Designing Curriculum-Based Telecomputing Projects

Step I: Use the following process:

• Choose a topic
• Set learning goals
• Brainstorm ideas
• Students choose project based on their interests

Step II: Choose the structure of the Activity:

Choose the structure or structures that allow you to build your project. A list of structures is below.

Interpersonal Exchange :

• Keypals - Students are usually paired off to communicate with each other electronically
• Global Classrooms-Two or more classrooms in different locations can study a common topic together electronically

• Electronic Appearances - Students communicate with a special guest either in real-time or asynchronously.
• Telementoring,- Internet-connected subject matter specialists from universities, business, government, or other schools can serve as electronic mentors to students wanting to explore specific topics of study in an interactive format.
• Question-answering Activities - These activities are usually incorporated into larger projects and offer students the opportunity to send questions about a project.
• Impersonations- All the characters communicate with each other in character.

Information Collection and Analysis:

• Information Exchanges- Participating students become the creators, consumers, and critics of the information they share.
• Database Creation- This structure involves not only the collection but the organizing of information into databases that the project participants and others can use for study.
• Electronic Publishing - This structure allows to students to publish their project to the web.
• Telefieldtrips- virtual field trip to library or a real world trip taken by adults who are researching scientific relationships or historical sites that is shared with students.
• Pooled Data Analysis - Information is collected at multiple sites and combined for pattern analysis.

Problem Solving :

• Information Searches - Students are provided with clues and must reference sources to answer questions.
• Peer Feedback Activities - These activities encourage participants to offer constructive responses both to others' ideas and to the forms in which those ideas are expressed.
• Parallel Problem Solving - A similar problem is presented to students in several locations and who come together after individually solving the problem to discuss their techniques of problem-solving.
• Sequential Creations - Students create a common written text or a shared visual image.
• Telepresent Problem Solving - Participants from different geographic locations are brought together in real-time to virtually participate in a computer-mediated meeting.
• Simulations - These activities help students simulate problem-solving situations by creating virtual tasks for students to accomplish.
• Social Action Projects- Students focus on real and immediate problems and orient their resolution toward taking action as opposed to just stopping with understanding.

Step III: Explore Other Examples of Online Projects

Site #1 http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/

Site # 2 http://www.youth.net/

Site #3 http://www.kn.pacbell.com/cgi-bin/listApps.pl?Science&Project

Site #4 http://k12science.stevens-tech.edu/curriculum/waterproj/index.html

Site #6 http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/ewe2/

Site #7 http://www.youth.net/nsrc/nsrc.html#anchor734307

Site #8 http://207.8.141.49/staffwww/StefanL/webquest/evidence/index.htm

Step IV: Determine the details of your project.

• Introduction- This would include a brief overview of the project, the broad goals, the purpose and the operational structure of the web activity.
• Task- Explain what it is that the students will be expected to create or do by the end of this lesson.
• Resources- A list of the project related places that could be used to gain the information needed to accomplish the goals of this lesson.
• The Process- A brief explanation of how the students will complete the assignment.
• Time line- A list of dates that each part of the assignment are due.
• Evaluation- This could be a rubric or some other method used to judge the final product. Conclusion- This is the final product the student is expected to complete with the date the project is due and a reflection of what was learned.
• Examples of web projects could be scavenger hunts, webquests, a PowerPoint presentation, Hyper Studio project, a bulletin board display, video, public presentation, a web page, or a written report, etc.
• Some projects may have the following parts.
• Telecollaborators- Some projects may invite students from other locations to add information to the project over the Internet. This could be done by the use of E-mail or via a web page. There should be an explanation of how to become a participant, what is going to be done and the important dates that information will be needed.
• Form the telecollaborative group- As soon as possible notify each participant that was selected that they have been accepted and give them any other information they may need for the project. It is a good practice to notify each participant that was not accepted also to keep them informed so that they can make other plans.
• Communicate- This could be done via e-mail or on a white board. Create closure - Give an ending date for the project.
• Virtual space- This could be space on a web page or at one of the free instructional sites that allows students to display their work, such as HighWired.com or Blackboard.com.