The Internet and the Web have immense resources that can be tapped for classroom learning and instruction. Some of the greatest resources are the museums that have been created both by institutions and by individuals. Accessing museums and other Internet and Web resources frees teachers and students from the constraints imposed by their school libraries and allows much broader access to information. Additionally, electronic field trips also help acquaint students and teachers with resources that they may use in the future. Many educational researchers, teachers, and policy makers now believe that students learn through participation in social interaction.
Teamwork involves two or more people working together on a task.
Collaborative learning, or cooperative learning, or group learning, involves students working as a team on some kind of learning task. The Web supports collaborative activiites across a spectrum of possibilities, from writing a paper or book together, to sharing the work on large scale science projects. The power of the Web is in its support for distributed work that can be shared through the medium of the Internet. The world is getting smaller, as countries strive to work together, and classrooms are opening up to connect with people outside their walls. Global connections is about thinking globally, communicating with others outside your local community, broadening your horizons, and building relationships with people all over the world.