Wednesday, June 2, 2004

Students’ web sites earn awards

Students become the teachers in a new statewide initiative that has recognized several Fayette schools for their development of educational web sites.

The PROMOTE Georgia project provides students in grades 2-5, 6-8 and 9-12 the opportunity to work in teams to perform research and develop educational web sites that teach others about a selected topic. The project focuses on teaching standards through project-based learning. Supervised by a classroom teacher, teams of students select content standards that are applicable to their grade level and develop an educational web site designed to teach others.

Four sites from Fayette were among the six regional winners selected from a total of 37 entries. The winning entries will advance to a state-level competition. The first place state winners will be invited to attend and showcase their web projects at the 2005 GaETC Conference. Web sites are judged on curricular significance, instructional delivery, technical quality and innovative web design.

First place regional honors were awarded to East Fayette Elementary for their site, “Smartest Rainforest Mammal.” This site highlights the different mammals of the rainforest and gives criteria to help determine if there really is a smartest rainforest mammal. Various links provide information on animal mating, hunting, survival and communication skills.

Cleveland Elementary took second place for their site titled “Crocodilians.” The site features facts about crocodiles, alligators, gavials and caimans. There is a link to interactive games and puzzles to help reinforce what is learned on the site.

Fayette County High also earned a second place award for its site titled “The Invisible Island.” The focus is on a children’s mystery book by the same name and features quizzes, questions and activities pertaining to the story as well as links to rate the book and talk to the author.

Additionally, the high school took third place for “Hop on the Magic School Bus.” This site provides information about the solar system. It highlights the children’s book, “The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System,” while providing interesting facts and fun activities to promote learning.

All web sites can be viewed by going to www.promotega.org.