ThinkQuest 1997

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ThinkQuest AcademicCompetition
Sponsored by Advanced Network
Services www.advanced.org
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• The World Wide Web is showing up in every popular
  medium...
• newspaper
• magazine
• television
• radio
• ...which is acting as a catalyst to...

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• ...affect all of our lives

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The Internet is growing...

• Number of Internet host computers has doubled
  every year for past three years
• 1995 6.6 million hosts
• 22 million users in North America
• 40-50 million users world-wide
• Projected 200 million Internet users within four
  years

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• General
• Jan., 1994 100 sites
• Jan., 1996 100,000 sites
• Over a million home pages
• Schools
• 1995 saw a 1,191 increase in school home pages

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Academic Competition

• Advanced Network Services
• www.advanced.org

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What is the ThinkQuest Internet Contest?

• ThinkQuest is an annual competition for students
  12 to 18 years of age to use the Internet as a
  collaborative, interactive teaching and learning
  tool...
• ...where students work in teams of 2-3 to create
  World Wide Web pages that help other students
  learn,
• ...and can share
• Over 1 million in awards

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What are the Goals of ThinkQuest?

• Create collaboration among students as they use
  the Internet
• Create structure in which students can help other
  students learn
• Encourage students to create new ideas and
  approaches for using the Internet
• Improve the quality of educational tools and
  materials available on the Internet

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Create New Ideas

• amazing time in history
• no experts
• kids not only have a chance to participate, they
  have an opportunity to write the rules
• from surfing to serving
• moving students away from just consuming
  information to producing information

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What are the Awards?

• Total may exceed 1 million
• Awards in each of five categories
• Student Coach School
• Fifth Place 3,000 500 500
• Fourth Place 6,000 1,000 1,000
• Third Place 9,000 1,500 1,500
• Second Place 12,000 2,000 2,000
• First Place 15,000 2,500 2,500
• Best Entry 25,000 5,000 5,000

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What are the five categories?

• Science Mathematics
• Arts Literature
• Social Sciences
• Sports Health
• Interdisciplinary

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How do I participate?
Timeline

Now

• Now
• Form teams of 2-3 students
• Select coaches
• Identify team leader
• Select and develop entry topic
• Establish a plan for completing the project
• Complete and submit Proposal Concept Form A
  (1/31/97)

Form teams, establish concept, and complete
Proposal Concept and Form A
Jan 31, 1997 -- Submit Proposal Concept and Form A
Implement web pages, upload to ThinkQuest server
and test.
July 31, 1997 --- Final Installation of Entry on
ThinkQuest Server
Judging and use by the Internet community
Nov 1997 -- Awards Ceremony in Washington DC
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How do I participate?

• Jan 31 - July 31
• Proposal concepts are screened -- for
  completeness, criteria, and implementation plan.
• Implement steps to create entry
• Upload web product to the ThinkQuest server for
  testing
• Upload final entry to the ThinkQuest web site (by
  the end of (7/31/97)

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How do I participate

• Jul 31 - Nov
• Project entries are screened
• Project entries are used by the Internet
  community
• Entry usage is logged
• Project entries are judged

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How do I participate

• Nov 1997
• Approximately 36 finalist teams will be invited
  to Awards Event
• Final panel of judges will interview teams
• Final judge decisions will be made
• Gala ceremony where winners will be announced

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Team Formation

• Students ages 12 to 18 (as of 1/31/97),
• Enrolled in good standing in any school or
  equivalent (including recognized home schools),
• Not registered as a full-time student in an
  institution of higher learning,
• Working in teams of 2-3 students
• a student may be on only one team
• a student must have at least one coach

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Keep diversity in mind

• Diversity of talents
• strong Web skills
• familiarity with the subject matter
• organization and project management skills
• Diversity of schools
• increases the value of an entry
• provides new ways of looking at information
• No easy undertaking
• constant communication and feedback is required
• everyone must have active e-mail addresses

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Team Leader

• A Team Leader is chosen from among team members.
• responsible for completion of all forms and
  Proposal Concept.
• Designates one of his or her coaches as head coach

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Coaches

• With 1-3 coaches chosen by team members
• over 18 on 1/31/96 and
• teacher or other employee in a team members
  school
• or
• approved by the parent or guardian

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Coaches

• Coaches
• help with team formation
• provide guidance
• encourage
• help establish relationships with other schools,
  local industry or government
• keep students on task
• keep diversity of talents in mind

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Looking for a Team?

• ThinkQuest HyperNews
• a meeting place that is kind of a web-based cross
  between a chat and a mailing list.
• TeacherSpace HyperNews
• another meeting place that hosts different
  subjects
• CHAT-
• on-line Chat sessions take place in real time.

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TeamMaker PageC\My Documents\ThinkQuest\TQ\TEAM
MAKE.HTM
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Characteristics of Effective Web Pages

• home page draws in outside viewers
• audience and purpose are clearly defined
• information sources are properly cited
• review and feedback are facilitated
• background and reflection pages included
• teaches something new
• first-hand experiences
• students own work/commentary
• no repurposing of information

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How will our entries be evaluated?

• Collaboration 25

• Team cooperated effectively between or among
  dissimilar schools (use of information
  technology, level of funding, size, urban/rural
  public/private.
• Entry creates collaboration among other students
  at different locations.

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How will our entries be evaluated?

• Collaboration 25

• Educational Value 25

• Exciting innovative Internet-style learning
  tools
• Imaginative, original, content and artistic
  presentation of the Entry
• Makes learning entertaining, fun and contagious,
  and makes productive use of the Internets
  strengths.

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How will our entries be evaluated?

• Collaboration 25

• Educational Value 25

• Breadth of Use 25

• Frequency and nature of the Entrys use.
• Likelihood that the Entry will be heavily used by
  students.

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How will our entries be evaluated?

• Collaboration 25

• Educational Value 25

• Breadth of Use 25

• Quality 25

• Reliability, accuracy, ease-of-use, internal
  consistency and robustness

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An Invitation!

• You and your students will learn a great deal...
• about their chosen subject
• about working together and communicating
  effectively
• about the Internet and World Wide Web
• Contribute to the education of students
  world-wide.
• Advance the use of the Internet as a learning
  environment.

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Information About ThinkQuest

• www.advanced.org/ThinkQuest
• 1-800-61-think
• tq-help_at_advanced.org
• Registration Form
• EMail discussion/information lists
• Help Desk, FAQ's, Rules, Resources
• Information Packet CD-ROM
• Contains complete information, rules, posters
• Includes Global SchoolNets new Web Tutorial on
  CD-ROM

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Other Helpful Resources

• Global SchoolNet Foundation
• Home Page www.gsn.org/
• Web Tutorial www.gsn.org/web/
• Lots of helpful articles, examples, discussion
  lists
• International Schools CyberFair 97
• www.gsn.org/gsn/cbhome.html
• An international K-12 school community based
  Internet project
• Teaching with the Internet
• www.halcyon.com/ResPress/teacher.htm
• Written by teachers for teachers