At times you might want to design your own online collaborative project that is tailored to the needs of your classroom and your learning outcomes. In the beginning of your online work with students it is probably easier to connect with one or two classroom teachers than to try to plan a global project inviting many teachers to join. Plan a small project or activity for your first attempt in joining the online educational world with your students. Don't try to handle more than your time allows.
Curriculum
Maryland's Content Standards
Secondary Social Studies - Core Learning Goals [Maryland]; government, US History and World History
While using emerging technologies in the classroom it is important to remember that curriculum is at the heart of what we must teach our students. Use your curriculum guides and plan to use technology as a tool to enhance student learning. As you design your lessons and projects understand the needs of your students in relation to these guidelines and frameworks.
- What do you want your students to know that they didn't know before?
- What skills do you want to strengthen?
- What do you want your students to be able to do that they didn't know how to do before?
- What part of your project or activity is now possible because of technology that wouldn't be possible without it?
Kevin Boggs (Hawaii) shares his thoughts on technology's place in education...
Design Your Project
Below are some suggestions to think about when designing an online project.
- identify goals and objectives - Identify the skills from your content standards that you want to address in your project.
- define a timeline - How long do you want your project to last? How often will contact, such as e-mail, be established with your online partners?
- create a project outline - List the activities that your students will be doing.
- define project activities - How will the students be achieving the goals of the project?
- establish a partner class - Visit websites designed to connect classrooms
- consider real time interactions - Will your class be interacting with their global partners in any real time activities such as IRC? Will time zones be an issue?
- stimulate deep thinking - Encourage the students to think beyond the text they see on the screen. Help them move from data to information to insight.
- establish evaluation rubrics or checklists- Show the students the criteria that will be used to evaluate their work. Some of the rubrics may be developed by the students. [Rubric Builder]
- publish student work - Make the work of your students visible for their partner classes as well as parents to see.
Developing a Collaborative Project - From NickNacks
