Activity design of a large-scale multi-regional telecollaborative learning project

Feng Xiaoying
Beijing Normal University
China

Teaching resources vary tremendously in different schools in different regions in China. The huge education gap among different schools in different regions in China could be bridged through multi-regional collaborative learning. Undertaking a sub-project of the Ministry of Education-Microsoft 'Partners in Learning' Project, the Institute of Distance Education in Beijing Normal University will organize one hundred junior schools to carry on a large-scale multi-regional collaborative learning project during Sept. and Nov. in 2006. These schools are representative samplers of Chinese schools in different regions. Aimed at the hundred 'Partners in Learning' junior schools, this article discusses the design of a large-scale multi-regional collaborative learning (CL) blueprint and focuses our research on how to select appropriate CL topics, how to organize CL activities effectively, how to utilize learning resources efficiently, and how to evaluate our CL activities properly. Hopefully this activity could promote communication and sharing of experience among the hundred schools, and narrow the education gaps of different regions. This project is expected to give some reference to the ICT improvement in China's K-12 education.