The idea for the Hamlet Online Project came out of a desire to apply Internet technology to the English classroom. The project was funded by a New Brunswick Department of Education Internet Research grant. The grant enabled Simonds High English Department to purchase a computer, scanner and some software.
The classes that undertook this project participated in several ways. Some students wrote or drew, some students 
scanned pictures or designed web pages. Not everyone was an expert (in fact, no one was) and many students did not really understand the concept of the assignment well in the beginning. Some students protested that they did not know anything about computers. Participation was, at first, reluctant. However, interest in the Internet is growing rapidly in the school and many students are learning about email and now designing their own web pages.
Our partners in this project were Gem Photo/CompuPro which provided us with technical assistance and generally helped us get up and running with both hardware and software. Saint John FreeNet provided our web space and cheerfully answered questions about HTML and FTP. Finally, thanks to William Shakespeare for "Hamlet"!
The Kids Speak
What is it like to submit your English assignment to the World Wide Web?
"It was better than writing out an assignment like we usually do in class. I like working on my own and this project gave me the opportunity to do that"
Does this technology have any advantages over the old way?
"Yes, because our project can be seen all over the world. Everyone can learn from our work."
It means that we can communicate with more people."
Did you learn anything new?
"We learned a lot about "Hamlet". And we not only learned about the play, but also about the technology."
How would you suggest going about this project next time?
"We didn't know what we were doing. Next time, I think we should have a better explanation of the project beforehand and each person should have a better idea of what they are responsible for. Also, we should have had more time to work on it, especially the graphics."
Is it interesting or embarassing to have your assignment where others can see it?
"It makes you hope that your work is up to par - as good as any other students who might see it. It also makes you hope that you are not making mistakes because other people might be trying to learn from it."
From the Teacher
This project really stretched me as a teacher, but I think it was a useful exercise. I struggled to learn about the new hardware and software involved, but the most difficult problem was how to explain the project and how to organize it. Like most things in education these days, we had to learn in a hurry; the results may not be cutting edge, but it opens new avenues and possiblities for next time. Next year's classes will be able to see something on the web that has been produced in their school. They will have a point of departure that this year's class did not have.
The experience has given me lots of opportunity to think about how to improve the organization, the teaching goals and the use of technology. The criticisms raised by students are apt, as usual. Next time I will change many things.
The project raises many questions: how will the technology affect student learning? will they find it motivating? will other students use what has been created? should student work be available on the web? I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do think that the internet has had a tremendous effect on students in the last year and I think educators have to realize that energy and try to harness it.
Thanks to our Partners:
Gem Photo/Compro
Market Square, Saint John, N.B., Canada (gem@nbnet.nb.ca)
