Additional Resources for Using/Developing Internet Activities

The Internet offers educators three structured genres (Problem Solving Projects, Information Collections, and Interpersonal Exchanges) with five to seven activity structures per genre.

Interpersonal Exchanges
Interpersonal Exchanges are those activities in which individuals communicate electronically with other individuals, individuals communicate with groups or groups communicate with other groups. Interpersonal Exchanges include: keypals, global classrooms, electronic appearances, telementoring, question-and-answer activities, and impersonations.

Interpersonal Exchanges

1.	Keypals	the first and most popular type of interpersonal exchange, keypals involves facilitating communication between individuals who attend different schools, or who live in different regions.
2.	Global Classrooms	short or long interaction between groups, usually two or more classrooms, based on a topic.
3.	Electronic Appearances	an activity structure wherein authors, scientists, or other professionals appear online to answer student questions or participate in discussion relevant to their own professional lives. Such activities differ from electronic mentoring in that they are usually restricted to very brief time frames.
4.	Electronic Mentoring	like electronic appearances, but occurring with subject area specialists for longer time periods.
5.	Question-and- Answer Services	short-lived communication where students ask an expert.
6.	Impersona- tions	a type of electronic appearance distinguished by the presence of an individual who plays the role of a literary or historical character.

Information Collection Analysis
Information Collection and Analysis activities are those which involve students collecting, compiling, and comparing different types of interesting information. Information Collection and Analysis activity structures include: information exchanges, database creation, electronic publishing, telefieldtrips, and pooled data analysis

Information Collection Activities

1.	Information Exchanges	students share information such as book reviews, favorite quotations, local weather conditions, recipes, etc.
2.	Database Creations	students construct a database of information, which is to be shared with students in other local or international schools.
3.	Electronic Publishing	students create an online publication, such as a newspaper, literary magazine, electronic journal or ethnic cookbook
4.	Tele-fieldtrips	students electronically "tag along" with other individuals currently visiting other places. Students participate in the activity by emailing expedition members questions, and by taking part in activities or experiments related to the project.
5.	Pooled Data Analysis	students receive information from classes around the world, then analyze it, looking for patterns, similarities, or differences, and then report their findings.

Problem Solving
Problem Solving activities promote critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-based learning. Problem Solving structures include: information searches, peer feedback activities, parallel problem solving, sequential problem solving, telepresent problem solving, simulations, and social action projects.

Problem-Solving Projects

1.	Information Searches	students are presented with a problem and clues to help solve it.
2.	Peer Feedback Activities	students publish work online, and other students or subject area experts provide constructive criticism.
3.	Parallel Problem-Solving	students in several locations are presented with a similar problem, which they solve separately and then together, electronically.
4.	Sequential Creations	students share in the creation of a new document, such as an electronic composition, or item, by passing it from location to location.
5.	Virtual Gatherings	participants are brought together from different locations and time zones for a computer-mediated meeting.
6.	Simulations	either person-to-person or through using software, participants explore a virtual world.
7.	Social Action Projects	students around the world work together for change, a collaboration that can lead toward social action.

Online Activities

NASA Quest: Internet Activities for Aerospace and NASA related classroom resources.

Adventures of CyberBee: Primary source and enrichment activities.

Blue Web'N: Blue Web'n is an online library of over 2000 outstanding Internet sites categorized by subject, grade level, and format (tools, references, lessons, hotlists, resources, tutorials, activities, projects).

Global School House: Global SchoolNet is a growing international network of 90,000+ online educators, who engage in online project-based learning activities.

The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education: A selection of collaborative projects specifically for science and math curriculums.

2Learn.ca Project Center Project Basics - Judi Harris's Activity Structures

Useful Texts:

Way Of The Ferret: Finding Educational Resources On The Internet

Based on Judi Harris' popular Mining the Internet column in The Computing Teacher journal, Way Of The Ferret is designed to help you acquire the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to locate and use resources found on the Internet. The book assumes readers have access to the Internet and some experience with their modem, communications software, and word-processing basics. Carefully developed analogies help users grasp basics of Telnet sessions, FTP file transfers, information location tools, file encryption, and discussion groups. Finally, 15 different types of educational telecomputing activities help you plan for integrating Internet resources into your students' academic explorations. Two appendices cover recommended Telnet sites and FTP archives for precollege use.

Way of the Ferret--Finding and Using Educational Resources on the Internet, Second Edition

The second edition contains new sequencing of information; updated and expanded information; and new chapters on using Gopher, World Wide Web, and e-mail. Based on Judi Harris' popular Mining the Internet column in Learning and Leading with Technology (formerly The Computing Teacher), Way of the Ferret is designed to help you acquire the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to locate and use resources found on the Internet. The book assumes readers have access to the Internet, some experience with their modem and communications software, and word processing skills. Carefully developed analogies help users grasp basics of World Wide Web navigation, Telnet sessions, FTP file transfers, use of information location tools, file encryption/compression and participation in discussion groups. The educational telecomputing activities have been expanded to include teleresearch as well as additional telecollaborative activity structures. Expanded and updated appendices include educational Gophers, World Wide Web pages, Telnet sites, FTP archives, and education-related electronic mailing lists.