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Make sure you view the README File for
important information related to this course.
Teaching with the Internet requires the same basic skills of any good
teaching.
You must be organized- know ahead of time what you will be doing and plan ahead.
Flexible
– The Internet can be very unstable.
If the sites you had planned for your students to use are not
available, make sure you have a back-up plan.
Have a plan ready if your Internet connection is not available at
all.
Creative – It takes extra time and effort up front to create Internet
lessons and activities, but the motivation factor for your students makes it
worth it.
Patience – Slow connections, error messages on sites you just
checked, model and teach patience to your students as well!
Sense of Humor – a great characteristic of any good teacher!
Techno-Savvy – it’s a good idea to know enough about the equipment you are using
and the software so that when things do go wrong (and they will), you will be
able to restart, check connections, etc.
It’s a good idea to know just slightly more than your students!
How you have your classroom set up has an
impact on how successful your Internet experience will be.
If you have
only one computer in the classroom, it should be located in a place where you
will be able to see what is on the screen at all times.
You should also
make sure that it is located in a place where it will not distract the rest of
the class.
Another important consideration is access to electrical outlets
and your Internet connection, whether
it is a phone line or Ethernet connection.
The last thing to consider is
whether or not your computer will be used as a presentation station – will you
connect it to a television or projection device for whole class viewing?
Setting
up a good work station environment from the beginning can save you a whole lot
of headaches at the end!
Students defining words using an online
dictionary is not nearly as motivating as planning a trip around the world
using the Internet as a resource. Just
because you have the Internet in your classroom doesn’t mean that students have
to use it for everything.
The Internet can provide a wide variety
of activities for your classroom. You need
to decide how much integration you are ready for what best suits your needs. Start small and only use it for what you
are comfortable with.
Take the Information Literacy tutorial from the
University of Texas to find out how Internet Literate you are!
Click on each of these links to view
examples of different levels of Internet integration.
The Internet can be used as a great
reference tool in the classroom. Facts
and figures are simply a mouse click away.
Click on the links above to
view the various reference tools and resources you can use free in your
classroom.
No matter what subject you teach, the
Internet has plenty of material for everyone.
That is also, ironically, one of it’s drawbacks – too much information.
Where do you start?
I’ve given you just a few places to
browse to for each of the four major subjects.
Go to the sites above and see which projects are right for your class.
Go to the sites above and see which projects are right for your
class.
Just as any good lesson plan must have a
clear purpose and objectives, so too must an online project.
What is it
you want your students to learn? How
does your activity fit into your curriculum framework?
Choosing sites –
Make sure you have pre-selected a few sites that match your objectives before
the students get on the Internet.
Unless your objective is to teach them how to conduct a search, do that
part for them. Most of the major search
engines allow businesses to “buy” the top ten hit spots, no matter what the
subject area, and we can’t control what will come up when we conduct a search. Having the sites pre-selected keeps the
students much safer and also focused on the task at hand.
Creating a
bookmark file clearly labeled for your classroom is a good way to keep the
links together that you want the students to use. Another option would be to create a web page list of links for
the students with the names of the sites and a short description of what they
will find there. The page doesn’t have
to stored on a web server, it can just be on the hard drive of the computer, with
the links taking them directly to the sites.
If you do your planning and
creating at home, make sure you take the time to recheck the activities and
web sites on the computer in the classroom using the browsers that the
students will be using. Sometimes
things that work on one computer don’t load properly or are not accessible on
another. Differences in software
versions, computer hardware, and other factors contribute to your user’s
experience on the computer.
As always, check links to make sure they are
still there when you go to use the activity.
Just because it worked great last year, doesn’t mean the site will
still be there for now!
Learn the Net is a great site to use to
brush up on your Internet skills.
Learn about e-mail, telecommunication projects, and a whole lot more at
this very informative web site.
If you will be having students conduct a
search, teach them how before you turn them loose on the computer. This is a great web site on how to make
your searching easier, faster, and more productive.
Make sure what you
have the students doing on the Internet is purposeful and necessary. Don’t just create busy work that could have
just have easily been accomplished at their desks using the textbook.
Before beginning any Internet project,
review the AUP with your class, make sure each student has received one and
signed it, and also refresh their memories about netiquette.
Just as it was always so easy for
students to simply copy out of the Encyclopedia, it is twice as easy for them
to copy and paste information from the web.
Make sure you explain what plagiarism is and take the time to demonstrate
how to take notes, rather than copying.
Creating a bibliography to
complete a project requires students to be able to cite Internet
references.
This is a great handout to
teach students the correct way to cite all electronic references, including
e-mail!
Again, be flexible. Always have a
“Plan B” ready to go, just in case…)
The building blocks of a successful
project – A WebQuest. Learn from the original
at San Diego State University, Bernie Dodge.
Consistency in project design insures that students will always
know what to expect and you will save yourself time when creating subsequent
projects once you have the layout created for your first project.
Each section has a specific purpose
and when all are put together, the project is complete.
Evaluation – make sure the students know
what they will be graded on and how they will be assessed.
The conclusion
and the extension activities are designed for students to “go beyond” the
basic learning of the activity. These
help them make the connection to their own lives and bring the project to a
close.
The project evaluation is for yourself –
What did you learn from this experience?
Would you do it again?
The best place to start is where you
already are – use a tried and true lesson and turn it into an Internet
project.
These are three examples of projects I had created for my
classroom before I even thought about using the Internet in the
classroom. By adding a few Internet
links, changing the task and evaluation, I created very motivating online
activities that keep my students on task.
Review the projects and think
about how you can turn your favorite activity into an online project.
Text, graphics, hyperlinks, sound, and
video can all come together in your web page easily and quickly.
Complete
the FrontPage 2000 Tutorial to learn more about this products features and
components.
These are the addresses for some of the
pages that were referenced in this course.
Don’t feel like the Internet has to take
over your teaching – it’s just another tool for you to use in your classroom,
to whatever extent you are comfortable with are willing to try. The possibilities are endless!
Each of these evaluation questions are
designed for you to practice the skills that you have acquired after
completing this course. You are
welcome to complete them on your own and at your own pace.
Once you are ready to submit your
answers and have created a short project to use in your classroom, complete
the course evaluation form and submit your answers to me.