The Internet has facilitated thousands of collaborative learning environments and projects since its creation, and the Global SchoolNet Foundation has been there since the beginning. The Foundation traces its roots to the year 1984, when two San Diego teachers began linking their students to classrooms on the East Coast to participate in online writing projects. The actual Global Schoolhouse Project began in 1992, with a grant from the National Science Foundation. Currently, schools from over 100 countries participate in the various GlobalSchoolNet online projects. Simply put, both the project's mission and website are exemplars of the type of collaborative educational projects that have become possible via the Internet. First-time visitors will find much of interest here, including the collaboration center clearinghouse that contains helpful material on content, potential collaborative partners, learning tools, and implementation strategies, all related to online shared learning initiatives. Teachers will definitely want to visit the CyberFair section of the site as well. Here they can learn about this learning program where young people conduct research, publish their findings on the Web, and have the opportunity to garner accolades in one of eight categories, including local leaders, community organizations, and environment.
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