The Collaboratory Project
The Collaboratory Project is a Web-based initiative that provides training, consulting, and resources to teachers and students on using Internet technologies. Created by Northwestern University and sponsored by Ameritech, this initiative provides a Web-based collaborative environment for teachers to develop and post technology-based learning activities and curricular projects.
As they participate in this project, teachers take workshops to learn how they might best take advantage of developing a Web site for their classroom or for their school. In exchange, they have access to posting students' work on a classroom-based or school-based Web site hosted by the Collaboratory. Student work can range from simple text-based documents to media-rich documents with graphics, sound, and video. Teachers manage student submissions through password-protected pages. Although there is no charge for services, educators are expected to provide the time, resources, and commitment to complete whatever project they choose to begin.
The types of projects range widely. The Cybrary (or Cyber Library) enables educators and media specialists to find, organize, and share Internet resources in support of curricular activities developed at their school. An Internet Book Club allows students to post book reviews, stories, essays, and poems, and to share these works with students in other schools. In MediaSpace, students can create multimedia "postcards" made with text, sound, graphics, or video files to share with other students. Because the quality of information rests with the teacher and students, the use of this site is limited only by participants' ideas.
For additional information, refer to the Collaboratory Project's home page.
