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- Purpose
Summarize why you are hosting the project and what you expect the
students to accomplish with the results.
- Where to make
announcements Locate Internet sites where you will announce
the project (see "Registering your Project," right). Don't forget
to jot down the sites' addresses so that you have them when you
are ready to begin.
- Standards Look carefully at your state's standards
or the national standards to determine the particular educational
goals the project will address. When you make your announcement,
you should include the standards addressed by the project, the
subject areas covered, and the grade levels it's appropriate
for.
- Skills
List the skills students will use during the project -- and the
skills they will learn. Include computer skills, such as accessing
and compiling data, and off-line skills such as summarizing,
comparing and contrasting, and journal writing.
- Details
Include all the information the prospective participants will
need, including
 your name grade level school address
school phone number e-mail
address the number of
schools or classes you would like to participate
the grade level spans of the participants the
registration date for participation the beginning and
ending dates of the project the time
commitment involved a list of
information that participants need to submit to join.
- Technology
requirements Be sure to explain any special hardware or
software needed to participate in the project.
- Final
announcement Include in the announcement what you will be
giving participants (or posting on the Web) when the project is
over, such as a spreadsheet of weather data, or a word search of
regional slang. Teachers who participate in your project may also
come up with their own creative ways to use the data you give
them.
Collecting data
 To
collect your data, consider a few different options. The simplest
way is to have participants send you information in an e-mail. A
more sophisticated way of collecting data, however, is to use an
"online survey" or "virtual corkboard."
To create an online
survey, visit Flashbase (http://forms.flashbase.com/). After participants
complete the survey that you've created, Flashbase can collect the
data and compile it for you in a chart or graph. You can also
download the information into data-bases or spreadsheets on your
hard drive so that you don't have to retype
it.
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You can
also create a free "virtual corkboard" at eBoard (http://www.eboard.com/).  At this easy-to-use site, you can post questions,
information, and pictures for participants. They can then add their
answers, data, and messages to the board through the "chat" feature.
Registering your project
Once you've decided on your project's
format, sign up with an online registry to spread the word. Allow
five or six weeks for sign-up before starting the project. One of
the most popular places to list projects is the Global Schoolhouse's
Internet Project Registry (www.gsh.org/pr/index.cfm).
Sources: Finding out
more information The following online resources offer
more advice on how to put together your own collaborative Internet
project.
http://205.146.39.13/linktuts/inteproj.htm
This
site is packed with helpful hints for creating successful Internet
projects.
http://home.talkcity.com/academydr/nicknacks/NNplanner.html
Visit this site for an easy-to-follow template to help you plan
your project.
Thoughts: Afterward, reflect on your
quest
When the project is over, consider writing an
article for a professional publication or Web site about your
experience. Include the ups and downs of running the project, and
allow others to learn from your successes. Also, think about future
Internet projects you can do to enhance your curriculum.
BUILDING TECH
SKILLS
Some of the
technology standards, in addition to content
standards, that may be addressed when conducting a
collaborative Internet project include:
- Using e-mail and listservs to announce the
project
- Creating a Web page with project
information
- Using a computer to generate a flow chart on
the process of the project
- Conducting self-designed (or class-designed)
surveys for data collection
- Downloading compiled information into the
appropriate program on the computer
- Using the appropriate local software to
compile, process, and analyze collected data
- Generating tables, graphs, and charts using
the collected data
- Creating a multimedia presentation
explaining the data findings
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