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1. Project Types
A networked project typically involves students in distant locations cooperating to research, exchange information, and learn from one another, although the distant partners may include adults and experts.
 Long experience has shown that pen pal and key pal projects usually don't work well. That's why the Global Schoolhouse™ urges you to adopt a more structured, project-based approach to your networked project experiences. However, if you really want to find key pal or sister classes, check these other Web sites.
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Students may conduct research, perform experiments in their own community, and report their findings. They may pose questions to experts or exchange information with their peers.
Communication media in networked projects typically include email, blogs, listservs, forms on Web sites, chat, or videoconferencing. Participating classes usually organize their research findings and report their results directly to their partner sites using these basic communication technologies.
More ambitious networked projects may have students organize their own findings through designing and developing Web sites to showcase their research and learning. Guidelines for developing Web projects are discussed in the next section.
Examples of the two types of basic networked projects discussed below are summarized on the Project Sites page. The "Net Projects" section of the resources page links to all types of networked based projects.
Field Trip Projects
A person or group of people (travelers) travel to a place or participate in an exciting event all the while communicating their experiences through written reports posted to a Web sites, email, videoconferencing, and/or multimedia. Students become traveling companions asking questions and providing suggestions for travel routes. Travelers perform research to report answers and enlightened students about what they learn and the resources they encounter. Virtual field trips allow students to virtually visit and learn about places, people, and events they cannot experience first hand.
Information Exchanges
Some projects ask students to contribute poetry, stories, experiences, thoughts, or other writing or they ask students to investigate research questions. Teachers work with their students to gather information; perform research when needed, and report results.
Students learn to appreciate each other's cultures, contributions, and customs. Sometimes students help experts with important research by reporting scientific phenomena in their area. Information exchanges prompt students to contribute to world-wide research. They learn that their contributions are valued, necessary, and utilized.
Judi Harris' has developed a more detailed classification in her Network-Based Educational Activity Structures.
