Online Projects Are for Everyone:
Jennifer Wagner, online project guru, talks about how she first got interested in online projects, and shares
tips for selecting the best online project for your classroom. Included: Half a dozen links to online project
resources.
Voice of Experience: Connecting Our Students to Their Past -- A World
War I Project
With so few veterans of WWI still alive, who will make sure the world remembers? Brenda Dyck shares how primary
and secondary resources became the vehicle for connecting her students to some of history's most important lessons.
The State of Technology Part 2: How Does Your School Measure Up?
“I’ve seen the attitude of school districts regarding technology,” says instructional technology consultant
Jamye Swinford. “Most place a lot of emphasis on equipment, but have technology coordinators who are not educators.
It seems as though they put the equipment first and the education second.” Is she right? Discover what Swinford
and nine other Tech Team members have to say about the state of technology in schools today.
The State of Technology Part 1: How Does Your School Measure Up?
A few years ago, most school technology coordinators were classroom teachers, drafted to take on a school's
tech duties because they were the first ones to figure out how to start -- and restart -- the school's Apple
2GS's. Unpaid and overworked, they struggled to share their hard-won technical knowledge with colleagues and
to convince administrators of the importance of those efforts. Times certainly have changed! Or have they? Learn
what the Education World Tech Team has to say about the state of technology in U.S. schools today.
Did You See That Poem?
Most likely, when you think about integrating technology into your curriculum, the technology you're thinking
of is a computer, and the integration involves engaging students in Web-based lessons and activities. However,
many other technology tools besides the computer are available to add interest, knowledge, and skills to your
more prosaic lessons. Fifth and sixth graders in Saskatchewan, Canada, learned that lesson last year when the
use of video technology turned a language arts unit into "poetry in motion."
Students Use Technology to Preserve Inuit Heritage
Students in Arviat, Nunavut, Canada, interviewed local elders and studied traditional skills as part of the
Arviat Iglu project. In the process, the kids used technology tools of the present to learn about the past and
to preserve it for future students.
SchoolWorld Projects Bring Together Schools Around the World
When Australian John Halse was asked by local schools to help wire their computers and organize online projects,
he couldn't have expected his volunteer efforts to become a vocation! Halse founded SchoolWorld, a global program
that listens to teachers and offers technological advice, online projects, and help in connecting with other
educators. Now sponsoring more than 50 projects, SchoolWorld has announced even more exciting new endeavors
that target teachers in the United States.
Rural Students Produce High-Tech Projects
In the rural Mendocino (California) Unified School District, a locally developed computer network eliminates
one of the greatest challenges facing many small, rural, budget-tight districts. How does this rural school
district afford high-quality Internet access? What effect does that access have on the schools? What are students
doing with the technology? Education World writer Wesley Sharpe answers those questions and more.
Fairy Tale and Folk Tale Cyber Dictionary
Whether you're a technology nerd or a trembling "newbie," your students can participate in the Fairy Tale and
Folk Tale Cyber Dictionary project -- an activity even kindergarten students will enjoy. Included: Suggestions
for adapting the project for older students.
Canadian School Weaves Web of Peace
Students at St. Elizabeth School in Ottawa, Ontario, are spinning the thoughts and artwork of children from
around the world into a Web of Peace. The school hopes to receive 2001 submissions to its Web site by January
30, 2001. Included: Principles of peace plus student work samples.
How Do You Eat YOUR Oreos?
Do kids go for the cream first or bite the whole cookie? Elementary students at a California school are having
some fun and learning about the scientific method at the same time. They are compiling and analyzing data to
prove their hypothesis about how most students eat Oreo cookies. The budding analysts invite other schools to
join the project by completing an online survey during the next two weeks. The students' next project: Is red
is the most common color for Starburst candies?
Fourth Graders Transform History Lesson Into Web Site
Fourth-grade students from Lakeshore Elementary School in Greece, New York, developed a Web site based on a
field trip to a local museum. Read how three teachers transformed a history and language arts lesson into an
exciting technology project!
And the Winner Is ...
Last week, at the premier of a special online awards ceremony, the winners of this year's ThinkQuest Junior
competition were announced. Today, Education World brings you a behind-the-scenes report of that exciting event!
Included: Tips from the teacher-coach of one of this year's winning teams!
Computers and Phys Ed Do Mix!
Students and teachers in Hood River, Oregon, use a spreadsheet program to track progress in physical fitness.
Graphs and charts show how students have improved and what skills they need to work on. A copy of those graphs
and charts is included with student report cards. Included: Teachers share their reactions and the reactions
of students and parents.
Cinco de Mayo WebQuest Includes a Fiesta!
Offer students a lesson about another culture and technology with a teacher-designed WebQuest! Music,
food, and a piñata help make learning about Cinco de Mayo fun! Included: One of the pioneers of the WebQuest
form, Bernie Dodge, offers tips for Education World readers in "WebQuest -- Seven Steps for Getting Started."
Science and Math e-Projects Connect Students Worldwide
It’s easy for teachers to integrate science and math projects on the Internet! The Center for Improved Engineering
and Science Education (CIESE) provides teachers with the necessary classroom tools for five free projects and
for several real-time projects that connect students worldwide. Included: Comments from teachers across the
grades who have used the CIESE projects!
Kids Build Computers -- and a Future
Programs that teach students how to build, repair, and maintain computers have become more commonplace as school
officials discover the growing need for workers with hands-on technical skills. Learn about some of those programs
in this Education World story. Included: Four programs that work!
Creating a WebQuest: It's Easier than You Think!
WebQuests are probably the most talked-about and widely used Web-based activities in today's classrooms. What
are WebQuests? What accounts for their popularity? And how can you use --and create-- WebQuests in your own
classroom? This week, Education World explores those questions and more.
You've Got E-Mail --- But Can You Make It *Really* Deliver?
So you want to do a classroom project on-line? Don't even think about hitting that *Send* button until you read
this article! Author and educator Judi Harris has strong opinions about what it takes to create a valuable on-line
project --- and this week she shares her thoughts with Education World. Included: Ten tips for completing telecollaborative
projects successfully and a link to a story that includes ten projects that might get Harris's stamp of approval!
Log On and Learn More: Ten On-Line Projects to Enhance Your Curriculum
Looking for ways to introduce technology into your classroom without losing valuable teaching time? Look no
further! Education World has found ten terrific on-line projects to incorporate into your curriculum.
Senior Pals: Bridging the Generation Gap with Technology
An emotional meeting of senior citizens and their fourth-grade e-pals was the culminating event of a project
initiated by teacher Jim Flack at North Elementary School in Lancaster, Ohio. Included: Comments from the kids
and senior citizens!
Scavenger Hunts: Searching for Treasure on the Internet!
Internet scavenger hunts are a way for students to practice problem solving, improve their reading and comprehension
skills, and learn how to search the Internet. This week, Education World shows you how it's done. Included:
A sampling of online scavenger hunts for students of all ages!
"Flat Students" Go Down on the Farm!
"Four or five years ago, I couldn't understand why anyone would want [a computer] cluttering their classroom…"
says teacher Becky Ross. But Ross is a convert now! The "Flat Stanley" Internet project, based on the children's
book of the same name by Jeff Brown, has spawned a new activity that has her "flat students" visiting farms
all over the world!
Apple and Pumpkin PIE (Poetry Is Exciting)!
One teacher's successful "Apple a Day" Internet project has spawned a new project. Join teacher Susan Silverman
in the "Pumpkin Patch" this year. Getting involved is as easy as pie!
Take a Museum Field Trip -- Without Leaving Your Classroom!
When a field trip is out of the question, journey to a virtual museum! Join Education World as we visit science,
art, and history museums around the world.
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