Additional Resources

The Golden Rules of Project Participation