Integrating Online Tools and Internet Resources

Topics

• Why use the Internet in the Classroom?

• Searching the Internet• Internet as a Research

and Information Tool• Evaluating Web

Resources• Citing Internet

Sources

• Curriculum Resources• Collaborative Projects• Email Projects• WebQuests• Discussion Forums• Other Helpful Tools

The Power of the Internet

• Students and teachers can:• Access a truly astronomical amount of information• Publish work before a global audience of peers• Communicate with peers and individuals around the

planet• Electronically collaborate with others around the

globe to solve problems and create information and knowledge

Searching on the Internet

• Conventional Search Engines– Excite- http://www.excite.com

– Lycos- http://www.lycos.com

• Metasearch engines– MetaCrawler- http://www.metacrawler.com

– Dogpile- http://www.dogpile.com

• Search Engines for Children– Yahooligans- http://www.yahooligans.com

– Ask Jeeves for Kids- http://www.ajkids.com

Four NETS for Better Searching

• Start Narrow

• Find Exact Phrases

• Trim back the URL

• Look for Similar Pages

• From: Four NETS for Better Searching- http://webquest.sdsu.edu/searching/fournets.htm

The Internet as a Research and Information Tool

• Primary Source Data– US National Archives and Records Administration-

http://www.archives.gov/index.html• Electronic Field Trips

– White House- http://www.whitehouse.gov• Newspapers, Books

– The Boston Globe- http://www.boston.com/globe/• Online Simulations

– Virtual Frog Dissection-http://www-itg.lbl.gov/ITG.hm.pg.docs/dissect/info.html

Evaluating Web Resources

• Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators- Critical Evaluation– http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html

• Education World- Great Sites for Teaching about Web Literacy– http://www.educationworld.com/a_sites/sites081.shtml

• Thinking Critically About Web Page Content– http://www.lib.msu.edu/link/critical.htm

• ICYouSee: T is for Thinking- A Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See on the Web– http://www.ithaca.edu/library/Training/hott.html

Questions for Evaluating Websites

• Who is responsible for this site?

• What is the content/subject matter of the website?

• Where does the website reside?

• When was the website last updated?

• How does the main page look and function?

• Why does the website exist?

Citing Internet Resources

• Citing Internet Sources- http://www.connectedteacher.com/newsletter/citeintres.asp

• Tek Mom’s Citation Page- http://www.tekmom/cite/index.html

Curriculum Resources

• Education World- http://www.education-world.com

• Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators- http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/index.html

• Pacific Bell Knowledge Network Explorer- http://www.kn.pacbell.com

• Sun Associates’ Collection of WWW Resources- http://www.sun-associates.com/cos/webresources/noframesites.html

Collaborative Projects

• Collections of online projects– Global Schoolhouse Project Page- http://www.

globalschoolhouse.org/pr

– Blue Web’n- http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/

– Classroom Connect- http://www.classroom.com/login/home.jhtml

• Individual Projects– Jason Project- http://www.jasonproject.org

Email Projects

• Intercultural E-mail Classroom Connections- http://www.iecc.org

• KIDLINK- Global Networking for Youth- http://www.kidlink.org

• ePALS Classroom Exchange- http://www.epals.com

• NASA Quest- Meet NASA people- http://quest.nasa.gov/services/people.html

WebQuests

• An inquiry activity that presents student groups with a challenging task, scenario, or problem to solve

• Students use a variety of resources to accomplish the task - including some online carefully chosen by the teacher

• Scaffolds the learning process to prompt higher order thinking

Finding Existing WebQuests

• Search Bernie Dodge’s WebQuest Site http://webquest.sdsu.edu/matrix.html

• Knowledge Network Explorer Search http://www.kn.pacbell.com/kne_search.html

• GEC Computers in the Classroom WebQuest Locator http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/d&g/DP/main.htm

• San Diego City Schools Technology Challenge Grants http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/projects/featured/featured.html

• edHelper.com- Lesson Plans and WebQuests http://edhelper.com/cat311.htm

Discussion Forums for Teachers

• Teachers Network- http://www.teachersnetwork.org

• The Beginning Teachers Toolbox- http://www.inspiringteachers.com/community/index.html

• Scholastic’s Professional Discussion Groups- http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/

Other Helpful Tools

• Web Page Tools– Filamentality- http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/

– Teacher Web- http://www.teacherweb.com

– MySchool Online-http://www.myschoolonline.com

– Inspiring Teacher-http://inspiringteachers.com

• Assessment Tools– Rubistar- http://rubistar.4teachers.org

Contact Information

Sun AssociatesSuite 21655 Middlesex StreetN. Chelmsford, Massachusetts 01863www.sun-associates.com978-251-1600978-251-8700 faxinfo@sun-associates.com