All About Online Projects
by Katie Noonan
What makes a science year memorable for students and teachers?
Often it is a special project enthusiastically undertaken by teacher
and students together, with surprises, challenges, tedium, successes,
failures, and finally a hard-won bit of authentic scientific
knowledge they can call their own. Special projects can take many
forms. Probably, they draw their life from the genuine excitement and
dedication teachers bring to the effort. So, the project must be
something you as a teacher believe in and want to do. Online projects
are a relatively new type of special project made possible by
internet technology. From the beginning Access Excellence has
provided a spot for teachers to locate, participate in, develop, and
discuss online collaborations. Online projects can be found in many
places on the Access Excellence web site: in the Let's Collaborate
area, in Discussions, in the AP Biology area, and in email
correspondence among members of the AE community. The far-flung
locations of these projects reflects the variety of online projects
available.
Online projects range from simple correspondence and data-sharing
between classrooms to formal research protocols directed from
universities. They may be playful, as in the Biome Video and
Classroom Anatomy mysteries, or deadly serious as in the monitoring
of pollutants in our environment and ultraviolet radiation or the
migration patterns of Monarch butterflies. Some require internet
access in the classroom, but many do not. They only use the
internet to coordinate activities and share results. Some require
significant preparation, sending away for materials, and large
commitments of classroom time, while others require only one or two
class periods. It is safe to say that there is an online project for
almost any level of time and resources available to a teacher who
wishes to get involved.
Links to Online Projects:
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Technology in Education Index
