Genius Hour Project Ieas
Acrostic Poems
http://www.holycross.edu
All Grades
This site has been inactive since 2010, but it is still a good example of what can be done and it’s simple. David Hummon, a professor from Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA maintained this website where students and teachers can read and submit Acrostic poetry. There are submissions from all over the world. Teacher and students submit a poem via email. To protect safety of underage children, Hummon asks that only first name, age, and the community be submitted. If teachers maintain their own web site with acrostic poems, Hummon created a link to the site on his page.
Class2Class Project Directory
http://mathforum.org/class2class/
All Grades
Class2Class a clearinghouse designed to facilitate student and class participation in Internet projects, including collaborative projects, data-collecting experiments, peer tutoring, and keypal exchanges. The projects must contain math, but also include other disciplines. The site has many elementary projects, but there are some high school sites.
CNN iReporter
http://ireport.cnn.com
All Grades
iReporter allows students to submit videos and photos related to top news stories. See left-hand menu for current submission requests. CNN Student News (http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/ ) publishes materials useful and interesting to students. Instructional materials for journalism also provided. Pairing these two resources can help teacher and students create and publish high-quality, original products.
Down the Drain: How Much Water Do You Use?
http://www.ciese.org/curriculum/drainproj/
All Grades
This Internet-based collaborative project will allow students to share information about water usage with other students from around the country and the world. Based on data collected by their household members and their classmates, students will determine the average amount of water used by one person in a day. They will compare this to the average amount of water used per person per day in other parts of the world.
ePals Projects and Classroom Search
http://www.epals.com/
All Grades
ePals is provides collaborative technologies for schools to connect and learn in a protected, project-based learning network. Teachers can use ePals Web site to find existing projects or use as a tool to find partner classrooms and create their own projects. Highly recommended. Is very sensitive to online safety.
First League Lego Competitions
http://www.firstlegoleague.org/
Elementary and Middle School
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a global program created to get children excited about science and technology. A hands-on program for ages 9 to 16 (9 to 14 in the U.S. and Canada), FLL uses Challenges based on real world scientific problems to engage children in research, problem solving, and engineering. There seem to be other lego competitions, too. Do a Web search to look for similar organizations and programs.
Global Children's Art Gallery
http://www.naturalchild.org
All Grades
The Global Children’s Art Gallery accepts submissions from children up to 12 years old. The stated purpose of this site it to promote peace.
Global Schoolhouse International Schools CyberFair
http://www.globalschoolnet.org/gsncf/index.cfm
All Grades
Through the International Schools CyberFair, students conduct research about their local communities and then publish their findings on the World Wide Web. Recognition is given to schools for the best projects in each of eight categories: local leaders, businesses, community organizations, historical landmarks, environment, music, art, and local specialties. Specific themes are released annually.
Global Schoolhouse Programs Page
http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.cfm?section=Programs
All Grades
Global Schoolhouse includes a program page that lists existing and upcoming learning opportunities. Most fit the Next Steps project criteria. Programs change so visit often.
Go North Adventure Learning
http://www.polarhusky.com
All Grades
Go North allows students to follow/interact with explorers traveling to Arctic regions. Students study science, geography, and culture and are able to communicate with researchers and other classrooms as they solve problems and engage in investigations. This site has won many awards and seems to model what the interactive, collaborative, authentic, multimedia curricula of tomorrow may look like (we hope!!).
The Green Squad
http://www.nrdc.org/greensquad/intro/intro_3.asp
All Grades
Trains students how to investigate the environmental practices in their local school. While there is no place to post results of the students’ work or collaborate with other schools, students are encouraged to use what they have learned “to understand your school's practices and help improve them.” Might be a good starting place for a project.
iEarn
http://www.iearn.org
All Grades
iEARN is a non-profit organization made up of over 30,000 schools and youth organizations in more than 130 countries. iEARN helps teachers and young people to work together online using the Internet and other new communications technologies. Over 2,000,000 students each day are engaged in collaborative project work worldwide. You have to join the network to see all the projects going on, but you can browse some at http://collaborate.iearn.org/spaces and http://collaborate.iearn.org/
iTunes and iTunes U
http://www.apple.com/itunes/
http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/
All Grades
It's difficult to find a broader audience than iTunes and iTunes U to publish student work! Check out Radio Willow Web and other student-created educational podcasts, for example
The Jason Project
http://www.jason.org/
All Grades
The JASON Project connects students with great explorers and great events to inspire and motivate them to learn science. The site embeds cutting-edge research from NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Geographic Society and other leading organizations. JASON students work side by side with practicing scientists and apply their knowledge to the real-world scenarios scientists face every day. The JASON Project was founded in 1989 by Dr. Robert D. Ballard, the oceanographer and explorer who discovered the shipwreck of RMS Titanic. Jason has evolved a bit over the years. There are some resources that cost money, but they are famous for their live events and collaborative projects. These components are still embedded in the curriculum. Look for them.
Journey North
http://www.journeynorth.org/
All Grades
Journey North is an online project inviting students to collect, submit, and analyze data on a variety of migration and seasonal topics that change---well, with the seasons! Through these experiences students assume roles as scientists and learn standards connected to the inquiry process, the environment, seasonal changes, math, life cycles, and others. Math, language arts, and social science can also be integrated.
KidPub Site
http://www.kidpub.com
Elementary and Middle School
Since 1995, KidPub has been providing teachers and students with a safe place where students can publish their writing and talk to other students about writing. There are monthly writing contests, prizes, discussion forums, and information/support on how to publish books—and even list books on Amazon.com. Students can read the posted work, but there is a small fee of $12.95 per year to post to the site. Additional fees apply for book publication, if teachers/students choose to pursue this option.
Kidscribe
http://brightinvisiblegreen.com/kidscribe/
Elementary and Middle School
Kidscribe is a site for students to publish stories, jokes, and histories in English and/or Spanish. Students are asked to submit their first names only, age, and where they live. Created by a freelance photographer and writer, Dianne Folkerth.
Math-O-Vision
http://math-o-vision.com/
All Grades
Math-O-Vision is an annual contest where students can submit a 4-minute video on Math concepts and connections to real-life. There is a $4000 prize. Videos submitted are not allowed to be submitted to other contest the same year. Sponsored by Dartmouth College Math Dept. and the Neukom Institute for Computational Science. Previous Winners are posted on the site.
MidLink Magazine
http://ncsu.edu/midlink/
All Grades
Midlink “magazine” claims to “highlight exemplary student work from around the globe.” This is a good site for getting ideas to design your own online project or to locate an existing project to participate in. The project was founded by Caroline McCullen in 1994 and supported by the University of North Carolina and the University of Central Florida.
My Hero Project
http://www.myhero.com
All Grades
The “MY HERO” project is sponsored by a not-for-profit agency inviting students to share stories, images and short films celebrating heroes around the world. The site is translated in Spanish. The project has a Global Exchange component that fosters intercultural communication and understanding.
Nasa Quest
http://quest.nasa.gov/
All Grades
NASA quests allow students to engage in authentic scientific and engineering processes. The solutions relate to issues encountered daily by NASA personnel. Some of the quests connect schools with one another for collaboration and/or allow students to submit projects for expert review. Look for these.
National Center for Educational Statistics Kids' Zone
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/
All Grades
The National Center for Educational Statistics isn’t really an online project as it stands, but by wrapping a problem or question around it, it can easily become one. It provides real data sets about K-12 schools, libraries, and colleges/universities that can be used to support real-life learning projects in classrooms. The Kids’ Zone also has graphing tools where students can create visuals related to their project. There are also “Student Polls” and “Dare to Compare” quizzes where students can compare their answers with students nationally and from around the world. They invite student input.
National Geographic My Shot Blog
http://kids-myshot.nationalgeographic.com/
All Grades
National Geographic (NG) My Shot blog allows students through the age of 18 to upload photos, get photo tips, rate photos, and comment on other members' pictures. Parent permission is required.
National Geographic Kids Blog
http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/
All Grades
National Geographic (NG) kids blog allows posts by a group of children, who are selected and monitored by NG Kids staff. Topics are broad, but include a lot of travel and culture topics. In NG tradition, content is very rich with pictures and videos. With permission of parents, your students could post comments—after you read them of course. The site is good to create student interest in blogging and to get a good sense of how a high-quality blog looks and operates. (Note how many posters ask how they can become a NG Kids bloggers.) It is unclear how the NG Kids bloggers are chosen. If you find out, let us know.
Nature Mapping
http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/
All Grades
The Nature Mapping program provides students with an authentic opportunity to learn about the environment and animals. Activities can address many math, science, and language arts standards. See the "Participate" section to begin a project. See this Edutopia video http://www.edutopia.org/naturemapping-technology-fieldwork-video and accompanying article http://www.edutopia.org/naturemapping for an example of how students in Washington state use nature mapping. If there isn't a group in your state, start one.
Our City Podcast Project
http://learninginhand.com/ourcity/
All Grades, Mostly Elementary
Mobile learning expert Tony Vincent invites students to submit podcasts about their city. Students can then learn from one another. It’s a great way to support learning about different regions of the county. Interesting fact, Tony Vincent was the technology coordinator at Willowdale Elementary, the home of Radio WillowWeb, before launching his own consulting business.
Planting Science
http://www.plantingscience.org/
All Grades
Planting Science is a learning community where scientists provide online mentorship to student teams as they design and think through their own inquiry projects. There are awards for best projects or “Star Projects.” GREAT site.
Projects By Jen
http://www.projectsbyjen.com/
Elementary
Created by educator Jennifer Wagner, Jenuinetech is a web site housing online projects for PK-6th graders. Check under the “projects” tab. This site is one of the few with instructional content/materials for the primary grades. This is a must-see for elementary educators.
Project Green Schools
http://www.projectgreenschools.org/
All Grades
Greenschools is non-profit organization that encourages students and teachers to make a difference in their schools. Materials are provided to help conduct local investigations and to propose recommendations. Students can submit their work to be considered for a Green Difference Award.
Scholastic’s Writing with Writers Project
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/index.htm
Elementary and Middle School
Students have access to authors, editors, and illustrators as they work on various types of writing projects. Students have the option to submit original work and to read other students’ work. Teaching materials are provided for grades 1-2; 3-5; and 9-12. While high school materials are provided, the site has more of a look and feel for elementary and early middle school students.
Student-made Math Movies
http://studentmathmovies.wikispaces.com/
All Grades, but mostly elementary now
This is a home-grown, classroom project from “Mr. Avery,” a sixth-grade teacher in Massachusetts. Students have created some pretty inventive math videos and they invite other students to submit their work, too. Notice how the teachers protect students’ privacy with first names only and seldom publish the exact location of their school. Other classrooms are invited to submit. There are several from across the country participating. Provides a nice example of a classroom-created project. Compare it to Math-0-Vision which has more funding and support. There are pros and cons for both types of projects.
WWII Essay Contest
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/essay-contests/
All Grades
Each year, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans sponsors an Essay Contest. The museum is clear that this is not a research paper, but a persuasive essay that will be judged for originality, clarity of expression, adherence to contest theme, historical accuracy, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The best essays will include specific examples from both WWII and today. First place winner will receive $1,000; second place winner will receive $750; and third place winner will receive $500. Each winning essay will be posted on The National WWII Museum’s website. Excerpts of the first place entry will also be printed in our quarterly newsletter V-Mail (which is mailed to more than 130,000 people across the United States). The top 50 essayists will receive honorable mention on website
http://www.holycross.edu
All Grades
This site has been inactive since 2010, but it is still a good example of what can be done and it’s simple. David Hummon, a professor from Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA maintained this website where students and teachers can read and submit Acrostic poetry. There are submissions from all over the world. Teacher and students submit a poem via email. To protect safety of underage children, Hummon asks that only first name, age, and the community be submitted. If teachers maintain their own web site with acrostic poems, Hummon created a link to the site on his page.
Class2Class Project Directory
http://mathforum.org/class2class/
All Grades
Class2Class a clearinghouse designed to facilitate student and class participation in Internet projects, including collaborative projects, data-collecting experiments, peer tutoring, and keypal exchanges. The projects must contain math, but also include other disciplines. The site has many elementary projects, but there are some high school sites.
CNN iReporter
http://ireport.cnn.com
All Grades
iReporter allows students to submit videos and photos related to top news stories. See left-hand menu for current submission requests. CNN Student News (http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/ ) publishes materials useful and interesting to students. Instructional materials for journalism also provided. Pairing these two resources can help teacher and students create and publish high-quality, original products.
Down the Drain: How Much Water Do You Use?
http://www.ciese.org/curriculum/drainproj/
All Grades
This Internet-based collaborative project will allow students to share information about water usage with other students from around the country and the world. Based on data collected by their household members and their classmates, students will determine the average amount of water used by one person in a day. They will compare this to the average amount of water used per person per day in other parts of the world.
ePals Projects and Classroom Search
http://www.epals.com/
All Grades
ePals is provides collaborative technologies for schools to connect and learn in a protected, project-based learning network. Teachers can use ePals Web site to find existing projects or use as a tool to find partner classrooms and create their own projects. Highly recommended. Is very sensitive to online safety.
First League Lego Competitions
http://www.firstlegoleague.org/
Elementary and Middle School
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a global program created to get children excited about science and technology. A hands-on program for ages 9 to 16 (9 to 14 in the U.S. and Canada), FLL uses Challenges based on real world scientific problems to engage children in research, problem solving, and engineering. There seem to be other lego competitions, too. Do a Web search to look for similar organizations and programs.
Global Children's Art Gallery
http://www.naturalchild.org
All Grades
The Global Children’s Art Gallery accepts submissions from children up to 12 years old. The stated purpose of this site it to promote peace.
Global Schoolhouse International Schools CyberFair
http://www.globalschoolnet.org/gsncf/index.cfm
All Grades
Through the International Schools CyberFair, students conduct research about their local communities and then publish their findings on the World Wide Web. Recognition is given to schools for the best projects in each of eight categories: local leaders, businesses, community organizations, historical landmarks, environment, music, art, and local specialties. Specific themes are released annually.
Global Schoolhouse Programs Page
http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.cfm?section=Programs
All Grades
Global Schoolhouse includes a program page that lists existing and upcoming learning opportunities. Most fit the Next Steps project criteria. Programs change so visit often.
Go North Adventure Learning
http://www.polarhusky.com
All Grades
Go North allows students to follow/interact with explorers traveling to Arctic regions. Students study science, geography, and culture and are able to communicate with researchers and other classrooms as they solve problems and engage in investigations. This site has won many awards and seems to model what the interactive, collaborative, authentic, multimedia curricula of tomorrow may look like (we hope!!).
The Green Squad
http://www.nrdc.org/greensquad/intro/intro_3.asp
All Grades
Trains students how to investigate the environmental practices in their local school. While there is no place to post results of the students’ work or collaborate with other schools, students are encouraged to use what they have learned “to understand your school's practices and help improve them.” Might be a good starting place for a project.
iEarn
http://www.iearn.org
All Grades
iEARN is a non-profit organization made up of over 30,000 schools and youth organizations in more than 130 countries. iEARN helps teachers and young people to work together online using the Internet and other new communications technologies. Over 2,000,000 students each day are engaged in collaborative project work worldwide. You have to join the network to see all the projects going on, but you can browse some at http://collaborate.iearn.org/spaces and http://collaborate.iearn.org/
iTunes and iTunes U
http://www.apple.com/itunes/
http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/
All Grades
It's difficult to find a broader audience than iTunes and iTunes U to publish student work! Check out Radio Willow Web and other student-created educational podcasts, for example
The Jason Project
http://www.jason.org/
All Grades
The JASON Project connects students with great explorers and great events to inspire and motivate them to learn science. The site embeds cutting-edge research from NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Geographic Society and other leading organizations. JASON students work side by side with practicing scientists and apply their knowledge to the real-world scenarios scientists face every day. The JASON Project was founded in 1989 by Dr. Robert D. Ballard, the oceanographer and explorer who discovered the shipwreck of RMS Titanic. Jason has evolved a bit over the years. There are some resources that cost money, but they are famous for their live events and collaborative projects. These components are still embedded in the curriculum. Look for them.
Journey North
http://www.journeynorth.org/
All Grades
Journey North is an online project inviting students to collect, submit, and analyze data on a variety of migration and seasonal topics that change---well, with the seasons! Through these experiences students assume roles as scientists and learn standards connected to the inquiry process, the environment, seasonal changes, math, life cycles, and others. Math, language arts, and social science can also be integrated.
KidPub Site
http://www.kidpub.com
Elementary and Middle School
Since 1995, KidPub has been providing teachers and students with a safe place where students can publish their writing and talk to other students about writing. There are monthly writing contests, prizes, discussion forums, and information/support on how to publish books—and even list books on Amazon.com. Students can read the posted work, but there is a small fee of $12.95 per year to post to the site. Additional fees apply for book publication, if teachers/students choose to pursue this option.
Kidscribe
http://brightinvisiblegreen.com/kidscribe/
Elementary and Middle School
Kidscribe is a site for students to publish stories, jokes, and histories in English and/or Spanish. Students are asked to submit their first names only, age, and where they live. Created by a freelance photographer and writer, Dianne Folkerth.
Math-O-Vision
http://math-o-vision.com/
All Grades
Math-O-Vision is an annual contest where students can submit a 4-minute video on Math concepts and connections to real-life. There is a $4000 prize. Videos submitted are not allowed to be submitted to other contest the same year. Sponsored by Dartmouth College Math Dept. and the Neukom Institute for Computational Science. Previous Winners are posted on the site.
MidLink Magazine
http://ncsu.edu/midlink/
All Grades
Midlink “magazine” claims to “highlight exemplary student work from around the globe.” This is a good site for getting ideas to design your own online project or to locate an existing project to participate in. The project was founded by Caroline McCullen in 1994 and supported by the University of North Carolina and the University of Central Florida.
My Hero Project
http://www.myhero.com
All Grades
The “MY HERO” project is sponsored by a not-for-profit agency inviting students to share stories, images and short films celebrating heroes around the world. The site is translated in Spanish. The project has a Global Exchange component that fosters intercultural communication and understanding.
Nasa Quest
http://quest.nasa.gov/
All Grades
NASA quests allow students to engage in authentic scientific and engineering processes. The solutions relate to issues encountered daily by NASA personnel. Some of the quests connect schools with one another for collaboration and/or allow students to submit projects for expert review. Look for these.
National Center for Educational Statistics Kids' Zone
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/
All Grades
The National Center for Educational Statistics isn’t really an online project as it stands, but by wrapping a problem or question around it, it can easily become one. It provides real data sets about K-12 schools, libraries, and colleges/universities that can be used to support real-life learning projects in classrooms. The Kids’ Zone also has graphing tools where students can create visuals related to their project. There are also “Student Polls” and “Dare to Compare” quizzes where students can compare their answers with students nationally and from around the world. They invite student input.
National Geographic My Shot Blog
http://kids-myshot.nationalgeographic.com/
All Grades
National Geographic (NG) My Shot blog allows students through the age of 18 to upload photos, get photo tips, rate photos, and comment on other members' pictures. Parent permission is required.
National Geographic Kids Blog
http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/
All Grades
National Geographic (NG) kids blog allows posts by a group of children, who are selected and monitored by NG Kids staff. Topics are broad, but include a lot of travel and culture topics. In NG tradition, content is very rich with pictures and videos. With permission of parents, your students could post comments—after you read them of course. The site is good to create student interest in blogging and to get a good sense of how a high-quality blog looks and operates. (Note how many posters ask how they can become a NG Kids bloggers.) It is unclear how the NG Kids bloggers are chosen. If you find out, let us know.
Nature Mapping
http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/
All Grades
The Nature Mapping program provides students with an authentic opportunity to learn about the environment and animals. Activities can address many math, science, and language arts standards. See the "Participate" section to begin a project. See this Edutopia video http://www.edutopia.org/naturemapping-technology-fieldwork-video and accompanying article http://www.edutopia.org/naturemapping for an example of how students in Washington state use nature mapping. If there isn't a group in your state, start one.
Our City Podcast Project
http://learninginhand.com/ourcity/
All Grades, Mostly Elementary
Mobile learning expert Tony Vincent invites students to submit podcasts about their city. Students can then learn from one another. It’s a great way to support learning about different regions of the county. Interesting fact, Tony Vincent was the technology coordinator at Willowdale Elementary, the home of Radio WillowWeb, before launching his own consulting business.
Planting Science
http://www.plantingscience.org/
All Grades
Planting Science is a learning community where scientists provide online mentorship to student teams as they design and think through their own inquiry projects. There are awards for best projects or “Star Projects.” GREAT site.
Projects By Jen
http://www.projectsbyjen.com/
Elementary
Created by educator Jennifer Wagner, Jenuinetech is a web site housing online projects for PK-6th graders. Check under the “projects” tab. This site is one of the few with instructional content/materials for the primary grades. This is a must-see for elementary educators.
Project Green Schools
http://www.projectgreenschools.org/
All Grades
Greenschools is non-profit organization that encourages students and teachers to make a difference in their schools. Materials are provided to help conduct local investigations and to propose recommendations. Students can submit their work to be considered for a Green Difference Award.
Scholastic’s Writing with Writers Project
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/index.htm
Elementary and Middle School
Students have access to authors, editors, and illustrators as they work on various types of writing projects. Students have the option to submit original work and to read other students’ work. Teaching materials are provided for grades 1-2; 3-5; and 9-12. While high school materials are provided, the site has more of a look and feel for elementary and early middle school students.
Student-made Math Movies
http://studentmathmovies.wikispaces.com/
All Grades, but mostly elementary now
This is a home-grown, classroom project from “Mr. Avery,” a sixth-grade teacher in Massachusetts. Students have created some pretty inventive math videos and they invite other students to submit their work, too. Notice how the teachers protect students’ privacy with first names only and seldom publish the exact location of their school. Other classrooms are invited to submit. There are several from across the country participating. Provides a nice example of a classroom-created project. Compare it to Math-0-Vision which has more funding and support. There are pros and cons for both types of projects.
WWII Essay Contest
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/essay-contests/
All Grades
Each year, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans sponsors an Essay Contest. The museum is clear that this is not a research paper, but a persuasive essay that will be judged for originality, clarity of expression, adherence to contest theme, historical accuracy, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The best essays will include specific examples from both WWII and today. First place winner will receive $1,000; second place winner will receive $750; and third place winner will receive $500. Each winning essay will be posted on The National WWII Museum’s website. Excerpts of the first place entry will also be printed in our quarterly newsletter V-Mail (which is mailed to more than 130,000 people across the United States). The top 50 essayists will receive honorable mention on website