fyi : back issues
Summer 2002-Online challenges
Your challenge: effective internet use
By Sheila Offman Gersh
Back in 1988 when I first started using e-mail to link teachers and students
in New York City with classes in over 20 countries to do inquiry-based
projects, the challenge was to find schools which had the technology (computer,
modem, phone line) needed to do e-mail and schools which were using the
same e-mail system as ours (Dialcom). As the use of computers and e-mail
in schools increased so did the access for different e-mail systems. The
'challenge ' then changed from from equipment to finding teachers who
were proficient in using e-mail in the classroom. We are continuing to
work on that challenge today. Whether through teacher-training courses
or workshops, more and more teachers are lerning to use the Internet during
the school day. But, how many are sharing their students' work with students
in other classes ? Teachers can take the challenge by defining their own
project or join one that has been created by another classroom teacher.
Their students can participate in Internet contests also.
There are a number of different projects and challenges available to teachers
and students. In this article, I will discuss the variety of possibilities
available to teachers. First there are opportunities to meet teachers
online and plan a project; there is the opportunity to join an existing
project that another teacher has proposed; or there is the chance
for students to join a collaborative project that is a 'challenge' or
competition. Finally, teachers can create their own Internet Challenges,
ones that will provide meaningful activities for students to use the Internet
in the classroom. Often these are called Online Scavenger Hunts. No matter
which activity a teacher decides to implement, be assured that students
will be motivated and enthusiastic to participate.
Internet Projects (Teacher Created)
Teachers around the globe are enriching their curriculum through inquiry-based
telecommuications projects that encourage students to share information
based on a topic that meets curriculum goals
.
Teachers can find links to teachers in over 80 countries by going to ePals
at http://www.epals.com/. Once you
have identified a teacher in another location, you should get acquainted
through e-mail, decide on a common topic, agree on frequency of exchanges,
share school calendars and then plan the timeline for the project activities.
Students can share the project activities via individual e-mail or class
e-mail messages. Often students will use the Internet for reseach and
communications. When you use the Internet for project-based learning,
you have the power to break down the walls of your school and connect
students to peers around the globe as well as experts working in the topic
or area of the project research. According to Judi Harris, Internet projects
are classified into three structures – Interpersonal Exchanges,
Information Gathering and Problem Solving. Visit http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~jbharris/Virtual-Architecture/
for more information. A useful template for designing your own project
can be found at : http://www.schoollink.org/twin/lessonplantempl.html
Helpful Hints for Succeeding in Projects
1. Plan your Internet projects carefully. Make sure that your partners
understand your aims and needs and DO CONVEY your expectations. Otherwise
you might end up disappointed.
2. Be sure you have the time for whatever project/activities you plan.
3. Compare the planned activities against your normal teaching requirements
and decide whether you have the time for them. Some activities can be
done as homework or after school.
4. Do not overdo introductory biographies of your students, but do them
thoroughly. You might want to prepare a video or a photo album of your
class accompanied by short E-mail biographies. If your class is large,
you might want to do group letters.
5. Delegate tasks to your students you do not really have to do yourself.
This may cause more work in the beginning, but it will pay off during
the school year.
6. Plan on an "end product" for your Internet project: consider
a concluding Web Page or some other multimedia project or a publication
in your school.
7. Keep your partner informed about possible and anticipated disruptions
in your contact. Announce school breaks--do not take for granted any knowledge
about school calendars. Inform your partners about them. Lack of communication
may lead to destroying the link/project.
8. Be careful not to ask for too much of your partners. Stay within the
guidelines of your project outline.
9. Use friendly language at all times. Do not forget that on the other
end there may be someone unfamiliar with your country's way. Non-standard
language often leads to a lack of understanding. Make jokes (or be sarcastic)
only when you are sure they will be understood. If you are not sure, leave
them out or indicate the humor by adding "ha" or "smile
:)."
10. Be aware of the possible cultural differences in what you say. Not
every remark that is clear in your society will be well received on the
other side.
11. Discuss anticipated technical problems in advance with your partners.
New Internet software/access or new communications lines you can use may
cause trouble, so inform your partners about such changes and possible
problems with them.
12. Get parent/school permission before you publish students' full name.
It's best not to include address or phone numbers.
After the project has ended, or even when it begins, it beneficial to
create a virtual space where students can share information about project-related
activities. A Web page will be useful to everyone who wants to learn more
about the project and its results.
Such a Web page can include the following :
* Project Overview
* Project Announcement
* Project Instructions
* Project Exchange of Information
* Project Communication
* Project Support
* Participant's Work Internet Projects (Joining an existing one)
Another option for participating in an Internet project is to locate one
that has been designed by a teacher who is seeking others to participate.
Often, these projects recruit classes from around the globe so students
have an opportunity to learn from other students in many different places.
Exchanges among students are important and it's not the quantity of the
messages but rather the quality than enriches the experience for the participants.
The content of messages should have a shared interest for all partners.
Some hints for exchanging messages follows :
* Show interest in the content of message received and react to it, so
the exchange can be enriched on both sides.
* Take into account and compare the cultural differences (different ways
of life, food, festivities, which enrich the exchanges).
* If a theme is specific to one country (national festivity for example),
explain why.
* Share common stories : Ginger Bread Man, The Hamelin fiddler…
* If possible, try to make the exchanges become a part of the everyday
life of the class.An important rule that all teachers must follow is that
NO MESSAGE SHOULD BE LEFT UNANSWERED. It is a terribly frustrating situation
for both students and teachers if messages are left unanswered. If time
is short, the teacher should write a short message saying that the message
has been received and that the answer will be sent shortly. Classes which
are able to exchange frequent messages will provide more motivation for
students. Usually an exchange a week (both ways) is feasable and productive.
It would allow time for reading the message received, discussing the meaning,
creating a class discussion, and sending the answer. Teachers tend to
report that where there is steady and frequent exchanges taking place,
student interest in reading, writing, and completing assignments increases.
Students are very excited about using computers to communicate with other
students. Waiting more than two weeks to respond often causes students
to lose interest in the project. Teachers should maintain the interest
the correspondence in spite of obstacles such as holidays, tests,
Quality of messages
The most significant messages, particularly at the beginning, are the
ones which are short and meaningful. It's a good idea end with a question
which requires an answer that will encourage further writing from the
other class. Long messages can be useful if the children have already
started the project activities. These messages tend to be the result of
additional research requiring students to create compositions (or essays)
for the project activity.
You can find links to some existing projects at http://www.schoollink.org/twin/participating_in_internet_projec.htm.
There is a huge resource of projects available on the Internet
Internet Contests for Student
The CyberFair OverView - http://www.gsn.org/cf/index.html
International Schools CyberFair, sponsored by the Global SchoolHouse
(http://www.gsn.org/) is a learning
program used by schools around the world, in which students conduct research
about their local communities and then publish their findings on the World
Wide Web. Prizes are awarded to schools for the best entries in each of
eight categories: local leaders, businesses, community organizations,
historical landmarks, environment, music, art, and local specialties.
While CyberFair is a school-based collaborative project, it also encourages
students to become representatives for their own local communities by
working collaboratively with community members and using technology tools
to publish a Web site that displays what they have learned.. The themes
of CyberFair encourages schools and their communities to use the Internet
to share resources, establish a network of partners and work together
to accomplish common goals --to share and unite. As of 2001, the contest
has involved more than 500,000 students from 1,500 schools in 70 countries.
Participating in CyberFair encourages children to learn the skills they
need to succeed both in the world of today and tomorrow. It also helps
students to be good "global citizens" who appreciate and respect
the diversity of the world around them. Communications technologies can
foster positive and productive interaction among local and distant groups.
Children who participate in CyberFair learn what it means to
be part of a community, both locally and globally. They work with groups
of children located around the world, each group putting their local community
on-line. Children become "Student Ambassadors," working with
local artists, local business, and the rest of their community to show
the world what is special about "their" place.
For example, students can meet local artists and musicians, interview
them, tape their music, photograph their art, and show the world their
cultural heritage. Or students can work with their local Chamber of Commerce,
farmers, or local business, to show the world the things they make and
grow.
The judging for this contest also takes place online. Students evaluate
the projects of other schools by using a Web-based evaluation tool designed
by Global Schoolhouse Foundation. The top 40 entries are reviewed by nine
international judges, representing six continents, to determine the winners.
Winners of International Schools CyberFair are announced each Spring at
a live event that is global in itself, with hundreds of schools participating
via audio and Internet videoconferencing.
ThinkQuest -- http://www.thinkquest.org/
Another opportunity for students is ThinkQuest which is a global network
of students, teachers, parents and technologists dedicated to exploring
youth-centered learning on the Net. ThinkQuest is an online community
where young people learn, teach, mentor, discover, research and grow through
ThinkQuest programs. The ThinkQuest World encompasses young people, educators
and technologists in more than 100 nations who come together as digital
learners, web creators, and Net entrepreneurs. ThinkQuest is an opportunity
for pupils to learn and use technology, to strengthen critical thinking
skills and to support innovative thinking through the creation of meaningful
educational Web sites.
Teachers can participate in the ThinkQuest in the Classroom program. The
ThinkQuest Web site (http://www.thinkquest.org/)
provides the information, tools and resources to help teachers get involved
in the program. Server space is also provided for each student team creating
a project. The Library of Entries at the site provides a huge collection
of ThinkQuest entries that are great resources for teachers and students.
ThinkQuest is a wonderful way to integrate technology into the curriculum.
Other Project Resources
Friendship Through Learning -- http://www.friendshipthroughlearning.org/
September 11, 2001, was devastating to students all around the United
States. In October, President Bush announced a new project which would
link a school in New York City and in Virginia (cities where the terrorists
attacked) with a school in the Middle East and Pakistan. This project,
called Friendship through Learning, links students via letters, emails,
collaboration and exchanges to build an understanding between nations
and to help students learn more about each other. Several organizations
have come together to support this project. Some of these include I*Earn,
Global SchoolHouse, ePals and the Global Schoolbus. Now the project is
encouraging students from around the globe to get involved. Your school
might want to participate.
European Schools Project -- http://www.esp.educ.uva.nl/
The European Schools Project supports teachers and pupils in participating
in the world of Internet-based Computer Mediated Communications and in
using Internet's Information Resources to improve learning and teaching.
The ESP is an initiative of the
University of Amsterdam, in close co-operation with a network of regional
and national coordinators in various European countries and beyond. .
An example of a starter project is "The Image of the Other"
which was created by a group of educators in the Netherlands. Teachers
from around the globe have participated in this exciting project. What
is even more exciting is that they have also created the resources for
teachers and students which is available at http://users.educ.uva.nl/henks/image/teacher.html.
Other resources about ESP are found at http://www.kuleuven.ac.be/soi/esp/
and the data base of projects can be found at http://www.kc.kuleuven.ac.be/esp.
Internet Challenges -- Scavenger Hunts
When it's time to develop some solid knowledge on a subject, teachers
and students can create Internet-based scavenger hunts. The basic strategy
here is to find Web pages that hold information (text, graphic, sound,
video, etc.) that you feel is essential to understanding the given topic.
Once you gather 10 - 15 links to the exact pages you want the students
to go to for information (not the top page of a huge Website where you
expect them to find the needle in a cyberstack), you are ready to create
a series question for each Web resource you've linked to. A well designed
scavenger hunt can go far beyond finding unrelated bits of knowledge.
By choosing questions that define the scope or parameters of the topic,
students will then discover the answers that will encourage deeper understanding
of the topic. Finally, it's a good idea to include a culminating question
which will help students synthesize what they have learned and shape it
into a broader understanding of the big picture. Scavenger hunts can also
be created by just asking the questions and having students search for
the sites. After teaching students how to search the Net (http://www.schoollink.org/workshops/search_tools.htm),
scavenger hunts are a great way to reinforce searching skills. Some additional
examples of scavenger hunts are found at
* http://dept.houstonisd.org/techlessons/pages/naturetrail.htm
* http://dept.houstonisd.org/techlessons/pages/sports.htm
* http://www.wordcentral.com/
* http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/Scavenger.html
* http://www.ctnba.org/ctn/k8/treasure.html
By integrating these challenges into your classroom curriculum, students
will be able to improve and develop their expertise in reading, reading
comprehension, writing, creative writing, and math. Basic computer skills
will be honed together with electronic communication research skills and
navigational skills. The students' use of computer technology gives them
an opportunity to access electronic searches, analyze and evaluate their
electronic search results and most of all to improve information literacy
skills.
The Internet is a great way to enhance learning. There are many ways to
challenge teachers and students to use the Internet. Above are only a
few. Now it's up to you to challenge yourself and create some meaningful
ways to integrate the Internet into your classroom environment.Sheila
Offman Gersh is a lecturer at the City College of New York, USA
sogcc@cunyvm.cuny.edu
http://www.schoollink.org/twin