Schools are back in session and now is the time for teachers to consider class involvement in a high interest, high energy project for the coming school year. There's hundreds of projects out there, so this week's issue scratches the surface on twelve worthy of your consideration. Some are subscription based and others are free. All are well designed and many are correlated to state and/or national standards! There's something here for everyone if you're ready to take the plunge. Before doing so, you may also want to peruse the Surfaquarium's Project Page <http://surfaquarium.com/projects.htm> and consider my Project Guidelines <http://surfaquarium.com/cpguide.htm>.

Thanks to Jerry Blumengarten for his recommendations towards this project edition of the I.T. Newsletter. If you know of other worthwhile projects or would like to inquire about projects for certain audiences or topics, feel free to e-mail me at walter@surfaquarium.com. Enjoy!

• Bucket Buddies - http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/bucketproj/
  The Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education sponsors this project in which elementary students must collect local water samples, identify the macroinvertebrates therein, and then compare their findings with other classes from around the world. Thus far 76 classes have signed up, and you have until September 24th to join the fun. There is no fee, and the lesson plans and extension activities will support you in making this experience a success for your children.
• Bubble Blast - http://www.geocities.com/bubbleblast01/
  Your class can join this high interest topic for elementary and middle students who want to help determine which brand of bubble gum blows the biggest bubbles! You need to register (for free) by September 30th and then work through the end of November gathering data. Principles of the scientific method, mathematical measurement and data analysis will all be employed. Once all research has been completed there are ready to use lessons and fun activities you can use with your students to further expand your Bubble Blast unit.
• Global Human Traits Survey - http://mkiss.star64.com/ghts.html
  Our Lady of Peace School in Canada is hosting this project in which middle and high school students gather and tabulate data on all kinds of human characteristics based on genetic traits. There's a great page showing different traits and a data collection form to help facilitate the information gathering process. The online form for entering your school's data makes the posting of your findings extremely easy, and the Information and Communication Technology Outcomes offers all kinds of benchmarks for linking this project to your curriculum standards.
• How Do You Eat an Oreo? - http://www.crossroadsschool.org/oreo_page.htm
  If you're new to online projects and would like to test the waters with a fun, non-threatening task, this may be the project for you! Students of all ages are invited to provide cookies and milk to subjects and record how they eat their Oreos: biting, nibbling, breaking, dunking, whole, or some other newfangled way) and then submit the data to the project to identify patterns of behavior. The emphasis here is on working with numbers and graphing, but the tie-ins to other areas of your curriculum are as numerous as your imagination!
• iEARN - http://www.iearn.org/
  Beginning in October iEARN will offer a series of hands-on eight week courses that will bring educators from around the globe together to select and integrate a high quality iEARN project into their plans for this school year. These projects are designed to mesh with your local/state/national standards, so you can account for the use of a project in meeting your curriculum requirements. You need to enroll by September 21, 2001 for classes, which are $50 each for iEARN members (iEARN membership is $100 per teacher or $280 per school), so don't delay!
  
• Interpersonal Exchange - http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~jbharris/Virtual-Architecture/Telecollaboration/more-telecollaboration.html#Structure%201:%20Keypals
  Judi Harris does a great job of featuring some of the finest examples of Keypals, Global Classrooms, Electronic Guest Appearances, Telementoring, Question-and-Answer Activities and Online Impersonations/Simulations on the Internet. Be sure to click the link to her Virtual Architecture site while visiting to see a well-developed approach for effectively implementing online projects!
• The Jason Project - http://www.jasonproject.org/
  This year's project is Frozen Worlds, and focuses on those places on Earth and in space that are the coldest, most remote locations we know of and yet are nonetheless vital to our existence. The instructional unit is $499 for the year, and the teacher pack is an additional $199. The materials include comprehensive plans and resources all aligned to state standards to ensure dynamic curriculum connections for your students!
• Master Search - http://www1.classroom.com/community/neighborhoods/mastersearch.jhtml
  Begun years back by Dr. Terrie Gray at ED's Oasis, the Master Search contest is a way for teachers to receive recognition for their top notch online lesson plans and projects. Winners receive all kinds of free online memberships and subscriptions, with the grand Prize winner being recognized at the Connected Conference this November in Long Beach, California. Entries are accepted between September 4, 2001 through October 31, 2001 with winners being notified the week of November 8th.
• NASA Quest - http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/
  The new format of thus page makes it easier than ever to identify what's new and worthwhile in NASA's classroom projects. These events are free and only require that you have Real Player in order to watch and participate in webcasts. You can then follow up on their discussion boards with other classes and NASA experts! This year's projects include ISS A Home in Microgravity (focusing on the construction of the International Space Station), Mysteries of Microbes: Fascinating Fieldwork (studying microbial mats on the Baja peninsula), and Centennial of Flight (which will include a simulated online chat with the Wright Brothers in December).
• The Quest Channel - http://quest.classroom.com/
  For $249 your class gets a year subscription to this Classroom Connect product, which includes Amazon Quest this Fall and Greece Quest next Spring. Subscribing gives you access to all instructional materials and all the data gathered by Dan Buettner and his expedition team - even the ability to interact with the team on site!
  
• Solving Life's Problems with Numbers - http://www.eighthfloor.org/academy/cbergeron/statingdata/index.htm
  Cherie Bergreron has designed this project asking elementary and middle school students to pretend their family must relocate to another town and requiring them to mathematically document the best places to live, based on their research. There are eight nicely structured activities with accompanying worksheets and support materials to help ensure success. Project registration is free and open until October 1st.
• Where in the World Are You? - http://students.ed.uiuc.edu/gkastor/pages/490project.html
  Ginger Kastor of the University of Illinois presents this free project in which students in grades 4 through 9 can research critical information about their town (climate, latitude/longitude, crops grown, religions practiced, typical living space, natural resources, etc.), submit it to the project. Once all classes have submitted their data, students will then answer quiz questions about the characteristics of the participating classes' locations around the world. You start gathering your town's data this Fall and have it submitted to Ginger by January 9, 2002. The project concludes next March 13th.
  
  

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Next week's topic: "Math Sites 2001"

Please send in URL's of high quality sites which may be of interest to our readers to walter@surfaquarium.com! Also, I'm always looking for new topic ideas and input!

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