Tool # 7 - Online Collaboration

Tool # 7 discussed the different types of online collaborative projects to be used with students.  These online projects can be used across the United States with other classrooms, within a school district or even between classrooms.  For the students I teach, some of these sites seemed to be addressing concepts my students are not  quite ready for.  I like the idea of using Class2Class to set up an online collaborative project with another class in my school.  Some current online projects listed with Class2Class include an estimating and graphing activity between students using M & M candies.  I like this project because it does address the Math concepts of estimation and graphing which is taught as early as Kindergarten but brought to a higher level in 2nd and 3rd grade.  I envision setting up a project on Class2Class using this estimation and graphing project between several classes at my school.  Since I teach students with learning disabilities and most of these students are "pulled out" for instruction in math and reading, I could use their general education classroom to collaborate with their peers to help us complete this project.  The following criteria will be used to begin this project.

I.  Content Objective:  Using the online collaboration site Class2Class, the students will participate in a estimation and graphing project using candy to estimate the colors of the candy inside the bag, graph the results, gather data on the exact color of candy in the bag and then share their findings online with their peers from their homeroom classroom.

II.  Implementation:  During the first 9 weeks of school

III.  Tools Used:  Class2Class online collaboration site, individual bags of M&M's, graph paper

IV.  Description of Project:  I will set up an online project site using Class2Class and invite at least two other classes to participate online with their peers to complete this assignment.  After distributing individual bags of candy to my students, I will have the students estimate how many of each color M & M they think are in their bag of candy.  At the same time their peers will be doing the same thing in their classroom.  Using graph paper, they will open their bags of candy and count the actual colors and compare them to their estimation.  After graphing their results, the students will sign on to Class2Class and report their findings.  After everyone has completed this assignment and posted their findings on Class2Class, we will share each students findings using an Active Board in the classroom.  The students will then answer questions about this assignment and be tested on their understanding of estimation and graphing results.