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Email and web-based telecommunications projects

Introduction
When teachers begin to use the Internet with students, they may begin by making use of the world wide web as an information source. This anonymous use of the Internet may be difficult to manage logistically in a school with poor connectivity and large class groups, and is not necessarily taking advantage of the connectivity the Internet promises. The ideas for online activities

Importance of existing classifications for this project
In the Natcom 3 models, associations chose a design or combinations of activity ideas that they believed would help teachers improve online activity in their KLA. This was tempered by an understanding of the breath of teacher needs in the KLA professional community and the logistics in which teachers operate in Australian schools.

Classifications of online activity are useful to help teachers and project designers describe their experiences and develop new ideas which emerge from existing practice. The Natcom project considered some classification schemes in an analysis of existing activity ideas. These classifications helped association choose ideas for online activity and reinvent others.

The work of well-known telecommunications experts was drawn together. Judi Harris, classifies email-based projects into categories and structures. The Global SchoolNet foundation has some project classifications which are similar to those of July Harris. Lindy McKeown also developed a schema to classify projects. These are combined here to provide a broad brush consideration of telecommunications activity likely to be practiced in Australian schools when teachers participate in organised telecommunications projects with other teachers and students.

The following list of types of organised projects and online activities divides the list into three categories: interpersonal exchanges, where students are involved in interactive exchanges with other people; Gathering and sharing data and information with other classes; and Problem solving, where students undertake longer activities where solving problems and issues directs the activity design. Most activities listed here could easily be described in each of the categories. They are categorised according to their main focus. In project models developed in Natcom 3, activities satisfied a number of purposes.

Gathering and sharing
Information exchanges	where students collect and disseminate data on a common topic. This might involve students using online tools to store and then retrieve the information or may be adhoc exchanges of information over a set period of time
Electronic publishing	where students publishing is shared in an organised way across themes, classifications of schools or time periods. This usually involves greater than one school and may be complemented by a competition format, where students are engaged in problem solving activities and publish their solutions. Others have a gallery format and create an audience for students' work. Others might involve simultaneous writing projects, shared activities during the process of writing, and joint publications like newspapers.
Telefieldtrips	where students invite others to share in their field trips electronically, or where records of fieldtrips are available for others. Some variations include the trek-an-explorer or adventurer model.

Problem solving
Information searches	where students are engaged in seeking information to solve problems. This may be linked to a competition model. Most projects involve low level fact-searching exercises rather than problem solving. Internet hunts is a common term.
Parallel problem solving	a variation of information searches with greater cognitive depth. Students compare solutions to open-ended problems once they have published their own solutions.
Project compilations	involve students working on open-ended problems and developing solutions for others to use. Usually students are involved in gathering and synthesising information a round a topic. Teachers may select a curriculum approach like information literacy to guide students through the problem solving process.
Telepresentations	involve students simultaneously presenting or taking action at the one time. It is usually around a theme or event (world peace day). Students share what they will do and may use the project network to seek partners for activities.
Social action projects	involve students taking action on a common problem. Students might undertake local action that relates to a global issue or may meet online to discuss solutions with panels of experts. Students might be invited to participate in a simulation of an event and play roles, especially in debate and online conventions. Students may simply debate ideas for action with other students.

When developing project models suitable for Australian curriculum areas ideas from a number of these activities were extended and combined into project designs.

Other classifications may be useful
Although telecommunications curriculum projects have particular styles and classifications, they will be thought of by participants quite differently. These ideas will complement the classifications above.

Who is involved?

Anonymous projects where teachers and their classes can work mostly in isolation without having to collaborate with others.

Projects with a guest in the classroom where collaboration is between the teacher and (perhaps) another adult.

Projects which have two classes collaborating

Projects where multiple classes are involved but do not rely on each other

Projects where multiple classes are involved but do rely on each other

Timing

Projects which are short term.

Projects which are ongoing and can join at any time.

Projects which require considerable commitment of time at particular times.

Projects which give degrees of freedom

Teachers can pick form a variety of themes and approaches

Teachers can choose parts of a project to do

Teachers can impose their own approaches into the project - for example, choosing an information literacy or project management approach to problems which require students to collaborate

Projects which are logistically practical in schools with varied access conditions

The technical infrastructure required to participate in a project will; determine who can participate and perhaps who can match with whom.

Amount of online time and types of time spent at various activities may help classify a project, particularly for schools with access issues.

The level of technical, classroom management and project management expertise required by participating teachers and students may determine the roles undertaken by classes and their teachers.

Some projects enable teachers to learn different things by participating. For example some teachers may participate to learn how projects can be organised and managed. Other project designs enable the participants to contribute to the design of future episodes.

The degree of organisation a teacher has to undertake, may classify a project. Some teachers will be attracted to projects where everything is organised for them, while others will be attracted to more open-ended project designs where teachers decide on activities to undertake under the project theme.

Incorporating participants needs in project design
Participants will decide if they want to participate in a project based on issues that are significant to their local conditions, their readiness to work collaboratively and on their professional knowledge and technical skills. Project managers need to design projects which will help teachers allay their fears and solve their problems. Although curriculum needs may be at the forefront of project design, it may be that the logistical issues determine if teachers are willing to participate. In developing projects, it is essential that project mangers incorporate design attributes that enhance the management of the project. Part of this involves describing the ideas, concepts and structures in a way that helps teachers understand the purposes and procedures of the project. The classification systems described in this document may provide a shared understanding and common language with which to discuss project ideas.

In this project, Natcom associations reinvented some of these ideas, taking account of Australian curriculum issues, professional development issues and logistical concerns. The resultant suite of models is not an exhaustive combination of project models, but rather represents a selection of ideas that are worth pursuing in the immediate future if Australian teachers are to gain sufficient knowledge and experiences to create the next generation of innovative projects.