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Key words: Curriculum Materials, General Information, college
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 19:39:39 EDT
Reply-To: A Practical Discussion List Regarding Deaf Education
Sender: A Practical Discussion List Regarding Deaf Education
From: Cathy Brandt Subject: Tele Project Guide & Info
To: Multiple recipients of list EDUDEAF Hello Folks,
Here is the information I promised many of you about effective telecommunication
projects. I have used this information over the past three years in
my training of teachers within the district and our state. I have written
this using resources such as KET (Ky Ed TV) which also had at one time a
local BBS, info from FIRN (Florida's instructional network), reading the Net
and various listservs as well as my own experience in telecommunication
projects.
I offer it to you in hopes it will be helpful. If it is reproduced in its
entirety I would appreciate your inclusion of me as the author.
Telecommunications Projects
by Cathy Brandt
Contents:
I. General Project Guidelines
II. 4 Major Types of Telecommunication Projects
III. Specific Examples of Each Type of Project
I. GENERAL GUIDELINES
Includes many of the following:
Should Contain:
II. TYPES OF PROJECTS
The most common telecommunication projects will fall into one of these
four major categories: Information Collection, Collaborative,
Interactive, Discussion
Information Collection Project
The goal of the Information Collection Project is to have one class or
group of students use the Internet to collect information from a variety
of sites.
This type of project requires students to use the Internet as a resource
to find specific information. The initiating class (IC) may ask
students in other areas to collect data and send it to them. The IC may
use telnet to do a remote login to a cite to research and find their own
information. The WWW is also an excellent resource through which the IC
may locate specific data.
This type of project simply collects information for a classroom project
or activity. Students may create graphs, charts, reports, newspapers,
videos, etc. with the information gathered from the Internet. The
Information Collection project does not require other students to act
upon the data located. The only class who works with or uses the data
is the initial class which collected it.
Collaborative Project
The goal of the Collaborative Project is to have students in various
locations work together to create or gather and share information about
their own experiences and life in that locale. Students work together
to create one common project.
This type of project builds upon the idea of the Information Collection
Project. It takes the activity one step further. In this project
students who are NOT in the same locality work together to collect and
share data. All of the students participating may use local sources of
information as well as the Internet to collect data. Once this
information is collected it is shared with all students who participate.
Each group or class of students is then assigned one part of a larger
project in which all participate. They may write reports comparing and
contrasting the information. They may analyze the data to draw
conclusions about each area and determine reasons why specific
information is unique to a given place. Students may also do
experiments in this type of project and compare each step of the
scientific project which leads to one major project.
INTERACTIVE PROJECT
The goal of the Interactive Project is to have students share
information with students in various schools for the purpose of having
those students work with and add to the original information.
The Interactive Project builds upon the collaborative idea. Students
work together using the information of the other to determine what they
will do next. Students create writing, art or other information and
send it to another group of children. The next students then add to the
information, picture or experiment. At this point depending upon the
structure of the project the second class will either return it to the
first or send it on to a third participating class. There is a given
ending point. And at that point the finished project is copied and sent
to each participating class. This allows each part to see the whole
and the significance their own part played in the creation.
DISCUSSION PROJECT
The goal of the Discussion Project is to have students frequently
exchange ideas and opinions on given subjects. This project can occur
through a series of email exchanges, a created listserv or a live chat
group.
The project may include two or more classes. To ensure clear
communication these projects are best utilized when held to two or three
classes who are sharing group ideas. If the purpose is for single
students to develop thinking, reasoning, discussion and debate skills
the project is most successful when held to six to twelve students.
Timing is also critical with this project. Daily "conversing" is ideal.
If this is not possible exchanging mail/ideas two to three times a week
will also bring about lots of ideas.
Teachers need to be heavily involved with either class or individual
discussions. The teacher's role is to guide students in the evolution
of "ideas." Additionally, the teacher should be helping students think
about the act or art of communication itself, how to clearly convey
ideas, how to answer different views, how to clarify and enhance
communication, etc.
This type of project can be used with younger children ages 8 - 12 to
help build conversation skills This is a way for students to learn more
information about other students and places in the world. It is also
used to discuss a single topic such as pets, school, families,
transportation, etc. It is also often used with older students to
strengthen their discussion and debate skills. Projects may begin by
students stating opinions on current issues or specific topics.
III. EXAMPLES
Information Collection Projects
Collaborative Projects
Plant Growing
Interactive Projects
Discussion Projects
Uploaded by: Melissa Close/Kent State University/Deaf Education Major
Student hands-on activities
A teacher or curriculum guide
On-line activities
Integrate other technologies such as: integrated packages,
video, related software
Other Internet resources
Cross-curricular
A means of assessment or evaluation
On-line expert
Structure - firm beginning and ending time
Timeline - date points at which specific aspects should be
complete
Print Materials - supplemental information
Weather
Population
Food
Stories
Facts about Children, Schools, etc
Bird Watches
Letter writing from younger to an older student where older
student pretends to be a fictional character or person
from the past (Santa, Cinderella, Jack of Jack and the
Beanstalk, past President or King) - ONE EXCHANGE
LOGO - students create a picture and send directions to another
class to create
Math - students create computation or story problems and send to
another class to do
Story Writing - each class writes a chapter, shares illustrating
Art - first class begins a work of art, second class adds and
returns or sends to next
Question & Answer exchanges about an area of experience for one
class
Field Trip - students in different places all go on a field
trip, students write about their own experiences, ask
about other's experiences and create a book, video or
mural about all of the field trips.
Creating A City - is a combination of the number of places from
which students are
participating
Current Events
Debates
Politics
Colleges
Sports
Deaf Studies