Introduction
Today's information and communications technologies have expanded our educational opportunities. They have enabled us
to develop teaching methods that span distances, bring about encounters among different cultures and have opened the
way for students to engage in a wide range of discussions with their peers in other countries. The glut of information
that streams down the digital communications highway makes it possible for students to locate information on subjects
that arouse their curiosity and to discuss these subjects with like-minded students throughout the world.
Until now, most educational processes have been designed for the closed environment of the classroom. We must expand
them so that they will break through the barriers of the school and present the students with a richm world that will
diversify their learning methods. The central factor of educational activity is not merely the contents of the material
studied. It must also encourage students to learn on their own, to expand their range of curiosity, to provide them
with the tools of international communications, to develop their capabilities for exchanging views, to develop pertinent
and fruitful discussions and to study together with their peers the world over.
The following project offers one method of collaborative learning through the Internet.
The main idea of the project is to study literature together in English.
Here in Israel, the project is meant for students studying literature as their subject of concentration. English teachers
help in formulating the communication. The idea of the project is to study, in both our countries, two stories (or poems):
A Hebrew one that is translated into your language and one written in your language that has been translated into Hebrew.
The project has five main phases:
The students study the story that is written in their native language.
The students build a Web site, in English, that presents some aspects of the story: explaining metaphors,
understanding the cultural context, pictures of places, etc.
The students study the other country's story, both in class and on the Web.
The students communicate with one another using asynchronous communication.
Video - conference between students.
Main principles:
Cooperation
Communication through the Internet
English as the language of communication
Students' age: 15-17 (high school)
Subject matter: literature (we are thinking of expanding the project in the future to include other subjects).
Goals:
To enrich the students' English communication abilities
To study literature in an enjoyable and interesting way
To enrich the understanding of literature
To expose the students to another culture
We are planning on starting the project in one to three high schools, as an experiment. We think that it would be
fitting and proper to have the faculties of the schools themselves work out the details of the joint experiment. For
this purpose, the Israeli education system would put the required professionals at the disposal of those involved.
We welcome any ideas regarding this project and would be most happy toreceive input.
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