Model Projects and Activities

The Web is an awesome vehicle for the exchange of ideas and information across cultural and geographic boundaries. The model projects below illustrate the many opportunities for rich and positive learning experiences available on the Web. Some are ongoing projects you and your students can join, some are student-created projects, all will inspire ideas for your own interactive projects.

Competitions

International Schools CyberFair

An international competition that encourages K-12 students around the world to conduct research about their own local community and then build a Web project that tells their story.
http://www.gsn.org/cf/index.html

NASA Student Involvement Program Competitions

A national program that links students directly with NASA's research, exploration, and discovery missions, and provides an inquiry-based approach to science, math, technology, and geography education.
http://www.nsip.net/index.cfm

Tech.LEARNING Contests and Funding

Search the Tech.LEARNING database for contests for students, teachers, or both. You'll also find funding sources here.
http://www.techlearning.com/grants.html

ThinkQuest

ThinkQuest programs encourage the advancement of education through the use of technology. Competitions include the ThinkQuest Internet Challenge, an international competition for students ages 12-19, and ThinkQuest Junior, for students grades 4 through 6. Students and educators form teams that develop educational Web sites which are published in the ThinkQuest Library.
http://www.thinkquest.org/competitions.html

Interpersonal Exchanges

ePALS.com

Find penpals, or browse the projects to find one that interests you and your students, or post your own project in search of partners. ePALS members can communicate and collaborate easily across distances and languages. The site includes translation tools, a project registry, discussion boards, Webmail, and "everything you need to collaborate using the Internet"--all free!
http://www.epals.com

Electronic Mail Links with Malang, East Java

An intercultural exchange between elementary students in Australia and Indonesia. This project, which took place from 1995 through 1997, is an excellent example of the many dimensions an e-mail exchange program can have. Excerpts of the electronic mail between the teachers and the students give you an idea of how the project began and how it worked. Samples of student work are also online. An adaptable model for all grade levels.
http://www.fahan.tas.edu.au/indonesia/indo.html

International Telementor Center

Mentoring is a powerful way to assist and encourage learning. This one-on-one mentoring program between employees of Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies, 4th grade through college-level students, and teachers focuses on math, science, engineering, communication, and career/education planning. Participation in the program is a collaboration between teacher, mentor, and student, with the teacher submitting a project plan and directing and supervising the project. Teachers, mentors, and students all apply to participate.
http://www.telementor.org/

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Information Collecting

Tale of Two Rivers

Students in three Lane County (OR) school districts study two local rivers and their effects on the community and the environment. Check out the kids' home pages, and don't miss the Resources page with downloadable curriculum ideas and assessment strategies, an excellent guide to journal-keeping, and more. A cooperative project funded by the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB).
http://www.4j.lane.edu/partners/eweb/ttr/ttr.home.html

Internet Detectives

A middle-school social studies and library media project in Madion, Wisconsin. Over the school year, students at participating schools find and evaluate curriculum-related Internet sources and write reviews of them for publication on the Web. Students learn evaluation skills and in the process are building an electronic library of student-recommended sites. Evaluation and search tools are available in the Resources section of the Web site.
http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/tnl/detectives/

Tales from the Electronic Frontier

Ten teachers recount their experiences using the Internet in K-12 science and mathematics education, illustrating how the technology can be used in different contexts and for different purposes and stimulating reflection on how the Internet can--and cannot--support teaching and learning. Both new and experienced Internet users will value these stories for their insight, enthusiasm, and links to educational resources and online projects.
http://www.wested.org/tales/00contents.html

KIDPROJ's Multi-Cultural Calendar

An ongoing project since 1994. Students from all over the world can submit holiday entries to this multi-cultural calendar. The calendar is online and can be searched or viewed by month, holiday, country, or author. You'll also find tips here for connecting the calendar with your curriculum.
http://www.kidlink.org:80/KIDPROJ/MCC/

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Problem Solving

GeoGame

A geography game for middle and upper elementary students but open to all levels. Sessions begin in the fall, winter, and spring of each year. Everything you need to know about the project is right here at this site.
http://gsh.lightspan.com/project/gg/

Math for Morons Like Us

Winner of the ThinkQuest GEM award. Produced by students, this site provides straightforward and easy-to-understand math lessons, tutorials, and reviews, a comprehensive online mathematics resource, and an online community in which students and educators can interact with others. Subjects are pre-algebra, algebra, algebra II, pre-calc/calculus. The site includes a formula database, an educators' page, math links, quizzes, and discussion boards.
http://library.thinkquest.org/20991/home.html

WebQuests

"A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web." The WebQuest model was developed at San Diego State University in 1995. Many, many amazing WebQuests have been developed since then. You'll find example projects here, as well as all the information you need to create your own WebQuest.
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/

Dolphin-Safe Tuna?

A Webquest for elementary students. Students put themselves in the role of tuna fisherman, dolphin activist, or supporter of dolphin-protection legislation and examine the issues surrounding dolphin-safe tuna. They then use the information gathered to formulate a plan for ocean fishing.
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/as/education/projects/webquests/dolphins/

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