Home MembershipSpecial Interest GroupsSIGTel (Telelearning)SIGTel Online Learning Award 2002

Spotlight on the 2002 SIG/Tel Online Award Winners

Awards of Special Merit—"The Cyber Golden Hearts" Bob Davis, Bonnie Thurber, Patti Weeg

Kidlink Day — A KidSpace project Patti Weeg (project) Bonnie Thurber and Bob Davis (KidSpace) Project moderator: Allan Garbutt (Australia) There are 25 teachers and their students who are authoring their own KidSpace webpages Target Audience: K–12

Delmar Elementary School (Patti Weeg)
811 South Second Street, Delmar, Maryland 21875
USA
Patti Weeg: patti@globalclassroom.org
Bonnie Thurber: bthu@edu-continuum.org
Bob Davis: bdavis@tech-continuum.com
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=951
Patti Weeg: 410.677.5178
Bonnie Thurber: 847.467.6734
Bob Davis: 847.467.5805

Project Summary

On March 6, 2002, 396 students from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, England, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Spain, and the USA wrote journals of their activities at home and at school in English, French, Italian or Spanish. When the journals were complete, they posted them in Kidlink's KidSpace publishing environment for other students in the project to see. Students posted comments on each other's journals in KidSpace and then took the data in the journals and compared what they found by making charts, graphs and Venn diagrams. These are also posted in KidSpace.

Objectives

A. Writing process - students write a journal for a full day
B. Reading - Students read journals posted by others
C. Math: Students use graphs, charts and Venn Diagrams to compare data in journals
D. Multi-Cultural awareness: By reading descriptions of a typical day across many time zones, students become aware of our multicultural diversity.

Necessary Telecommunications Resources

At least one computer connected to the Internet is required. Students send their journals as e-mail to the kidproj mailing list and/or post them directly in KidSpace.

Role of Telecommunications

By sending their journals as e-mail or posting them as webpages all participants in the project are able to read journals, compare a typical day and communicate with students around the world.

Curriculum Area(s) Involved

Social Studies:

1. locating journal writers on the map, latitude/longitude, hemisphere
2. identifying customs and festivals noted in the journals
3. identifying local foods
4. identifying study habits and values
5. comparing the length of school day in various countries
6. identifying subject areas that are favorites and those that are unique to the area.

Language Arts:

1. writing for a specific purpose — to inform
2. using appropriate style and conventions
3. developing as writers using the writing process having had occasions to prewrite, draft, revise and proofread their journal writings.
4. writing effectively by considering correctness, completeness, and appropriateness of their text.

Science:

1. recording, analyzing and comparing weather data and patterns
2. becoming aware that land features help influence recreational activities of students in various parts of the world
3. comparing the kinds of food kids like to eat for meals (nutrition)
4. observing good health habits mentioned in journals such as dental hygiene

Math:

1. recording, organizing and interpreting data
2. comparing standard and metric measurement — daily temperature
3. using percents and fractions to describe daily activity — students spend 10% of their day watching TV and ¼ of the day in school.
4. totaling and averaging the hours of homework classmates are doing on a typical day
5. recognizing and interpreting use of military time in the journals

Suggested items to compare:

1. the hour kids wake up on a school day
2. breakfast and lunch favorites
3. transportation to school
4. length of classes and school day
5. favorite or least favorite classes
6. after school activities
7. time spent on chores after school
8. time spent on homework or watching TV
9. favorite TV shows
10. the hour for going to bed at night

Grade Level(s) Targeted

Students from all grade levels were invited to participate in the project. Students in grade three through high school actually took part in the project either as journal writers or as data analysts.

Planning Requirements & Procedures

The main project area was created in KidSpace. Teachers registered for the project and were given a login, password and instructions for building webpages in KidSpace. Students answered the 4 Kidlink questions and received a login and password so they could build their journal webpages.

Print Materials Needed

No print materials were required. Teachers were offered a journal template for their convenience.

Class Management Strategies/Required Activities

Students needed an opportunity to take notes during their school day to write their journal. If a class was not with one teacher all day it was suggested that other teachers in the school were made aware that students would be writing notes on the hour during that school day.

Students needed time to type their journals on the computer so that they could be sent as e-mail or posted in KidSpace.

Suggested classroom activities for examining journals
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=1904

Suggestions for writing Kidlink Day journals
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=1905

Suggested Class Time & Project Duration

The minimum time for the project was at least one month. Students needed time to write their journals, edit them, translate them in some cases and type them on the computer. The journals were then posted on the Internet in KidSpace. Once that was complete, students needed time to read the journals of others on the Internet in KidSpace, post comments to other students and compare data they saw in the journals. After one month the project and extension activities were still in progress. Students continued to send comments to each, make charts, graphs and Venn diagrams and post them in KidSpace.

Weather data — from Barcelona, Spain:
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=2467

Weather graphs from Delmar, Maryland
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=2486

Venn Diagrams — comparing journals — Delmar, Maryland
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=2570
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=2632

Temperature and Latitude Table from Texas
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=2638

Method(s) for Evaluating Student Achievement of Objectives

Classroom teachers are encouraged to view the objectives given on the project webpage and to share these with the students before the project begins. A sample Kidlink Day evaluation form is posted in KidSpace for teachers to use:

http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=2722