CROMPOND, New York—New York is famous for its wonderful museums. So it's only natural that a class of fifth-graders from the Empire State would jump on the idea of creating their own online museum.

Rebecca Carcova is a technology specialist at Lincoln-Titus Elementary School, located in a small community about 50 miles north of New York City. Helping students research and design a virtual museum "fulfills many goals of innovative education," she says.

The New York State Virtual Museum is an online space where fifth-graders showcase what they have learned about their home state. "Students act as curators, researchers, writers, editors, and designers," Carcova explains. Technology allows them to develop a multimedia collection of resources, all focused on "a question or topic which deserves exploration and illustration."

While students conduct research to answer their own questions, the teacher plays the role of "facilitator of independent student learning," Carcova adds. "Allowing students to become the facilitator guarantees they become complex and creative thinkers, collaborative workers, problem solvers, and effective communicators." Creating virtual museums "appeals to a variety of learning styles," she adds.

Creating a virtual museum inspires collaboration among teachers as well as students. The fifth-grade teachers, Robin Williams, Erika Angel, Jennifer Crivelli, and Jane Seeger, acted as facilitators of the project, and art teacher Judy Pietruska helped students create original artwork. A parent volunteer, Angela McGreall and librarian assistant Marianna Spreer, assisted during the research portion of the project.

Using a variety of sources, students dug into research to develop informative exhibits about specific topics relating to state history. They used what they learned to develop online exhibits about immigration, Native Americans, landmarks, and people. Using Web design software, they added historical photos and artifacts, along with their own drawings of the Statue of Liberty and other landmarks. "Technology allows students to take existing curriculum to a higher level," Carcova says.

Halfway through the research process, one team of students decided the virtual museum should include an exhibit about New York Governor George Pataki. They wrote to him, inviting him to visit the school for an interview. The governor's schedule didn't allow for a personal visit, but he did make time to answer the students' questions in a letter. The students were delighted to learn that the governor grew up in a farming community not far from their hometown. They expanded their virtual museum to include a write up about the governor, including the letters exchanged between the classroom and the governor's office.

Hosting the virtual museum has proved so successful that it has become a school tradition. In June, the fifth-grade class invited the fourth-graders to attend an assembly organized by the school public relations department. During the event, the fifth-graders passed along their museum to the fourth-graders. This year, the new fifth-grade class will maintain, update, and make additions to the museum.

To visit the New York State Virtual Museum, go to www.lakelandschools.org/lt/NewYorkVM/ index.htm*. The Web site also shows how the project connects with state standards for several content areas.