Top 10 Uses of the Internet for Teaching and LearningSarah BarnettEDU 6606

Introduction The Internet has

changed the face of education by offering teachers and students opportunities formerly not possible. The following presentation counts down my top-10 uses for the Internet in the fields of teaching and learning.

10. Arts Integration

The Internet makes it possible to access works of art that may not appear in a traditional textbook but which can be used in a cross-curricular approach to education. Students in my English class recently searched for famous works of art and composed poems inspired by the art.

Also, in the same poetry unit, my students downloaded songs and identified various poetic devices used by the artists.

Sites like I-Tunes can provide you with inexpensive downloads, or you can stream music for free on sites like Pandora (www.pandora.com).

9. Electronic Access to Class Materials

Fading fast are the days of dragging heavy textbooks back and forth from home to school or issuing paper report cards. The Internet makes it possible for students and parents to have electronic access to a teacher’s grade book and class assignments. My school currently uses Infinite Campus, and students and parents can easily view grades from an Internet site using an assigned Username and Password.

The website listed below is my personal school website. Students and their parents can access the website to see a list of HW assignments, look at recently assigned worksheets, and view a calendar of daily class activities.

http://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/151920103184220800/site/default.asp

There are also online applications available for such tasks if your school does not offer them. www.4teachers.org

Similarly, I am able to upload assignments and worksheets to my school-assigned website, for students who may be absent or who need to make-up assignments for other reasons, as well as post a calendar of due dates and other important activities. It’s sometimes hard to get students to relay information to their parents, but the Internet has made it easy for parents to seek the information for themselves.

8. Standards-Based Quizzes and Tests

The recent emphasis on educational accountability has prompted states to institute rigorous learning standards for students in all subject areas and grade levels. Internet programs like USA Test Prep, Inc. allow teachers to easily create standards-based quizzes and tests. (www.usatestprep.com)

With a school-purchased subscription, teachers need only select the subject, domain, and element that is currently being taught, and the student can complete quizzes or tests of varying lengths. Feedback is immediate and allows students and teachers to judge student progress and understanding of the standards. Students can even email results to their teachers.

Below is a link to the performance standards adopted by the Georgia Department of Education. Websites like USA Test Prep use these standards when designing practice quizzes and tests. www.georgiastandards.org

7. Rubrics

Although standardized, high stakes testing tends to dominate high-school classrooms, there is also much research that promotes the use of alternative, performance based assessments in which students generate, produce, or otherwise create a final product that demonstrates their ability to master the standards.

In order to make grading more objective and reflective of the standards, rubrics can be used to evaluate various components. Rubrics, however, are often time-consuming to make unless a teacher uses a rubric template found on the Internet. Websites like http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ make designing a rubric much easier!

6. Extra Practice Many new versions of

textbooks come with accompanying websites that contain extra reinforcement of the material. Teachers can assign these practice activities as needed to students requiring additional help. For example, my vocabulary text contains an auxiliary website that allows students to practice using new vocabulary words in sample sentences and through various games and puzzles. (“Auxiliary” was one of the recent vocabulary words!) www.vocabularyworkshop.com

5. Communication

E-mail has revolutionized the way people communicate , especially the way that teachers, students, and parents communicate. Rather than waiting on a return phone call, information can be sent via email concerning a child’s progress in class. Likewise, students may send questions to their instructors after regular class hours.

4. Collaboration Various Internet programs

facilitate communication between instructors and between students. Applications like Google Docs (docs.google.com) allow students to work on assignments simultaneously even though they may be in different locations, and blogs foster discussion outside of the classroom. Instructors can post questions that students answer or students can ask and answer questions of each other.

Instructors can share materials through programs like SlideShare (www.slideshare.net). After all, there is never any need to “reinvent the wheel!”

3. Research Although print-based

research should not be discarded, the Internet has opened a new world of electronic documents that provide information. Learners may perform general searches on everyday topics, or search specialized databases for more scholarly research. Searching for information is simplified greatly!

Galileo (www.galileo.usg.edu) is a great resource for students to conduct research. The material is accurate and scholarly and encourages students to not always rely on a “Google-Search.”

2. Online LearningThe Internet makes learning possible outside the traditional four

walls of a classroom. Online learning may be comprised of a single lesson (such as a WebQuest which guides students through various hypermedia links to learn new materials), a unit of study, or an entire course, such as the course for which this project is being completed, EDU 6606. Online learning opens up educational opportunities for those who may be otherwise hindered because of time or distance.

1. Lesson Plan Inspiration Whether one is a rookie or veteran teacher, the

Internet can provide a wealth of suggestions for potential lessons and methods of teaching certain texts and concepts. Even though an instructor should be cautioned against copying a lesson from the Internet before carefully examining the objectives to determine whether they fit with the learning needs of the students, many Internet sites can at least provide inspiration and a new way of approaching a subject. Many of these sites also align lessons to state and national standards and feature search tools that make finding material easier.

Two of My FAVORITE Lesson Plan Websites for English Teachers

www.readwritethink.org www.webenglishteacher.

com

Conclusion

The Internet has changed the way that everyday people access information and perform daily tasks, but its features have also improved routine classroom activities. The Internet is now a critical component of any analysis of teaching and learning.