Steps to Designing a Collaborative Project

Collaborative projects are one of the very exciting ways the Internet can be used to enhance classroom activities. However, without a detailed plan for project implementation, many promising projects fail to reach their full potential. Below are the key steps a teacher or project administrator should progress through on their way to a successful project.

Project Planning

Develop concept in detail.
Determine specific activities students will do in collaboration with other students.
Determine step by step instructions for each activity, so other teachers can easily follow your plan.
Test the viability of your activities (ie if you're tagging monarchs, try tagging some yourself first so you can easily explain to others how to do this)
Test/Practice any data analysis you are going to use to see if desired outcome is reachable -- ask an expert if necessary. (ie. if you think you'll see a relationship between latitude and plant growth, determine how you're going to measure plant growth and check your hypothesis with an expert)
As you develop your concept, keep one computer classroom management issues in mind. (ie: if you only want one email per school, how might a teacher encourage full class participation in this assignment?)

Prepare Preliminary Materials for Dissemination

Determine the length of the project.
Determine dates for project.
Develop web site.
Develop call for collaboration email.

Find Collaborative Project Partners

Lists of Educational Listservs -- http://edweb.gsn.org/lists.html
Global SchoolNet -- http://www.gsn.org -- website where you can post projects.
Web66 -- http://web66.coled.umn.edu/schools.html -- Web Site with international Schools.
Classroom Connect's Teacher Database- Search database by subject, grade level, etc
Submit-It
As teachers respond, verify their commitment by having them send baseline information about their school (name, school, email address, other vital information that relates to project
Two weeks to project, send out reminder message to project participants

Hints to Smooth Project Once it Begins

Make a nickname or address book file within your email software with all project participants.
Check your email frequently (several times a day) to assist and respond quickly to questions and problems.
Make a back-up of all data before sending it out to teachers.
Be strict about deadlines to keep project on track.
Have a specific day and activity that wraps up the project.