Research: Content: Communication and Collaboration
The Internet is a great tool for communication and collaboration. Communication projects involve students sharing information with others. In addition to sharing collaboration projects, ask students to work together with other students at remote sites to reach a common goal.
Contact Information
You should post information about your web developer, provide an email, phone, and location contact, as well as copyright and acceptable use statements.
Go to Contact Us from Multnomah County Public Library and notice the types of information they provide.
Communications
Many libraries are seeking new ways to communicate with their patrons. Email has become a popular tool. Some libraries now have email lists where they periodically send announcements and other information through email. Others make use of online discussion groups, chat, and instant messaging.
Go to Book Alert from Carmel Clay Public Library. Notice how they use email lists.
Online Clubs and Connections
Book clubs and discussion groups have always been a part of libraries. Today, libraries are extending these activities to online groups.
Go to Online Book Club from Toledo-Lucas County Public Library and Book Discussion Groups from Multnomah County Public. Notice how they have adapted these activities for online users.
Program Archives
Board agenda, minutes, newletters, policies, and other communications are often archived online for easy access.
Go to Annual Report from Washington-Centerville Public Library. Notice the PDF format.
Review Sites
Book, audio, video, and Internet review sites can all be posted on the Internet. Some libraries also encourage patrons to sharing their book, movie, and game reviews online.
Go to Beehive from the Charlotte & Mecklenburg County Library and explore their book reviews. Consider the benefit of this type of resource.
Virtual Reference Desk Assistance
Many libraries offer email or chat communication for traditional reference questions. Some school libraries even provide online homework help.
Go to Links to Virtual Reference Desk, Ask Colorado from the Denver Public Library for examples of virtual reference desk examples.
Collaborative Activities
Consider a project that involves students in a forum or other type of collaboration. Students love to share their work. The Internet has the world's biggest audience for your classroom projects.
Visit Mrs. Silverman's Webfolio. She has been doing these types of online projects for several years including Frosty Readers, Bunny Readers, and Document-Based Question projects that involved teachers from many schools.
Podcasts
Podcasting is a popular way to add audio to a website. Ask patrons, students and teachers to submit their book reviews. It's a great alternative to the traditional book report. Students can even add their ideas to the reviews that other people have submitted.
Visit Hopkinton High School & Hopkinton Middle School Library's Isinglass Teen Read Award Booktalks to hear student's podcasts of their book reviews, and Library Loft Podcasts from Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County to hear news, programs, and commentary created by and for teens.
Teacher Starters
Create a story starter web page system that gets students started, then encourages them to add or expand the project. Think big. Maybe you could have story starters or activities for each theme of the semester or each person you study. You could use paragraphs, pictures, and photographs for starting discussions, stories, or writing assignments. Users could copy and paste the information into a word processor. Participants could use snail mail, email, or the web to submit additions to your project.
Interactive Projects
Start a unit, experiment, or contest and ask others to join. Post proposed lessons, results of science experiments, or scanned pictures of woodworking projects. Summarize a book, link to an article or piece of artwork, then ask for critiques or reviews. Develop a peer development project for collaborative online creative writing, musical composing, or scientific inquiry. Hold online debates on topics of interest and archive the results.
Ask the Expert
Get involved with interacting with experts. Find experts and mentors to help your class answer specific questions. For example, you might email an office worker about the use of spreadsheets in the real world. You might get a firefighter, doctor, or scientist to answer questions that could be posted on your web page.
Data Collection
Polls, surveys, experiments, and other data collection activities are a great way to actively involve students from around the world in a wonderful learning experience. Post the goal of the activity, the task(s), procedures, and timeline well ahead of the project to recruit participants. Involve all the sites in data collection and sharing. Look for activities that are unique to different geographic areas. For example, ask students along a river to conduct water experiments. Or, conduct a pricing survey in different parts of the world. Be sure to post a map and list of participants on the web project page.
Joint Venture
There are endless opportunities for classes to work together toward a common goal. Look for projects that involve interaction and collaboration rather than just sharing. Develop a peer writing activity and combine information to create a single document or ask each site to add to a collage. Select projects that encourage students to take action.
Contests and Challenges
Students sometimes work harder when they have a challenge, but don't let competition get in the way of learning. Start with a positive collaboration and move into an activity where students work together to solve a problem. Hold contests where projects are peer reviewed based on specific criteria.