• Enhances teaching
  curriculum – provides an exciting and innovative forum for teaching traditional subjects.
• Stimulates teacher creativity – teachers develop new instructional techniques by sharing project ideas with other colleagues.
• Expands teaching and learning horizons – collaborative projects take learners beyond the classroom to draw on family and community resources for information, making them more aware of their social and physical surroundings.
• Integrates computer and telecommunications technology – teachers and learners learn technical skills.

(Adapted from: Learning Circles by Margaret Riel)

Collaborative projects do not need to be done using the Internet. Collaboration can take place between two classes that can meet with each other face to face – e.g. within the same school or community. However, telecommunication adds interest and motivation to collaboration, and has the advantage of adding different people's perspectives to the subject being studied.  

Collaborative online learning can take different forms. Here are some ideas for further collaborative activities.