Internet Projects or Web Projects (Not Including WebQuests)

Dictionary.com defines "project" as:
  1. An undertaking requiring concerted effort: a community cleanup project; a government-funded irrigation project.
  2. An extensive task undertaken by a student or group of students to apply, illustrate, or supplement classroom lessons.
For the purposes of this class (CECS 4100), an Internet project is defined as a project that requires use of the Internet in order to complete it. The student(s) should have to use the Internet on multiple occasions. Some examples from the Roblyer textbook (Chapter 8) include electronic penpals or "keypals", electronic mentoring, virtual field trips, and problem-based learning such as collecting data, sharing it with others, and analyzing your data in comparison to others.

Just because an Internet resource is rich or fun or interesting or "really educational" doesn't mean it's an Internet project. Just as a project usually isn't something you can complete in one short time period, an Internet project should not be a page you go to once or twice. Just as a project "requires concerted effort", so should an Internet project.

Below are some Internet projects. This is just to give you a taste of what's out there, it is not an exhaustive list. There are many many more Internet projects and a greater variety of types of projects than those listed here.

A WebQuests is also a type of  Internet project. Click here to learn more about WebQuests.


Internet Projects Registry on the Global Schoolhouse Network: " This is the original clearinghouse for collaborative projects  from across the globe - projects hosted by the Global SchoolNet Foundation,  other reputable organizations, and outstanding partner projects conducted by  teachers worldwide! Whether you choose to join an existing project or  announce one of your own, GSN's Projects Registry promises to save you time!" http://www.gsn.org/GSH/pr/index.cfm
Journey North engages students in a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. K-12 students share their own field observations with classmates across North America. Click on "This Season's Projects" to see what they are currently observing.
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/
NASA's Quest Project: Online Interactive Projects
Sharing NASA allows students to participate in a variety of projects where students can interact with NASA astronauts and engineers in several different areas, including hot topics like the recent mission to Mars. Text, photos, graphics
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/
The RoadKill project is designed to involve students and teachers with scientific monitoring of an environmental parameter using the Internet and to increase participant awareness of motor vehicle hazards with wildlife. Monitoring roadkill brings excitement and stimulating conversation to all.

Students and teachers will collect roadkill data in their community for analysis as well as compare their data to other areas participating in the project.
http://roadkill.edutel.com/
The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) sponsors and designs interdisciplinary projects that teachers throughout the world can use to enhance their curriculum through compelling use of the Internet. We focus on projects that utilize real time data available from the Internet, and collaborative projects that utilize the Internet's potential to reach peers and experts around the world. Below is a catalog of projects that are currently being or have been sponsored by CIESE . Each project has a brief description and links to the National Science Standards and NCTM math standards it supports. http://www.k12science.org/currichome.html
The Flat Stanley Project: In the book, Flat Stanley, by Jeff  Brown, Stanley is squashed flat by a falling bulletin board. One of the many advantages is  that Flat Stanley can now visit his friends by travelling in an envelope.  This premise  provides a reason for us to keep in touch with each other. The Flat Stanley Project is a  group of teachers who want to provide students with another reason to write. Students'  written work goes to other places by conventional mail and e-mail. http://flatstanley.enoreo.on.ca/
Second graders from around the world publish their poetry at this site. http://kids-learn.org/a/apples2nd/
Pack up the Prairie Schooner! Westward Ho is a virtual 2,000-mile journey from Independence, Missouri to Willamette Valley, Oregon. Collaborative "classroom families" make decisions about traveling the trail using scenarios developed by project moderators. http://www.cyberbee.com/wwho/
United Nations CyberSchoolBus http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/index.asp
Students follow the steps to end up with a well-written paragraph describing their three wishes. Completed paragraphs are submitted to the Concord School which publishes them online. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4868/write.html
Since its launch in 1997, the Space Day educational initiative, which takes place on the first Thursday of each May, has evolved into a massive grassroots effort dedicated to the extraordinary achievements, benefits and opportunities in the exploration and use of space. The ultimate goal is to promote math, science, technology and engineering education by nurturing young peoples' enthusiasm for the wonders of the universe and inspiring them to continue the stellar work of today's space explorers. Each year a new theme and new projects are announced. Teams of students from around the world create and submit projects in a given category. Awards are presented on "Space Day". http://www.spaceday.org
Monster Exchange is designed to encourage the development of reading and writing skills while integrating Internet technology into the classroom curriculum. Classrooms from a variety of schools worldwide are paired together; the students in each classroom are split into groups, each of which designs an original picture of a monster. The students must then write a description of the monster. The partnered classes then exchange their descriptions via e-mail and the Internet. These students are then challenged to use reading comprehension skills to read the descriptions and translate them into a monster picture. The true challenge involves creating a redrawn picture as close to the original picture as possible without looking at the original and using only the written description of the monster. http://www.monsterexchange.org/
Global Grocery List Project:  Students share local grocery prices to  build a growing table of data to be used in social studies, science, health,  mathematics, and other disciplines. Global Grocery List is a long standing  project that generates real, peer collected data for student computation,  analysis, and conclusion-building within the context of social studies, science,  mathematics and other disciplines. http://www.landmark-project.com/ggl/
This ongoing Web project will inspire people of all ages. Read an archive of hero stories from around the world. Then, honor a hero by sharing how he or she has made a difference in your community.  http://www.myhero.com/myhero/
Middle School students become global scientists in these projects sponsored by Univ. of Michigan. "The Kids as Global Scientists project is an Internet enhanced curriculum designed to encourage middle school student inquiry and research about basic concepts of weather and climate. Students use visualization and telecommunication technologies to learn about science both locally and through interactions with peers and resources worldwide." http://www.onesky.umich.edu/site/projects/projects.html
Interactive Educational Simulations...this is the list of current projects, click around the site to find past projects just to get ideas. http://www.simulations.com/cont2.htm
An extensive list of Interactive Web-Based Projects from Loogootee West Elementary School in Indiana. Note that it hasn't been updated since 1999 so there are many bad links on the page.
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/online/join.htm
last updated 8/18/2006