Benefits
The Internet enables us to become part of an online
community and enables both learners and teachers transcend
geographical barriers and enhance equity in information
access. This can be achieved through telecollaboration.
Objective
To discover strategies of integrating the internet into
the classroom to improve the process of learning
Project classification
There are a variety of ways these projects can be classfied,
but the characteristics followed during the process have
a lot of similarity. These include:
Exchange of information: collecting information,
solving a problem in the community etc..
The nature and method of communication: by e mail, bulletin
boards, real-time chatting, or video conferencing?
The end product or result: change in society, publication
or mentoring?
Types of telecollaborative projects
This is a classfication done by somebody. It is possible
to do the classification differently as long as the criteria
are consistent.
1. Interpersonal exchanges.
2. Information collection projects.
3. Problem solving projects.
1. Interpersonal exchanges:
(i) Keypals: This is of the easiest ways to get your student
involved in email based projects. Students are partnered
with another person, usually another student, in an information
age takeoff on the old penpal activity.
Basic implications and applications:
- It has a geographical or cultural element: languages arts,
social science, geography
- It exposes students to different perspectives: all disciplines.
- It improves communication skills: language arts, and helping
students acquire life-skills.
(ii) Cultural exchanges: In this activity,
kids have an opportunity to collaborate directly with students,
groups of students, or entire classrooms partner with students
from other cultures. Although this activity usually focuses
on the differences between the cultures, the most successful
cultural exchanges demonstrate a true respect for the cultures
and a greater understanding of our communities.
Basic implications and applications:
- Creates cooperate learning which encourages active engagement
by the students in learning, hence building critical skills
obtained by working directly with other people from other
places and cultures.
- Addresses issues of difference and diversity lesson plans,
also addresses a global concern
2. Information collection projects
Students have an opportunity to collaborate directly
with an expert in a field of study or someone with a specialized
knowledge. At times it may even occur with schools and students
which have advanced systems in specific disciplines.
Basic implications and applications:
- It's used when students need specific information that
is not available from their current pool of resources.
- It helps teachers answer questions outside their field
of experience.
- Improves communication skills: language arts, and helping
students acquire life-skills.
3. Problem solving projects
It deals with solving real world problems. Students
link up with students in other locations to discuss a prevailing
problem in relation to their location and come up with solutions
that can be used to overcome the problem.
Learning to learn: students work in depth
on a problem and learn what is needed to solve a problem
or complete a project.
Lifelong learning: this type builds learning experiences
through research that can be used also in a lifetime experience.
Active learning: it involves gathering of information and
data, exploring, creating, experimenting, physical manipulation
of things as well as organising information which can be
accessed to people from the real world.
Improves communication skills: language arts, and helping
students acquire life-skills.
Some types of telecollaborative project initiatives
Learning through connectivity:
- Key pals or e pals
- Global classrooms
- Ask an expert
- Electronic chats
- Video conferencing
- Learning through Online resources
- Information collection
- online field trips
- Learning by being involved
- Electronic publishing
- Information exchanges
- impersonation
- Learning to learn
- Problem solving activities
- Social action projects
- Learning through connectivity
-Key pals or e pals:
This is comparable to pen pals, here students learn together
and about each other ‘s environment or schools through
e-mail exchanges.
What is the best way to handle e pals? Should it be individual
students to individuals or group to group?
- Global classrooms:
Two or more classes located anywhere can study a common
topic and share their learning.
Current issues e.g. Environment, School policy world disasters;
democracy, etc can be interesting topics
- Ask an expert
Specialists in various fields can make themselves available
to students via the Internet for consultation.
There are examples, which include Ask Dr. maths. Dr physics,
Dr. geology.
This process may also involve tele-mentoring where an expert
somewhere mentors a learner or a group of learners through
the Internet.
- Information exchanges:
Data can be collected from multiple sites and analysed in
some or many classrooms collaboratively. Students can gather
facts or statistics of stories in information exchanges.
Several classes spread all over the world can contribute
and compile games, stories, folk tales, music or issues
of common interest etc…
- Online field trips (virtual field trips):
This may involve students following an expedition e.g. the
expedition to the North Pole or the Mir expedition, where
students can view the activities going on at the Mir space
station. Students get information without actually visiting
these places.
- Electronic publishing:
There are many electronic newspapers where students can
publish their articles.
A group of students could collaboratively pubic an electronic
magazine which they could later print and the articles could
be collected by telecollaboration over the Internet.
-Virtual events:
Students participate in an activity could submit their results
to a larger audience through the internet, this can help
to overcome isolation of some rural schools.
-Impersonation:
Students can use connectivity to imitate real situations.
They could hold mock debates and mock elections. The virtual
enterprise program is used to teach and learn business.
This was initiated in the Kern high school district in California.
-Social action projects:
Students can focus on a real life problem rather than the
technology used to communicate. Here the Internet truly
becomes a tool for learning. Students may electronically
brainstorm over important issues and act together to solve
the problem.
Examples could include: the wetlands project, waste management
project, African refuge project, street children, child
abuse.
