Communications & Collaboration

GR K-2



Square of Life


GR 3-5

A group of students want to know about the kind of playgrounds that kids at other schools have to play on.  They wondered if the location and environment had any impact on their playground designs.  Students create a global project to find the answer to the question, "What are school playgrounds like in other places and how does the environment impact the structures and design of their playground?"

As part of a Vermont Studies unit, students collaborate with another Vermont classroom to research the existing Vermont state symbols, create an article to update the symbols information on the Vermont State Symbols Wikipedia page, and make recommendations for potential new state symbols.

Students participate in the yearlong "Journey South and Monarch Watch" program, tracking Monarch butterflies from Vermont to the butterfly sanctuaries in Mexico, while collaborating with other students around North America.

GR 6-8

During a four-week collaboration students from around the state will work together to create an interactive Google Earth map of Vermont. The map will include information about the geography of each region of the state delivered in a multimedia format. 

Chittenden County's student population is growing more diverse, as families move in from all over the world. As part of a study of world geography and cultures, student teams select a country and work together to research aspects of the country's culture including education, religion, politics, government, and holidays/cultural traditions, as compared to the United States. Students conduct research using the Internet and through communication with other students (in the country they are studying) via email, wikis, and videoconferencing. They create online resources such as websites, wikis, podcasts, videos, or multimedia posters using Glogster to be shared with families relocating to the area.

Carry Me to the Park: Digital Field Guides 
for Mills Riverside Park

Students at Browns River Middle School work with experts from the University of Vermont and the State of Vermont Department of Natural Resources to research animal and plant life, geology, pond and stream ecology or other scientific areas of interest as they study science and park stewardship at Mills Riverside Park.  The final product of their study is a collection of digital field guides for visitors that can be downloaded to a digital device and referred to during a park visit.