Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
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TheInternetandInstructionActivitiesandIdeas
SecondEdition
AnnE.Barron
UniversityofSouthFlorida,Tampa
KarenS.Ivers
CaliforniaStateUniversity,Fullerton
Pageiv
Forourparents:
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Barron,AnnE.
TheInternetandinstruction:activitiesandideas/AnnE.
Barron.KarenS.Ivers.2nded.
Xi,244p.22x28cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN1563086131
1.TeachingComputernetworkresources.2.EducationComputer
networkresources.3.Internet(Computernetwork)ineducation.
4.Computermanagedinstruction.I.Ivers,KarenS.II.Title.
LB1044.87.B371998
371.33'4678dc219815021
CIP
Pagev
Contents
Preface
xi
1
TheInternet:AnEducator'sPerspective
GuidelinesforUsingtheInternetintheClassroom
BenefitsofUsingtheInternet
BenefitsforStudents7
BenefitsforTeachers
BenefitsforMediaSpecialists
BenefitsforAdministrators
BenefitsfortheCommunity
Conclusion
References
2
GettingStartedwiththeInternet
GettingConnected
11
InternetServiceProviders
11
DialUpConnections
11
DirectConnectionsThroughLocalAreaNetworks
14
AllAboutBandwidth
16
ISDN
16
T1andT3Lines
16
ADSLModems
17
CableModems
17
SatelliteDelivery
18
WebTV
18
Conclusion
19
References
19
3
NavigatingtheInternet
21
ElectronicMail
22
UsingEmail
22
EmailSystems
23
CreatingEmailMessages
23
Listservs
EducationalListservs
24
26
Pagevi
WorldWideWeb(Web)
UniformResourceLocators
28
Browsers
28
CreatingDocumentsontheWeb
30
FindingaWebServerforYourSchool
30
MultimediaontheWeb
31
FileTransferProtocol
31
DownloadingFiles
31
UploadingFiles
31
Conferencing
32
InternetChat
32
AudioConferencing
33
VideoConferencing
33
Conclusion
33
BlacklineMasters
34
4
InternetActivitiesforStudents:CommunicationandResearch
AsynchronousCommunications
37
38
ElectronicPenPals
38
ElectronicTutoringandMentoring
39
AppearancesandImpersonations
39
CollaborativeStories
39
StudentGalleries
40
PublishingWebPages
40
SynchronousCommunication
40
IdeaExchanges
42
ForeignLanguagePractice
42
InteractiveMentoringorInstruction
42
Research
42
ThingstoConsiderBeforeGoingOnline
42
TheInternetResearchCycle
43
InformationSkills
44
ResearchLevels
45
SearchingtheWeb
27
47
SubjectDirectories
47
SearchEngines
47
SearchTechniques
49
SearchEnginesforChildren
49
MetasearchEngines
49
Conclusion
49
References
49
BlacklineMasters
51
Pagevii
5
TeachinginaClassroomWithoutWalls:StrategiesandResources
ImplementationTechniques
58
ClassroomManagement:GroupingStudents
60
IndividualProjects
60
SmallGroupProjects
61
WholeClassProjects
61
FindingCollaborativeProjects
63
Listservs
63
OnlineConferencesandDiscussionGroups
63
WebSitesDevotedtoOnlineProjects
63
GuidelinesforSuccessfulOnlineProjects
65
FindingLessonPlans
66
SubscriptionBasedInstructionalResources
66
Conclusion
66
References
69
6
ScienceResourcesandActivities
Astronomy
AdditionalSitesforAstronomy
BugsandWorms
AdditionalSitesforBugsandWorms
EnvironmentalScience
AdditionalSitesforEnvironmentalScience
GeologyandPaleontology
AdditionalSitesforGeologyandPaleontology
Health
AdditionalSitesforHealth
Meteorology
AdditionalSitesforMeteorology
OtherAnimals
AdditionalSitesforOtherAnimals
GeneralScienceResourcesontheWeb
71
72
74
75
77
78
81
82
83
83
86
87
89
90
92
93
OnlineMagazinesandNewsletters
93
OtherSites
93
EmailExchanges
95
ScienceActivities
97
ScienceLessonPlans
7
MathematicsResourcesandActivities
AlgebraandCalculus
AdditionalSitesforAlgebraandCalculus
57
101
105
106
107
Pageviii
BasicSkillsandVocabulary
AdditionalSitesforBasicSkillsandVocabulary
DecimalsandFractions
AdditionalSitesforDecimalsandFractions
MeasurementandGeometry
AdditionalSitesforMeasurementandGeometry
ProbabilityandStatistics
AdditionalSitesforProbabilityandStatistics
ProblemSolving
110
111
112
113
114
115
117
118
AdditionalSitesforProblemSolving
120
GeneralMathematicsResourcesontheWeb
121
OnlineMagazinesandNewsletters
121
OtherSites
121
EmailExchanges
125
MathematicsActivities
127
MathematicsLessonPlans
131
8
LanguageArtsResourcesandActivities
Children'sAuthorsandBookCharacters
AdditionalSitesforChildren'sAuthorsandBookCharacters
CreativeWritingandPoetry
AdditionalSitesforCreativeWritingandPoetry
Folktales,Fables,andFairyTales
AdditionalSitesforFolktales,Fables,andFairyTales
GrammarandMoreWritingIdeas
AdditionalSitesforGrammarandMoreWritingIdeas
LiteratureClassics
AdditionalSitesforLiteratureClassics
ReadersTheatre,Storytelling,andDrama
AdditionalSitesforReadersTheatre,Storytelling,andDrama
WritingandReferenceTools
AdditionalSitesforWritingandReferenceTools
GeneralLanguageArtsResourcesontheWeb
135
136
139
139
142
143
146
146
149
150
152
153
154
155
157
158
OnlineMagazinesandNewsletters
158
OtherSites
158
EmailExchanges
162
LanguageArtsActivities
163
LanguageArtsLessonPlans
167
9
SocialStudiesandGeographyResourcesandActivities
AncientCivilizations
AdditionalSitesforAncientCivilizations
108
171
172
175
Pageix
MulticulturalEducation
AdditionalSitesforMulticulturalEducation
U.S.Government
AdditionalSitesforU.S.Government
U.S.History
AdditionalSitesforU.S.History
WorldHistory
AdditionalSitesforWorldHistory
GeneralSocialStudiesandGeographyResourcesontheWeb
178
179
182
183
186
187
190
191
OnlineMagazinesandNewsletters
191
OtherSocialStudiesSites
191
EmailExchanges
196
SocialStudiesActivities
197
SocialStudiesLessonPlans
201
Art,Music,andTheaterResourcesandActivities
Animation
AdditionalSitesforAnimation
ArtandMusicHistory
AdditionalSitesforArtandMusicHistory
TheCinema
AdditionalSitesfortheCinema
Music
AdditionalSitesforMusic
PerformersandMusicoftheEarly1900s
AdditionalSitesforPerformersandMusicoftheEarly1900s
Theater
AdditionalSitesforTheater
GeneralArt,Music,andTheaterResourcesontheWeb
175
205
206
209
210
212
213
216
216
218
219
221
222
224
225
OnlineMagazinesandNewsletters
225
OtherArt,Music,andTheaterSites
226
EmailExchanges
228
Art,Music,andTheaterActivities
229
Art,Music,andTheaterLessonPlans
233
Index
237
IndexofInternetSites
241
Pagex
FiguresandTables
Figure2.1
TheInternetconnectsusersaroundtheworld
10
Figure2.2
Hardwareconfigurationforadialupconnection
11
Figure2.3
ComputernetworkwithadirectconnectiontotheInternet
15
Figure2.4
ISDNconnectiontotheInternet
16
Figure2.5
SatelliteconnectiontotheInternet
18
Figure3.1
Pineemailinterface
24
Figure3.2
NetscapeMailinterface
25
Figure3.3
Pathofmessagespostedtolistservs
26
Figure3.4
Pathofmessagespostedtonewsgroups
27
Figure3.5
Webpageforafictitioushighschool
28
Figure3.6
AnatomyofaURL
29
Figure3.7
HTMLcodeforaWebpage
30
Figure3.8
UploadingafileusingFetch
32
Figure3.9
Internetchatscreen
32
Figure4.1
Communicationandresearchactivities
38
Figure4.2
DDayinformationfromPatchAmericanHighSchool
41
Figure4.3
Internetresearchcycle
44
Figure4.4
SubjectdirectoriesinYahoo
48
Figure5.1
IECCinterface
65
Table2.1
ComparisonofTransferRatesandCostsforTelecommunications
17
Table3.1
DomainsandCountryCodes
23
Table3.2
SampleUniversalResourceLocators
29
Table4.1
OnlineExperts
40
Table4.2
WebSitesThatPublishStudentProjects
41
Table4.3
FactorsRelatedtotheValidityofInternetInformationSources
43
Table4.4
AddressesforSearchPrograms
48
Table4.5
SearchToolsforStudents
50
Table4.6
MetasearchTools
50
Table5.1
LevelsofInternetSkills
59
Table5.2
FilteringSoftware
59
Table5.3
CooperativeLearningTechniques
62
Table5.4
TeacherResourceSites
64
Table5.5
SourcesofLessonPlans
67
Table5.6
OnlineLessons
68
Table5.7
EducationalNetworksAvailablebySubscription
69
Pagexi
Preface
Throughtelecommunications,thetypicalclassroomisnolongerboundbyfourwallsitisopentoincludestudents,experts,andlearningexperiencesfromaroundthe
world.Telecommunicationsischangingthewaystudentslearn,whentheylearn,wheretheylearn,andwhoteachesthem.Informationabouttelecommunications,the
Internet,andtheWorldWideWebisappearingeverywhere.Thequantityofeducationalresourcesavailablethroughthesesourcesisoverwhelming,anditmaybe
difficultforteachersandstudentstofindthetimetoexploretheseresourcesandintegratethemintotheircurricula.
ThesecondeditionofTheInternetandInstruction:ActivitiesandIdeasisdesignedforK12educatorswhoareinterestedintappingtheInternet(particularlythe
WorldWideWeb)forinstructionalpurposes.Itseekstodemystifythetechnologyandproviderelevant,feasible,andeasytoimplementactivitiesandideasforthe
classroom.Thebookisdesignedforteachers,mediaspecialists,andadministratorswhoarecurrentlyemployedintheeducationalfield,aswellasforthosewhoare
planningacareerineducation.
Theoverallpurposeofthisbookistoimprovetheinstructionalprocessthroughtheappropriateintegrationoftelecommunications.Itaccomplishesthispurposeby
providingbasicinformationaboutthebenefitsoftheInternetforteachers,students,mediaspecialists,andadministrators.Inadditiontoanoverviewofthehardware,
software,andnavigationalissuesinvolvedintelecommunications,amajorfocusofthebookistheideas,activities,andlessonplansdesignedtoencourageexploration
andintegrationofInternetresourcesforinstruction.Althoughmanyoftheactivitiesareinterdisciplinary,theyarecategorizedintothefollowingmajorsubjectareas:
ScienceMathematicsLanguageArtsSocialStudiesandArt,Theater,andMusic.
OrganizationandUse
TheInternetandInstruction:ActivitiesandIdeascanbeusedasaresourcebook,asaguideforinserviceeducation,orasatextbook.Asaresource,thisbook
providesawealthofinformation.Eachchapterbeginswithascenarioilluminatingtheimplementationoftelecommunicationsinaneducationalsetting.Detailedgraphics
provideconfigurationsandillustrationsofhardwareandsoftware,andreproducibleblacklinemastersareprovidedforactivitiesandlessonplans.Inaddition,the
bookcontainsreferencestomanyeducationalInternetaddressesandadetailedindexforeasyaccesstospecifictopicsandinformation.
Thebookisalsodesignedforuseinconjunctionwithinservicetraining.Tofacilitateinserviceworkshops,eachchapterwaswrittentobeindependentoftheothers,
althoughrelevanttopicsarecrossreferenced.Inaddition,severalchaptersincludecamerareadyactivitiesandlessonplansthatenhancethetopic.Theseactivitiesand
lessonplansmaybecopiedanddistributedinaccordancewiththecopyrightstatementonpageiv.
Asatextbook,TheInternetandInstruction:ActivitiesandIdeasisappropriatefortechnologycoursesatboththeundergraduateandgraduatelevels.Throughout
thebook,emphasisisplacedontheeducationalapplicationsoftelecommunicationsandrelevantexamplesareincludedforteachertraining.Theactivitiesandlesson
plansaredesignedtofocusonseverallevelsofresearchandcommunicationsskillsforavarietyofgradelevelsandcontentareas.
Page1
1
TheInternet:
AnEducator'sPerspective
Ms.RamirezwatchedasCindypinnedthepostcardfromNovaScotiaonthebulletinboard.ThepostcardhadbeensentbyastudentnamedJohn,whowroteabout
goingicefishingandhunting.Afewweeksago,Ms.Ramirez'sthirdgradeclasshadbegunacollaborativeprojectthatinvolvedsendingpicturepostcardsto150
elementaryclassesaroundtheworld.Now,astheresponsesarrived,thestudentspinnedthecardsonthebulletinboardandusedapieceofyarntoconnectthemto
thecorrespondinglocationsonalargemap.
Ms.Ramirezmarveledathowthisrelativelysimpleprojecthelpedtomakeeducationmorerelevantandauthenticforthestudents.Theyhadenhancedtheir
communicationsskillswhentheysentthepostcards,andnow,aspostcardsarrived,theylearnedaboutgeographyandculture.Thisprojectwouldnothavebeen
possible,however,withouttheInternet.ItwasjustoveramonthagowhenMs.RamirezhadseentheCallforParticipantsonanemailexchange.Theprojectwas
calledPostcardGeography,anditinvolvedteacherswhoexchangedaddressesviaemailsostudentscouldsendandreceiverealpicturepostcards.Itwasaperfect
projectforathirdgradeclasswithonlyonecomputer!
AsMs.RamirezreflectedaboutthisandotherInternetprojects,onethingwascleartheInternethadexpandedherclassroomandmadetheeducationalprocess
moreauthenticandexciting.HerclasshadparticipatedinseveralInternetprojects,includingGeoGame,theJasonProject,andJourneyNorth.
GeoGameinvolvedusingmaps,atlases,andotherresourcestodeterminethelocationofparticipatingschoolsbasedontheirlatitude,weather,andotherfactors.The
studentsalsoenjoyedtheJasonProject,whichprovidedongoingdialogwithresearchersaroundtheworld.AndtheJourneyNorthprojectengagedstudentsin
trackingbutterfliesandstudyinginsects'habitats.
Page2
Ms.RamirezhadwitnessedtremendousbenefitsfromusingtheInternet,andstudentslovedit!Shewasconvincedthattheactivitiesprovidedherstudentswithcultural
awarenessandinformationgatheringskills.Theprojectshelpedmotivatestudentstowrite,challengedtheiranalyticalprocessesandcuriosity,andopenedtheirminds
tothefactthatlearningwasnotconfinedtotheclassroom.
AsCindyreturnedtoherdesk,thediscussionabouticefishingbegan.ThiswascertainlyabetterwaytolearnaboutCanadathanreadingachapterinatextbook!
GuidelinesforUsingtheInternetintheClassroom.
TheInternetofferstremendouspotentialforeducation.Usedappropriately,itcanenhanceinstruction,stimulatethinking,andfacilitatecommunicationamongstudents,
educators,scientists,researchers,andothersaroundtheworld.However,givenaspecificsituation,educatorsmustask,Istelecommunicationsthemostefficientand
effectivemediumtoreachtheinstructionalgoals?Itisaconstantchallengeforteacherstodifferentiatebetweenactivitiesthatprovidehighlevelcognitiveengagement
andcontrivedactivitiesthatprovideonlyexposuretotechnology(Ross1995).Onewaytoensureatelecommunicationsexerciseisrelevantandmeaningfulinagiven
situationistoask:
CanIteachthegoalsorconceptsofmylessonjustaseffectively(ormoreeffectively)throughanothermedium?
IsthereamoreefficientmethodforobtainingtheinformationIplantoobtainthroughtheInternet?
AmItakingadvantageofthedistance,multipleresources,andspeedofferedbytheInternet?
Willthisactivityincreasestudents'abilitytoconductinformationsearchesandretrieverelevantresources?
Willthisexerciserequirestudentstosynthesize,analyze,andevaluatetheinformation?
Inadditiontobeingappropriate,Internetactivitiesshouldbeinstructionallysignificantandsystematicallydesigned.Designisanimportantconsiderationwhenonline
timeneedstobeoptimized,whentherearehardwareconstraints,orwhentimeofdayisasignificantfactor.ManyInternetsiteshavebusypeaksorperiodicallyclose
formaintenance.Thisbookpresentsguidelines,templates,andideasforcapitalizingontheeducationalpotentialoftheInternet.Activitiesarealsoincludedtohelp
familiarizestudentsandteacherswiththeInternetresources.
BenefitsofUsingtheInternet
Beforeinvestingtime,money,andresourcesinanewtechnology,itiswisetoquestionthepotentialbenefits.Ineducationalenvironments,telecommunicationsusually
referstousingmodemsorcomputernetworks(liketheInternet)tosendandreceiveinformationthroughtelephonelinesordatalines.Advantagesofusing
telecommunicationsincludetheconvenienceofsendinginternationalmessagesatanytimeofthedayornighttheeliminationoftelephonetagtheabilitytosave
messagesthebenefitofsendingmessagestomanyreceiverssimultaneouslythereductionoflongdistancetelephonechargesandaccesstoenormousquantitiesof
text,computerprograms,andmultimediaresources(Barron1998).ResearchhasdemonstratedthattelecommunicationsspecificallytheInternetcanbenefit
educationinmanyways.
BenefitsforStudents
TheInternetcanprovidestudentswithnew,exciting,andchallengingresources.Itopensdoorstomulticulturaleducationestablishesrealworldlearningexperiences
encourageshigherorderthinkingskillshelpstoimprovewritingskillsandincreasesmotivation,achievement,andpositivebehavior.
Page3
SampleClassroomProjects
TheInternetofferstremendousopportunitiesforeducation.Teachersindistantlocations
canexchangeideasandinformation,andstudentscaninteractwithpeersandexpertsin
variouscultures,countries,andlanguages.Inaddition,internationalresources,including
government,commercial,andeducationalsites,canbeaccessedquicklyand
inexpensivelyfromschoolcomputers.Thissectionprovidesabriefoverviewofseveral
ongoingInternetprojectsthatarebeingimplementedinclassroomsaroundtheworld.
JourneyNorth
http://www.learner.org/jnorth
WiththeJourneyNorthproject,studentstrackmigratingbutterflies,caribou,whales,and
otherspeciesthroughreportedsightings.JourneyNorthismorethanapassiveexhibit,
withstudentssimplyviewingaWebpageinstead,theyareencouragedtobecome
activelyinvolvedthroughvariousendeavors.IntheMonarchButterflyproject,students
areencouragedtokeeparecordofthemonarchsightingsneartheirschool,tocalculate
howfarthebutterfliesmustflytoreachMexicoCity,tocreateapaperbutterflytosend
toMexicoCityfordisplay,andtobuildamonarchhabitatintheircommunity.
ManyteachersuseJourneyNorthprojectsasplatformstodiscussgeography,weather,
instinct,andotherrelatedtopics.Challengequestions,providedontheWebpage,help
integratetheprojectintothecurriculum.TheJourneyNorthprojectissponsoredbythe
Annenberg/CPBMathandScienceProject.
Seethehomepageformoreinformation(orsendanemailmessageto
jberger@dorsai.org).
GeoGame
http://www.gsn.org/project/gg/index.html
TheGeographyGameisaverypopularInternetactivitydesignedbyTomClauset,
WinstonSalem,NorthCarolina.Inthisproject,participatingclassesprovideinformation
abouttheirlocation,includinglatitude,weather,geography,timezone,andpopulation.A
facilitatorshufflestheinformationandthenpresentsthedataasasetofclues.Students
usemapsandotherreferencematerialstoidentifythecities.
GeoGamebeganseveralyearsagoasanemailactivity.Nowitisavailableonthe
GlobalSchoolNetWebsite.Thisactivityhasbeenusedbymanyteacherstoteach
geographytermsandmapskillsandtoincreaseawarenessofculturaldiversity.
JasonProject
http://www.jason.org
TheJasonProjectprovidesinteractionstohelpstudentsexplorethefollowingquestions:
Whataretheearth'sphysicalsystems?Howdothesesystemsaffectlifeonearth?What
technologiesdoweusetostudythesesystems?
ThroughinteractionswithresearchersledbyDr.RobertBallard,studentsreceivelive
videoandaudiofromexpeditionsitesaboveandbelowtheearth'ssurface.Inaddition,
studentsareencouragedtoparticipateinlocalresearchstudieslocaterelevant
informationandexpandtheirknowledgeofgeology,chemistry,physics,mathematics,
geography,art,literature,andhistory.
HeadboneDerby
http://www.headbone.com/derby
HeadboneDerbyprovidesstructuredInternetresearchadventuresforstudentsingrades
48.EachDerbyisastorywithsevenepisodesandapuzzleattheend.Tosolvethe
puzzle,studentsmustconductresearchontheWebandsubmittheiranswers.Each
puzzletakesabout45minutestosolve.
HeadboneDerbyisafreeservice.Afteryouaccessthesite,thereisasignonprocess
(forindividualsorteams),andthenthefunbegins!Studentsareencouragedtoconduct
thoughtfulsearches(speeddoesnotcount),askforhintsifneeded,andsubmitanswers
tothequestions.Forteachers,thereareadvancepreviewsandateacher'sguidewith
extensionactivitiesandrelatedofflineprojects.
Page4
MulticulturalEducation
ThedemographicsofU.S.societyaccentuatetheneedforunderstandingandtoleratingculturaldiversity.Banks(1994)states,teachingfromarangeofperspectives
willpreparestudentsfromdiversegroupstoworktogetherinatrulyunifiednation(p.4).OnepowerfulbenefitoftheInternetisthatitoffersstudentsopportunitiesto
exchangeideasandinteractwithstudentsfrombackgroundsdifferentfromtheirown.
TheInternetalsooffersstudentsopportunitiestoincreasetheirunderstandingandrespectforculturaldifferences(Gersh1994).Telecommunicationsremovesthe
facetofacebiasesthatstudentsmayhaveormayencounterwheninteractingwithsomeoneofadifferentrace,age,gender,orabilitygroup.Itprovidesstudentswith
thebenefitsofriskfreeexpression,greaterselfesteem,andincreasedselfconfidence(Collis1992).
RealWorldLearningExperiences
Kinnaman(1993,86)states,schoollearningismuchmoreusefulwhenitisgroundedinauthenticactivitiesthatemphasizethelinkbetweentheacquisitionof
knowledgeanditsapplication.TheInternetprovidesstudentswithsuchactivitiesbyengagingthemininteractive,realworldcommunicationsanduptodate
information.Whencomparedtotraditionalmethods,telecommunicationsoffersstudentsamorerealisticopportunitytobroadentheirperspectivesonglobalissues
(U.S.Congress1995).
HigherOrderThinkingSkills
Oneofthemosthighlyratedincentivesforusingtelecommunicationswithstudentsisincreasingstudents'inquiryandanalyticalskills(HoneyandHenriquez1993).The
Internetprovidesanaturalsettingforinquiryskills,includingcollectinginformationforanalysisandcommunicatingwithexperts.
WritingSkills
Studieshavedemonstratedthattelecommunicationsexperiencescansignificantlyincreasethequalityofstudents'writing(CohenandRiel1989Wright1991Gallini
andHelman1993).Inaddition,theactivitiescanprovidestudentswithpurposefulwritingexperiencesandcanincreasestudents'motivationtowriteandsharetheir
knowledgeandexperienceswithpeers(AllenandThompson1994).TheInternetvastlyextendstheaudienceforstudentmultimediapublishing(D'Ignazio1997,
23).
Motivation.
Recentresearchstudiesindicatethatcomputerbasedtelecommunicationscanpositivelyaffectstudentattitudesandmotivation.Forexample,intheevaluationofa
collaborativeprojectbetweenstudentsinNewYorkstateandstudentsinMoscow,apositiveeffectwasnotedonstudentinterestininternationalissuesandcurrent
events(MAGIEducationalServices,Inc.1992).Likewise,Chiu(1996)foundthattenthgradestudentswhousednetworkresourcesinsciencedemonstrated
significantlymorepositiveattitudestowardbothschoolandscience.
Achievement
Variousstudiesthathaveanalyzedstudentachievement(asmeasuredthroughprojects,interpretationskills,andknowledge)havenotedsignificantincreaseswith
regardtotheintegrationoftelecommunications(Weir1992).AstudyconductedbytheCenterforAppliedSpecialTechnologycomparedtheworkof500studentsin
fourthgradeandsixthgradeclassesinsevenurbanschooldistrictshalfwithonlineaccessandhalfwithout.Experimentalgroupswithonlineaccessattained
significantlyhigherscoresonmeasurementsofinformationmanagement,communication,andpresentationofideas(Follansbeeetal.1996).
PositiveStudentBehaviors
Inastudythatexaminedstudentparticipationinanelectronicdiscussiongroup,Karayan(1997)foundthatapproximately50%ofthestudentsweremorelikelyto
exhibitdesiredbehaviorsasaresultofparticipatinginelectronic
Page5
discussions(p.71).Thepositivebehaviorsincluded:thinkmorebeforeanswering,developapositiverelationshipwiththeinstructor,learnclasscontent,andanswer
peeraskedandteacheraskedquestions.Inanotherstudy,Riel(1992)reviewedresearchontheuseofnetworkingforcollaborationandfoundevidenceofimproved
socialskills.
BenefitsforTeachers
TheInternetprovidesteachersinstantaccesstoeducationalresearch,curriculumsources,lessonplans,onlineexperts,discussioncenters,andteacherforums.This
wealthofinformationopensdoorsforcollaboration,encouragesalternateinstructionalstrategies,andenhancesthecurriculuminamannerthatbenefitsboththe
teacherandthestudent.
TeacherCollaboration
AccordingtoHoneyandHenriquez(1993),teachersreporttheyhavegrownprofessionallybycollaboratingandcommunicatingwiththeirpeers.Forexample,
electronicforumsandconferencesdesignedforteachersoffereducatorstheopportunitytodiscusscurrentissuesandtopics.Thesetopicsmayincludealternative
assessment,schoolbasedmanagement,technologytrends,andequityissues.TheInternetalsooffersopportunitiesforcontinuingeducationforteachers.
AlternateInstructionalStrategies
Telecommunicationsisbeginningtochangethewayteachersteach.HoneyandHenriquez(1993)report,conductingtelecommunicationsactivitieswithstudents
enablesteacherstospendmoretimewithindividualstudents,lesstimelecturingtothewholeclass,andallowsstudentstocarryoutmoreindependentwork(p.79).
Similarly,Follansbeeetal.(1996)foundthatteacherswhointegratedtelecommunicationsintotheircurriculaweremorelikelytousecomputerswiththeirstudentsto
enhanceachievementthroughgathering,organizing,andpresentinginformation.
EnhancedCurriculum
Telecommunicationsalsoinfluencesthecurriculum:Topicsareofamoreglobalsignificance...andapplyhigherlevelthinkingskillsofanalysisand
synthesis(HoneyandHenriquez1993,79).TheInternetprovidesaccesstoinformationthatwouldnototherwisebeavailableinclassrooms.Itisanidealtoolfor
investigativeactivitiesandcollaborativewritingprojects.TheInternetmakesitpossibletocollectglobaldataforanexperimentandtoelectronicallysharethedatawith
studentsandexpertsaroundtheworldmuchmoreefficientlythantraditionalmethods(Donlan1998).Inaddition,teachersandstudentshaveaccesstoatremendous
amountandvarietyofresources,includingonlinedatabases,experts,dictionaries,encyclopedias,educationalsoftware,books,andjournals.
BenefitsforMediaSpecialists.
TheInternetcanprovidemediaspecialistswithaccesstodataresources,timelyinformation,andusefultoolsforteachingresearchskills.Enhancedcommunications
reducegeographicalandemotionalisolationfromcolleagues.
DataResources
TheInternetoffersanabundanceofresources,includingonlinebooks,journals,searchabledatabases,surveys,polls,graphics,sounds,digitalmovies,andsoftware.
Fortunately,informationacquisitioncanbeconductedelectronically,andtheresourcestakeuplittlestoragespace!LadnerandTillman(1993)notedthatusing
telecommunicationsisavastlymoreefficientwayoflocatinginformationthanothermethods(p.49).
TimelyInformation
TheInternetgivesmediaspecialistsaccesstouptodateinformationaboutcurrentissuesineducation.Onlinediscussionswithexpertsmakeitpossibletoreceive
firsthandinformation,answerstospecificquestions,andinputfromavarietyofperspectives.Inaddition,theInternet
Page6
allowsmanylibrariestolinktoasinglemastercatalogorcirculationsystem,enablingeducatorsandstudentstolocateresourcesoutsideoftheirownlibraries(Kline
1994).
ToolsforTeachingResearchSkills
TheInternetisawonderfultoolforteachingresearchskills(Caputo1994).Studentscanpracticelocating,analyzing,andreportinginformationwithoutexpensive
connectcharges.ManyoftheonlinesystemsalsofeaturekeywordandBooleansearches.Studieshaveshownasignificantincreaseinthevarietyofsourcesusedand
citedinstudentbibliographieswhenstudentsuseonlinesearching(Mancall1984Follansbeeetal.1996).
Collegiality
InasurveyconductedbyLadnerandTillman(1993,50),themajorreasonmediaspecialistsusedtheInternetwasthatitprovidedaconvenient,timely,
nondisruptive,andinexpensivemechanismforcommunicationwiththeircolleaguesthroughouttheworld.Itcanhelptoreducetheisolationfeltbymanymedia
specialistsinruralorremoteschools.
BenefitsforAdministrators
Attheadministrativelevel,telecommunicationsoffersflexibilityandenhancesthepreparationanddeliveryofdocuments.Italsoprovidesanefficientandeffective
methodforreceivinguptodateinformationandmaintainingexternalcontacts.
DocumentManagement
Telecommunicationsoffersoverallcostreduction,reducedpaperhandling,fastercommunications,improvedcommunicationeffectiveness,andintegrationofdata
communicationwithrecordsmanagement(D'Souza1992,22).Inaddition,withfeweropportunitiesforhumanerrorintheelectronictransfers,documentstendtobe
moreaccurate(PalmerandWei1993).Anotheradvantageofelectronicdatacommunicationistheabilitytotransmitinaninterchangeableformat.Forexample,aPC
canretrieveanddisplayinformationsentbyaMacintoshcomputerandviceversa.
CommunicationwithFacultyandCommunity.
Throughemailanddistributionlists,administratorscancommunicatewithallofthefacultymembersatthesametime.Forexample,itiseasytosendnoticesfor
meetings.Likewise,administratorscanquicklyandeasilyinteractwithcommunitymembers.
ExternalContacts
Telecommunicationsprovidesadministratorswithaccesstoimmediate,uptodateinformationabouteducationalresearch,conferences,andstateinitiatives.In
addition,requestsforbusinesspartnerships,grants,andotherfundingmaybeinitiatedusingtheInternet(Cheely1995).Forexample,grantinformationisavailableon
TeachNetathttp://www.teachnet.org.
BenefitsfortheCommunity
Telecommunicationsisanexcellentwaytoinvolvethecommunityinschoolissues,fundraisers,classprojects,specialevents,andvolunteeractivities.Itisalsoaviable
meansofcommunicatingwithlocalbusinessleaders,experts,andcommunityofficialswhoareaccessibleonline.Inaddition,manycommunitymembersmaywishto
participateinsomeoftheonlineinstructionalprogramsthataredesignedforK12students.
CommunicationwiththeSchool
Telecommunicationsoffersparentstheopportunitytobecomeinvolvedelectronicallywiththeirchildren'shomeworkassignments,anditoffersaforumfor
teacher/parentconferences(Golub1994).Itispossibleforparentstotouraschool,toviewstudentprojects,andtoconversewithteachersallonline.
StudentCommunityActivities
TheInternetmakesitpossibleforseniorcitizensandpeoplelackingmobilitytosharetheir
Page7
knowledgeandexperiencewithstudents.Manystudentsobtainvaluabletutoringfromseniorcitizensthroughonlinecommunication.
DistanceLearningOpportunities
VirtualhighschoolsandotherdistancelearninginitiativesproduceinstructionalprogramsaccessiblethroughtheInternet.Althoughtheseprogramsmaybedesigned
primarilyforhighschoolstudents,communitymembersmayalsobenefitbyenrollinginorauditingtheprograms.
Conclusion
Morethanadecadeago,Shea(1984)statedthatsomeindustrysourcespredicted,within10yearswe'llbetelecommunicatingalmostasregularlyaswenowusea
telephone(p.34).Inmanycases,thepredictionwasrightinfact,somepeopleusetelecommunicationsmorethantheyusethetelephone.
Theuseoftelecommunicationsisincreasingintoday'sschoolsanduniversities.Recentreportsnotethatroughly40percentofU.S.schoolshaveatleastonelinetothe
Internet(Jacobson1997).Telephonecompanies,localcorporations,andgovernmentofficeshavetakenstepstoensurethattheuseoftelecommunicationswill
becomeintegraltoeducation.NetDay,aninitiativeinwhichschoolsworkwithlocalcorporateandcommunityvolunteerstowireschools,wasresponsiblefor
connecting20percentofCalifornia'sclassrooms(Hickox1997)and75percentofConnecticut'sclassroomsinasingleday(Jacobson1996).
PresidentBillClintonandthefederalgovernmentarealsopromotingplanstoconnecteveryclassroomtotheInternetbytheyear2000(Riley1997).The
TelecommunicationsActof1996andaplanapprovedin1997bytheFederalCommunicationsCommissionresultedinerates:telephoneratesandothercharges
discountedupto90percentforschools.(SeetheU.S.DepartmentofEducationWebsiteathttp://www.ed.gov/andtheFederalCommunicationsCommissionsiteat
http://www.fcc.gov/learnet/formoreinformationaboutgovernmentinitiatives.)
Throughappropriateprojects,themultiplebenefitsoftelecommunicationswillberealizedbystudents,teachers,mediaspecialists,administrators,andthecommunity.
Telecommunicationsandotherinformationtechnologiescanempowerpeopleofallages,bothinsideandoutsidetheclassroom,tolearnmoreeasily,enjoyably,and
successfullythaneverbefore(Gates1996,208).
References.
Allen,G.,andA.Thompson.1994.Analysisoftheeffectofnetworkingoncomputerassistedcollaborativewritinginafifthgradeclassroom.ERIC
DocumentED373777.
Banks,J.A.1994.Multiethniceducation:Theoryandpractice.3ded.Boston,MA:AllynandBacon.
Barron,A.E.1998.Gettingstartedwithtelecommunications.Tampa,FL:FloridaCenterforInstructionalTechnology,UniversityofSouthFlorida.
Caputo,A.1994.Sevensecretsofsearching:Howandwhentochooseonline.MultiMediaSchools1(1):2933.
Cheely,C.1995.Search&seizure:Usingyourmodemtofindgrants.MultimediaSchools2(3):2228.
Chiu,C.H.1996.Theeffectsofcomputernetworksandcollaborationonthedevelopmentofscienceskillsandattitudesamongsecondarysciencestudentsin
Taiwan,R.O.C.,DissertationAbstractsInternational57/06A.(OrderNumberAAD9633125.)
Cohen,M.,andM.Riel.1989.Theeffectofdistantaudiencesonstudents'writing.AmericanEducationalResearchJournal26(2):14359.
Collis,B.1992.Supportingeducationalusesoftelecommunicationinthesecondaryschool:PartI.Anoverviewofexperiences.InternationalJournalofMedia19
(1):2344.
D'Ignazio,F.1997.YoungauthorsathomeontheWeb.MultiMediaSchools4(3):2228.
Donlan,L.1998.Visionsofonlineprojects.MultiMediaSchools.5(1):2125.
D'Souza,P.V.1992.Electronicmailinacademicsettings:Amultipurposecommunicationstool.EducationalTechnology32(3):2225.
Follansbee,S.,N.Gilsdorf,S.Stahl,J.Dunfey,S.Cohen,B.Pisha,andB.Hughes.October1996.Theroleofonlinecommunicationsinschools:Anational
study.
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Peabody,MA:CenterforAppliedSpecialTechnology.
Gallini,J.K.,andN.Helman.1993.Audienceawarenessintechnologymediatedenvironments.PaperpresentedattheAnnualMeetingoftheAmericanEducational
ResearchAssociation,Atlanta,Georgia.
Gates,B.1996.TheRoadAhead.NewYork:PenguinBooks.
Gersh,S.1994.Theglobaleducationtelecommunicationsnetwork:Criteriaforsuccessfulemailprojects.TelecommunicationsinEducationNews5(4):1011.
Golub,J.N.1994.Activitiesforaninteractiveclassroom.Urbana,IL:NationalCouncilofTeachersofEnglish.
Hickox,K.1997.5trendsyourjobdependson.ElectronicLearning16(4):3238.
Honey,M.,andA.Henriquez.1993.TelecommunicationsandK12education:Findingsfromanationalsurvey.NewYork:CenterforTechnologyin
Education,BankStreetCollegeofEducation.
Jacobson,S.1997.Stateeducationnetworksspread.ElectronicLearning16(6):8.
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Karayan,S.S.1997.Studentperceptionsofelectronicdiscussiongroups.T.H.E.Journal24(9):6971.
Kinnaman,D.E.1993.Technologyandsituatedcognition.Technology&Learning14(1):86.
Kline,N.1994.EducationandtheInternet:Theevolutionoftheelectroniclibrary.Syllabus8(3):1415.
Ladner,S.J.,andH.M.Tillman.1993.UsingtheInternetforreference.Online17(1):4551.
MAGIEducationalServices,Inc.February1992.EvaluationoftheNewYorkState/MoscowSchoolsTelecommunicationsProject.Albany,NY:NewYork
StateDepartmentofEducation.
Mancall,J.D.1984.Trainingstudentstosearchonline:Rationale,process,andimplications.DrexelLibraryQuarterly20(1):6484.
Palmer,B.H.,andP.B.Wei.1993.SPEEDEmadeeasy.CollegeandUniversity69(1):413.
Riel,M.April1992.Educationalchangeinatechnologyrichenvironment.PaperpresentedattheAnnualMeetingoftheAmericanEducationalResearchAssociation,
SanFrancisco,California.
Riley,R.February1997.YourWorkandtheDepartment'sAgendaforEducation.UnitedStatesDepartmentofEducation.http://www.ed.gov/updates/970227.html
(October20,1997).
Ross,P.1995.Relevanttelecomputingactivities.TheComputingTeacher22(5):2830.
Shea,G.1984.Informationservices:Thenewfrontierofcommunication.ElectronicLearning4(2):3334,8889.
U.S.Congress,OfficeofTechnologyAssessment.April1995.Teachersandtechnology:Makingtheconnection.Washington,DC:U.S.GovernmentPrinting
Office.DocumentOTAEHR616.
Weir,S.January1992.Electroniccommunitiesoflearners:Factsorfiction.Cambridge,MA:TERCCommunications.(ERICDocumentReproductionService
No.348990.)
Wright,W.1991.Internationalgroupwork:Usingacomputerconferencetoinvigoratethewritingofyourstudents.Pages100103inTheEnglishClassroomin
theComputerAge,editedbyW.Wresch.Urbana,IL:NationalCouncilofTeachersofEnglish.
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2
GettingStartedwiththeInternet
Forthepasttwoyears,Mr.CronbachhadbeenusingamodeminhisclassroomtoconnecttotheInternet.Herememberedhowexcitedhewastogetitupand
running.AtfirstallofhisinteractionsontheInternetwerethroughemail(textbased),anditseemedlikeamiraclethathecouldconnectwithotherteachersand
studentsinfarawaycountries.Recently,however,hehadbecomeacquaintedwiththeWorldWideWebandreallylovedthegraphics,links,andmediaelementshe
wasabletoaccess.Therewasonlyoneproblemitwassooooslow!Sometimeswhenheclickedonalink,aminuteortwowouldgobybeforehecouldseethe
Webpageonhisscreen.Thiswasdefinitelyineffectiveformiddleschoolstudentstherehadtobeabetterway!
Atthenextfacultymeeting,Mr.Cronbachmentionedhisfrustrationtotheotherteachers.Ms.Alpha,thetechnologyspecialist,respondedthatasolutionwasonthe
way.AtfirstMr.Cronbachthoughtshewastalkingaboutoneofthefastermodemshehadseenadvertised,butshesaidthesolutionwasevenbetterthanthat.The
schoolwasinstallingaLAN(localareanetwork)thatwouldconnectallofthecomputerstoacentralserver.That'snice,saidMr.Cronbach,butIwanttobe
connectedtotheInternet,notjustaserverinthisbuilding!
Ms.AlphawentontoexplainthatbyinstallingaLANandserver,alongwithdatalinesconnectingtheLANservertoanInternetserviceprovider,allofthecomputers
couldhavedirectaccesstotheInternet.Thatwouldmeanthatallofthecomputerscouldbeonlineatthesametime,andtheywouldnothavetoworryabouthavinga
phonelineforeveryroom.Thatsoundsgood,saidMr.Cronbach,butitwillprobablybeevenslowerthanbeforewithallofthecomputerssharingonelinetothe
Internet!Ms.Alphacalmlyexplainedthatalthoughtheywouldsharealine,
Page10
Figure2.1
TheInternetconnectsusersaroundtheworld.
thelinewasmuch,muchfasterandhadmorebandwidth(capacity)thantheregulartelephoneline.Theeternalpessimist,Mr.Cronbachsaidhewouldbelieveitwhen
hesawit.
Twomonthslater,theLANwasconnected,theInternetsoftwarewasinstalledoneachcomputer,andahighspeeddatalineconnectionwasestablished.The
teachers,includingMr.Cronbach,couldnotbelievethedifference.Filesandpagesthathadtaken10minutestotransfernowappearedonthescreeninamatterof
seconds.Yes,thelinewasmoreexpensivefortheschooldistrict,butwiththespecialdiscountsforeducation,itwasaffordable.This,thoughtMr.Cronbach,isthe
waytheInternetshouldoperate!Hecouldn'twaittosendhisstudentsexploringontheWebforprojectsandresources.
TheInternetisaworldwidecommunicationssystemthatisreferredtoasanetworkofnetworksbecauseitconnectsthousandsofcomputernetworksalloverthe
world.Thebackbone,ormainpart,oftheInternetconsistsofdatalinesthatcantransmitcomputerinformationatextremelyhighspeeds.
TheU.S.portionofthebackbonewascreatedbythefederalgovernmentinthe1960sformilitaryandresearchpurposes.Inthe1980s,itwasupdatedbythe
NationalScienceFoundation,andintheearly1990s,itwasexpandedtoallowcommercialuse.Sincethen,thenumberofpeopleusingtheInternethasincreased
dramatically,makingitacommoncommunicationtoolforschools,homes,andbusinesses.TheU.S.backbonenowconnectswithsatellitesanddatalinesinother
countriestoproviderapidexchangeofinformationallovertheworld.
ThroughtheInternet,ateacherwithamodematherhouseinOrlandocanconnecttoanInternetserviceproviderthatinturnconnectstotheInternet.Likewise,a
teacheronacomputernetworkinJerusalemcanconnecttoanIsraeliserviceproviderthatconnectstotheInternet.Inthisway,theInternetprovidestheconduitto
transferinformationfromthehomeinOrlandototheschoolinJerusalem(seefig.2.1).
TheinterstatehighwaysystemoftenservesasananalogyfortheInternet.Bothsystemsaredesignedforhighspeedtravel(ofcarsordata),andbothhaveamultitude
ofinputsandoutputs(onrampsandofframps)toorfromsmallernetworksorroads.NeithertheInternetnorthecountry'ssystemofroadsiscontrolledorownedby
asingleentity,andbothofferavarietyofroutestogetfrompointAtopointB.Expandingonthisanalogy,thefeethatmustbepaidtotheInternetserviceproviderfor
accesstotheInternetissimilartothetollrequiredtoentercertainhighways.Inasimilarsense,theInternethassomerestrictedareas(whereasubscriptionor
passwordisrequired),justassomegatedcommunitieshaveprivateroads.AmajordifferencebetweenthehighwaysystemandtheInternetisthattheInternetis
global,whereastheinterstate
Page11
Figure2.2
Hardwareconfigurationforadialupconnection.
highwaysystemisconstrainedbygeography(Barronetal.1997).
GettingConnected
InternetServiceProviders
InordertoconnecttotheInternet,youmusthaveanInternetserviceprovider(ISP).ThefunctionofanISPistoprovidetheconnection(onramp)forInternet
access.ISPsmaintaincomputerserversandpayforhighspeedlinkstotheInternet24hoursaday.Yourserviceprovidermaybeaverylargecompanywithmany
computers(suchasAmericaOnline),aneducationalagency(suchasauniversity),orasmalllocalcompany.
Inmanycases,educatorscanobtainaccesstotheInternetthroughastateorregionaleducationalorganization,suchastheFloridaInformationResourceNetwork
(FIRN)ortheTexasEducationNetwork(TENET).IfyourstatedoesnotprovideaneducationalsystemwithInternetconnections,youmaybeabletoobtain
Internetaccessthroughalocaluniversity,schooldistrict,orlibrary.AnotheroptionforInternetaccessistolocateaFreeNetinyourcommunity.AFreeNetisa
computernetworkthatisrunbyacommunityorganization,suchasacollegeorpubliclibrary.Thesenetworksusuallyofferavarietyofcommunitybasedservices,
suchaslocaldatabases,classschedules,andpublicactivities.ManyFreeNetsalsoofferfullorpartialInternetaccessformembersatlittleornocost.
IfyoucannotlocateaneducationalsystemorFreeNetinyourarea,yourbestoptionmaybetojoinacommercialonlineservice,suchasAmericaOnlineor
CompuServe.TheseonlineservicesofferaccesstotheInternet,aswellaselectronicdiscussionforums,publicdomainsoftware,onlinecatalogs,andotherresources.
TherearealsomanynationalInternetproviders(whichmaybetelephoneorcablecompanies),suchasSprintLinkandWorldNet.Inaddition,thereisaproliferation
oflocalserviceproviders.Mostoftheseproviderschargeabout$20permonthforunlimitedaccesstotheInternet(seehttp://www.celestin.com/pocia/foralistof
ISPs).
MostschoolshavetwooptionsforconnectingtotheISP'sserver:
Dialupconnectionswithamodemandaregulartelephoneline
Directconnectionsthroughlocalareanetworksandaleaseddataline
Eachoptionrequiresadifferentsoftwareandhardwareconfiguration.
DialUpConnections
EducatorscommonlyuseadialupconnectiontogainaccesstotheInternetbecausethehardwareandsoftwareareinexpensivetoobtainandmaintain.Thehardware
requiredforadialupconnectionconsistsofacomputer,modem,andtelephoneline.Theseareusedtoconnecttoaremotecomputer(seefig.2.2).
Page12
AdvantagesofDialUpConnections
Freeorinexpensiveconnectioncharges.Many
universitiesoreducationalsystemsofferfreedialup
connectionsforschools.Dialupaccountswith
commercialservicescostabout$20permonth.
Inexpensivesoftware.Dialupconnectionsare
relativelyeasytomake.Shareware
telecommunicationssoftwareisavailable,orthe
softwaremaybesuppliedbytheISP.
Inexpensivehardware.Aregulartelephoneline
canbeused,andnospecialarrangementsare
requiredwiththetelephonecompany.Modemsare
relativelyinexpensive,andeitherMacintoshor
Windowscomputerswillworkfine.
DisadvantagesofDialUpConnections
Maygetbusysignals.Dialupconnections
requireamodematthereceivingendtoanswer
yourcall.Mostsystemshavealimitednumberof
modemstherefore,youmayhavetocompetefor
timeonthesystem.Itcanbeveryfrustratingtoplan
alessonaroundtheInternetandthenreceiveabusy
signalwhenyoutrytodialin.
Slowerthanadirectconnection.Inmostcases,a
dialupconnectionisnotasfastasadirect
connectionthroughaleaseddataline.
Requiresafastmodem.Althougha14.4Kbps
modemwillworkforadialupconnection,faster
modems(atleast28.8Kbps)speedthetransferof
graphics,files,andotherelements.
Computer
Acomputerandmonitorareessential.ItdoesnotmatterwhetheryouuseacomputerwiththeMacintosh,UNIX,Windows,orotheroperatingsystemallcan
communicatewitheachotherthroughtheInternet.IfyouplantosavealotoffilesandinformationfromtheInternet,alargeharddrivewillbenecessary.Inaddition,a
fastcomputerprocessorwillspeedaccessanddisplayoftheinformation.Finally,atleast8(preferably16or32)megabytes(MB)ofrandomaccessmemory(RAM)
arerecommended.RAMservesasabuffertoacceptandholdontoinformationfromtheInternetwithoutsavingittotheharddiskifyouhaveinsufficientRAM,you
willnotbeabletoaccessordisplaythemanylargemultimediafilestheInternetoffers.
Modem
ModemstandsforMOdulate/DEModulateitisadevicethattranslates(modulates)computerdatatoaformthatcanbesentoverregulartelephonelines.Computer
informationisstoredindigitalform(bitsandbytes),butmosttelephonelinestransmitsoundinanalogform.Themodemtakesthedigitalcomputerinformationand
changesittoanalogformsoitcanbesentthroughthetelephonesystem.Amodematthereceivingenddemodulatestheanalogsignalbacktobitsandbytessothe
receivingcomputercandisplayit.
Modemscanbeexternalperipherals,ortheycanbeinternalcomputercards.Externalmodemsusuallyincludesmalllightsthatindicatethestatusofthemodem,thatis,
whetheritisreceivingorsendingdata.ExternalmodemsconnecttothebackofthecomputerthroughamodemportonMacintoshcomputersorthroughaCOM
(communications)portonothertypesofcomputers.Atelephonelineconnectstothebackofthemodem.Insomecases,anoptionaltelephoneportisalsoavailable
onthemodem.
Internalmodemsareinstalledinacomputer.Generally,theyarelessexpensivethanexternalmodems,andtheydonothavestatuslights.Anadvantageofinternal
modemsisthattheydonotrequireaseparatepowersourcetheyderivetheir
Page13
powerfromthecomputer.Thetelephonelineconnectsdirectlytothebackofthemodemcard.
Modemstransmitdataatvariousspeeds.Inthepast,modemsof2,400bitspersecond(bps)werecommon.Now,modemscapableof28,800bps(28.8Kilobits
persecond[Kbps])arecommon,andmodemsupto56Kbpsareavailable.Purchasethefastestmodemyoucanafford,becausefastmodemsdecreasethetimeit
takestotransmitfiles.Beforepurchasingamodem,checkwithyourISPtofindoutwhatspeedmodemsarebeingused,becausetwomodemsofdifferentspeedswill
communicateattheslowerspeed.
TelephoneLine.
Dialupconnectionsrequireatelephonelinethathooksintothemodem.(Atelephonehandsetisnotnecessary,justthetelephoneline.)Ifyouareconnectingtoan
ISPfromhome,thesamelinethatisusedforyourtelephonecanbeusedforthemodem.Obtainingatelephonelineisoftenthemissinglinkforusing
telecommunicationsintheclassroom.Manyteachersfindthatenlistingtheaidoftheparentteacherorganizationorseekingassistancefromthelocaltelephone
companycanbringtelephonelinesintotheclassroom.Ifallelsefails,youmayhavetosettleforonetelephonelineinthemediacenteroranothercentrallocationuntil
youcandemonstratethebenefitsoftelecommunicationsandgenerateenthusiasmamongstudents,faculty,parents,andadministrators.
Atschool,itisbesttohaveatelephonelinededicatedtotelecommunications.Thatmeansyouneedatelephonelinethatdoesnothavecallwaitingandisnotshared
byseveralclassrooms.Ifthetelephonelineisnotdedicated,youmayrunintoproblemswithinterruptionsanddisconnections.Theseinterruptionsareespecially
frustratingifyouaretryingtotransferlargefilesorconductanonlinelesson.
TelecommunicationsSoftware
Inadditiontothebasichardware,youwillneedtelecommunicationssoftwaretouseadialupconnectiontotheInternet.Thissoftwaredialsthetelephonenumberand
formatsthedataon
AdvantagesofDirectConnections
Nobusysignals.Becausemodemsarenot
requiredfordirectconnections,youwillnotreceive
abusysignal.
Simultaneousconnections.Amajoradvantageof
connectingaLANdirectlytotheInternetisthatall
ofthestudentcomputerscanaccesstheInternetat
thesametime.Unlikearegulartelephoneline,the
leaseddatalinecantransmitdatafrommany
computerssimultaneously.
Lessinterference.Thereislessinterferenceon
highspeedleaseddatalinesthanthereisonregular
telephonelines.
DisadvantagesofDirectConnections
Expenseofhardware.Inadditiontothe
componentsofaLAN,directconnectionsinvolve
thepurchaseofspecialhardware,suchasarouter
andothercommunicationdevices.
Expenseofleasedlines.Theexpenseofthe
leasedlineisamajorconsiderationinlinkingaLAN
totheInternet.Inmostareas,leasedlinesare
availableatseveralspeedsandprices.Forexample,
alinethattransmitsdataat56Kbpsmaycostabout
$50permonth(dependingonthelengthoftheline).
ATllinethatoperatesat1,544Kbps(1.544
Mbps)maycosthundredsofdollarseachmonth.
Complexity.Obtainingandinstallingadirect
Internetconnectioniscomplex.Inadditiontothe
LAN,router,andhighspeeddataline,youmust
contractwithanISP,assignInternetProtocol(IP)
numberstoeachcomputer,andconfigurethedirect
connectionsoftware.Beforeenteringthisarena,
seektheadviceofnetworkingexperts,contactother
schoolsinyourarea,checkwithyourstate
educationaldepartment,andcallyourlocal
telephonecompany.
Page14
thescreen.IfyouareconnectingtotheInternetthroughacommercialISP,itwillprobablyprovideallofthesoftwareyouneedatlittleornocharge.Ifyouneedto
supplyyourownsoftware,therearemanyproductsonthemarket.Someofthem,suchasFreePPPforMacintoshandWindowsTerminalforWindows,areavailable
freeorassharewareprograms.
Whenallofthecomponents(computer,modem,telephoneline,andsoftware)areinplace,dialupconnectionsaremadebytypingthetelephonenumberintothe
softwareprogramandclickingonDial.
Atthispoint,youwillheardialtones(ifyourmodemhasspeakers),followedbyascratchynoisethatsignifiesaconnection.Whentheconnectioniscomplete,follow
theproceduresuppliedbyyourISPtoenteryourloginnameandpassword.Initially,theloginnameandpasswordwillbesuppliedbytheISP.Afteryourfirst
connection,youwillbeencouraged(orrequired)tochangethepassword.
ConsiderationsforDialUpConnections
Whenyouareinvestigatingaserviceproviderthatoffersdialupcapabilities,therearesomeimportantconsiderations.Firstofall,atollfreeorlocaltelephonenumber
isimportant.Ifyoumustpaylongdistancephonecharges,thebillcanquicklymount.Second,findoutexactlywhatthechargeswillbeforaccessorconnecttime(the
amountoftimeyouareconnectedtothesystem,usuallymeasuredinminutes).Thebestoptionistofindaneducationalnetwork,university,orFreeNetthatprovides
freeconnectiontime.Ifthatisnotpossible,findoutwhethertheconnectionfeeischargedperminuteorasaflatmonthlyfee.SomeISPschargeanextrafeefor
storingfiles(suchasemailmessagesandWebpages)orforusingspecialcomponentsandservices,suchasencyclopediasorairlinereservationsystems.
DirectConnectionsthroughLocalAreaNetworks
ManyschoolsareestablishingdirectconnectionstotheInternetthroughlocalareanetworks(LANs).LANsconsistofseveralcomputersequippedwithnetwork
interfacecardsthatarelinkedtogetherwithcables.Usually,afileserveronthenetworkstoresalltheprogramsandfilesthatcanbeshared.Otherperipherals,suchas
printers,scanners,andCDROMplayers,mayalsobeconnectedtothenetworkforalltouse.
LANsareverypopularinschoolsbecausemoneycanbesavedbypurchasingnetworkversionsofsoftwareprogramsratherthanseparateprogramsforeach
computer.Also,expensiveperipheralscanbeshared.Anadditionalbenefitofschoolnetworksisthattheyallowstudentsandteacherstocommunicateelectronically.
Forexample,ifastudentishavingtroublewhileworkingonacomputer,heorshecansendanelectronicnotetotheinstructor.Inaddition,therearesoftware
programsdesignedforstudentcollaborationthroughaLAN.Forexample,thenetworkprogramWagonTrain1848byMECCallowsseveralstudentsatseparate
computerstoviewthesamescenarioandtointeractthroughthenetwork.
InstallingaLANrequiresinstallingcablesfromacentralservertoallofthecomputers.Itcanbeatimeintensiveprocess,butitpaysoffwitheaseofmaintenanceand
speedofaccess.NetDays(specifieddaysonwhichcommunityvolunteershelppullwiresinschools)havebecomepopularinthelastfewyears.Formoreinformation
aboutschoolLANs,seetheEducator'sGuidetoSchoolNetworksathttp://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/network.
ConnectingaLANtotheInternet
LANscanprovideeachworkstationwithdirectconnectionstotheInternet.AschoolcanconnectitsLANdirectlytoanISPbyleasingahighspeeddatalinefroma
telephoneorcablecompany.Whenadirectconnectionisestablished,youdonotneedmodems,andallofthecomputersontheLANcanconnecttotheInternet
simultaneously(seefig.2.3).
Thehardwarerequiredforadirectconnectionisconsiderablymorecomplexthanthatrequiredforadialupconnection.Thebasiccomponentsconsistofcomputers,
anInternetserver,arouter,
Page15
Figure2.3
ComputernetworkwithadirectconnectiontotheInternet.
andaleaseddataline.Consultatechnicalexperttodeterminethebestconfigurationforyourschool.
Computers
ALANcomprisesseveralworkstationsconnectedtoacentralserverbycables.Atypicalworkstationisastandardcomputerthathashadanetworkinterfacecard
addedtoit.TheLANcableplugsintothenetworkinterfacecardthroughthebackofthecomputer.ManynewcomputersinbothMacintoshandWindows
environmentsnowcomewithnetworkcardsalreadyinstalled.Withthecorrectsoftwareandcables,bothMacintoshandWindowscomputerscanshareaLAN.
InternetServer
MostLANshaveatleastonecomputerthatactsasthefileserver.Thisverylarge,veryfastcomputerservesasthetrafficdirectortokeepallofthecomputersand
printersworkingtogether.IfyouwanttoconnectyourLANtotheInternet,youcanusethisfileserverasanInternetserverbyinstallingadditionalsoftwaredesigned
forInternetaccess.
Router.
AnInternetrouterisasmallpieceofhardwarethatisplacedbetweentheInternetserverandtheleasedline.Theroutercontrolsthemessagesthataregoingouttothe
Internetandreceivesincomingmessages.Anotherpieceofhardware(CSU/DSU)isusedinconjunctionwiththeroutertoconvertthedatafortherouter.
LeasedDataLine
DirectconnectionsgenerallymakeuseofaleaseddatalinetoconnecttotheISP.Theleasedlineisusuallya56KbpslineoraT1lineoperatingat1.54Mbps(see
AllAboutBandwidthformoreinformationaboutleasedlines).ThelinesaregenerallyleasedfromthelocaltelephonecompanyandarededicatedtoInternet
communications.Thecostoftheleasedlinescanrangefromafewdollarstoseveralthousanddollarspermonth.ThecurrentinitiativesbytheU.S.governmentand
telecommunicationscompaniestoestablishadiscountederateforschoolsaredesignedtomakeleasedlinesaffordableforschoolsandschooldistricts(Brooks
1997).
Page16
Figure2.4
ISDNconnectiontotheInternet.
SoftwareforDirectConnections
ThelanguageoftheInternetisoftenreferredtoasTCP/IP(TransmissionControlProtocol/InternetProtocol).TooperateadirectInternetconnection,thissoftware
mustberesidentonallofthecomputersontheLANandontheInternetserver.Fortunately,becauseofthepopularityoftheInternet,thissoftwareisnowinstalledon
allMacintoshandWindowscomputerswhenyoupurchasethecomputers.
InadditiontotheTCP/IPsoftware,specialInternetserversoftwaremustbeinstalledontheInternetserver.ThereisawiderangeofInternetserversoftwarethatcan
bepurchased,includingNetscapeserversandMicrosoftservers.FormoreinformationaboutsettingupanInternetserver,seehttp://web66.coled.umn.edu.
AllaboutBandwidth
Bandwidthreferstohowfastatelephoneline,dataline,orotherconnectioncantransferinformation.Forexample,a28.8Kbpsmodemcantransmitdataat28,800
bitspersecond,andaT1linecantransmit1,544,000bitspersecond.AconstantcomplaintabouttheInternetisthatitistooslow.Althoughthebackbone(main
part)oftheInternetconsistsofextremelyhighspeeddataconnections(atminimum,T3linesthatcantransmitat44,736,000bitspersecond),theinformationmay
havetobefunneledtoyourhomethroughaslowmodem.
SeveraloptionsavailablenoworinthenearfuturewillhelptoexpandbandwidthandincreasethespeedofinformationtransferviatheInternet.Theseoptionsinclude
ISDNlines,T1lines,ADSLmodems,cablemodems,satellitedelivery,andWebTV.
ISDN
ISDNstandsforIntegratedServicesDigitalNetwork.Itisadigitalsystemdesignedtotransmitinformationfasterthanstandardmodems.AsingleISDNlinewithtwo
channelscantransmitdataat128Kbps(aboutfivetimesfasterthana28.8Kbpsmodem).ISDNtelephonelinesuseinterfacedevices(calledISDNterminal
adaptersorISDNmodems)toconnecttothecomputers(seefig.2.4).
ISDNhasgreatpotentialfortelecommunicationsbecauseitcanusesomeofthecoppertelephonewiresystemthatiscurrentlyinplace.ToimplementISDNona
largescale,however,telephonecompaniesneedtoupgradetheirswitchingequipment,andhomesandschoolsneedtoupgradetheirtelephonewiringandcomputer
interfaces.
Atpresent,ISDNavailabilityandcostsvarydramatically.Insomeareas,ISDNlinesareavailableforalmostthesamecostasstandardvoicelines,butinotherareas
theyareeitherveryexpensiveorunavailable.BeforepurchasinganISDNterminaladapter,checkwithyourISPtobesurethatitiscompatiblewiththeservice.Also,
whencheckingonthepriceofanISDNconnection,beawarethatsomesystemsrequireaconnectionfee,amonthlyfee,andaperminutecharge.
T1andT3Lines
AstandardT1line(alsoreferredtoasDS1)allowsdigitalinformationtobetransmittedat
Page17
Table2.1ComparisonofTransferRatesandCostsforTelecommunications(Feeley1997)
Technology
Speed
MonthlyCost
28.8modem
28.8Kbps
$25
ISDN
128Kbps
$80
Satellite
400Kbps
$40
T1
1.5Mbps
$1,500
ADSL
9Mbps
$40
Cablemodem
10Mbps
$45
1,544Kbps(1.544Mbps).Thistransmissionspeedisalmost54timesfasterthana28.8Kbpsmodem.BecauseT1linescanbequiteexpensivetolease,many
schoolsleaseafractionalT1lineinwhichtheyhaveaccesstoaportionofthebandwidth.
T3linesareevenfasterthanT1lines.T3linescantransmitdataat44.736Mbps.Thisisroughlyequivalentto29simultaneousT1lines.T3linesareextremely
expensive.Inmostcases,T3linesareusedtoconnectpartsoftheInternetbackboneortoconnectsupercomputersatgovernmentandresearchsites.
ADSLModems
ADSLstandsforAsymmetricDigitalSubscriberLine.Theselinestransmitdataattwodifferentspeeds:afastspeedforincomingdataandaslowerspeedfor
outgoingdata.ADSLmodemscantransmitdatatousersatupto9Mbpsabout12timesfasterthanISDNmodems.Thereturnrate(outgoingdatatransmitted
backtotheISPorInternet)isnotquiteasfastonly640Kbps.Inmostcasesthedifferenceinthetransferratesisacceptable,becausewearemostlikelytoreceive
largefilesfromtheInternet(suchasgraphicsandvideo).Ontheotherhand,wegenerallydonotsendbackasmuchdatatotheInternetperhapsanemailmessage
oracommand(aclickonahyperlink).Thereforetheslowerrateonthereturnsegmentisnotdetrimental.
AmajoradvantageofADSListhatitusesstandardcoppertelephonelineshowever,thetelephonelinesinmanyareasneedtobeupgradedtoallowtherapid
transmissionofdata.Severalcompanies,includingBellAtlantic,PacificBell,andGTE,arepromotingADSLandplantochargeapproximately$100permonth
(Feeley1997).
CableModems.
Insomeareas,cablecompaniesofferInternetaccessthroughthesamecablethatdeliverstelevisionsignalstoyourhome.Ifyourareahasbeenconfiguredforthis
service,youcanconnectacablelinetoanetworkcardonyourcomputer.Theadvantageofcablemodemsisthespeed.Cablemodemscanbringdatatoyour
computerroughly400timesfasterthana28.8Kbpsmodem(Salvador1996).Ifyouhavea10Mbpsnetworkcardinacomputer,youmaybeabletoreceive
informationatthatspeed.AsillustratedinTable2.1,cablemodemsofferoneofthefastesttechnologiesavailableforInternetaccess(Feeley1997).
Althoughcablemodemsarefasterthanmostothertechnologies,theyarenotthemostexpensive(seetable2.1).However,touseacablemodemyoumusthavea
computerwithanetworkcardandyoumustpurchaseacablemodem(about$500).Inaddition,thetransferratemaybeslowedifmanypeopleinyourneighborhood
connecttotheInternetatthesametime.Although
Page18
Figure2.5
SatelliteconnectiontotheInternet.
thistechnologyisnewandthestandardsforcablemodemsarenotfirmlyestablished,cablemodemsoffergreatpotentialforhighspeedaccesstotheInternet(LiRon
1998).
SatelliteDelivery
ItispossibletoreceiveinformationfromtheInternetfromasatellite.DirectPCisonetechnologythatoffersInternetaccesstosatellitedishesonhomes,schools,and
businesses.Satelliteaccessisrelativelyfast,doesnotrequiretheinstallationoftelephoneordatalines,andisnotaffectedbythenumberofusers.
Satellitedelivery,however,isusuallyonewayyoucannotsendinformationbackuptothesatellite(notonaschoolbudget,anyway).Inmostcases,atelephoneline
isusedtosendinformationtotheInternet,andthesatelliteisusedtoreceiveinformation(seefig.2.5).Thisconfigurationworkswellinmostcases,becausethe
informationyousendtotheInternetisgenerallyverysmall(acommandoranemailmessage),whereastheinformationyoureceivecanbequitelarge(audiofiles,
Webpages,andsoforth).
WebTV
ItispossibletoaccesstheInternetanddisplayitonatelevisionset.WebTVconsistsofasmallboxthatattachestoatelevisionandatelephoneline(forabout$300).
TologontoWebTV,
Page19
youmustsubscribetoaWebTVserviceproviderandpayamonthlyfee.
WebTVisagreatwaytoaccesstheInternetifyoudonothaveacomputer.However,theresolutionisnotasgoodasacomputer,causingtheimagesandtextto
appearblurry.Inaddition,youmustpurchaseaninfraredkeyboardtoentertheWebaddresses.
Conclusion
Comparedtoothernewtechnologies,telecommunicationshardwareandsoftwareareinexpensive.Thebestoptionforyoudependsonthehardwareavailableinyour
school,theamountoftechnicalsupportavailable,andtheservicesofferedbyyourInternetserviceprovider.
References
Barren,A.E.,K.Ivers,D.Hoffman,andL.Sherry.1997.Telecommunications:Ideas,activities,andresources.Tampa,FL:FloridaCenterforInstructional
Technology,UniversityofSouthFlorida.
Brooks,S.Summer1997.Theinsandoutsofgovernmentfunding:TappingintothenewErate.Technology&Learning,16.
Feeley,J.August1997.WidebandWeb.DigitalVideo,4248.
FloridaCenterforInstructionalTechnology.Educator'sguidetoschoolnetworks.http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/network(January17,1998).
LiRon,Y.1998.Theneedforspeed.TheWebMagazine2(1):3840.
Salvador,R.1996.What'snewinnetconnectivity?ElectronicLearning16(1):14.
Web66:AK12WorldWideWebproject.UniversityofMinnesota.http://web66.coled.umn.edu(January17,1998).
Page21
3
NavigatingtheInternet
MarkandJulianahadfinishedtheresearchfortheirsocialstudiesreportandwereconsideringoptionsforpresentingittotheclass.TheonlyrequirementMr.Little
hadmentionedwasthatithadtobepresentedelectronically.TheyconsideredusingPowerpointoranotherpresentationprogram,butJulianasuggestedtheycreatea
Webpageinstead.Butwedon'tknowHTML,saidMark,andI'vehearditsquitecomplicated.
Wedon'tneedtoknowHTML,saidJuliana.Thereareprogramsthatwilldoallofthecodingforuswecansimplyentertheinformation,almostlike
PowerPoint,Markwasskeptical,butheagreedtogiveitatry.Afterall,mostoftheirresearchhadbeenconductedontheWebanditseemedlogicaltocreatea
Webpagethatcouldincludethelinks.
Fortunately,Mr.LittlehadjusthelpedthemtodownloadthelatestversionoftheNetscapebrowser.Thenewbrowserincludedacomponentthatallowedusersto
createWebpageswithoutenteringanyHTMLcodes.Markwasastonishedbyhoweasyitwastoimporttheirtext,addhyperlinkstootherWebsites,andembed
graphics.Theyevenaddedalinkthatwouldallowpeopletosendthememailmessages.
Whenthepagewasfinished,theycalledthetechnicalsupportpersonatthehighschoolto
findouthowtouploadthefilestotheInternetserver.ShetoldthemtheywouldhavetoFTPthefilestotheWebserver,andexplainedtheproceduretothem.After
theFTPsoftwareprogramwasinstalled,itturnedouttobeveryeasytouploadthefilestotheserver.
Whenitwastimefortheirpresentation,MarkaskedMr.LittleiftheycoulduseacomputerwithanInternetconnection.Theclasswasamazedastheydemonstrated
theirproject,withactivelinkstotheWhiteHouseandotherrelevantWebsites.Youwereright,MarkadmittedtoJuliana.Iwouldneverhavebelievedthat
creatingaWebpagecouldbesoeasy!
Therearetwobasicinterfaces,orlooks,totheInternettextbasedandgraphical.TextbasedinterfacesdominatedtheInternetuntilabout1994.Theseinterfaces
displayedtextonthe
Page22
screen,withanoccasionallineofasterisksordashes.Textbasedinterfacesworkedwellwithmodemsofanyspeed.Withtextbasedsystems,telnet(remoteaccess
toothercomputers)andgopher(menubasedsystems)werepopular.
Graphicalinterfaces,inwhichyoucanpointandclick,nowdominatetheInternet.TheseinterfacesrequireeitherafastmodemoradirectconnectiontotheInternet.
(Chapter2discussesconnections.)GraphicalinterfacesmakeusingtheInternetmucheasier.Inaddition,graphicsandcolorscanbedisplayeddirectlyonthescreen
andyoucanplaythesoundfilesorviewdigitalmovies.
EducatorsandstudentscanusetheInternetto
Collaborateandsendmessagesusingemail
Participateinelectronicconferencesandnewsgroups
AccessWebpagesanddocumentslocatedoncomputersaroundtheworld
CreateWebpagestosharetheirinformation
Transferfilesfromremotecomputerstotheirlocalhostcomputer
Interactwithvideoandaudiothroughmediafilesoronlineconferences
Thischapterfocusesonthebasictoolsthathelpusersfind,view,andtransferinformationontheInternet.Thetoolsincludeemail,listservs,newsgroups,World
Wide,Web,filetransferprotocol,andconferencing.
ElectronicMail
Electronicmail(email)messagesarecreatedbyapersonusingacomputerthemessagesaretransmittedtoothercomputersandreadbyoneormorepersonsusing
computers.EmailmessagescanbeexchangedonaworldwidebasisstudentsintheUnitedStatescancommunicatedirectlywithstudentsinGermany,China,and
othercountries.Internetemailisaninexpensiveandexpedientmethodforglobalcommunicationbecausethecostofsendinganemailmessageisusuallythesame,
regardlessofwhere(thatis,howfar)youaresendingit.
Whenemailmessagesaresent,theydonotgodirectlyfromthesender'scomputertothereceiver'scomputerinstead,theyaretemporarilystoredonaremote
computerserver.Inotherwords,ifMoniqueinFrance(whohasanaccountwithauniversityinParis)sendsanemailmessagetoAlexinMontana(whohasan
accountwithAmericaOnline),themessagewillbestoredonalargecomputeroperatedbyAmericaOnlineuntilAlexsignsontoreadhisemail.Itdoesnotmatter
whereorwhenAlexsignsontoreadhisemailmessageatthatpoint,themessagewillbesenttowhatevercomputerheisusing.
Emailcommunicationsbenefiteducationbecausetheyareinexpensiveandfast,andmessagescanbesentatanytime.Timedifferencesarenotimportantbecause,
regardlessofwhenthemessageissent,itwillwaitfortherecipienttocheckformessages.Emailismakingtelephonesandfaxmachineslessimportant,anditis
providingfinancialsavingsforschools.
UsingEmail.
TosendemailthroughtheInternet,youmusthave
anInternetaccountwithanISP
anInternetemailaddress
asoftwareprogramtoaccesstheemailsystem
Inmostcases,yourISPprovidesyouremailaddress.AnInternetaddressmaylooklikethis:
barron@typhoon.coedu.usf.edu.Inthiscase,barronisthenameofthepersontyphoonisthenameofthecomputerheraccountisoncoeduisthebuilding(College
ofEducation)inwhichthecomputerislocatedusfistheinstitution(UniversityofSouthFlorida)andedu,thedomain,indicatestheinstitutionisaneducational
organization.
Internetaddressesforotherorganizationsandcountrieslookslightlydifferent.Forexample,anInternetaddressforagovernmententityendsingovandtheaddress
foramilitaryentityendsinmil.Addressesforaccountsincountriesother
Page23
Table3.1DomainsandCountryCodes
Extension
DomainsbyInstitution
Extension
DomainsbyCountry
.edu
Education
.au
Australia
.com
CommercialOrganization
.ca
Canada
.mil
Military
.de
Germany
.gov
GovernmentSites
.fr
France
.net
SpecialNetworkResources
.uk
UnitedKingdom
.org
NonprofitOrganizations
thantheUnitedStatesusuallydonotindicatethetypeofinstitution.Insteadacountrycodeisused,forexampleukfortheUnitedKingdom.Table3.1listscommon
domainsandcountrycodes.
Thelengthofaddressesmayvary.Forexample,theU.S.president'saddress(president@whitehouse.gov)andaccountsonAmericaOnline
(nickname@aol.com)haveonlytwocomponentsafterthe@.
Emailaddresses,likepostaladdresses,mustbeunique.Themostefficientwaytoobtainsomeone'sInternetaddressistocallthepersonandask.
EmailSystems
MostISPssupplyemailsoftware.Althoughemailsoftwarevaries,mostaremenubasedandeasytouse.Forexample,Pine,bytheUniversityofWashington,isa
populartextbasedsystem(seefig.3.1).Thispublicdomainsoftwareprogramoffersspellchecking,sendingtomultiplerecipients,andautomaticforwardingof
messages.Pineisaserverbasedsystem,meaningthatallofyourmessageswillremainonyourISP'sserverafteryoureadthem(untilyoumanuallydeletethem).
Someemailsoftwareusesagraphicalinterface,meaningthatyoucanpointandclicktosendamessage.ExamplesincludeNetscapeMail(seefig.3.2),Internet
ExplorerMail,andEudora.Graphicalemailsystemsaregenerallyclientbased,meaningthatyourmessagesmaybe
downloadedtoyourcomputerwhenyoureadthem,ratherthancontinuallystoredontheremotecomputer.
CreatingEmailMessages
Studentscancreateemailmessagesusingemailsoftwareorwordprocessingsoftware.Whenstudentswritetheirmessageusingwordprocessingsoftware,theycan
cutandpastethemessageintotheemailsoftwareinordertosendit.Inmostcases,whenthemessageispastedintotheemailsoftware,allofthetextisconverted
toASCIIcharacters(basictextwithoutstyles,suchasboldoritalic).Thus,studentscancreateamessageinawordprocessorthatcontainsboldcharacters,various
sizes,etc.However,whenthemessageispastedintotheemailsystem,itwillbeconvertedtobasictext(withoutbold,sizes,etc.).Toproduceanemailmessage
thatwillbeeasytoreadonthecomputerscreenaswellaseasytoprint,certainguidelinesshouldbefollowed.
Writeclearlyandconcisely.Encouragethestudentstosendseveralconcisemessagesratherthanonelong,ramblingmessage.
Useadescriptivephraseinthesubjectline.Mostemailprogramsdisplayonlythesenderandsubjectlineofeachmessageintherecipient'sinbox.Indicatingthe
topicofthemessageonthesubjectlineallowstheusertosortmail,eithermanuallyorwiththehelpofasearchandretrievefeatureintheemailsoftware.
Page24
Figure3.1
Pineemailinterface.
DONOTUSEALLCAPS.Thisistheequivalentofshouting.
Useofadefaulttextstyle.Remindthestudentsthatfancyfontsortextstylesmaynotbelegibleonallrecipients'computers.
Usenarrowmarginsandshortline.Keepthelinelengthunder65characterstoavoidinappropriatelinebreaksandwordwrapswhenthedocumentisread,
printed,orforwarded.
Doublespacebetweenparagraphs.Tabsandindentsarelostinmostemailprograms.Puttinganextraspacebetweenparagraphs(andcapitalizingheadings)helps
recipientsseethestructureofthemessage.
Eliminatetablesandcolumns.Theformattingwillbelostandthetextmaybejumbled.
Convertsmartquotestoregularinchandfootmarks.SmartquotesmaybeconvertedtoASCIItextcharacters,suchasRorS.
Classroomprojectscenteredonemailmessagesarecommon.Studentscansendmessagestopeersaroundtheworldtodiscussfood,entertainment,sports,and
othertopics.Theycancommunicatewithexperts,workwithtutors,orinteractwithotherstoinvestigateglobalissues.Chapters610providesuggestionsforemail
activitiesforvarioussubjectareasandgradelevels.
Listservs
Alistservisacomputerprogramthatautomaticallyposts,orsends,emailmessagestoalistofpeoplewhosubscribetotheservice(seefig.3.3).Ifyousubscribeto
alistserv,youreceiveeverymessagethatispostedtothelistservaddress,andeverymessageyouposttothelistservaddressissenttoalloftheothersubscribers.
Listservmessagesappearasincomingemailmessages.Becauseyoureceiveallmessagesposted
Page25
Figure3.2
NetscapeMailinterface.
tothelistservaddress,youmayreceivehundredsofmessagesinashorttime.ThiscancreateproblemsifyourISPlimitsthenumberofmessagesitwillstoreforyou
orifitchargesformessagespace.
Tosubscribeto(orjoin)alistserv,yousendasimpleemailmessagetothelistservadministrator.Computershandlemostlistservmanagementfunctionsforthis
reason,theformatofsubscribemessagesisfairlystandardandmustbetypedcorrectly.FollowingisasubscribemessageforHILITES,apopulareducator'slistserv.
Notethatthesubjectlineisblank.
To:majordomo@gsn.org
Subject:
MessageText:subscribehilites
Withinafewdays,listservmessageswillbegintoarrive.Afteryoubegintoreceivemessages,youcancontactotherpeopleonthelistandcollaborateonprojects.To
contactotherpeopleonthelistdirectly,usetheperson'sprivateemailaddress,whichusuallyappearssomewhereinthemessageheader.Remember,ifyousenda
messagetothelist,everyonewillgetacopy!
Listservshavetwodifferentemailaddresses.Oneaddresssendsmessagestothelistadministratorthisistheaddressyouusetosubscribe,unsubscribe,orask
questionsofthesystemadministrator.Theotheraddressistheoperationaladdressthisistheaddressyouusetosendmessagestoothersubscribers.
Ifyoudecidetodiscontinuethelist,youmustunsubscribe.Thisprocedureisverysimilar
Page26
Figure3.3
Pathofmessagespostedtolistservs.
tosubscribingsimplysendamessagetotheadministrativeaddressandtypeunsubscribeinthebodyofthemessage.
Mostlistservssendashortintroductorymessageoruser'smanualtonewsubscribers.Keepthismessage.Itremindsyouhowtocontactthesystemadministrator,
howtounsubscribe,andhowtosendspecialcommandsthatcanhelpyoumanagemessages.Forexample,thedigestcommandcollectsorsummarizesallmessages
foraday,sothatyougetonlyonemessageperday,ratherthanmanyothercommandsallowyoutoputyoursubscriptiononholdwhileyouareonvacation.
EducationalListservs
TwoofthemostpopularK12listservs,HILITESandKidsphere,provideaconvenientwaytoconnectwithhundredsofeducatorswhousetelecommunicationsin
theclassroom.
HILITESistheoldestlistservdevotedtoclassroomprojects.Itisamoderatedlist,whichmeansthatallofthemessagesarescreenedtoensuretheymeetcertain
criteriabeforetheyaresenttosubscribers.TosubscribetoHILITES,sendamessage
tomajordomo@gsn.org.Leavethesubjectlineblank.Inthebodyofthemessage,typesubscribehilites(seeexampleonpage25).
Kidsphereisaverypopulareducationallistserv.Mostofthesubscribersareclassroomteachers,andithasmanyinternationalparticipants.Tosubscribeto
Kidsphere,sendanemailmessagetokidsphererequest@vms.cis.pitt.edu.Enterthefollowing:
To:kidsphererequest@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject:
MessageText:subscribeKidsphereyourname
Newsgroups
Newsgroupsaresimilartolistservsinthattheyconsistofemailmessages.However,newsgroupsdonotsendmessagestoyou.Instead,newsgroupsactasacentral
repositorywherepeoplecanleavemessages,askquestions,andrespondtoinquiries.Messagesarepostedforanyonetoaccess,likebulletinboards(seefig.3.4).
Newsgroupsarestoredontheirsponsors'computers.Youdonotsubscribetonewsgroupsyou
Page27
Figure3.4
Pathofmessagespostedtonewsgroups.
accessthemusingnewsgroupreadersoftware(whichisprovidedbyyourISPorincludedincommercialInternetsoftwaresuites,likeInternetExplorerorNetscape).
Whenyouaccessanewsgroup,youwillhaveoptionstoread,print,replyto,orpostmessages.Inaddition,youcansendaprivatenotetotheauthorofanymessage
byusingtheauthor'sreturnaddressinthemessageheader.
AccesstonewsgroupsisregulatedbyyourISP
itmayprovideyouwithrestrictedaccess(tosomenewsgroups)orfullaccess(toallnewsgroupsontheInternet).Tofindoutwhichnewsgroupsyoucanaccess,
contactyourISPorconnecttoyourISPandopenyournewsgroupreadersoftware.
Newsgroupsareorganizedintocategories.Someofthemainareasare:
alt
Specialinteresttopics
comp
Varioustopicsrelatedto
computers
k12
Elementaryandsecondary
education
rec
Recreationalactivitiesand
hobbies
sci
Relatedtothesciences
soc
Socialissues
talk
Debatesandconversations
Manynewsgroupsfocusondevelopmentsineducation.Youcouldjointhemisc.education.multimedianewsgrouptokeepupwithdevelopmentsandactivitiesin
multimedia,oryoucouldsubscribetoK12.lang.artfordiscussionsoflanguageartscurricula.Thek12.chat.juniornewsgroupfacilitatesconversationsamongmiddle
schoolstudents.
Participatinginnewsgroupsisanexcellentwaytostaycurrentandexchangeinformation.However,ifstudentsusenewsgroupsforresearchandinformation,besure
tocautionthemtocheckthereliabilityofthesource.Newsgroupsareopentoall,andtheinformationmustbetakenwithhealthyskepticism.Also,beawarethat
manynewsgroupsarenotmoderatedandmaybeinappropriateforclassroomuse.
WorldWideWeb(Web)
In1991,researchersatCERN(theEuropeanLaboratoryforParticlePhysics)conceivedtheideafortheWorldWideWeb(Web)anInternetenvironmentinwhich
documentsarelinkedtootherdocumentsorfilesbycommandsembeddedinthe
Page28
Figure3.5
Webpageforafictitioushighschool.
filesthemselves.AWebdocument(oftenreferredtoasapage)isillustratedinfigure3.5.
Theoptionsthatareunderlined(andusuallyhighlightedincolor)arelinkedtootherdocuments.Byclickingonthelinks,theuserisimmediatelytransportedtothe
correspondingpage,file,ordirectory,whichmaybeonacomputerinanotherpartoftheworld.Inmanycases,graphicsalsocontaininvisiblebuttons(calledimage
maps)thatcanlinkyoutoanewpagewhentheyareclicked.
UniformResourceLocators.
EachpageorresourceontheWebhasauniquelocation.Theselocations(includingtheaddress,pathname,andfilename)arewrittenasURLs(UniversalResource
Locators).SomesampleURLsareshownintable3.2.Notethattheaddressmaybeaseriesofnumbersratherthan
lettersandthatalthoughmanyURLsbeginwithwww,somedonot.
URLsforWebsitesbeginwithhttp(HypertextTransferProtocol)followedbyacolon,twoslashes,andtheaddressfortheWebpageorsite.(Notethatthedomains
usedinURLsarethesameasthoseusedforemailaddresses:org,gov,andsoforth.)Followingtheaddress,anotherslashmayappear,followedbyapathandfile
name(seefig.3.6).Forexample,http://www.jason.org/expedition.htmlwilltakeyoutoadocumenttitledexpedition.htmlattheJasonsite.
Browsers
ToviewWebdocuments,youmusthaveabrowser.AbrowserisasoftwareprogramthatdisplaysWebdocumentsandnavigatestheInternet.Severalgraphical
browsers,suchasNetscape
Page29
Table3.2SampleUniversalResourceLocators
WebSite
UniformResourceLocator
JasonProject
http://www.jason.org/expedition.html
Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/
NASAHomePage
http://www.nasa.gov/
FloridaCenterforInstructionalTechnology
http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/
CreateYourOwnNewspaper
http://crayon.net/
PatchAmericanHighSchool
http://192.253.114.31/
Figure3.6
AnatomyofaURL.
Navigator/CommunicatorandInternetExplorer,havebeendeveloped.ThesebrowsersarefreetoeducatorsandcanbedownloadedfromtheWeb.MostISPs
supplyabrowsertogetyoustarted.Youcankeepthatbrowseroruseittodownloadanotherbrowseryouprefer.
GraphicalbrowsersrunonMacintosh,PC,andUNIXcomputers.Likemostgraphicalinterfaces,theyprovideapointandclickenvironmentbuiltaroundamenu
bar.Thesemenusallowyoutoperformvariousoperations:backuptothelastWebpageyouviewed,returntothehomepage,setabookmark,typeaURL.Most
browsersalsoprovidealinktoInternetsearchenginesthatallowkeywordsearchingofInternetresources.
PlugInsforBrowsers
Pluginsaresmallprogramsthatexpandthecapabilitiesofyourbrowserbyallowingittodisplayorplayfilesinvariousformats.Pluginsareoftenneededtoview
videofiles,displayfilescreatedusingAdobeAcrobat,andplaygames.
Youcandownloadsomepluginswhenyoudownloadyourbrowser.Forexample,whenyoudownloadNetscape,youcanalsodownloadaplugincalled
Live/Audiothatenablesthebrowsertoplaysoundfiles.Anotheroptionistodownloadpluginsastheneedforthemarises.IfyouconnecttoaWebpagethat
requiresyoutohaveaplugin,anotewillappearontheWebpage,alongwithalinktotheappropriatepluginfile.Inmostcases,yousimplyclickonthelinkandthe
pluginisdownloadedtoyourcomputer.Aftertheyaredownloadedandinstalled,pluginsarestoredinaspecialfolderonyourharddrive.
TextOnlyBrowsers
Graphicalinterfacesdonotworkwellforuserswithslowmodemsortextonlyconnections.Fortheseusersatextonlybrowser,suchasLynx,providesaccessto
Webdocuments.WithLynx,youwillnotseegraphicsorhearsounds,butyoucanreadthetextandlinkto
Page30
Figure3.7
HTMLcodeforaWebpage.
otherdocumentsandsites.Insteadofamouse,textbasedbrowsersarecontrolledwiththekeyboard.
CreatingDocumentsontheWeb
AllWebdocumentsarecreatedinacommonformatcalledHTML(HyperTextMarkupLanguage).HTMLconsistsofsimpletextdocumentswithembedded
commands.Thecommandsareplacedwithinanglebrackets.Thecommandswithinbrackets,calledtags,areusedtoformattheWebpage.Forexample,tomakea
wordappearinbold,thetag<B>>isplacedinfrontofthewordandthetag</B>>aftertheword.<B>>Thisiseasy!</B>>displaysasThisiseasy!Thefirsttag
turnsthestyleon,andthesecondtagturnsthestyleoff.
HTMLdocumentscanbecreatedwithastandardwordprocessorwithHTMLeditorsavailableasfreewareorsharewareorwithcommercialpackages,suchas
AdobePageMill.Figure3.7showsHTMLtextandtheresultingWebpage.
About50HTMLtagsarecommonlyusedinWebdocuments.HTMLcodesmayappearconfusingatfirst,butstudentsandteacherssoondiscoverthatcreatingan
HTMLdocument
isnotmuchmoredifficultthanwritingapaper.SomesampleHTMLtagsandguidelinesforWebdesignappearattheendofthechapter.TolearnmoreaboutHTML
andcreatingyourownWebpage,visitoneofthemanytutorialsontheWeb,suchasABeginner'sGuidetoHTMLat
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimer.html.orHTMLTutorialathttp://www.coedu.usf.edu/inst_tech/publications/html.
FindingaWebServerforYourSchool
AfteryouhavecreatedaWebpage,youmustplaceitonaWebserver(acomputerwithspecialsoftwarethatisrunning24hoursaday)inorderforinterestedusers
toaccessit.ManyschoolsorschooldistrictshaveaWebserverforclassandstudentprojects,oralocaluniversityorcollegemayprovidethisserviceforK12
schools.YourISPmayprovidealimitedamountofserverspace,oryoumaybeabletogetspaceonacommunity(cityorcounty)server.Remember,theserver
doesnotneedtobelocalifyouarebuildingasmallWebsite,youmaybeabletofindafreeservertohostit.AlistoffreeserversappearsintheResourcessectionat
theendofthischapter.
Page31
ThousandsofK12schoolsnowhavetheirownWebpages.Someprovideextensivesiteswithschoolnewspapersandinformationaboutcommunityeventsand
schoolfunctions,aswellasclassprojects.ForalistofschoolsontheWeb,visitWeb66athttp://web66.coled.umn.edu/.
TheWorldWideWeballowsstudentstoreadinteractivestorybooks,tourmuseums,controlremoterobotarms,andtakepartininstructionallessons.Chapters6
10containinformationaboutWebsitesusefultoK12educators.
MultimediaontheWeb
Itisquiteeasytocreatealinktoanaudioorvideofile.Theproblemisthatthesefilesaregenerallyquitelargeandcantakeseveralminutestodownloadandplay.For
example,a1MBfilethatplaysa20secondvideoclipcantakemorethan10minutestodownload.Onesolutionistostreamthefiles,thatis,toplaythemasthey
aretransferring.Amediafilethatcontainsastreamingformatwillbegintoplayalmostimmediatelyandwillcontinuetoplayasittransfers.Inthisway,youcanlistento
radiostationsorconcerts,oryoucanhearalivepresidentialaddress(withashortdelay).
Toplaystreamingfiles,youneedapluginthatcandeciphertheformat.Severalpluginsdesignedtoworkwiththemostcommonbrowsers(NetscapeandInternet
Explorer)areavailableforfree.Forexamplesofstreamingfiles,visittheRealAudiositeathttp://www.realaudio.comortheVDOlivesiteathttp://www.vdonet.com/.
FileTransferProtocol.
OntheInternet,softwareandotherfilescanbetransferredquicklyandinexpensivelyfromonecomputertoanother.Aprocesscalledfiletransferprotocol(FTP)was
developedmanyyearsagotoallowuserstoexamineremotedirectoriesandmovefilesandprogramstoorfromaremotecomputer.Withagraphicalinterface,FTP
isveryeasy.Yousimplypointandclick,andthefilesaretransferredtoyourcomputer.Withatextbasedinterface,afewbasiccommandsachievethesameresult.A
listofeducationalFTPsitesappearsattheendofthischapter.
DownloadingFiles
TouseyourWebbrowsertodownloadfilesfrompublicFTPsites,firstaccessthesitebytypingthesite'sURLintheLocationareaofyourWebbrowser.For
example,toaccessthefilesattheUniversityofSouthFloridaFTPsite,youwouldtypeftp://typhoon.coedu.usf.edu.Whenyouareconnectedto
thatsite,youwillseeaseriesoffilesandfolders.Atthatpoint,yousimplyclicktodownloadthefilesyouwantandselectafolderonyourharddriveforthetransfer.
Largefilesusuallyarestoredincompressedformandmustbedecompressedbeforetheycanbeused.Somefilesdecompressautomaticallyothersmustbe
decompressedmanually,usingdecompressionsoftware.Sharewaredecompressionsoftwareisavailablefordownloading.VisitShareware.comat
http://www.shareware.comtolocatesoftware.
UploadingFiles
Uploadingfiles(sendingthemtoaremotesite)generallyrequiresspecialFTPsoftware,aswellasaccess(viaapassword)totheremotesite.Forexample,ifyou
havecreatedafileforyourWebsiteandwanttotransferittothedistrictserver,youcoulduseFetch(Macintosh),CuteFTP(Windows),orseveralotherFTP
programstotransferthefile.
TouseFetchtouploadafile,beginbyconnectingtotheInternet.ThenopenyourFTPsoftwareandentertheaddressfortheremotesite.Notethattotransferfilesto
anothersiteyouwillneedapasswordandloginforthatsite.(Somesitesallowyoutologinasanonymous).Afteryouareloggedin,youwillbeabletoseethefile
structureoftheremotesite(seefig.3.8).Selectthefolderontheremoteserverthatyouwanttotransferthefileinto,thenselectthefileonyourcomputerthatyou
wanttotransfer,andclickPutfile...
Page32
Figure3.8
UploadingafileusingFetch.
Figure3.9
Internetchatscreen.
Conferencing
MostcommunicationsontheInternettakeplaceinasynchronousmode,forexample,youcansendanemailmessageanditwaitsuntiltherecipientreadsitata
latertime.Itisalsopossibletocommunicateinsynchronousmode,inwhichallpartiesareonlineatthesametimeandcommunicateinrealtime.Thebasicformsof
conferencingontheInternetincludeInternetchat,audioconferencing,andvideoconferencing.
InternetChat
ChattingontheInternetreferstoaninteractivemessageexchangeamongremotecomputeruserswhoareonlinesimultaneously.Alltheparticipantsinthechatsee
whatyoutypeasyouaretypingit,andyouseewhattheytypeastheyaretypingit.Figure3.9showsthetextualexchangebetweentwopeople(oneinAlaskaand
oneinFlorida).
Manyonlineservices(suchasAmericaOnline)providechatroomsforsubscribers.Chatisalso
Page33
availableonsomeeducationalWebsites.Forexample,Cyberkidsofferschatareasthatarerestrictedtostudents.Toparticipate,accesshttp://www.cyberkids.com
andfillouttheregistrationform.
TherearealsochatroomsopentoalmosteveryonewhohasanemailaccounttheseareaccessedusingIRC(InternetRelayChat).Caution:
Alwayscloselysupervisestudentsparticipatinginonlinechats.Unfortunately,unscrupulouspeoplespendagreatdealoftimeinchatrooms,oftenimpersonating
someoneelse.
AudioConferencing
Ifyouhaveafastconnection(atleast28.8Kbps),itispossibletoparticipateinlimitedaudioconferencingtheInternetequivalentofatelephonecall.Usingaudio
conferencingsoftware,acomputer,andamicrophone,itispossibletomakeinternationalcallsforafractionofthecostofalongdistancephonecall.Bothparties
musthavearelativelyfastconnection,andbothmustlogontotheInternetataprearrangedtime.AftertheyareconnectedtotheInternet,theycandialeachotherby
enteringtheIP(InternetProtocol)numberoftheircomputerortheiremailaddress.Atthatpoint,theycantalktoeachother,almostasiftheywereconnectedby
telephone.Thistechnologyforaudioconferencingisnew,butitholdsgreatpromise.Youcandownloadtrialversionsoftelephonysoftwareat
http://WWW.vocaltec.comorhttp://WWW.emagic.com.
VideoConferencing
ThemostpopularsoftwareforvideoconferencingontheInternetisCUSeeMe,whichwasdevelopedatCornellUniversity.CUSeeMemakesitpossibleforyouto
seeandtalktoasmanyassevenpeopleatonetime.Thesoftwareisstillindevelopment,theimagesaresmall,andthesoundsometimesbreaksup,butitisfreeandit
works!
AnotherpopularvideoconferencingprogramisNetMeetingbyMicrosoft.Thisfreesoftwareincludesachatboard(tosharewrittennotes),asharedwhiteboard(to
draworcutandpaste
objectsandtext),andacollaborationfeature(toshareacomputerapplicationthatisavailableononeofthecomputers).
CUSeeMeandNetMeetingaregenerallyusedtoconnecttwopoints,asinaoneononeteleconference.Toparticipateinavideoconference,youneedadirect
Internetconnection(usuallythroughaLAN),andyourworkstationmusthaveamicrophoneandavideodigitizingdevice.Ifmorethantwositesaretobeinvolvedina
conference,anadditionalcomputerwithsoftwarecalledareflectorisneeded.ThereflectorsoftwareusuallyrunsonapowerfulUNIXworkstationthatcoordinates
thestreamsofdatafromandtothemultiplesites.
Conclusion.
TheprimaryusesoftheInternetincludeemail,newsgroups,listservs,filetransfers,andtheWorldWideWeb.Thesefeaturesvaryslightly,dependingonthesoftware
andtypeofconnectionyouusetoaccesstheInternet.AlthoughtheInternetmayseemoverwhelmingatfirst,withpracticeyouwillsoonbesurfingthe'Netlikeapro!
Page34
Resources
WebPageDevelopmentTools
AdobePageMill.8008336687
http://www.adobe.com
ClarisHomePage.8005448554
http://www.claris.com
MicrosoftFrontPage.8004269400
http://www.microsoft.com
NetscapeComposer
http://www.netscape.com
PersonalWebPageDesigner.8007559036
http://www.pacificasoftware.com
Sunburst'sWebWorkshop.8003217511
http://www.nybsunburst.com
Webmaster.8006381639
http://www.wentwortb.com
WebPageWizard.8009998911
http://www.web2000.com
WebPublisher.8004486543
http://www.asymetrix.com
WebWorkshop.8884848438
http://www.vividus.com
WebSitesThatWillHostWebPagesforSchools
ClassroomConnect
http://www.classroom.net/classweb/
SchoolsontheWeb
http://www.gsh.org/fetc/design.htm
ViveWebConnections
http://www.vive.com/connect/
Geocities
http://www.geocities.com/
AmericaSchoolDirectory
http://www.asd.com
Page35
BasicHTMLCommands
EssentialParts:
<HTML>
<HEAD><TITLE>...<lTITLE>
<1HEAD>
<BODY>...<fBODY>
<1HTML>
FormattingText:
Headings:
<H1>...<1H1>Mostprominentheading
<H2>...<1H2>
<H3>...<IH3>
<H4>...<IH4>
<H5>...<IH5>
<H6>...<IH6>Leastprominentheading
PhysicalStyles:
Boldface:<B>...<fB>
Italics:<1>...<fI>
Underline:<U>...<fU>
FormataParagraph:
Displaypreformattedtext:<PRE>...<lPRE>
Blockquotedtext:<BLOCKQUOTE>...<fBLOCKQUOTE>
Toseparateparagraphs(Sameasacarriagereturn):<BR>
Horizontalruler:<HR>
Paragraph:<P>...<IP>
MakingLists:
UnorderedList:
<UL>
<LI>List#1
<LI>List#2
</UL>
OrderedList:
<OL>
<LI>List#1
<LI>List#2
</0L>
HypertextLinksandAnchors:
Hyperlinks:<AHREF="http://whereto.domain">...<1A>
Emaillinks:<AHREF="mailto:name@my.domain">...<1A>
DisplayinganImage/Movie/Sound:
Displayapicture:<IMGSRC="image.gif'ALT="[Alternate
Text]">
Showamovie:<AHREF="filename">...<1A>
Playasound:<AHREF="filename">...<1A>
Page36
Page37
4
InternetActivitiesforStudents:
CommunicationandResearch
Brendawasworkingonherchemistryprojectaboutiodineclockreactions.Theexperimentwascomplete,butshestillhadtowritethereportandhaveitreadyfor
themorning.ItwasagoodthingthelibraryhaddirectInternetaccessforstudents!
HerfirststepwastoconductasearchontheWebforinformationaboutkinetics.ShewentimmediatelytoInfoSeek(oneofherfavoritesearchengines)andtypedin
kineticsforthesearchword.Inamatterofseconds,shehadmorethan1,500hitsfartoomanytolookatintheshorttimeshehad.Shequicklyrefinedthesearch
byentering+kinetics+iodine+clock.Thistimetheresultwasonlyeighthitsaperfectnumberforastudentwithadeadline!
Brendalookedthroughthelistofhitsandfoundacoupleshecoulduse.ThefirstonewasalinktotheJournalofChemicalEducation.Theabstractaboutiodine
clockreactionwouldbeanicereference.Anotherlinkledtoahighschoollessonplanthatfocusedonanexperimentsimilartohers.Shealsofoundanarticlewritten
bytwohighschoolteachersaboutiodineclockreactions.
Toaugmentthewrittenreport,sheneededtoconstructdiagramsofthereaction.Herteacherhadmentionedstudentscoulddownloadthechemicaldrawingprogram
ISIS/Drawtheyhadusedinclass.FindingtheprogramwaseasyBrendamerelytypedinthesearchstring+chemistry+ISIS+drawtoobtainalistofsitesthat
mentionedthesoftware.SheclickedononecalledSteven'sListofChemistrySoftwareontheWWW.ThereshefoundalinktotheMDLInformationSystems,Inc.,
Webpage,fromwhichshecoulddownloadISIS/Draw.
Page38
Figure4.1
Communicationandresearchactivities.
Brendafoundthedownloadlinkforhercomputertype,clickedonDownload,andwaitedfortheprogramtotransfertohercomputer.Within20minutes,shehad
downloadedthedrawingprogram,extracteditfromitscompressedform,andcheckeditforcomputerviruses.Addingthemoleculesrepresentingthechemical
reactionstoherreportwasasnap!
Finally,thoughitwasgettinglate,shetookthetimetosaveherreportasaWebdocument.Thatway,shecouldemailittoherteacherincasehewantedtocheck
outtheWebsitesinherreferencelist.ThankgoodnessfortheInternet!
TheeducationalapplicationsoftheInternetcanbedividedintotwoverybroadareas:communicationandresearch.Thecommunicationcategoryincludes
asynchronouscommunicationsthatinvolveatimelagbetweenmessages(suchasemailandelectronicpublishing)andsynchronouscommunicationsthattakeplacein
realtime(suchaschatrooms,audioconferencing,andvideoconferencing).Theresearchcategoryincludesbasic,advanced,andoriginalresearch.Originalresearch
containsaspectsofbothcommunicationandresearch(seefig.4.1).Someactivitiesinvolvesimpleexchangesortransferofinformationothersinvolvehighlevel
problemsolvingandsynthesis.Thischapterinvestigatesbothcommunicationandresearch.Specificactivitiesandlessonplansaregiveninchapters610.
AsynchronousCommunications
Asynchronouscommunicationsareoftendescribedastimeshifted,meaningastudentmaysendamessageandreceiveananswertwominutesortwodayslater.
Comparedtothepostalsystem,thetimedelayscanbeshort.Thespeedatwhichananswerarrivesdependsonwhenthereceiverrespondsitdoesnotdependon
mailcarriers.Inaddition,thecostisminimalinmanycases,thereislittleornochargetoeducatorsforsendingmessages,whethertheygoacrossthestreetoraround
theworld.
ManyInternetcommunicationprojectsinschoolsareaccomplishedusingemailorWebdocuments.Commonprojectsinvolveelectronicpenpals,peertopeer
tutorsormentors,appearancesandpersonifications,collaborativestories,studentgalleries,andpublishingWebpages.
ElectronicPenPals
Perhapsthemostcommonandleastperplexingformoftelecommunicationsprojectsiselectronicpenpals(alsoreferredtoaskeypals).Liketraditionalpenpals,
electronicpenpalsexchangepersonalthoughts,storiesideas,questions,andexperiences.Eachpersonhasanindividualmailingaddress.
Electronicpenpalsofferstudentstheopportunitytoexpressthemselvesandlearnfromothersinariskfreeenvironment,withinandbeyond
Page39
theircommunities.Thisformofelectronicmessagingenablesstudentstoovercomestereotypes,practicewrittencommunicationskills,becomeawareofothercultures,
andmakenewfriends.Penpalexchangesalsoprovideaforumforpracticingadifferentlanguage.
Electronicpenpalsmaybearrangedwithpeersinanotherschool,state,orcountry.Thisallowsstudentstocompareandcontrasttheirculturesandsocial
environments.Crossagepenpalsmaybearranged,witholderstudentspairedwithyoungerstudents,orwithseniorcitizensorotheradultssharingtheirlivesand
experienceswithstudents.
Insomecases,penpalscanprovideeyewitnessreportsthatareunavailablefromothersources.Forexample,duringtheGulfWar,studentsinWashingtonstate
communicatedwithchildreninIsraeldaily.Throughemailmessages,theU.S.studentsreceivedfirsthandaccountsfromtheIsraelichildrenabouthowitfelttogoto
schoolwithgasmasks(Golub1994).
Althoughpenpalactivitiescanbeinformalandindividual,itisoftenmoreefficienttoengageintheseactivitiesasaclassorsmallgroup(Harris1995).Iftelephonelines
arelimitedoryoupayafeeforconnecttime,itmaybenecessarytowritesomeofthemessagesoffline(whilenotconnectedtotheInternet).Inotherwords,oneor
twostudentsmayberesponsibleforcheckingtheemailaccountfornewmessageseachdayandprintingorcapturingtheincomingmessages.Theclassorsmall
groupscanthenwriteresponsestothemessagesusingawordprocessingprogram.Finally,studentscanquicklysendtheirresponsestotheirkeypals.
Structurehelpstomakeanongoingemailexchangesuccessful.Itmaybefinetoconverseabouthobbies,butitisbesttohaveatimelineforinteractionsthatmeeta
curricularobjective.(Chapter5offersguidelinesforsettinguptelecommunicationsprojects.)
ElectronicTutoringandMentoring
Usingemailfortutoringandmentoringlinksstudentswithotherstudentsoradultswhoprovideoneononeassistanceandguidanceonarountinebasis.This
approachisespeciallybeneficialwithhomebasedstudentsforwhomfacetofacemeetingsmaynotbepossible.Emailallowsstudentsandmentorstoexchange
messagesattheirconvenienceoronaschedule.
Insomecases,onlinetutoringtakesplacesolelythroughmessagesstudentssendmessagesandreceiveanswersatalaterdateortime.Inothercases,achator
conferencingsystemmaybeusedforrealtimecommunication.Mentoringalsomaytakeplaceonanasneededbasis.ManysitesontheWebencouragestudentsto
submitquestionstoexpertsinvariousfields(seetable4.1),includingastronomy,biology,chemistry,computerscience,engineering,mathematics,andphysics.Inmost
cases,theanswersaresuppliedinlessthantwodays,andtheyarefree!
AppearancesandImpersonations
Electronicnetworkscanbringstudentsintodirectcontactwithnotablepeople.Forexample,famousauthorsmayparticipateinchatroomsatprearrangedtimes,or
scientistsmayparticipateinInternetbasedvideoconferences.AmericaOnlineoffersforumsinwhichindividualscanaddresselectronicmessagestocontemporary
authors.
Insomecases,someoneansweringemailmayimpersonateafamousauthor,character,orperson.Forexample,Virginia'seducationalnetwork(VAPEN)sponsored
aforumentitledtheElectronicVillage.Inthisvillage,studentscouldsendmessagestoWillyWonkaandotherfictionalcharacters.Teachersorgraduatestudents
answeredthequestionsfromWilly'sperspective(Bulletal.1989).Otherexamplesofimpersonationsincludetheportrayaloffolklorecharacters,suchastheEaster
Bunny,andhistoricalcharacters,suchasGeorgeWashington.
CollaborativeStories
CollaborativeorroundrobinstoriesareanexampleofinformalpublishingontheInternet.Inthisapproach,aparticipatingclassmaystartastorywithafew
paragraphs.Thestorystarteristhensenttoanotherclass.Studentsinthesecondclassaddanewparagraphtothestory.Thenthe
Page40
Table4.1OnlineExperts
Site
URL
AskAsia
http://www.askasia.org
AskaScientist
http://ippex.pppl.gov/ippex/pages/Ask_an_expert.html
AskanExpertSources
http://www.etc.bc.ca/tdebhome/int_expert.html
AskDr.Math
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/dr.math/drmath.html
AskERIC
http://ericir.syr.edu
MadScientistNetwork
http://medschool.wustl.edu/ysp/MSN
ProfNet
http://time.vyne.com/profnet/ped/ed.acgi
Pitsco'sAskanExpert
http://www.askanexpert.com/p/ask.html
storygoestoathirdclass,whichaddstothestoryvariation.Thiscyclecontinuesuntilthestoryreachesthelastclassintheround.
Inlikemanner,studentsmaycollaborateasaclassorinsmallgroupstowritepoems,music,orothermaterial.Whenthecompositioniscomplete,itmaybepostedon
aWebpage,distributedtoeachparticipatingclass,orsubmittedforformalpublication.
StudentGalleries.
TheWeboffersawonderfulforumforstudentstosharetheirstories,art,andotherproductionswiththerestoftheworld.SeveralWebsiteswelcomestudent
submissions.Table4.2providesalistofWebsitesthatencourageotherstosubmittheirproducts.(Submissionrequirementsandproceduresarelistedoneachsite.)
PublishingWebPages
ManyschoolshavecreatedWebpagestopublishinformation.Forexample,PatchAmericanHighSchool,inGermany,producedaWebpagedevotedtoDDay
(seefig.4.2).StudentsatPatchaccumulatedgraphics,text,video,andsoundsaboutDDayandmadethemavailableatthissite(http://192.253.114.31/DDay/).In
thefirstsixmonths,morethan70,000peoplevisitedthesite.
CreatingWebdocumentsisnotdifficult(seechapter3).ToviewK12schoolsthatcurrentlyhaveWebpages,visittheWeb66SchoolsRegistryat
http://web66.coled.umn.edu/Schools.html.AlthoughitisimpossibletodeterminetheexactnumberofstudentproducedWebpagesontheInternet,morethan10,000
schoolsareregisteredattheWeb66site.TheWebpagesprovideawidevarietyoffeatures,includingbackgroundinformation,communitynews,classprojects,
currentevents,andonlineschoolnewspapers(BarronandIvers1997).
SynchronousCommunications
Synchronouscommunicationstakeplaceinrealtime,withallparticipantsonlineatthesametime.Inmanyways,synchronouscommunicationsaresimilartotelephone
conversations,buttheycostless.A30minutecalltoEuropewouldbefarbeyondthebudgetofmostschools,buthavingatextbasedchatwithapartnerinEurope
doesnotcostanymorethansendinganemailmessage.
Thetypeofsynchronouscommunicationsusedtextchatsoraudioorvideoconferencingdependsontheconnectionspeed,software,andhardwareavailableat
theparticipatingsites(seechapter3).Somecommonsynchronousprojects
Page41
Table4.2WebSitesThatPublishStudentProjects
Site
URL
Focus
CyberKids
http://www.cyberkids.com
Art,stories
CyberTeens
http://www.cyberteens.com
Art,stories
TheDiaryProject
http://www.diaryproject.com
Studentdiaries
GlobalShownTellMuseum
http://www.telenaut.com/gst
Art
KidNews
http://www.vsa.cape.com/powens/kidnews.html
Stories
KidPub
http://www.kidpub.org/kidpub
Stories
Kids'Space
http://www.kidsspace.org
Art,stories,music
Kids'SpaceConnection
http://www.KSconnection.com
StudentWebpages
Kids'Web
http://www.Iws.com/kidsweb/links.htm
Art
YoungComposers
http://www.youngcomposers.com/
MIDImusic
IPLYouthDivisionWriting
Contests
http://www.ipl.org/youth/PutMyStory/
Writingcontests
Figure4.2
DDayinformationfromPatchAmericanHighSchool.
Page42
includeideaexchanges,foreignlanguagepractice,andinteractivementoringorinstruction.
IdeaExchanges
Manysynchronouscommunicationsfocusoninformalexchangesofideas.Intheseforums,studentsareencouragedtointeractwiththeirpeers,discusstopicsof
interest,andexpresstheirfeelings.TwolivechatroomsforstudentsareCyberKids(http://www.cyberkids.com)andCyberTeens(http://www.cyberteens.com).Many
commercialInternetserviceprovidersalsoofferchatroomsformembers.Mostoftheseareasarenotmoderated.Cautionstudentsagainstchattingwithunknown
peopleasyouwouldcautionthemagainsttalkingwithstrangers.
ForeignLanguagePractice
TheInternethasopenedupawholenewrealmofpossibilityforstudentstopracticeaforeignlanguage.Intheasynchronousmode,theycanreadforeignnewspapers
orvisitWebsitesdevelopedinanotherlanguage.Evenmorepowerfulisdirectinteractionwithstudentswhospeakanotherlanguage.Withtheproperhardwareand
software,itisnotdifficulttoarrangeanaudioorvideoconferencewithnativespeakersintheUnitedStatesorabroad.Studentscantalkandpossiblyseeeachother
astheypracticetheirlanguageskills.
InteractiveMentoringorInstruction
Imaginehavingamentororinstructorfromanothercountryorlocationmakealiveappearanceinyourclassroom.This,andotherinteractiveexchanges,areuseful
applicationsofsynchronouscommunications.Forexample,amentormightestablishvirtualofficehoursduringwhichheorsheisonlineandavailableforachatsession
orconference.Likewise,aguestspeakercouldmakeanappearancetoaclassandengageinquestionsandanswerswiththestudents.Forexample,theFlorida
CommissionofEducationparticipatedina20minuteinteractivechatsessionwithstudentsinaclassroomhundredsofmilesaway.Thestudentswereabletotype
questionsandviewimmediateanswers.
Research
ConductingresearchontheInternetissimilartoconductingresearchinahuge,wellstockedlibrary,Studentsmayknowexactlywhichbooktheywantandwhereitis
located,ortheymayconductanintensesearchtolocatethebestresources.Also,theoutcomeoftheresearchmayvary.Studentsmayaccomplishtheirinstructional
objectivesimplybylocatingthecorrectbook,ortheymayberequiredtolocateseveralsourcesandproduceaproductorsolveaproblemthatdemonstratestheycan
analyzeandsynthesizetheinformationtheyfound.
ThingstoConsiderbeforeGoingOnline.
ItiseasytocollectinformationontheInternet,butitisalsoeasytogetsidetrackedbyirrelevantdata.Onlineisthebestthingtocomedownthelineinyearsinthe
educationalfield,becauseitteacheskidstothink.Forthefirsttime,theyhavetoaskthemselveswhatitisthey'rereallylookingfor(Basch1993,184).
Alternativemedia.BeforeconductingresearchontheInternet,studentsshoulddeterminewhethertheInternetisthebesttoolfortheresearch(Thome1996).In
manycases,especiallyforyoungchildren,aCDROMmaybeabetteralternative.CDROMsdesignedforelementarystudentsoftenprovideabetterinterface,and
theycontaincontentthatistailoredtoyounglearners.Likewise,ifaninvestigationrequiresreviewinglotsofvideo,avideodiscorvideotapemaybethemost
appropriatesource.Finally,onecharacteristicofInternetinformationisitscurrencyifyouarestudyingthe1920elections,othersourcesmaybebetter.
Evaluatingsources.
TheInternetisfarfromperfect.Largelyunedited,itscontentisoftentasteless,foolish,uninteresting,orjustplainwrong(ElmerDeWitt1995,10).Studentsoften
believeiftheyseesomethinginprintoronthecomputer,itmustbetrue.Insteadofblindlyacceptingandreportinginformation,studentsmustlearntoinvestigateits
sourceandvalidatetheinformation.
Page43
Table4.3FactorsRelatedtotheValidityofInternetInformationSources
Newsgroups
Listservs
Databases
Electronic
Journals
FTPSites
Source
Individuals
Individuals
Organization
Publishers
Individuals
Edited?
No
No
Usually
Usually
No
Refereed?
No
No
Sometimes
Usually
No
Availableinprint?
No
No
Sometimes
Usually
No
Theissuesofaccuracy,authority,objectivity,currency,andcoverageareusedtoascertainthequalityofprintsources.ThesecriteriacanbeappliedtoInternet
sources.Anevaluationchecklistwithquestionsrelatedtothefiveissuesappearsattheendofthischapter.
Insomecases,thetypeofsourceofferscluesaboutthevalidityoftheinformation.Forexample,mostnewsgroupsareunmoderatedandmessagesmayreflect
opinionsratherthanfacts.Table4.3matchesdatasourcesontheInternetwithimportantquestionstoconsiderinevaluatingtheirvalidity.Iftheinformationisnot
edited,refereed,andavailableinprint,studentsshouldbeencouragedtovalidatethedatabycheckingwithexpertsorcrosscheckingtheinformationwithothervalid
sources.Inaccurate,incomplete,orquestionabledatashouldberejected.AworksheetthatprovidesguidelinesforstudentsinvestigatingWebsitesappearsattheend
ofthischapter.
AWebsite'sdomain(gov,com,edu)mayalsooffersomecluesastothevalidityandreliabilityoftheinformation.Sitesinthegovernment(gov)domainare
maintainedbythefederalgovernment,andtheinformationislikelytobevalidated.Becauselackoffundingmayprecludesubsequentresearchtoupdatethe
informationpresented,however,informationistypicallylessdynamic.Internetaddressesforsitesinthegovernmentdomainareusuallyquitestable.
Sitesinthecommercial(com)domainmaybeassociatedwithmarketingorganizations.Theyusuallycontainmoretechnical,leadingedgeinformationandare
maintainedbytrainedWebmasters.Theinformationcontentinthisdomainmaybebiasedwithanemphasisoncommercialinterests.
Sitesintheeducationaldomain(edu)varygreatlyinthequalityandappearanceofinformationpresented.Mostofthesesiteshaveveryfewresourcestodevoteto
creatingandmaintainingWebsites.Inaddition,theymaynotbeelectronicallysophisticated,andmostoftheirfacultyandstaffmaylackthetechnicalexpertise
necessarytoestablishasophisticatedWebpresence.Information(researchpapers,homepages,andsoforth)iscommonlymovedwithoutleavingaforwarding
address,anddeadendlinksarecommon.
AdditionalWebevaluationmaterialsareavailableatthefollowingsites:
http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/skill26.htm
http://www.albany.edu/library/internet/evaluate.html
http://www.capecod.net/shrockguide/eval.htm
TheInternetResearchCycle
Anadaptationofthesixstepresearchcycletoinformationproblemsolving(EisenbergandBerkowitz1990)isappropriateforInternetsearches.Asindicatedin
figure4.3,thestepsinthecyclemayberepeatedasnecessary.Thestepsare
Questioning.
Beforestudentsgoonline,theyshouldstructuretheirresearchquestionsanddeterminetheirtopicsofinterest.Thishelpsstudents
Page44
Figure4.3
Internetresearchcycle.
developaclearpictureofthetypesofinformationtheyareseeking.Studentsshouldbeencouragedtowritedetailedquestions,identifyrelatedtopics,andoutline
primaryareasofinterest.
Planning.
Usingtheirresearchquestions,studentsdevelopalistofsitestoinvestigate.Withcarefulplanning,studentscanmakethemostoftheirtimeonline.Tohelpstudents,a
planningguideappearsattheendofthischapter.
Gathering.
Studentsgoonlinetoretrievetheinformationtheyneed.Skillindownloadingandcapturingfilesisbeneficialduringthisstage.Studentsshouldbecautionedtoquickly
assesstherelevanceofinformationbeforedownloadingittoavoidacquiringmountainsofunimportantdata.
Sortingandsifting.
Afterstudentshaveloggedoff,theanalysisphasebeginsasstudentscullthedata.Dependingontheamountofinformationthatwascollected,thisstagecantakea
substantialamountoftimeastheinformationiscategorizedandacceptedorrejected.
Synthesizing..
Studentsintegratetheinformationthataddressestheresearchquestionsanddrawconclusions.
Evaluating.
Finally,studentsseektodeterminewhethertheresearchquestionhasbeenadequatelyaddressedorwhetheradditionalresearchisnecessary.Inmanycasesthecycle
startsover,witharevisedresearchquestionandadditionalsitestosearch(McKenzie1995).AnInternetresearchrubric,usedtoassessstudents'skillsintheresearch
cycle,appearsattheendofthischapter.
InformationSkills
Informationliteracyempowersstudentstobeindependentlearners,recognizerelevantinformation,usetechnologywhenappropriate,andcommunicateusingmultiple
media.Informationliteracyskillsareusefulinadultlifeandpertinenttoallcareers.
TheAmericanAssociationofSchoolLibrarians(AASL)andtheAssociationofEducationalCommunicationandTechnology(AECT)are
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workingtogethertodevelopguidelinesthatpertaintoinformationliteracyforschoollibrarymediaprograms.Theguidelinesaddressthefollowingabilities:
Accessinformationefficientlyandeffectively
Evaluateinformationcriticallyandcompetently
Useinformationeffectivelyandcreatively
Pursueinformationrelatedtopersonalinterests
Appreciateandenjoyliteratureandothercreativeexpressionsofinformation
Striveforexcellenceininformationseekingandknowledgegeneration
Recognizetheimportanceofinformationtoademocraticsociety
Practiceethicalbehaviorinregardtoinformationandinformationtechnology
Participateeffectivelyingroupstopursueandgenerateinformation(AASL/AECTVisionCommittee1997)
TheColoradoEducationalMediaAssociation(1994)developedModelInformationLiteracyguidelinesforstudents.Theguidelinesrequirestudentsto:
Constructmeaningfrominformation
Createaqualityproduct
Learnindependently
Participateeffectivelyasgroupmembers
Useinformationandinformationtechnologiesresponsiblyandethically
IntegratingtheInternetintoeducationalcurriculacanenhancestudents'informationskills.Studentsdevelopinformationseekingstrategies,locateinformation,analyze
informationrelativetoneed,communicatewithawideaudience,workindependentlyoraspartofagroup,andusetheinformationeffectivelyandappropriately.
Chapters610addressspecificinformationskillstoillustratethosethatcanbelearnedusingtheInternet.
ResearchLevels
Studentsmayconductbasic,advanced,ororiginalresearchontheInternet.Althoughtheselevelsmayoverlap,theyserveasusefuldistinctionsbasedonthenumber
ofsitesvisited,thesourcesused,andthecomplexityofresearchquestions.
BasicResearch
Basicresearchinvolvesfinding,comparing,andreportingfactsfromoneormorepreselectedsources.Inmostcases,students'initialusesoftheInternetinvolvebasic
research.TheymayparticipateinanInternethuntdesignedbytheirteachertopracticebrowsingtheWeb,ortheymayuseapreselectedsource,suchastheonline
CIAWorldFactbook,towritearesearchreport.
Basicresearchskillsareimportantprerequisitestomoreadvancedresearch.Timeinvestedintheteachingandpracticeoftheseskillspaysofflater,especiallyfor
youngandinexperiencedresearchers.Severalworksheetsforbasicresearchactivitiesappearattheendofchapters610.Theseworksheetscanbeincorporatedas
classactivitiesorusedforindividualpractice.
AdvancedResearch
Advancedresearchdiffersfrombasicresearchinthatitincludesawidervarietyofsources(suchasseveralInternetsitesinadditiontoprintorCDROMsources).
Anotherdifferenceisthatthesourcesarenotpreselectedthestudentsmustselectthesourceorsourcestoinvestigate.
Toconductadvancedresearchactivities,studentsmustfirstdeterminethebestsourcesofinformationandthenselectastrategyforconductingtheresearch.Atthis
levelofresearch,studentsshouldbefamiliarwithsearchtechniques(seepages4749).
Inadditiontolocatingthecorrectinformation,studentsshouldbeencouragedtoanalyzetheresultsoftheirsearches,comparefacts,and
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reportthemappropriately.Studentsshouldbegintoquestionandcomparedata,rejectingpoor,incomplete,inaccurate,andinconsequentialfacts.Analysisand
extensionareveryimportantforInternetresearch.StudentsmustrealizethatsomeoftheinformationavailableontheInternetisnotaccurate.Theyshouldlearntobe
especiallysuspiciousofinformationgatheredfromnewsgroups,listservs,andpersonalWebpagesunlesstheycanverifythevalidityofthesources.
Internetresearchprojectscanresultinconcretebenefits.PeaseMiddleSchoolinSanAntonio,Texas,participatedinairqualitystudiesconductedbyGlobalLab.As
aresultofthestudies,theschool'sventilationsystemwasimprovedandtheparentsandadministratorsgainednewrespectforstudents'input(Berenfeld1993).
OriginalResearch
TheInternetisanexcellentplacetoconductoriginalresearchusingsurveysandcollaborativeexperiments.Studentsmayuseemailtoconductsurveyscollectingand
comparingthepricesoffood(orotheritems)invariouslocationsaroundtheworld.Aftertheinformationiscompiled,itcanbegraphed,analyzed,andreported.
Collaborativeexperimentscanalsobeconducted.Studentsinvariouslocationsmayplantthesamekindofseedonthesamedayandfollowthesamedirectionsfor
careoftheplants.Astheplantsgrow,studentsmeasuretheplantsandsenddatatootherparticipants.Thedataareusedforgraphing,analysis,anddrawing
conclusions.
Whenconductingcollaborativeexperiments,itisimportanttoensurethatallfactorsinfluencingmeasurementsarecontrolled.Forexample,somelocationshavebetter
accessthanotherstoscientificinstrumentsandcomputers.Ifyouplantocomparewatersamples,itmightbebesttosendthesametestingkittoalllocations.Involving
localexpertsandinsistingontheuseofcommoninstrumentswillalsominimizevariables.Becausevariouscountriesusedifferentsystemsofmeasurement(English
systemandmetricsystem,forexample),allmeasurementsmustbeconvertedtoacommongauge.Anothertypeoforiginalresearchmaypitstudentsagainstdata
sourcesontheInternetandinprint.Studentsmaygatheroriginaldataandthencomparethemtowhatothershavefoundandreported.Suchprojectsmayleadto
students'questioningandcorrectingdatasources,evenwhenthesesourcesareconsideredhighlyauthoritative.
CitationsforInternetResearch.
ConductingresearchontheInternetraisesthequestionoftheappropriatewaytociteelectronicsources.
Thebasicinformationthatstudentsshouldrecordforeachcitationincludes:
Titleofwork
Subtitleofwork
Author'sname
Originalpublicationdate(asshown)
DateofInternetaccess
Protocol(http,telnet,FTP,etc.)
URLwithcompletepath.RemindstudentsthatsomeURLsarecasesensitivetherefore,thepunctuationandcapitalizationshouldberecordedexactlyasitappears
ontheWebpage.
Author'sLastName,Author'sFirstName.Titleofwork:Subtitle.(Originaldateofpublicationorlatestversion).ProtocolandURL,(Dateofmessageorvisit).
Examples:
Walker,Janice.R.ColumbiaOnlineStyle:MLAStylesCitationsofElectronicSources.Nov.1997.http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/walker/mla.html(28Nov.
1997).
Barron,AnnE.AdvantagesofWebBasedTraining.barrona@mail.firn.edu(18Nov.1997).
TwoofthemostcommoncitationformatsareMLA(ModernLanguageAssociationofAmerica)andAPA(AmericanPsychologicalAssociation).Thepreceding
examplesarepresentedinMLA
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format.Informationaboutcitationsthatconformtotheseformatscanbefoundat:
http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/walker/mala.html
http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/walker/apa.html
http://owl.trc.purdue.edu/files/110.html
http://www.baker.edu/library/mla.html
http://www.pitsco.inter.net/p/cite.html
http://clever.net/quinion/words/citation.htm
BecauseWebmaterialsmaydisappearorchangeatanymoment,studentsshouldtakespecialprecautionstopreservetheirsources.Tostart,studentsshouldprint
anypagetheycitethatway,theycanrefertotheprintedcopyiftheonlineversiondisappears.Forfuturereference,studentsshouldsetthepreferencesintheWeb
browsersotheURLappearsoneachpageasitprints.
SearchingtheWeb
Therearemorethan50millionpagesoftextontheInternet,makingitextremelydifficulttolocatespecificinformation.Itisnotuncommonforastudenttotypeina
searchwordorphraseandobtain265,000ormorehits.Toreducethefrustrationandincreasethesuccessrate,itisimportanttoteachafewtechniquesforsearching
theWeb.
ThetoolsthatareusedtosearchtheWebconsistprimarilyofsubjectdirectoriesandsearchengines.Bothofthesemethodsappeartoworkthesamewayyou
accessasearchsiteontheWebandtypeinawordorphrase.Withinsecondsalistofrelatedsitesappears.
SubjectDirectories
Subjectdirectoriesarecatalogsthatorganizetopicsbycategoriesforpeoplewhowanttobrowsealist(seefig.4.4).YahooandMagellanarethemostpopular
subjectdirectories.WithYahoo,youcantypeinasearchwordorfindtheinformationyouwantbyclickingonvarious
Ifasearchproducestoomanyhits...
Usemorespecificsearchwords(enterThunderbird
ratherthancar).
Usemultiplesearchwords.
Capitalizepropernouns(suchasnames).
LookforaSearchTheseResultsoptionthatnarrows
thefirstsearch.
Useoneofthesearchdirectories,likeYahoo,that
manuallyreviewsthesitesbeforetheyarelisted.
Ifthesearchproducestoofewhits...
Checkyourspelling.
Readthesearchtipsrelatedtothesearchtoolyouare
using.
Usesynonymsandvariationsofthewords.
Tryasearchengine,likeExciteorAltaVista,that
conductsfulltextsearches.
topicsandsubtopics.AllofthesiteslistedonYahoomustbesubmittedandarereviewedbypeoplebeforetheyareaddedtothedirectory.
SearchEngines
SearchenginesusesoftwareprogramstoindexthousandsofWebsites,andtheindexesareupdatedalmostcontinuously.Whenyouenterakeywordintoasearch
engine,youreceivealistwiththenumberofhits,orlinkstorelatedsites.Thenumberofhitsmayvaryamongsearchenginesbecausesomeoftheenginescreatetheir
indexesbasedonthetitlesofWebsites,andothersarebasedonthefulltextoftheWebsites.Also,someoftheenginesindexmorethan
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Figure4.4
SubjectdirectoriesinYahoo.
Table4.4Addressforsearchprograms
Site
URL
AltaVista
http://www.digital.altavista.com
Excite
http://www.excite.com
HotBot
http://www.hotbot.com
Infoseek
http://www.infoseek.com
Lycos
http://www.lycos.com
Magellan
http://www.magellan.com
WebCrawler
http://www.webcrawler.com
Yahoo
http://www.yahoo.com
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30milliondocuments(suchasAltaVista)andsomeindexfewerthan1million(suchasWebCrawler).
Toaccessasearchengine,youcanclickontheSearchbuttononthemenubaroftheWebbrowser,oryoucantypeinaURL.Afterthesearchprogramisdisplayed,
simplytypeinthekeywordorwords.
ManysearchenginesandsearchdirectoriesareavailableontheWeb.Mostofthesecanbeusedfreeofcharge.Seetable4.4fortheaddressesofsomeofthe
popularsearchtools.
SearchTechniques
Aspreviouslystated,searchtoolsindexthousandsofWebsites,andmanysearchesresultinthousandsofhits.Severaltechniquescanbeusedtohelpnarrow
searchesandlimitthenumberofhits.Commoncommandsincludethefollowing:
...
Usingquotationmarksindicatesspecificphrasesinvolvingmorethanoneword.
physicalfitnesswilllocateonlyarticleswiththewordsnexttoeachother.
Addinga+signbeforeawordmeansthatitmustbeateachsitelisted.
+chemistry+experimentswillfindarticlesthatincludebothwords.
Addingahyphenbeforeawordmeansthatitwillnotappearonsiteslisted.
+probabilitygamblingwillfindarticlesthatincludethewordprobabilitybutdonotincludetheword
gamblinginthetitle.
Asteriskscanbeusedforwildcardsinsomesearchengines.
Mexic* willfindarticleswithMexico,Mexican,etc.
ThebestwaytolearntosearchtheWebistopracticeasearchpracticeworksheetappearsattheendofthischapter.
SearchEnginesforChildren
Afewsearchenginesaredesignedforchildren(seetable4.5).Theseengineseitherprovidealistofchildsafesitesorsearchadatabasethathaspreselectedsitesfor
students.Usingoneoftheseengineswillhelptokeepstudentsfromwanderingintoadultmaterials.
MetasearchEngines
Ifyougettiredofusingonesearchengineafteranothertofindyourtopic,youwillbegladtoknowaboutmetasearchengines.Ametasearchenginesubmitsyour
requesttoseveralWebenginesordirectoriesatthesametime.Theresultsarethenputinasinglelist,oftenwitharelevancescorebasedonthenumberoftimesyour
wordorphraseappearsintheWebdocument.Severalmetasearchtoolsarelistedintable4.6.
Conclusion.
Communicationactivitiesofferaninexpensivemeansforstudentstocollaborateonprojects,mentor(orbementored),publishtheircompositions,andinteractwith
studentsandexpertsthroughouttheworld.Researchactivitieschallengestudentstobecomeawareofotherculturescollect,compare,andanalyzeinformation
sourcesandquestionthevalidityofthedata.ImportantskillsforstudentsnowincludetheabilitytousetheInternettoaccess,analyze,filter,andorganize
multidimensionalinformationsources.
References
AASL/AECTVisionCommittee.1997.Informationstandardsforstudentlearning.http://www.ala.org/aasl/stndsdrft5.html(November28,1997).
BarronA.E.,andK.S.Ivers.June1997.WebPagesandK12Education:Astudyofthepatternsofuse.ProceedingsoftheNationalEducationalComputing
Conference,Seattle,Washington.
Basch,R.1993.Secretsofthesupersearchers.Wilton,CT:EightBitBooks.
Berenfeld,B.1993.AmomentofgloryinSanAntonio.HandsOn!16(3).
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Table4.5SearchToolsforStudents
SearchTool
URL
Description
AOLNetFindforKids
http://www.aol.com/netfind/kids
BasedonkidsitesfromExcite
Magellan
http://www.magellan.com
Greenlightindicatessafesite
LycosKidsGuide
http://www.lycos.com/kids
FeaturesaJustforKidssite
XploreKids
http://www.xplore.com/xplore500/medium/kids.html
Rotatinglistof500sites
Yahooligans
http://www.yahooligans.com
Eightcategoriesforkids
Table4.6MetasearchTools
SearchTool
URL
Description
AllInOne
http://www.albany.net/allinone
200searchtools
Cinet
http://www.search.com
250Websearches
InferenceFind
http://m5.inference.com/ifind/
Searchesandcategorizes
InternetSleuth
http://www.isleuth.com/
Thousandsofdatabases
Metacrawler
http://metacrawler.cs.washington.edu:8080
Searches9services
SavvySearch
http://guaraldi.cs.colostate.edu:2000
23databases
Uselt!
http://www.he.net/kamus/useen.htm
Business,news,computerdatabases,etc.
Bull,G.,J.Harris,J.Lloyd,andJ.Short.1989.Theelectronicacademicalvillage.JournalofTeacherEducation40(4):2731.
ColoradoEducationalMediaAssociation.1994.Modelinformationliteracyguidelines.Denver:StateLibraryandAdultEducationOffice.
Eisenberg,M.,andR.Berkowitz.1990.Informationproblemsolving:Thebigsixskillsapproachtolibraryandinformationskillsinstruction.Norwood,NJ:
AblexPublishing.
ElmerDeWitt,P.1995.Welcometocyberspace.Time145(12):411.
Golub,J.N.1994.Activitiesforaninteractiveclassroom.Urbana,IL:NationalCouncilofTeachersofEnglish.
Harris,J.1994.Wayoftheferret:FindingeducationalresourcesontheInternet.Eugene,OR:InternationalSocietyforTechnologyinEducation.
McKenzie,J.1995.Directconnect:Beforenetandafternet.MultiMediaSchools2(3):68.
Thome,R.1996.ThefourthRisresearch.ElectronicLearning16(2):58.
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5
TeachinginaClassroomwithoutWalls:
StrategiesandResources
Ms.MartinsatatherdeskinthesixthgradeclassroomandloggedontoherInternetaccount.Shehadabout15minutesbeforethestudentswouldarrive,andshe
plannedtospendthetimecatchinguponheremailmessagesanddoublecheckingtheonlineactivitiesfortheday.
SherespondedquicklytoanemailmessagefromAlex'smotherregardingtheassignmentshehadmissedbecauseofhisappendectomy.SinceMs.Martinhad
establishedthehomeworkWebpagelastsemester,itwaseasyforparentsandteacherstocheckonassignments.Ms.Martinfounditrequiredonlyafewminutes
eachdaytofillouttheformontheWebpagelistingtheday'sassignments.
AmessagefromtheprincipalremindedallteachersabouttheinservicetrainingprogramonWednesday.Ms.Martinwasgladthedistrictprovidedongoingtraining
andsupportforteachers.Keepingupwiththechangesintechnologyrequiredsubstantialtimeandenergy.Thedistrictworkshopswereworthwhileandwelcome
becausetheyfocusedonrelevant,handsonmaterialsforimmediateuseinclassrooms.
Next,Ms.MartinsentanemailmessagetothemediacenterrequestingtheuseoftwocomputerswithInternetaccessandacertainCDROMfornextTuesday.It
wassonicenottohavetofilloutpaperrequestformsandwalktothemediacenter!Sheknewthemessagewouldbeprocessedtodayand,unlesstherewasa
conflict,thecomputerswouldberolledintotheclassroomattherequestedtime.
Finally,Ms.MartincheckedtheWebsitessheplannedtouseinclasstodaytomakesuretheaddresseshadn'tchanged.Theywerestudyingthenewlyindependent
statesoftheformerSovietUnion.UsingtheInternet,studentscouldobtainuptodateinformationaboutthecountries,investigatethecurrencyexchangerate,and
correspondwithstudentsinRussia.Oneoftheirprojectsfocusedonnuclearpower,andthenewsgroupin
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Chernobyl,Ukraine,providedmanyinsightsintotheaftermathofnuclearexplosions.
Ms.Martinloggedoffthesystemasthestudentsstartedtoarrive.Itwouldbeanotherexcitingdayintheclassroom.Thankgoodnesstheclassroomincludedtherest
oftheworld!
ImplementationTechniques
TheInternetisavirtualgoldmineforeducators.Neverbeforehavewehadsuchinexpensiveaccesstosomanyvaluableresourcesmostofwhicharefree.In
additiontofiles,databases,andlibraries,therearemanyresourcesandprojectsdesignedforteachers.Severaltechniquescanbeusedtofacilitateimplementationof
Internetprojects.Beaware,however,thatinnovationtakestime(Sandholtz,Ringstaff,andDwyer1997).Followingaresomeconsiderationstokeepinmindwhen
implementingtelecommunications.
Practicefirst.Beforeusingtelecommunicationsinyourclassroom,spendsometimepracticingwiththecomputerandthesystemsyouplantouse.Remember
Murphy'sLaw:Anythingthatcangowrong,will.Themorecomfortableyouarewiththehardware,software,andsystemsinvolved,thebetterpreparedyouwillbeto
dealwiththeunexpected.ManyresourcesontheWebaredesignedforteachers.YoucanaccesstheseresourcesandusethemtobecomefamiliarwiththeInternet
beforedirectlyinvolvingstudents.
Focusonthecurriculum.UsetheInternetasatooltoenhancethecurriculum,notasanendinitself.Beginbyexaminingthegoalsofinstruction,lookingatall
sourcesofcontentandselectingthebestsourcetoaccomplishthelesson'sobjectives.
PreviewInternetresourcesonallcomputersthatwillbeusedtoviewthem.Shortlybeforeyouuseasitewithstudents,previewit.First,doublecheckthepath
tobesureithasnotchanged.Then,previewthesiteoneachcomputerthatmaybeusedtoviewit.Thisensuresthatallofthecomputershavethehardwareand
software(includingplugins)neededtosupportthesite.(Chapter3discussesplugins.)Thispreviewalsoallowsyoutospotpossibleproblemswithincompatibility
amongWebbrowsersandamongvariousversionsofaparticularbrowser.SomeWebpagesthatdisplaycorrectlyinNetscape4.0willnotdisplayinNetscape2.0,
andsomepagesthatarefineinNetscape4.0willcausethecomputertocrashifruninInternetExplorer4.0.Likewise,somecomplexprogramswritteninJavaor
JavaScriptmaynotrunonaMacintosh.
Makealternateplans.Withtelecommunications,manyvariablesaredifficultorimpossibletocontrol.First,ifyouareusingadialupconnection,thereceivingmodem
maybebusy.Or,thesystemyouplantousemaybeofflineorrefusingconnections.Manysystems,suchasNASA,canacceptonlyalimitednumberofconnections.
Duringschoolhoursthatlimitislikelytobereached,andyoumayreceiveatoomanyconnectionsresponse.Theseandotherpotentialbarriersrequireyoutohave
alternateplansifyouruseoftelecommunicationsisconstrainedtoaparticulartimeperiod.AlternativesmightincludeusingotherInternetsitesoralternatemedia,such
asaCDROMorvideodisc.
ProvideinstructioninbasiccomputerandInternetskills.IfstudentsarerequiredorencouragedtousetheInternet,theyrequirebasicinstructiononitsuse,as
wellasbasiccomputerskills.Table5.1providesacontinuumofInternetskillsthatshouldbeincludedintheinstruction.Moreadvancedlevelscanbeaddedas
masteryofthebasicskillsisachieved.
Conductsomeactivitiesoffline.Ifstudentsplantopostamessageorastory(tokeypals,listservs,newsgroups,oraWebpage),havethemwritethestoryusing
wordprocessingsoftwarebeforemakingtheonlineconnection.Thiswillminimizeonlinetime(whichmaysavemoney),givestudentstimetocarefullyassesstheir
writingbeforesendingit,andprovidethemwithmorepowerfuleditingtools(likespellcheckorcutandpaste)thanemailsoftwareprovides.Afterstudentswrite
andedittheirwork,theycancutandpasteitintotheemailsoftware.
Monitorstudentwork.SomeresourcesontheInternetareunsuitableforchildren.Severalfilteringprogramscanlimitaccesstounsuitablesites.Mostofthese
programscontainalistofblocked
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Table5.1LevelsofInternetSkills
InternetSkill
LevelI
LevelII
LevelIII
BrowsingtheWeb
Followembedded
hyperlinks
EnterURLs
Createorsetbookmarks
Locatinginformation
Conductkeyword
searchesusingone
searchtool
Conductsearches
usingBooleanlogic
andonesearchtool
Conductadvanced
searchesusingmultiple
searchtools
Communicating
Createandreademail
messages
Createdistribution
lists
Participateinanonline
conference(chat,audio,
orvideo)
Publishingonthe
Web
Uploadtoanexternal
site,suchasCyberKids
CreateabasicWeb
pagewithtextand
graphics
CreatemultipleWeb
pageswithhyperlinks
Table5.2FilteringSoftware
Site
URL
Company
NetNanny
http://netnanny.com
NetNanny,Ltd.
NetShepherd
http://www.shepherd.net
NetShepherd,Inc.
SpecsforKids
http://www.newview.com
PlanetWeb,Inc.
CyberPatrol
http://www.cyberpatrol.com
MicrosystemsSoftware
Cybersitter
http://www.solidoak.com
SolidOakSoftware
SurfWatch
Software
http://www.surfwatch.com
Spyglass,Inc.
SafeSearch
http://www.safesearch.com
InterGOCommunications,Inc.
sitestheyalsoallowteachersandadministratorstospecifyadditionalsitesthatshouldnotbeaccessed(Novelli1996).Somefilteringprogramsarelistedintable5.2.
Manyschoolsrequirestudentsandparentstosignanacceptableusepolicy(AUP)beforestudentsareallowedtousetheInternet.TheseAUPagreementsoutlinethe
properuseoftheInternetandincludepenaltiesforviolations.
AnAUPisusedtomakeparentsawareofthepotentialrisksofstudentsobtainingobjectionablematerial.ThepolicyshouldemphasizethattheuseoftheInternetisa
privilegeandnotaright,andoutlinethepenaltiesandrepercussionsofviolatingtheAUP(Howtowriteanacceptableusepolicy,1995).MostAUPsalsoemphasize
theneedtoprotectInternetpasswordsandadviseagainstillegalaccesstocomputers.
AUPsgenerallyrequireseveralsignatures:Studentssigntoindicatetheyhavereadandunderstandthedocumentparentssigntoverifytheyareawarethattheirchild
couldaccess
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SourcesforAcceptableUsePolicies
AcademicComputingPolicyStatements
http://www.eff.org/pub/CAF/policies/
K12AcceptableUsePolicies
http://www.erehwon.com/k12aup/
LegalandEducationalAnalysisofK12
AcceptableUsePolicies
http://www.erehwon.com/k12aup/legal_analysis.html
CreatingBoardPoliciesforStudentUse
oftheInternet
http://fromnowon.org/fnomay95.html
TIESInternetAcceptableUsePolicyLinks
http://www.ties.k12.mn.us/accept
inappropriatematerialandteachersoradministratorssignonbehalfoftheschool.SampleAUPsandguidelinesforcreatingthemcanbefoundatthesiteslistedinthe
boxabove.
Protectstudents'identities.Tellstudentstoavoidrevealingtheiraddresses,phonenumbers,orotheridentifyinginformationinallmessagestheysendtoanyoneon
theInternet.Emailmessages,whetherprivateorpostedtolistservsandnewsgroupsorevenrelayedinonlinechatrooms,canbeforwardedbeyondtheirinitial
destinations.Also,itisimpossibletoknowthebackgroundandintentionofeveryoneontheInternet.Inmanycases,studentsmayuseagenericclassroomname
ratherthantheirownnametoprotecttheiridentities.
Respecttherightsofothers.SomepeoplebelieveanythingavailableontheInternetisinthepublicdomain.Althoughmanyresourcesmaybefree,manyofthe
publications,graphics,sounds,programs,andmoviesarecopyrightedbytheircreatorsorsponsors.Alwayscheckthecopyrightsbeforedownloadinganddistributing
materials.Althoughcopyrightlawdoesallowthefairuseofcopyrightedmaterialsinconnectionwithnoncommercial,curriculumbasedlearningactivities(ifcreditis
provided),thesematerialsmustbeusedinasecurenetwork(nottheInternet).Formoreinformationaboutcopyrightandfairuse,visittheCreativeIncentiveCoalition
Websiteathttp://www.cic.org.Linksareprovidedtoseveralothersitesthatfocusoncopyright(Milone1997).
ClassroomManagement:GroupingStudents
TheInternetcanaddanewdimensiontotheclassroom.However,italsorequirescarefulconsiderationofclassroommanagement.Oneofthemostimportant
considerationsisgroupingofstudents.Studentsmayworkindividually,insmallgroups,orasaclass.Thebestgroupingtouseforanygivenprojectdependsonthe
amountofhardwareavailable,theageofthestudents,andthegoalsoftheinstruction.
IndividualProjects
Individualprojectscanbeconductedinoroutoftheclassroom.IfyourschoolhasacomputerlabconnectedtotheInternetthroughaLAN,studentscanconduct
individualresearch,designtheirownWebpages,orcommunicatewithotherstudents.
Individualprojectsallowstudentstoworkattheirownpaceandfreethemfromdependenceonothers.However,sucharrangementsrequireenoughhardwarefor
eachstudenttocompletetheproject.Inaddition,individualworkdoesnotreflectrealworldlearningorpromotecooperativeproblemsolving.
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WhenassigningindividualInternetprojects,beginbyinstructingthestudentsaboutInternetuse.BesuretodemonstrateproceduresforconnectingtotheInternetand
conductingefficientsearches.Alsoprovideclearguidelines,requirements,anddeadlinesfortheproject.
WiththegrowingpopularityoftheWeb,manystudentsmayhaveaccesstotheInternetonahomecomputer.ResistthetemptationtoassignInternetprojectsthat
requirehomeaccess.Ifevenonestudentdoesnothaveacomputer(oraccesstotheInternet),youcouldcreateaninequitablesituation.
SmallGroupProjects
Telecommunicationsprojectsofferanexcellentopportunitytoimplementcooperativelearninggroups.Cooperativelearningtakesplacewhenstudentsworktogether
toaccomplishsharedgoals(IversandBarron1998).Cooperativelearninggroupssupportpositiveinterdependence,individualaccountability,groupprocessing,peer
responsibility,andheterogeneousmembership(JohnsonandJohnson1991).Studentslearnfromeachotherandshareresponsibilities.Whetherworkingwithasmall
groupwithinasingleclassroomorworkingwithagroupcomprisingstudentsallovertheglobe,cooperativelearningcanhelptosupportrealworldlearning.
However,teachersandstudentsmustbecarefultoensurethateveryoneinthegroupcontributestotheproject.
Thesizeandcompositionofcooperativegroupscanvary.Thenumberofstudentsineachgroupdependsonthestudents'abilities,thenumberofcomputersavailable,
timeconstraints,projectrequirements,andothervariables.Inmostcases,agroupsizeofthreeorfourisoptimalinthatitprovidessufficientinteractionamonggroup
membersandsufficientaccountabilityforeachgroupmember.Table5.3listsseveraltechniquesthatcanbeusedwhenimplementingcooperativelearninggroups
(Slavin1987,1990)
Implementingcooperativelearninggroupsinaclassroomrequirescarefulplanningandcontinuousmonitoring.InapublicationfromtheNationalEducation
Association,Lyman(1993)provides11stepstohelpensureasuccessfulcooperativelearningproject:
1.Chooseyourcontext.
2.Assignheterogeneousgroups.
3.Teachgrouproles.
4.Assignthetask.
5.Moveintogroups.
6.Givedirections.
7.Monitorgroups.
8.Provideclosure.
9.Evaluatetheprocess.
10.Maintainclassroommanagement.
11.Planforreview.
Frequently,whenstudentsworkontelecommunicationsprojectsinsmallgroups,finishingtheprojecttakesmuchlongerthananticipated.Itmaybewisetoask
studentstomonitortheirtimewithakitchentimerand,whereappropriate,torotatetheirrolesfromkeyboardertorecordertoplannerandsoforth(IversandBarron
1998).
WholeClassProjects.
Insomecases,especiallywithyoungerstudentsorlimitedInternetconnections,youmayconductwholeclassprojects.Inthiscase,alltelecommunicationscouldtake
placeoutsideoftheclassroom,orifanInternetconnectionisavailableintheclassroom,thenthecomputerdisplaycouldbeprojectedfortheentireclasstoview.
WholeclassprojectsmakeiteasiertomaintainascheduleandtocontrolaccesstoInternetsites.However,theyrequireeitherextensiveuseofresourcesoutsidethe
classroomorinclassaccesstotheInternetplushardwaretoprojectwhatisonthecomputerscreensothatallstudentscanseeit.Themostseriousdisadvantageof
wholeclassprojectsisthattheyprovidelesshandsonexperienceforstudentsthanindividualorsmallgroupprojects.
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Table5.3CooperativeLearningTechniques
CooperativeGroupTechnique Description
StudentTeamsAchievement
Divisions(STAD)
Studentslearnsomethingasateam,contributetotheteambyimprovingtheirownpast
performance,andearnteamrewardsbasedontheirimprovements.Teamsearnpointsbased
oneachstudent'simprovementfrompreviousquizzes.
TeamsGamesTournament
SimilartoSTAD,expectthatweeklytournamentsreplaceweeklyquizzes.
TeamAssisted
Individualization
Studentsareplacedingroupsbutworkattheirownpaceandlevel.Teammemberscheck
eachother'sworkandhelponeanotherwithproblems.Teamsearnpointsbasedonthe
individualperformanceofeachmemberinthegroup.
Jigsaw
Amethodofcooperativegrouplearningthatassignseachgroupmemberaparticularlearning
task.Eachmemberchoosesatopicandisresponsibleforteachinghisorherteammembers
allthatthereistoknowaboutthattopic.Teammembersmeetwithmembersofother
groupstoformexpertgroupstodiscussandresearchtheirtopic.Followingresearchand
discussion,thestudentsreturntotheirownteamsandtaketurnsteachingtheirteammates
abouttheirtopic.Afterwards,studentstakeindividualquizzesandearnateamscore.
GroupInvestigation
SimilartotheJigsawmethod,exceptthatstudentsdonotformexpertgroups.Studentteams
giveclasspresentationsoffindingsratherthantakingtests.
LearningTogether
Heterogeneousstudentgroupsworkonasingleassignmentandreceiverewardsbasedon
thegroupproduct.
ProjectsforClassroomswithNoInternetConnection
SeveralwholeclassprojectscanbecompletedwithminimalInternetconnecttime.TeacherswhodonothaveInternetaccessatschoolhavefoundinnovativewaysto
makeupforthelackbyusingtheirownInternetaccountsathomeorbyusinganaccountatalocalpubliclibraryoruniversity.Forexample,intheSavetheBeaches
project,studentshelptocleanupanearbyshorelineandreportthetypesoftrashcollected.ThisprojectdoesnotrequireanInternetconnectionintheclassroom,yet
itisarelevant,worthwhileprojectthatisenhancedbyInternetcommunications.
ProjectsthatcanbeusedinclassroomswithoutanInternetconnectionincludethoseinvolvingasynchronouscommunications,suchasemail,inwhichyoucanreport
yourfindingsonceaweek,ratherthandailyprojectsthatfocusonnoncomputeractivities,suchasthepostcardexchangeorGeoGameprojectsmentionedatthe
beginningofchapter1andongoingprojectsthatlistactivitiesandprovideteacherresourcesontheWeb,suchasJourneyNorth.
AnotheroptionforaclassroomwithoutanInternetconnectionistodownloadaWebpage,saveitonafloppydisk,andtakethedisktotheclassroom.Thesoftware
programWebWacker(fromBlueSquirrel)hasbecomeapopulartoolforthisprocedure.Althoughgovernmentsitescanbecopiedwithoutpermission,alwayskeep
copyrightissuesinmindwhensavingaWebpageorgraphicondisk.Formoreinformation,visittheBlueSquirrelsiteathttp://www.bluesquirrel.com.
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ProjectsforClassroomswithOneConnection
Ifyouhaveonecomputerinyourclassroomormediacenter,youmayconductwholeclassprojectsbyprojectingwhatappearsonthescreensothewholeclasscan
viewittogether.(Thisrequiresspecialhardware.)SuchprojectsmightfocusonreviewingthecontentofWebpages,conductingresearch,orcommunicatingviaaudio
orvideoconferences.
WhenconductingaonecomputerInternetlesson,itisimportanttoplanaheadandtoconsiderallpossibleoptionsanddistractions.Iftheprojectedtextistoosmall
forstudentstoreadorthegraphicsdonotprojectwell,thelessonwillnotbeeffective.Toavoidtheseproblems,increasethesizeofthetexttoatleast24pointsand
selectsitesthathavehighcontrastbetweenthetextandthebackground.BothNetscapeandInternetExplorerallowyoutochangethesizeoftype,andsome
browsersallowyoutooverridethetextcolorstoincreasethecontrast.
Inaddition,followstandardprecautions,suchasreservingthehardwareyouwillneed,doublecheckingpathsjustbeforeusingthemtobesuretheyarestillactive,
makingsureallthenecessaryhardwareandsoftware(suchasspeakersandaudiosoftware)areinstalledonthemachineyouwillbeusing,printingpagesthatcontain
textorcontentcentraltothethemeofyourlesson,andhavingbackupplans.
FindingCollaborativeProjects
Wherecanyoufindcooperativeprojectsorteacherswithwhomtocollaborate?Tolocateonlineeducatorsandprojects,checklistservs,newsgroups,andWebsites
devotedtoeducationalprojects.
Listservs
Theseelectronicmailinglists(discussedindetailinchapter3)provideanexcellentmeansoflocatingotherswhoareinterestedinparticipatingincollaborativeprojects.
Whenyoufindaninterestingpersonorproject,youcansendamessagedirectlytotheindividualwhopostedthemessageabouttheproject.(Inmostcases,the
individual'saddressappearsonthemessageheader.)Lookforlistservsinthecontentareaandagelevelofinteresttoyou.
OnlineConferencesandDiscussionGroups
Anothermethodoflocatingteachersforcollaborativeprojectsistoreviewthemessagespostedtoonlineconferencesordiscussiongroups.ManyWebsitesfeature
discussiongroupsthatfocusoneducation.
Forexample,ifyouaccesstheTeachers.Netsiteathttp://www.teachers.net/youwillfindalessonexchangearea,achatarea,andacurriculummaximizerthat
allowsteacherstosearchforvariouscurricularideas.Additionalteacherorientedforumsarelistedintable5.4.
WebSitesDevotedtoOnlineProjects
ExtensivelistsofteacherswhoareinterestedintelecommunicationsprojectsareavailableontheWeb.Thesefreelistsarecompiledbyorganizationstoassistteachers
inlocatingprojectsandotherteacherswhowanttocollaborate.
InterculturalEmailClassroomConnections(IECC).
InterculturalEmailClassroomConnectionsprovidesinformationandliststohelpteacherslocatepartnersinothercountriesandcultures.Thisserviceincludesemail
addressesforclassroompenpalsandprojectexchanges.Itcanbeaccessedathttp://www.stolaf.edu/network/iecc/.
Therearevariousareasofinterestonthesite.IECC(K12)isintendedforteachersseekingpartnerclassroomsforinternationalandcrossculturalelectronicmail
exchanges,notindividualpenpals.IECCPROJECTSisanelectronicmailinglistteachersmayusetoannounceorrequesthelpwithclassroomprojectsthatinvolve
email.IECCSURVEYSisaforumforstudentsandteacherstopostrequestsforhelpwithprojects,surveys,andquestionnaires.
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Table5.4TeacherResourceSites
Site
URL
Features
AccessExcellence
http://www.gene.com/ae
Scientistsandresourcesforbiologyteachers
MightyMediaTeachers
Lounge
http://www.mightymedia.com/
Resourcesforenvironmentalissues,humanrights,arts
forumsforteachersandstudents
TeachersHelping
Teachers
http://www.pacificnet.net/mandel/
Teachingtips,newteachingideas,TeacherChat,lesson
plans
Teachers.Net
http://www.teachers.net/
Webpagemaker,lessonplans,curriculummaximizer
EducationWebpage
http://www.aleducation.com
Lessonplans,software,chatrooms,jobboard
Eduzone
http://www.Eduzone.com
Lessonplans,chatrooms,teachingtips
InternetTeachers
Network
http://www.well.com/user/teacher
Internetlinksandtrainingsites
Teacher'sEditionOnline
http://www.feist.com/Ishiney
Teacher2teachermailinglist
WellConnectedEducator http://www.gsh.org/wce
Technologyforteaching
ATeacher'sHomePage
http://pluto.njcc.com/harris
Linksandresources
SchoolhouseSite
http://www.nwrel.org/school_house
Lessonplans,resources
Tosubmitarequest,chooseSubmitarequesttoIECC.Youcansearchthedatabaseforexistingrequestsorpostyourownrequest.Ifyouchoosetosearchother
people'srequestsforapartner,classroom,orproject,youwillbepromptedtofilloutaformthatasksaboutthelevelofyourstudents,thecountryorculturewith
whichyouwouldliketoparticipate,thelanguagetobeused,timeframe,andotherdetails(seefig.5.1).
Ifyouarepostingarequestforpartnerstojoininaprojectyouareplanning,youwillbepromptedtofilloutaformwithyourname,emailaddress,location,andlevel
ofyourstudents.Inadditiontothatinformation,provideaconcise,completedescriptionoftheprojectyouareplanning,withspecificobjectivesandtimelines.
GlobalSchoolNet
TheGlobalSchoolNetprovidesanInternetProjectsRegistryareasponsoredbyWaldenUniversity.Usingthedatabaseatthissite,teacherscanlocateprojects
basedonstartingdate,subjectarea,orothercriteria.Theycanalsoaddtheirprojectstothedatabaseandseekcollaboratingclassrooms.
TheGlobalSchoolNetalsosponsorsalistservforteacherscalledHILITES.Thislistservallowsteacherstopostmessagesaboutupcomingprojects.Eachmessage
containsinformationaboutthegradelevel,subjectarea,andprojectparameters.TosubscribetoHILITES,sendanemailmessagetomajordomo@gsn.org.
Inthebodyofthemessage,typesubscribehilites.
Page65
Figure5.1
IECCinterface.
GuidelinesforSuccessfulOnlineProjects
Youwillsoondiscovertherearemoreonlineprojectsandideasthanyoucanpossiblytakepartin.Thefollowingguidelineswillhelpyoudeterminewhichprojectsare
likelytobesuccessful.Theseguidelinescanbebeneficialwhetheryouareorganizingaprojectorconsideringwhethertoparticipateinaprojectorganizedbysomeone
else.
Startsmall.Yourfirstprojectdoesnothavetobewith100teachersinRussia.Infact,itmaybebesttobeginwithaprojectthatinvolvesafewcolleaguesor
teachersinnearbyschools.Ifyourfirstprojectissmallandlocal,youcaninteractofflineaswellasonlinetotroubleshoottechnicalproblemsanddiscussproject
design(Barronetal.1997).
Makeprojectsrelevanttostudents.Themostsuccessfullearnerslearnbestwhentheyaresolvingtheirownproblems(Caputo1994,32).Focusontopicsthat
areofrealandimmediateinteresttostudents.Ifpossible,encouragestudentstohelpdesignanddefinethetopicsandresearchquestions.
Formulatecleargoalsandoutcomes.Ingeneral,themorespecificthegoalsofaproject,thebetteritschanceforsuccess(Rogers1994).Aninformalproject,such
asanemailexchange,willsoonloseitssenseofpurposeiftherearenocleargoalsforcommunication.Also,ifaproject'sgoalsareclearlystated,itiseasyforother
educatorstoassesstheproject'srelevancefortheircurriculum.
Definebeginningandendingdates.Acleartimelineprovidesthestructureneededtokeepaprojectontrack(Gersh1994).Thistimelineshouldbeestablished
beforebeginningtheproject,anditshouldtakeintoconsiderationtheparticipants'schoolandculturalcalendars.
Allowplentyofleadtime.Ifyouareseekingmaximumparticipation,allowplentyofleadtime.Accesstotelecommunicationscanbeextremelyexpensiveforsome
schools,andteachersmaybe
Page66
unabletoinvestigatethepotentialforonlineprojectsoften.Posttheinitialcallforparticipationatleastsixweeksbeforethestartingdate,andrepeattheannouncement
twoweeksbeforethestartingdate(Rogers1994).
Lookfororsupplyspecificinformation.Whetheryouaresettingupaprojectorjoiningone,besuretoprovidebasicinformation,including
Contactperson
Contactaddresses(emailaddressesandpostaladdresses)
Gradelevelsofdesiredparticipants
Timeline
Projectgoalsandobjectives
Numberofparticipants
Completeprojectoutline
Examplesofstudentinput(suchaswritingsordatacollections)
Haverealisticgoalsandequipmentrequirements.Manyonlineprojectsrequiretheparticipatingschoolstohavespecificequipment.Forexample,schoolsin
variouscountriesmayconductsimilarevaluationsofairqualityorwaterquality.Youcannotassumeallschoolshaveaccesstothesametypeofequipmentforthe
samecost.Itisbesttoberealisticinrequiringhardwareandsoftwareorplantoshiptherequiredequipmenttoparticipatingschools(Walker1995).
Assesstheproject.Whenyouplantheprojectobjectives,alsodevelopaplanforassessingtheproject.Beaware,however,thattheoveralleffectivenessofthe
projectmaybemoreappropriatelymeasuredbyincreasedstudentmotivationandculturalunderstandingthanbymultiplechoicetestscores(BarronandOrwig
1995).
Sharetheresults.Shareprojectresultswithallparticipantsaswellaslocalsupportgroups,suchasparents'organizations.Iftheprojectinvolvedpublicationof
storiesorotherwritingprojects,printahardcopyandsendittoallparticipants.Besuretosendcopiestoyourprincipal,superintendent,andboardofeducation.
FindingLessonPlans
TheInternetoffersamultitudeoflessonplansthatvaryinquality,content,anddetail.Someprovidestepbystepinstructionsothersserveasstartingpointsfor
creatingyourownplans.Sourcesoflessonplansarelistedintable5.5.
Inaddition,theInternetprovidesaccesstoactualcoursecontent,courseoutlines,referencematerials,andregistrationprocedures.Coursecontentcanprovide
information,interactivity,andmultimediacomponentstoteachbasicconceptsandskills.Onlinecoursecontenthasothersubstantialbenefitsaswell:thecontentcanbe
continuouslyupdatedandthematerialscanbeusedonanytypeofcomputer(crossplatformdelivery).Table5.6(page68)listssomesourcesofonlinelessons.
SubscriptionBasedInstructionalResources
InadditiontothewealthofpubliclyavailableresourcesontheWeb,thereareagrowingnumberofresourcesthatareavailableonlybysubscription.Ifyousubscribe
tooneoftheseservices,youmayhavefewerworriesaboutstudentsaccessinginappropriatematerialsbecausemostsitesarecarefullymonitoredandthelinksare
checkedtoscreensuchmaterials.Theseservicesgenerallyprovideavarietyofinstructionalresources,suchaslessonplansandInternetactivities.Forexample,
ScholasticNetworkofferscurriculummaterialsthatarecorrelatedtonationalstandardsinmath,languagearts,science,andsocialstudiesconnectionstoauthors,
scientists,historians,andcelebritiesandadirectoryofmorethan2,000teacherreviewedWebsites.Seetable5.7(page69)foradditionalsites.
Conclusion
Asteacherstradeintheirchalkboardsforkeyboards,theyarediscoveringthemassiveresourcesontheInternet.Neverbeforehavesomanyuptodateeducational
materialsbeenavailableatsolittlecost.Fromlessonplanstoonlineexperts,theeducationalresourcesontheWebarealmostunlimited.
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Table5.5SourcesofLessonPlans
Site
URL
Content
AwesomeLibrary
http://www.neatschoolhouse.org/lesson.html
Crosscurricular
ArmadilloWWW
http://riceinfo.rice.edu/armadillo/Rice/Resources/
Classroomaidsandresources
BusyTeacher'sWeb
Site
http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/BusyT/TOC.html/
Crosscurricular
Connections+
http://www.mcrel.org/connect/plus/
Crosscurricular
CollaborativeLesson
Archives
http://faldo.atmos.uiuc.edu/TUA_Home.html
Crosscurricular
HistoricalDocuments
oftheU.S.A.
http://www.yu.edu/acdl.edu/InSci/Projects/
Socialstudies
Holden'sHandsOn
ScienceExperiments
http://www.infi.net/holdenj/
Hurricanes,geotropism
HoughtonMifflin
Education
http://www.hmco.com/school
Crosscurricular
K12Resourcesof
MusicEducators
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/staffpages/shirk/k12.music.html
Music
LibraryintheSky
http://www.nwrel.org/sky/Library/Materials_Search/Language_Arts.htm
Languagearts
NCSSOnline
http://www.ncss.org/online/
Socialstudies
Possibilities!
http://kendaco.telebyte.com/billband/Presentation.html
IntegratingtheInternet
intotheScience
Classroom
Scienceeducation
Secondary
Mathematics
Assessment
http://cqpan.cqu.edu.au/schools/smad/smad.html
Math
Teachers.Net
http://teachers.net/lessons/
Crosscurricular
TeachNet
http://www.teachnet.org/
Languagearts
TechnologyLesson
Plans
http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/tnt
Technology
TheIncredibleArt
Department
http://www.artswire.org/kenroar/lessons/lessons.html
Finearts
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Table5.6OnlineLessons
Site
URL
ContentandNotes
AnatomyofanEye http://www.netscape.com/comprod/products/navigator/version_2.0/frames/eye/index.html
Tutorialabouteyes(requires
frames)
DrawandColor
(forK3)
http://www.unclefred.com/
Howtodrawcartoons
Gamelanusing
Java
http://www.gamelan.com
Educationalprograms
HTMLTutorial
http://www.coedu.usf.edu/inst_tech/publications/html/
InteractiveHTMLprimer
Iconos
http://www.iconos.com
Glue,dinosaurs
(requireplugin)
InteractiveFrog
Dissection
http://teach.virginia.edu/go/frog/
Tutorialaboutdissectinga
frog
Language
Tutorials
http://www.travlang.com/languages/
Foreignlanguagefor
travelers:manylanguages
available
NetscapeFrames
http://www.newbie.net/frames/
Advancedfeaturesin
Netscape
NewTechnologies http://www.coedu.usf.edu/inst_tech/publications/NewTech
Tutorialonvideodiscs,CD
ROM,QuickTime,PhotoCD
Newton'sApple
Antibiotics,brain,electricity,
floods,gravity,earthquakes,
etc.
http://ericir.syr.edu/Projects/Newton
ScienceEducation http://ceaftp.cea.berkeley.edu/Education/SII/sii_modules.html
Gateway
Earthandspacescience
SchoolNetworks
Tutorialoninstallinga
schoolnetwork
http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/network
Teacher'sGuideto http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust
theHolocaust
ResourcesforHolocaust
education
TutorialGateway
Instructionsforcreating
interactivelessonsonthe
WorldWideWeb
http://www.civeng.carleton.ca/holtz/tut/doc/doc.html
Page69
Table5.7EducationalNetworksAvailablebySubscription
Site
URL
Focus
BiologyPlace
http://www.biology.com
Curriculumprojects
BritannicaOnline
http://www.eb.com
Encyclopedia
ChemistryPlace
http://www.chemplace.com
Curriculumprojects
ComputerCurriculumCorporation
http://www.cccnet.com
Curriculummaterials
TheCurriculumResourceby
NewsBank
http://www.newsbank.com
Informationresources
EducationalStructures
http://www.educationalstructures.com
Curriculumresources
ElectricLibrary
http://www.elibrary.com
Onlinereferences
InformationQuest
http://www.eiq.com
Onlinejournals
PsychologyPlace
http://www.psychplace.com
Psychologyresources
ScholasticNetwork
http://scholasticnetwork.com
Curriculumprojects
TROLearning
http://www.tro.com
Curriculummaterials
References
Barron,A.E.,andG.W.Orwig.1997.Newtechnologiesforeducation:Abeginner'sguide.2ded.Englewood,CO:LibrariesUnlimited.
Barron,A.,K.Ivers,D.Hoffman,andL.Sherry.1997.Telecommunications:Ideas,activities,andresources.Tampa,FL:FloridaCenterforInstructional
Technology,UniversityofSouthFlorida.
Caputo,A.1994.Sevensecretsofsearching:Howandwhentochooseonline.MultiMediaSchools1(1):2933.
Gersh,S.1994.Theglobaleducationtelecommunicationsnetwork:Criteriaforsuccessfulemailprojects.TelecommunicationsinEducationNews5(4):1011.
Ivers,K.S.,andA.E.Barron.1998.Multimediaprojectsineducation:Designing,producing,andassessing.Englewood,CO:LibrariesUnlimited.
Lyman,L.,H.C.Foyle,andT.S.Azwell.1993.Cooperativelearningintheelementaryclassroom.Washington,DC:NationalEducationAssociation.
Milone,J.N.1997.Fairuseguidelinesforeducationalmultimedia.Technology&Learning17(5):50.
Novelli,J.1996.Safesurfingfortheclassroom.ElectronicLearning16(3):45.
Rogers,A.1994.Howtodesignanonlineprojectthatworks.ClassroomConnect.
Sandholtz,J.H.,C.Ringstaff,andD.E.Dwyer.1997.Teachinginhightechenvironments:Classroommanagementrevisited,firstfourthyearfindings.
http://www.research.apple.coom/go/acot/full/acotRpt10full.html(November28,1997).
Slavin,R.E.1990.Cooperativelearning:Theory,research,andpractice.EnglewoodCliffs,NJ:PrenticeHall..1987.Cooperativelearning:Studentteams.
Washington,DC:NationalEducationAssociation.
Walker,D.1995.MakinganInternetprojectwork.MultiMediaSchools2(1):2835.
Page71
6
ScienceResourcesandActivities.
ThethoughtofdissectingafrogturnedSeymour'sstomach.HewasrelievedtodiscoverhecouldcompletehisassignmentusingtheInternet.Hisinstructor,Miss
Timassy,introducedthestudentstoTheAnatomizedFrog,aninteractivetutorialontheWeb.Usingtheonlinetutorial,studentscouldworkattheirownpace,interact
withonlineexperts,repeatprocedures,andaccessadditionalinformationaboutfrogs.
Seymourappreciatednothavingtotouchorsmelladeadspecimen.Angela,ontheotherhand,lookedforwardtothehandsonexperience.UnlikeSeymour,Angela
wasconsideringacareerinmedicineandwantedtheopportunitytomanipulatethetools,makethepreciseincisions,andhandlethefrog'sinternalorgans.Miss
Timassyaddressedtheneedsofbothstudents.Sheexplainedthebenefitsoflearningaboutfroganatomyusingtheonlinetutorialandhowonlineexpertsandother
sourcesofinformationcouldenhancethestudents'learning.
Learningisanongoingprocessthatrequiresustocontinuallyinvestigateavarietyofsourcestoevaluate,weigh,andsynthesizeinformationandtoapplywhatwe
havelearnedsothatwecanformulatenewquestions,sheexplained.StudentswouldhavetheopportunitytoapplywhattheylearnedfromTheAnatomizedFrogand
theirWebresearchtooneofthreedifferentclassprojectsoneofwhichwasdissectingtheirownfrog.TheInternetwouldprovideAngelawithbackground
informationandpracticefordissectingherownfrog,anditwouldprovideSeymourwiththeinformationheneededtocompleteamultimediareportaboutfrog
anatomy.
Page72
TheInternetisanaturalforumforscientificinquiries,investigations,andexchanges.Itprovidesstudentsopportunitiestoshareresearchconstructonlinedatabases
examineexistingdataandapplyknowledgegainedfromonlinetutorials,simulations,andcontentspecificWebsites.Inadditiontothemanyscientificdatabasesand
WebsitesontheInternet,studentscanaccessandcommunicatewithonlineexpertsinavarietyofsubjectareas,includingchemistry,biology,physics,andgeology.
TheInternetprovidesstudentswiththeopportunitytolearnaboutthesciencesfrompersonalandsocialperspectives.
ThischapterfeaturesWebandtelnetsitesthataddressenvironmentalscience,astronomy,meteorology,bugsandworms,otheranimals,geologyandpaleontology,
andhealth.Foreachtopic,thechapterprovidesoneortwoinstructionalideasfortwoormoresites.Theseideasandskillsarenotcomprehensiveinstead,theyserve
asstartingpointsforexplorationandactivities.Followingthehighlightedsitesisalistofothersitesrelatedtothetopicthesesitesarebrieflydescribed.Thechapter
endswithalistofgeneralsciencesitesandemailactivities.
Note:Eachsite'scurrentURLisgiven,butbecausetheInternetisextremelydynamic,addressesandpathsmaychange.
Astronomy
TheInternetprovideseducatorsandstudentswithaccesstorealtimevideoandcurrenteventstakingplaceinspace,numerousarchivesofspacerelatedinformation,
onlineexpertsanddatabases,andmore.Inadditiontoviewingandreadingaboutcurrentevents,studentsandeducatorscanobtaininformationaboutthesolar
system,careersinspace,formerandcurrentastronauts,andshuttlemissions.
NASASpacelink
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/home.index.html
NASASpacelinkoffersanabundanceofspacerelatedinformation,includingNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration(NASA)news,projects,and
instructionalmaterials.StudentscaninvestigateNASAlaunchdates,newsreleases,televisionschedules,andstatusreports.TheycanalsouseNASASpacelinkto
researchaeronautics,humanspaceflight,satellites,comets,theholeintheozonelayer,andcareers.Teacherscandownloadsoftware,pictures,videoandactivity
guides,andothercurriculummaterials.SamplelessonplansincludeLivinginSpace,CrystalGrowth,SpacecraftDesign,andExploringInfraredLight.
Careers
Studentsresearchthequalificationsforcareersinaerospaceandentertheirfindingsintoaclassdatabase.FromSpacelink'smainmenu,chooseLibrary,Instructional
Materials,Careers,andthenCareersinAerospace(orenterURLhttp://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Careers/Careers.in.Aerospace/.index.html)
Page73
NasaSpacelinkhomepage.
Afterreviewingcareersrelatedtospace,studentsworktogethertodownloadandsummarizetheeducationalrequirements,experience,andothersignificantfactors
relatedtoonecareer.Careersinaerospaceincludeengineering,astronomy,geology,mathematics,andmeteorology.Studentsinputtheirinformationintoaclass
database.Whenthestudentprojectsarecomplete,combinethemintoasinglefileforprintingorpresentation.Discusswithstudentswhytheywouldchoosea
particularcareer.StudentsmaycontactscientistsintheirfieldofinterestthroughNEWTON'sAskAScientistserviceorbycontactingtheofficesprovidedbyNASA
Spacelink.
Informationskills:Categorizeinformation,constructadatabase,analyzedata,andseekinformationfromprofessionals.
ProposedShuttle
Studentgroupspresentaproposalandamodelforanewshuttle.Usingthesite'sShuttlepages,studentgroupsgatherbackgroundinformationaboutCrewSafety,
LivingandWorkingontheShuttle,PropulsionSystems,SecondGenerationComputersFAQ,andothertopics.Studentscreatedrawingsor3Dmodelsoftheir
shuttles.Studentpresentationsaddressresearchandtheirproposedideas.FromSpacelink'smainmenu,chooseNASAProjects,thenHumanSpaceFlight,then
Shuttle(orentertheURLhttp://spacelink.nasa.gov/NASA.Projects/Human.Space.Flight/Shuttle/.index.html).
Page74
Informationskills:Collaborativelydefinespecificinformationneedslocate,select,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcescommunicateinapersuasive
mannerrepresentideasina2Dor3Dartformat.
ViewsoftheSolarSystem
http://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/
Thissiteprovidesaneducationaltourofthesolarsystem.Itisanoutstandingresourceforolderstudents.Itisextremelywellorganizedandcontainsexcellentphotos,
movies,andtext.
NewsinReview
StudentgroupscreatevideotapednewsbroadcastsofanApollomission.InformationaboutApollomissionscanbefoundathttp://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/history.htm
underSpacecraftMissionSummaries.Afterresearchinganassignedmission,studentsgobackintimetocreateanewsbroadcastasiftheeventwerecurrently
happening.
Informationskills:Readforsignificantdetailsandconceptsassembleandcommunicateinformationinameaningfulmanner.
RoboticSpacecraft.
Studentgroupsresearchandconstructmodelsofroboticspacecraft.Eachgrouppresentsitsspacecraftandbackgroundinformationaboutittotheclass.Information
aboutroboticspacecraftcanbefoundathttp://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/history.htmunderSpacecraftMissionSummaries.
Informationskills:Locateandorganizeinformationaboutaspecifictopiccommunicateinformationinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesforAstronomy
AstronomyHotLinks
http://www.kalmbach.com/astro/HotLinks/HotLinks.html
Thissiteofferscurrentpressreleases,graphics,andlinkstoavarietyofastronomyWebsites.
TheNinePlanets
http://www.seds.org/billa/tnp/
Anexcellentsiteforstudentresearch,thismultimediatourofthesolarsystem(includingmoons)featuresoutstandinggraphics,interestingfactsanddata,andaudio.
ScienceOnline:SolarSystemResourceKit
http://www.cea.berkeley.edu/Education/sol/solarsyst/sol_solarsyst_solarsyst.html
Thissiteincludesanabundanceofimages,text,andtoolstouseinsolarsystemprojectsaswellasreadytouseactivitiesandalinktoAskAnAstronomer.
Page75
SpaceTelescopeScienceInstitute
http://www.stsci.edu/
ThissitecontainscurrentinformationabouttheHubbletelescope,picturestakenwiththetelescope,andawealthoflessonplansandresourcesforteachers.
StarChild
http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
Thislearningcenterforyoungastronomersprovidesinformationattwolevelsaboutthesolarsystem,theuniverse,andspacestuff.Interactiveactivitiesanda
glossaryareincluded.
BugsandWorms.
Thesesitesgivecomputerbuganewmeaning.Thesqueamishmaygag,butbugand,wormenthusiastswilldelightinthemovies,closeupimages,dissections,and
fascinatingfacts.ThissectionisdedicatedtothemanybuggysitesontheInternet.Otheranimalsarecoveredinanothersection.
IowaState'sDepartmentofEntomology
http://www.ent.iastate.edu/
Thissiteprovidesinformationaboutavarietyofinsects.Studentscanaccessphotographsandvideosofinsectsintheentomologyimagegallery.Thesitealsoprovides
manylinkstootherresources,includingrecommendedK12sites.
BugGrub
Theclassdiscussesandchartsstudents'favoritethingstoeat.Studentstellabouttimestheyaccidentallyorpurposelyateabug.Studentsdiscusstheirfeelingsabout
eatingbugsandwhypeoplemayeatbugs.Studentgroupsresearchandreportnutritionalinformationaboutbugs,recipesthatincludebugs,andculturesthateatbugs
regularly(includingthekindsofbugseaten).Asaculminatingactivity,studentsmakeandeatafoodcontainingbugsorelseabugthemedtreatthatdoesnotcontain
bugs.ChooseInsectsasFoodfromthemainmenutoaccessbugrecipes,nutritionfacts,andlinkstomoreinformationaboutfoodscontainingbugs.
Katerpillars&Mysterybugs(http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/entyouth.htm)providesmoreinstructionalideas,informationaboutpeoplewhoeat
bugs,andbugthemedtreats(seeBugfood!).MorerecipesareavailablefromAskOrkinInsectRecipes(http://www.orkin.com/bugrecipes.html).Additional
informationmaybegatheredfromotherInternetsitesandofflineresources.
Informationskills:Chartandcompareinformationlocate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcescommunicateresults.
VisuallySpeaking
StudentgroupschooseaninsectorspidertoresearchandcreatemultimediaprojectsusingHyperStudiooranotherauthoringtool.Groupsincorporate
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images,videos,andsoundclipsintotheirprojectsusinglowaState'sentomologygallery(http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegallery/)andadditionalresources(seeThe
YuckiestSiteontheInternetathttp://www.nj.com/yucky/index.htmlandBugwatchathttp://www.bugwatch.com/).Informationaboutinsectsandspidersisavailable
onlowaState'sDepartmentofEntomologyWebsite(chooselowaInsectInformationNotesfromthemainmenu).Additionalresourcescanbeaccessedthroughthe
mainmenu'sK12educatorslink.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationonaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesintegratetextwithimages,videos,andsoundclipsina
meaningfulmanner.
TheYuckiestSiteontheInternet
http://www.nj.com/yucky/index.html
TheYuckiestSiteontheInternetinvitesstudentstoemailquestionstoWendell,anexpertonthestrangeandgrossaspectsoftheworld.TheYuckiestSiteprovides
linkstoWendell'sBugWorld,WormWorld,YourGrossandCoolBody,andtwoforumswherestudentscanreadandpoststoriesandmessages.Studentscan
submitartworkandpoetrytoWormWorldandBugWorld,too.
CockroachCommercials
Studentgroupscreateavideotapeddocumentaryorcommercialfeaturingroachremovaltechniques,roachanatomy,roachfacts,ortypesofcockroaches.Tobegin,
studentsreviewtheirbackgroundknowledgebytakingtheRoachesinReviewquiz,availableonthemainmenuofBugWorld.Followingthequiz,studentgroups
selectandresearchatopicforthevideo.InadditiontoWendell'sBugWorld(http://www.nj.com/yucky/roaches/),studentscanfindcockroachinformationatlowa
State'sDepartmentofEntomologyWebsite(http://www.ent.iastate.edu/).
Informationskills:Collaborativelydefinetopicsandidentifyspecificinformationneedslocate,select,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsources
communicatefindingsinameaningfulformat.
WormWaste
Workingingroups,studentsinvestigatewormsasrecyclers,buildawormbin,andtrackworms'activity.StudentslearnaboutwormsasrecyclersfromWormWorld,
whichisaccessedfromthemainmenuoftheYuckiestSite.Studentsreadaboutwormexperts,submitquestions,viewvideosandgraphics,locateinstructionsfor
buildingawormbin,buildthebin,andtracktheirworms'recyclingactivity.Finally,studentspresentareportaboutwormsasrecyclersaspartoftheirreport,they
displaytheirwormbins.(StudentsmaycollectorbuywormsfortheirbinsWormWorldprovidesresourcesforpurchasingworms.)
Informationskills:Readforsignificantdetailsandconceptsseekinformationfromprofessionalsassembleinformationinameaningfulmanner.
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TheYuckiestSiteontheInternethomepage
AdditionalSitesforBugsandWorms.
AskOrkin
http://www.orkin.com/orkin.html
AskOrkinisanoutstandingWebsiteforlearningbasicfactsaboutavarietyofbugsandpests.Itincludesfacts,myths,homeownertips,andlinkstoadditionalbug
relatedsites.StudentscansubmitquestionsaboutbugsandpeststoDr.BugorOrkin.
BEye
http://cvs.anu.edu.au/andy/beye/beyehome.html
Thisinteractivesiteallowsstudentstoseehowthingsmaylooktoabee.
Bugwatch
http://www.bugwatch.com/
Bugwatchfeaturessummariesandpicturesofavarietyofinsects.
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Katerpillars&MysteryBugs
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/entyouth.htm
ThisWebsiteforstudentsandteachers,maintainedbytheUniversityofKentuckyEntomologyDepartment,featuresinformationaboutbugs,bugactivities,and
teacherresources.
MinibeastWorldofInsectsandSpiders
http://www.tesser.com/minibeast/
Thissitefeaturesteacherandstudentresources,informationaboutbecominganentomologist,informationaboutinsects,andopportunitiestoaskquestionsofexperts.
EnvironmentalScience
Environmentalissuesaffecteveryone,makingthisanespeciallyfertiletopicareaforinternationalcollaboration.Studentsandteacherscanlearnmoreabouttheeffects
ofpollution,depletionofnaturalresources,andextinctionbyusingtheInternettoexchangeideas,projects,knowledge,andsolutionsforprotectingtheenvironment.
EnvironmentalDefenseFund.
http://www.edf.org/
ThegoaloftheEnvironmentalDefenseFund(EDF)istofindsolutionstoenvironmentalproblems.TopicscoveredonthisWebsiteincludeendangeredspecies,forest
preservation,andactivism.Thesitealsoprovidesasearchengineandlinkstoeducationalresources.(Theaddressforthelistofeducationalresourcesis
http://www.edf.org/heap/resources.html.)
FactsonRecycling
Studentsworkingroupstoresearchandpresentinformationonrecycling.Grouptopicsmayincludeantirecyclingmyths,precycling,compost,whyweshouldbuy
recycledproducts,whattorecycleinschools,curbsiderecycling,howtorecyclethefamilycar,andwastereduction.Onlinearticlesforthesetopicscanbefoundvia
theEnvironmentalDefenseFundsearchengine.Resourcesrelatedtorecyclingcanalsobefoundathttp://www.edf.org/heap/recycle_list.html.Finalpresentationscan
bemadetothecommunity.
Informationskills:Locateandorganizeinformationonaspecifictopiccommunicateinformationinameaningfulway.
GlobalWarming
CreateaclasschartwithtwocolumnsheadedWhatWeKnowandWhatWeWanttoKnow.Askstudentswhattheyknowaboutglobalwarmingandwritetheir
responsesonthechart.Next,askstudentswhattheywouldliketolearnaboutglobalwarmingandwritethoseresponsesonthechart.Organizestudents
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intogroupsandgivethemtimetoresearchthreedifferentarticlesaboutglobalwarmingusingtheEnvironmentalDefenseFundpage
(http://www.edf.org/issues/GlobalWarming.html).Haveeachgroupkeeparecordofthearticlesread.Usingthesearticles,studentsattemptto(1)answertheirown
questionsaboutglobalwarmingand(2)recordnewinformation.Aftereachgrouphasfinisheditsresearch,studentssharewhattheylearnedbydiscussingtheir
findingsandwritingthemontheclasschart.Asafollowupactivity,studentswriteapoemaboutglobalwarmingandsubmitittotheEarthtoKidspageattheEDF
site(http://www.edf.org/Earth2Kids/).
Informationskills:Brainstormandspecifyrequiredinformationforaparticulartopiclocate,select,evaluate,andsynthesizeappropriateresearcharticlesorganize
andcommunicateresultsevaluateandrespondtoinformation.
NationalWildlifeFederation
http://www.nwf.org
TheNationalWildlifeFederation(NWF)Websiteprovidesinformation,links,andstudentactivitiesfocusingonendangeredspeciesandhabitats,waterquality,
wetlands,landstewardship,andinternationalissues.Teacherresources,projectideas,onlinetours,andinteractivequizzesareavailable.
CoolTours
CoolToursprovidestudentswithanadditionalresourceforlearningaboutwater,wetlands,endangeredspecies,andourpubliclands.CoolToursareavailableat
http://www.nwf.org/nwf/kids/cool.Tourquizzesarealsoavailable,allowingstudentstotesttheirknowledgebytakingapretestandposttestforeachtour.Following
thetoursandquizzes,studentscancreateinformationbookletsaboutwhattheylearned,createamultimediaprojectthatteachesaboutarelatedtopic,orparticipate
inaclassJeopardygameaboutthetours.Studentstakenotesduringthetours.
Informationskills:Readformeaning,takenotes,andapplywhathasbeenlearned.
IssuesandAction
StudentsselectatopicfromthemenugivenontheNWFhomepage.Usingthissiteanditslinkstootherresources,studentsresearchthecurrentstatusoftheirtopics
identifyproblems(e.g.,shrinkingwetlands)andrecommendactionstoprevent,mitigate,orremedyenvironmentaldamage.Studentscreateaclasspresentationof
theirfindingsandrecommendations.RecommendedsitestosupportthisprojectareEarthForceKids(http://www.earthforce.org/kidspage.html)andthe
EnvironmentalDefenseFund(http://www.edf.org/).
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationaboutaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesinformothersoffindingsandrecommendations.
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RainforestWorkshophomepage.
TheRainforestWorkshopHomePage
http://mh.osd.wednet.edu/Marshall/rainforest_home_page.html
TheRainforestWorkshopprovidesinformationabouttemperateandtropicalrainforestsaswellasanimalsoftherainforest.Linkstootherrainforestsitesare
provided,asarelessonplansandactivities,graphics,andarticlestofacilitatestudentresearch.
PeopleoftheRainforest.
Studentslisthowtheyobtainfood,wheretheysleep,howtheyareeducated,whattheydointheirfreetime,howtheycarefortheEarth,andotherdetailsabouttheir
lives.Thentheyresearchsimilardetailsaboutthelivesofpeoplewholiveinarainforest.Studentscompareandcontrasttheirliveswiththoseofpeoplewholivein
variousrainforests.Studentsmayalsonotesimilaritiesanddifferencesamongtherainforestpeople.Resourcestosupportthisactivitycanbefoundat
http://mh.osd.wednet.edu/Marshall/homepage/people.htmlandattheRainforestActionNetwork'sKids'Corner
(http://www.ran.org/ran/kids_action/index.html).
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcescompareandcontrastconsiderfactsfromavarietyofperspectives.
RainForestCalendar
Studentsworkingroupsoffourtocreatea12monthcalendaraboutrainforestanimals.Eachstudentselectsthreeanimals.Studentsresearchtheiranimals,thenwrite
aparagraphanddrawapictureofeachone.Theparagraphsandpicturesareusedtocreatecalendars.Informationaboutrainforestanimalscanbefoundat
http://mh.osd.wednet.edu/Marshall/homepage/animals.html.
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Informationskills:Collaborativelydefinetopicsandidentifyspecificinformationneedslocateandselectappropriateinformationcommunicatewhathasbeen
learnedthroughwritinganddrawings.
AdditionalSitesforEnvironmentalScience
EarthForce
http://www.earthforce.org/
Designedforgrades59,EarthForcefeaturesaYouthinActionsectionthatliststhingschildrencandotosavetheenvironment.Thesiteprovidesinformationabout
airpollution,drinkingwater,wildlife,andhabitats.
EarthIsland
http://www.earthisland.org/ei/index.html
EarthIslandfeaturesprojectsfortheconservation,preservation,andrestorationoftheglobalenvironment.Studentscansearchthesiteforinformation.Projects
includeprotectingrainforests,habitatsforwhalesanddolphins,seaturtlenestingbeaches,andsacredlands.Otherprojectspromoteorganicagricultureand
ecologicalpaperfiberalternatives.
Econet
http://www.igc.org/igc/econet/index.html
Econetprovidescurrentnewsgroupheadlinesaboutenvironmentalissuesaswellasasearchengine.LinkstootherenvironmentalWebsitescanbefoundat
http://www.igc.org/igc/en/en.other.html.
EnviroLink
http://envirolink.org/
EnviroLinkclaimstobeoneofthelargestonlineenvironmentalinformationresourcesontheplanet.Itsnewssectionfeaturesdailyreportsfromcorrespondentsaround
theworld,anenvironmentaleventscalendar,emaillists,boycottlistings,andmore.Linkstoeducationalandgovernmentalsitesareprovided.Anartsectionoffers
imagesofnature,thewilderness,andtheearth.Thesitealsoincludesasearchengine.
EnvironmentSchoolKit.
http://www.iinet.net.au/ecwa/info/skoolkit.html
Designedforsecondaryschoolstudents,theEnvironmentSchoolKitincludestopicssuchaspollution,deforestation,theozonelayer,energy,endangeredspecies,and
thegreenhouseeffect.Additionalresourcesandlinksarealsoincluded.
RainforestActionNetwork
http://www.ran.org
Thissiteprovidesinformationabouttherainforestaswellasadvocacyevents,suchascampaignsanddemonstrations.TheKids'Cornercontainsinformation
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abouttheanimals,plants,andnativepeopleoftherainforestsaswellasaglossaryandresourcesforteachersandstudents.Kids'Corneralsoincludesagalleryof
studentartwork.Linkstorelatedresourcesareprovided.
GeologyandPaleontology
It'simpossibleforstudentstovisitthemanyinterestingandremoteregionstheystudy.TheInternetprovidesthenextbestthing:virtualtours.Inadditiontotours,many
Websitesfeatureonlineexperts,emailactivitiesorprojects,interactiveenvironments,andinformationongeologyandpaleontology.
VolcanoWorld
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu
VolcanoWorldfeaturesimagesofvolcanoes,informationaboutcurrentandrecenteruptions,onlineexperts,lessonplans,andlinkstootherresources.Itpublishes
students'volcanopictures.
CurrentEruptions
Studentsresearchandcreatemodelsofcurrentlyeruptingvolcanoes.Studentspresenttheirfindingsandmodelstotheclassandcomparedata.Studentsidentifythe
nameandlocationoftheirvolcanoesonaclassmapandonaneruptiontimeline.StudentscansubmitresearchquestionstoAskaVolcanologist.(Aska
VolcanologistandCurrentlyEruptingVolcanoeslinksappearontheVolcanoWorldhomepage.)Toobtaininformationaboutconstructingvolcanomodels,choose
Kids'Dooronthemainmenu,thenVolcanicSchoolProjectIdeas,thenMakeaVolcano.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationaboutaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesorganizeinformationinchronologicalorderanalyze
andcomparedatalocateinformationaboutamapseekinformationfromprofessionalsdisplayfindingsusinga3Dartformat.
ZoomDinosaurs
http://www.EnchantedLeaning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/
ZoomDinosaursisanoutstandingdinosaurWebsitethatismaintainedbyEnchantedSoftware.ZoomDinosaurscontainsshortsummaries,hypertextlinks,and
picturestoassiststudentunderstanding.LinksincludeAllAboutDinosaurs,Mesozoic,SpeciesandClassification,Extinction,Fossils,DinoBirds,GeologicTime
Chart,DinoFun,andClassroomActivities.
DinosaurSurvey
UsingthedinosaurmythandnotadinosaurinformationfromZoomDinosaurs,theclasscreatesasurveyquestionnairetomeasurethecommunity'sknowledgeof
dinosaurs.Studentssurveypeopleofvariousages,thenrecordtheirfindingsonachart.Thedatafromeachstudent'schartarethencombinedonaclasschart.
Studentsmaycreateadditionalchartstodisplayresultsbyage
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group.Studentsusetheclassfindingstoidentifyareasofmisinformation,thencreatebrochuresandposterstoconveylittleknowndinosaurfacts.Thebrochuresand
postersmaybeduplicatedanddistributedthroughtheschooloffice,communitylibrary,andsoon.
Informationskills:Constructaquestionnairereadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsrecord,categorize,andcompareinformationusingchartsandgraphs
communicatefindingsinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesforGeologyandPaleontology.
AskaGeologist
http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/docs/askage.html
ThisWebsiteinvitesstudentstosubmitquestionstoanonlineexpert.Questionsmaybeaboutvolcanoes,earthquakes,mountains,rocks,maps,groundwater,lakes,
orrivers.
DinosaursinHawaii!
http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/dinos.1.html
Thisisanonlineexhibitofdinosaurfossils.
U.S.GeologicalSurvey
http://geology.usgs.gov/
ThisWebsiteprovideslinkstoAskaGeologist,research,earthquakeinformation,andinformationaboutgeologybyregion.
TheVirtualCave
http://www.goodearth.com/virtcave.html
Studentscantourthemineralwondersofacaveenvironmentwithoutstandingphotographsanddefinitions.
Health
Nutrition,disease,drugawareness,andphysiologyarecoveredinseveralsitesontheWWW.
TheDigitalLearningCenterforMicrobialEcology
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/ctlprojects/dlcme/
Thissiteisdesignedtohelpteachersandstudentslearnmoreaboutmicrobialecology.TopicsincludetheMicrobeZoo,MicrobesintheNews,andMicrobial
Ecology.
HeroesandVillains.
Studentgroupsreadandevaluatearticlesaboutmicrobesandpresenttheirfindingstotheclass.Asafollowupactivity,studentscollectnewspaperandmagazine
articlesaboutmicrobesandclassifythemicrobesasheroic,dangerous,
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TheDigitalLearningCenterforMicrobialEcologyhomepage.
ancient,orstrange.ChooseMicrobesintheNewsfromthemainmenu.ArticlesaredividedintocategoriesincludingHeroic,Dangerous,Ancient,andStrange.
AdditionalarticlesappearunderLateBreakingNews.Eachcategoryallowsstudentstoemailquestionstoexperts.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationaboutaspecifictopicseekinformationfromprofessionalsinformothersoffindings.
MicrobeZooBooks
StudentgroupsresearchatopicintheMicrobeZooandcreateabookthatillustratesanddescribestheirfindings.Studentssharebooksanddiscusshowdifferent
microbescanbehelpfulandharmful.Studentscreatepostersoftheirfavoritemicrobes.ChooseTheMicrobeZoofromthemainmenu.Studentscanemailtheir
questionstomicrobescientists(seeHowtoContactUsandotheremaillinksavailablethroughouttheWebsite).
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationaboutaspecifictopicseekinformationfromprofessionalscategorizeinformationcommunicate
findingsusingpicturesandtext.
FoodandDrugAdministration
http://www.fda.gov/
TheFoodandDrugAdministrationWebsiteprovideslinkstoinformationaboutvarioushealthrelatedissues.TopicsincludeFDANews,Food,Childrenand
Tobacco,Cosmetics,Toxicology,andmuch,muchmore.
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CosmeticReality
Studentgroupscreateafactsheetbasedonresearchintocosmeticsafety,productinformation,andpackaging.Next,theclasscreatesaquestionnairetosurveywhy
peopledoordonotwearcosmeticsandwhattheyknowaboutcosmeticsafety,productinformation,andpackaging.Studentssurveyavarietyofagegroups.Results
arecompiledonaclasschartanddiscussed.Additionalchartscanbemadetodisplayresultsbyagegroup.Next,studentgroupscreateaconsumerreporttype
magazinebasedontheirfindingsandfactsheets.Studentssharetheirmagazinesandmakethemavailableintheschoollibrary.Asafollowupactivity,studentsdiscuss
ordebatewhetherbeautymagazinesimposeanartificialstandardofbeautyagainstwhichpeopleconsistentlymeasuregirlsandwomenandhowthismightaffecttheir
selfesteem.
Tofindadditionalinformationaboutcosmeticsandteenagers,chooseCosmeticsfromthemainmenuandscrolldowntoCosmeticsofInteresttoSpecificGroups.
Informationskills:Readforsignificantdetailsandconceptsdesignaquestionnairechart,analyze,andcomparedataassembleinformationinameaningfulmanner.
FoodLabels
Studentgroupsresearchinformationonfoodlabelingandusetheirnewknowledgetoanalyzeanddiscusslabelsonavarietyoffoodproducts.Groupspresenttheir
findingstotheclass.Asafollowupactivity,groupscreateaDidYouKnow?bookletaboutfoodlabelingtosharewithotherclasses.Informationaboutfood
labelingisavailableontheFoodandDrugAdministrationWebsitebyselectingMoreChoicesfromthemainmenu,thenselectingFoodLabeling.Additional
informationandlinkscanbefoundontheNationalFoodSafetyDatabaseWebsiteathttp://www/foodsafety.org/clabel.htm.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationonaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesanalyzeandcompareinformationcommunicatefindings.
TheNationalFoodSafetyDatabase
http://www.foodsafety.org/
TheNationalFoodSafetyDatabaseWebsiteprovidesinformationforconsumers,theindustry,andeducators/trainers.Inadditiontoarticlesinthosecategories,the
siteanswersfrequentlyaskedquestionsandinvitesuserstosubmitquestions.Accessisfacilitatedwithanindexandsearchengine.
EatingOut?
AfterreadingtheOnlineFoodSafetyTrainingManual,studentstakeatesttoevaluatetheirknowledgeoffoodsafety.Next,studentsbrainstormobservablesignsof
foodsafety(suchassmellorcolor)andcreateachecklistofthesesigns.Studentsgetacopyofthechecklistanduseittorecordtheirobservationseach
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timetheyeatoutforaspecifiedperiodoftime,forexample,onemonth.(Youmayspecifythateatingoutincludeseatingintheschoolcafeteria.)Afterthetime
expires,studentscompile,share,andcomparetheirresultswiththeclassanddiscusstheirreactiontofoodsafetyinrestaurants,fastfoodplaces,theschoolcafeteria,
andtheirhomes.ToaccesstheOnlineFoodSafetyTrainingManual,chooseBrowseTheNationalFoodSafetyDatabasefromthemainmenu,thenchoose
Educator/TrainerRelatedMaterials,thenResources,thenTrainingResources,andthenOnlineFoodHandlerTrainingManual,orentertheURL
http://www.foodsafety.org/train/toptrain.htm.ThenselectBrowsetheOnlineFoodSafetyTrainingManualandreadeacharticle.Studentsmaytakethequizzesatthe
endofeachsectiontotesttheirknowledgeastheygo.Thefinalquizisavailableathttp://www.foodsafety.org/train/toptrain.htm.Asafollowupactivity,students
createpostersrelatedtofoodsafety.Samplesarelocatedathttp://www.foodsafety.org/train/trainpot.htm.
Studentscanalsouseemailtocomparetheresultsoftheircheckliststotheresultsofstudents'checklistsinotherpartsofthecountry.
Informationskills:Readforsignificantdetailsandconceptsbrainstormideasbasedonfactsrecordinformationonachecklistcompile,analyze,andcomparedata
relatefindingstorealworldsituations.
FoodforThought.
UsingtheNationalFoodSafetyDatabaseandotheronlineandofflineresources,studentgroupsconstructahealthmagazinecontainingarticlesonfoodtopicsof
interest.Topicsmayincludefoodsafety,nutrition,foodborneillness,foodmyths,andsoon.Magazinesmayincludearelatedcrosswordpuzzle,graphics,andother
foodrelatedinformation.StudentgroupscanresearchtopicsusingtheNationalFoodSafetyDatabasesearchenginebyaccessingTopicsThatEveryoneShouldBe
AwareOffromthemainmenu.Studentscanalsoaccessadditionalsitesathttp://www.foodsafety.org/otherweb.htm.Studentssharetheirmagazineswiththeir
classmatesandplacethemintheschoollibrary.
Informationskills:Specifyatopicofinterestlocateandselectappropriateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesevaluateandcompareresourcesorganizeand
sharefindingsinanestablishedformat.
AdditionalSitesforHealth
CellsAlive
http://www.cellsalive.com/
CellsAliveprovidestext,pictures,andmoviesaboutcellsandinfections.
HealthFinder
http://www.healthfinder.gov/
SponsoredbytheU.S.government,thissiteisanoutstandingresourceforlocatingspecifichealthinformation,supportgroups,andinformationabouthealththrough
linkstoothersites.
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Healthwise
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/healthwise/
HealthwiseisproducedbytheHealthEducationandWellnessprogramoftheColumbiaUniversityHealthService.Thesitecontainsadatabaseofmorethan600
healthrelatedquestionspostedtoanonlineexpert.Studentscanasktheexpert(calledAlice)questionsabouthealthandcansearchthedatabaseforspecifictopics.
Heart:AnOnlineExploration
http://sln2.fi.edu/biosci/preview/heartpreview.html
Studentscanmakethisonlineexplorationoftheheart,whichfeatureshypertextlinksandgraphics.Thesitealsooffersresourcematerials,enrichmentactivities,anda
glossary.
InternationalFoodInformationCouncil
http://ificinfo.health.org/
ThisWebsiteprovidesawealthofinformationaboutfoodsafetyandnutritionaswellaslessonplansandresourcesforeducators.
NeuroscienceforKids.
http://weber.u.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
DesignedforstudentsandK12educators,NeuroscienceforKidsisagreatsiteforlearningmoreaboutthenervoussystem.Itincludesexperiments,activities,
resources,additionallinks,andmore.ItissponsoredbytheUniversityofWashington.
Meteorology
Asarealworldlearningtool,theInternetprovidesstudentswithopportunitiestotrackandanalyzeweatherconditionsthroughouttheworld,keepuptodateon
currentstormactivities,andobtaininformationaboutothertopicsrelatedtoweather.Weathersitesprovidecurrentweatherinformationstormupdatesforecastsand
informationaboutearthquakes,tornadoes,andhurricanes.
TheTornadoProjectOnline
http://www.tornadoproject.com/
Thissiteismaintainedbyasmallcompanythatpublishesbooks,videos,andpostersabouttornadoes.TheWebsitefeaturesfacts,stories,myths,andsafetytips.
FiveYearsofTornadoes
Eachstudentselectsadifferentstateandcreatesatimelineofthedate,place,andFscaleoftornadoesinthatstatewithinthelastfiveyears.Timelinesmayalso
includethenumberofdeathsandinjuriesandthetimeofeachtornado.Studentslookforpatternswithintheirowntimelinesandpublishtheirfind
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ings.Studentscomparetheirfindingswithotherstudents'research.Discussionquestionsmayincludewhichstatehadthemosttornadoes,whichstatehadthemost
deathsandinjuries,whysomestateshavemoretornadoesthanothers,whethertornadoestendtooccuratacertaintimeofday,whattimeofyeartornadoesappear
themostandwhy,andsoon.StudentscanlearnabouttheFscalebyselectingTheFujitaScaleofTornadoIntensityfromthemainmenu.Statetornadoinformationis
accessiblefromtheAllStateslinkonthemainmenu.
Informationskills:Organizeinformationinachronologicalformatanalyzeandcomparedatacommunicateandreflectonfindings.
StormChasers
Theclasscreatesalistofquestionsabouttornadoesandstormchasing.Questionsmayinclude:howoldwerethestormchaserswhentheystartedchasingtornadoes,
whatpromptedthemtodoit,whereandwhendidtheyseetheirfirsttornado,whatisthescariestthingabouttornadoes,wherehavetheychasedtornadoes,andwhat
isthemostpowerfultornadotheyhaveseen.Workingingroups,studentsemailthequestionstoselectedstormchasers.Studentscomparethestormchasers'
answersanddiscusstheirownthoughtsabouttornadoesandstormchasing.(Toreachastormchaser'sWebpageortoobtainthestormchaser'semailaddress,
chooseStormChasingfromthemainmenuandthenselectastormchaser.)
Informationskills:Brainstormandspecifyrequiredinformationforaparticulartopiccategorizeandcompareinformationseekinformationfromprofessionals.
WeatherUnderground
telnet://madlab.sprl.umich.edu:3000
WeatherUndergroundprovidesinformationaboutweatherconditions,hurricanesandearthquakes,andothertopics.Studentscancompareweatherconditionsin
variouspartsoftheworld.Theycanalsotrackhurricanes,plotearthquakes,andgraphandcompareultravioletlightforecasts.
Note:Thisisatelnetsiteafteryouconnect,pressmtoreachthemainmenu.
EarthquakesandHurricanes
Studentschartearthquakereportsandhurricaneadvisoriesoveraperiodoftime.Usingmapsandcharts,theyplottheactivityofthedisasters,monitorchangesona
dailyorweeklybasis,notetheareasoftheworldatmostrisk,anddiscusstheimplicationsforbuildingconstruction.AccessLatestearthquakereportsand
HurricaneadvisoriesfromWeatherUnderground'smainmenu.
Informationskills:Createandevaluatecharts,tables,graphs,andmapsforanalysis.
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WeatherUndergroundmainmenu.
AdditionalSitesforMeteorology.
FederalEmergencyManagementAgency:TornadoSafetyTips
http://www.fema.gov/fema/tornadof.html
Thissitecontainstornadofactsandsafetytipsaswellaslinkstoadditionalweatherresources.
HurricaneStormScience
http://bird.miamisci.org/hurricane/
DesignedforelementarystudentsandmaintainedbytheMiamiMuseumofScience,thissiteprovidesinformationabouthurricanes,hurricanesurvivors,andweather
instruments.Thesitealsoincludeslinkstocurrenthurricanedataandteacherresources.
NationalWeatherServiceinSanDiego
http://nimbo.wrh.noaa.gov/Sandiego/nws.html
InadditiontoreportingcurrentweatherconditionsinCalifornia,thisWebsiteprovideslinkstonationalandinternationalweatherreports.Weathermaps,tide
information,andastormtrackerareavailable.
Rainbows
http://covis.atmos.uiuc.edu/guide/optics/rainbows/html/rainbow.html
Thissiteprovidesinformationaboutrainbows.Studentscanlearnaboutthetypesofrainbowsandhowtheyareformedandexploreotherrainbowrelatedtopics.
Linkstorelatedsitesareprovided.
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WildWeatherPage
http://www.whnt19.com/kidwx
Createdbyatelevisionweatherman,theWildWeatherPageisaninteractivesiteforkids.Thesiteaddressesmanytopicsandprovideslinksformoreinformation.
StudentscanemailtheirweatherquestionstothecreatoroftheWebsite.Questionsandresponsesarepostedonthesite.Manyteacherresourcesareavailable.
OtherAnimals
Inadditiontobugsandworms,theInternetcontainsawealthofinformationaboutmammals,fish,amphibians,birds,andreptiles.ManyWebsitescontainanimal
graphics,movies,andaudioclipsthatcanbeincludedinstudentmultimediaprojects.Studentscanalsoaccessonlineexperts.
TheFroggyPage.
http://frog.simplenet.com/froggy/
TheFroggyPageisaonestopresourceforalmostanythingastudentorteacherwantstoknowaboutfrogs.TheFroggyPagecontainssounds,pictures,andvideos,
aswellaslinkstofrogtales,sciencefacts,onlinedissections,songs,homepages,research,speciesinformation,andmore.
DecliningPopulations
StudentgroupsresearchandchartdecliningfrogpopulationsthroughouttheworldbyaccessingtheDecliningAmphibianPopulationslinkontheScientificAmphibian
page(chooseScientificAmphibianfromTheFroggyPagemainmenu).Studentgroupsemailexperts(locatedatseveralsites)formoreinformation.Students
combineandcomparetheirfindingsonaclasschart,discussprojectsdesignedtoprotectfrogpopulations,andbrainstormtheirownsolutions.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andcompareinformationseekinformationfromprofessionalseffectivelyusechartsandgraphsbrainstormideasbasedon
facts.
AVarietyofFrogs
Studentsresearchdifferentspeciesoffrogsandcreateamultimediareportthatcontainsspeciesinformation,pictures,andsoundsoffrogs.Studentsaccessfrog
soundsandpicturesfromTheFroggyPagemainmenuandselectvarioussitestoresearchbyselectingScientificAmphibianfromthemainmenu(scrolldownthepage
tofindlinkstospeciesinformation).Studentssharetheirresearchfindings.
Informationskills:Teachstudentshowtolocate,organize,andevaluateinformationonaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesintegratetextwithimages,videos,
andsoundclipsinameaningfulmannercommunicateresearchfindings.
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TheFroggyPagehomepage.
NetVet
http://netvet.wustl.edu/
NetVet'smainmenuofferstwocategories:NetVetVeterinaryResourcesandtheElectronicZoo.Theformerfocusesonveterinarymedicine,education,careers,etc.
thelatterhaslinkstoresourcesaboutvariousanimals.Thesitehaslinkstomanyveterinarysearchenginesandmaintainsasearchengineforthesiteitself.
CareerOpportunities
Studentsresearchaveterinaryfieldofinterest(forexample,zooanimalmedicine,equinesportsmedicine,wildlifemedicine,aquaticanimalmedicine)andreporttheir
findings.StudentsaccesscareerinformationbychoosingVeterinaryResourcesfromthemainmenu,thenclickingonCareers.SeealsotheCareforPetsWebsiteat
http://www.avma.org/care4pets/morecare.htm.StudentsmaysubmitquestionstoAskaVet(http://www.pawprints.com/VETCONNECT/askthevet.html).
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationaboutaspecifictopicseekinformationfromprofessionalscommunicatefindings.
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CaringforPets
Studentgroupscreateabrochureonaspecificpetthatincludeshealthandsafetytipsforcaringfortheanimal.Studentssharetheirfindingsandbrochureswiththe
classandtheircommunity.StudentgroupsuseNetVet'ssearchengineoptionstofindresourcestocompareandincludeintheirbrochures.Studentscanalsoaccess
petsafetyandhealthinformationontheCareforPetsWebsite(http://www.avma.org/care4pets/).
Informationskills:Teachstudentstouseasearchengine,readforsignificantdetailsandconcepts,compareandevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsources,and
shareinformationinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesforotherAnimals
AnimalInformationDatabase.
http://www.bev.net/education/SeaWorld/homepage.html
TheAnimalInformationDatabase,maintainedbySeaWorldandBuschGardens,isdesignedforeducationalpurposes.TopicsincludeWhat'sNew,Animal
Information,CareerInformation,andEducationalResources.
BirminghamZoo
http://www.birminghamzoo.com/
TheBirminghamZoooffersmanyresourcesforlearningaboutvariousanimals.Inadditiontoindexedtopics,thesiteincludesitsownsearchengine,linkstoother
animalWebsites,teacherresources,animalvideos,andagraphicalAfricansafari.StudentscansubmitquestionstoAskaZookeeper.
Cow'sEyeDissection
http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/cow_eye/
Studentscantakeanonlinetutorialaboutdissectingacow'seye.
InternationalWolfCenter
http://www.wolf.org
TheInternationalWolfCentersitecontainslinks,educationalresources,images,andmore.
MarineBiologyLaboratoryPhylumIndex
http://www.mbl.edu/html/MRC/HTML/phylum.html
ThePhylumIndexisavisualdatabasethatprovidesawealthofinformationaboutphyla.
WhaleNet
http://whale.wheelock.edu
Students,teachers,andresearchersfromaroundtheworldcollect,compile,andsharetheirdataforinterdisciplinarycurricularactivitiesandstudentresearch.
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GeneralScienceResourcesOntheWeb
OnlineMagazinesandNewsletters.
BestFriends
http://www.bestfriends.org
IonScienceMagazine
http://www.injersey.com/Media/IonSci/index.html
Quantum
http://www.nsta.org/quantum/
RangerRick
http://www.nwf.org/nwf/lib/rr/index.html
StarFacts
http://www.ccnet.com/odyssey/welcome.html
YesMag:Canada'sScienceMagazineforKids
http://www.islandnet.com/yesmag/homepage.html
OtherScienceSites.
Bubbles
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/bubbles/bubbles.html
Learnallaboutbubbles.Thesiteincludeslinkstootherbubblesites.
ComputerMuseum
http://www.tcm.org/
TheComputerMuseumprovidescustomizedinteractiveexhibits(choosekid,student,adult,oreducator),informationaboutcomputers,andrelatedresources.
Dr.Rabbit'sNoCavityClubhouse
http://www.colgate.com/Kidsworld/main.cgi
Gearedforyoungstudents,Dr.Rabbit'sWebsiteisfilledwithfunfactsandgamesaboutteeth.
ExploraNet:TheExploratorium'sWorldWideWebServer
http://www.exploratorium.edu/
ExploraNetfeaturesonlineexhibits,experiments,teacherresources,andavarietyofsciencerelatedlinks.
ForensicFiles
http://forensicfiles.bc.sympatico.ca/
TheForensicFilesisaninteractive,mysteryadventuregamewithmultiplepaths.Ithelpsstudentslearnmoreaboutforensicscience.Studentsmustsolve
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avarietyofpuzzlestosolvethecase.Thestoryfeatureshandsonexperimentsandactivitiesthathelpmakeforensicscienceunderstandableandrelevanttochildren.
TheycanreceiveadviceduringthegamebyusingAskNewton.Studentscansavetheirplacewithabookmark.
HealthyRefrigerator
http://www.healthyfridge.org
TheHealthyRefrigeratorprovidesinformationaboutnutrition,heartdisease,andotherhealthtopics.
ImaginationFactory.
http://www2.hsonline.net/homepages/kidatart.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesinformationandartactivitiesforrecyclingtrash.
InnerLearningOnline
http://www.innerbody.com/
InnerLearningOnlinefeaturesinteractivetutorialsaboutthehumanbodyandothertopics.
MadScientistNetwork
http://medinfo.wustl.edu/~ysp/MSN/
Thissitefeaturesanassortmentofactivities,ideas,andlinks,includingAskaScientistandonlineexperiments.
MooMilkWebSite
http://www.moomilk.com/moove/moove.htm
MooMilkincludesavirtualtourofthemilkingprocess,factsaboutmilk,andopportunitiestoemailquestionsaboutmilk.
NationalScienceTeachersAssociation(NSTA)
http://www.nsta.org/
ThisistheofficialWebsiteoftheNSTA.Itprovidesarticlesaboutcurrentnewsandlegislationconcerningscienceinschools,informationaboutupcomingevents,
onlineresources,andmore.
OnlineExperiments
http://129.82.166.181/Experiments.html
Thissiteoffersavarietyofonlineexperimentsandbrainteasers.
OntarioScienceCentreInteractiveZone
http://www.osc.on.ca/
ThisWebsitefeaturesscientificfunfactspresentedthroughMacromediamovies.
OpticalIllusions.
http://www.lainet.com/illusions/
ThisWebsiteoffersanenormouscollectionofopticalillusionsandpuzzles.Itincludeslinkstorecommendedbooks,onlinepuzzles,andresources.
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PitscoAskAnExpert
http://www.askanexpert.com/askanexpert/
Thisisanoutstandingsiteforlocatingexpertsinavarietyoffields.Itisanexcellentresourceforanysubject!
ScienceFairProjects
http://www.fi.edu/qanda/spotlight1/spotlight1.html
ThisWebsiteoffersinformationandresourcesforconductingasciencefair.
ScienceLearningNetwork
http://www.sln.org/sln.html
TheScienceLearningNetworkisanexcellentscienceresourceforteachersandstudents.Itprovidesawealthofresourcesandlinkstomanyactivities.
ThinkingFountain
http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/
TheThinkingFountainprovidesideasandactivitiesthatpresentstudentswithsurprising,gross,funny,andpersonalconnectionstoscience.
UTScienceBytes
http://loki.ur.utk.edu/ut2kids/
Thissiteisdesignedforelementaryandsecondaryschoolstudentsandteachers.Topicsincludebotany,geology,entomology,andcareersinscience.
WelcometoEnergyQuest
http://www.energy.ca.gov/education/
EnergyQuestprovidesinformationaboutvarioustypesofenergyandscienceprojects.
WhyFiles.
http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/index.html
FundedbytheNationalScienceFoundation,theWhyFilesexplorequestionsaboutscience.
EMailExchanges
OneofthegreatestadvantagesofusingtheInternetistheabilitytocommunicatewithpeoplearoundtheworld.Thisallowsstudentstogainrealworlddata,firsthand
accounts,andopportunitiestosharefindingsandresults.
NotingNutrition
Studentsexchangeasevendaymealrecordwithstudentsinanothercountry.Studentsrecordwhattheyeatanddrinkforbreakfast,lunch,dinner,andsnacks.Older
studentsmayincludeinformationaboutcalories,fat,andothernutritionalvalues.Studentscomparetheireatinghabitstothoseofstudentsfromanothercountry.
Studentsasktheironlinepartnersaboutunfamiliarfoods.Inaddition,studentsexchangerecipesandinformationaboutfood
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pricesandfavoriteplacestoeat.Studentsmayalsoinvestigatehowclimateandagriculturalconditionsaffectdiet.
OutdoorExchanges
Studentslistandphotographrocks,plants,insects,birds,domesticanimals,andwildlifefromtheschoolenvironment,thenexchangetheselistswithsimilarlistsfrom
studentsinotherstatesandcountries.Studentscomparethelistsandinvestigatewhysomeitemsarethesameandsomearedifferent.Studentsmightconsider
geography,climate,ecosystems,andtheimpactofhumanpopulations.
ScientificChallenges
Studentsexchangescientificchallenges(suchasmakinganeggbounce,usingacabbagetodeterminepH,makingwaterappeartorunuphill,andsoon)withother
students.Studentsdemonstrate,explain,andcomparetheirsolutions.AWebsitecanbecreatedtosharestudents'challengesandsolutions.
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MathematicsResourcesandActivities
Duringthesummer,Mr.GrizzandotherteachersworkedwithcommunitymemberstogetEmilyDosMiddleSchoolconnectedtotheInternet.Followingthe
installation,Mr.Grizzhelpedthecomputercommitteepurchasefilteringsoftwareanddevelopanacceptableusepolicy.Inaddition,severalInternetworkshopswere
developedandpresentedfreeofchargetoEmilyDosMiddleSchoolteachers,parents,andcommunitymembers.
TheInternetwasnotnewtoMr.GrizzhehadbeenexploringtheInternetathomeforthelasttwoyearsandfrequentlyuseddownloadedmaterialstoenhancehis
lessons.Nowitwastimeforthestudentstogetinvolved.
Thefallsemesterarrivedquickly,andMr.GrizzintroducedhisfirstWebbasedunit:theabacus.TheInternetaddedanewtwisttotheunititprovidedstudentswith
interactive,onlineabacustutorialsandaccesstoexperts,research,andothermaterialsthatwereotherwiseunavailabletohisstudents.Hisstudentswereintriguedto
discoverthereareseveraltypesofabacusesandamazedthataskilleduseroftheabacuscansolveadditionandsubtractionproblemsfasterthanacalculator!This
inspiredstudentstoconducttheirowninclassstudy.
Mr.Grizzknewhehadopenedmanymindstothehistoryofmathematicsandearlytechnologies.Ironically,heusedtoday'stechnologiestobringthoseofthepastto
life.Mr.Grizz'snextunitwouldusetheInternettohelphisstudentsshareandexpandtheirmathematicalknowledgeandexperienceswithothers.
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TheInternetprovidesstudentsopportunitiestolearnandapplymathskillsinavarietyofcontexts.Studentsandteacherscancontactandreceivehelpfromonline
expertsexchangemathproblemsandsolutionswithotherclassescollectandanalyzedatafromallovertheworldaccessonlinecalculators,mathsimulations,and
tutorialsdownloadlessonplansandsoftwareandmuchmore.
ThischapterfeaturesWWWsitesthataddressseveralmathtopicsandskills,includingproblemsolving,measurementandgeometry,probabilityandstatistics,
decimalsandfractions,algebraandcalculus,andbasicskillsandvocabulary.Foreachtopicthechapterprovidesoneortwoinstructionalideasfortwoormoresites.
Theseideasandskillsarenotcomprehensiveinstead,theyserveasstartingpointsforexplorationandactivities.Followingthehighlightedsitesisalistofothersites
relatedtothetopicthesesitesarebrieflydescribed.Thechapterendswithalistofgeneralmathsitesandemailactivities.
Note:Eachsite'scurrentURLisgiven,butbecausetheInternetisextremelydynamic,addressesandpathsmaychange.
AlgebraandCalculus
Studentswillbeelatedtoknowtheyarenotaloneintheirpursuitoflearningmoreaboutalgebraandcalculus.SeveralWebsitesfacilitatediscussionofalgebraand
calculusandencouragestudentstoexchangeproblems,solutions,andideas.
AlvirneHighSchoolAPCalculus.
http://www.seresc.k12.nh.us/www/alvirne.html
ThisWebsiteismaintainedbytheadvancedplacement(AP)calculusstudentsatAlvirneHighSchool.ItprovidesresourcesandsampleproblemsfortheAPcalculus
exam.
ProblemoftheWeek
StudentsdownloadtheguestproblemoftheweekandAlvirne'sproblemoftheweekandsendtheirsolutionstoAlvirneHighSchool.Studentscancomparethe
difficultyofthequestions,aswellastheirsolutionsforbothoftheproblems.Asafollowupactivity,studentsconstructtheirownproblemandsubmitittotheAP
calculusstudentsatAlvirneHighSchool.
Informationskills:Teachstudentshowtolocateinformation,readforsignificantdetailsandconcepts,evaluatedata,andcommunicateresultsinameaningfulway.
ProblemPortfolio
Studentsdownloadandsolvearchivedproblemsandcreateaportfoliooftheirwork.Practiceproblemsandtheirsolutionscanbedownloadedfromseveralarchives
onthemainmenu.Studentscategorizetheproblemsandcomparestrategiesandoutcomes.
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Informationskills:Teachstudentshowtolocateinformation,readforsignificantdetailsandconcepts,analyzeandcategorizeinformation,andrecordand
communicateresultsinameaningfulway.
VirtualAlgebraProblem
http://WWW.webcom.com/~vschool/problems/Mathproblems/algebra597.html
ThissiteispartoftheVirtualSchool(http://www.webcom.com/~vschool/).Lessonareasincludemathematics,science,socialstudies,andlanguagearts.
Mathematicstopicsincludeproblemsoftheweekinalgebraandgeometry.
WeeklyProblem
Studentsdownloadtheproblemoftheweek,workitout,andsubmittheiranswertotheirteacherandtheVirtualSchool.Studentssharetheiranswerandstrategies
withtheirclassmatesandthencomparetheirresultswiththepostedsolution.
Informationskills:Locateinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconcepts
analyzeinformationcommunicateresultsinameaningfulway.
AdditionalSitesforAlgebraandCalculus
AlgebraOnline
http://www.algebraonline.com/
AlgebraOnlineprovidespersonalonlinetutoring,achatroom,andanoptiontosubmitquestionsaboutalgebratoitsonlineexperts.
AlgebraStoryProblems.
http://www2.hawaii.edu/suremath/intro_algebra.html
Partof21stCenturyProblemSolving(seepage120),thispageprovidesalgebraicwordproblemsanddemonstrateshowtheyaresolved.
APCalculusontheWeb
http://www.seresc.k1.nh.us/www/apsum.html
APCalculusontheWebprovidesmanyresourcesforteachingcalculuslinks,materials,software,andmore.
ComputerAlgebraInformationNetwork(CAIN)
http://www.can.nl/
CAINprovidesresourcesandlinksforteachingalgebra,calculus,andotherhigherlevelmathematics.
GirlstotheFourthPowerAlgebraProgram
http://wwwleland.stanford.edu/%7Emeehan/xyz/girls4.html
ThisWebsitedescribesatutoringprogram,providesafewalgebraproblems,andoffersstudentstheoptionofpostingamessage.
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BasicSkillsandVocabulary
StudentsandteacherswillfindmanyWebsitesthatfocusonbasicskills,mathematicsvocabulary,andbasictools.
TheAbacus
http://www.ee.ryerson.ca:8080/~elf/abacus/
TheAbacusofferslessonsforaddingandsubtractingonanabacus,informationaboutthehistoryoftheabacus,interestingfactsabouttheabacus,andanonline
interactiveabacuswritteninJava.TheWebsitealsoprovideslinkstorelatedresources.
AbacusResearch
Studentgroupscreatereportscomparingdifferenttypesofabacuses.Studentsinvestigateandcomparethehistoryoftheabacuses,howtousethem,whattheylook
like,andsoon.SeetheCompareandFurtherInvestigationlinksonthemainmenuforadditionalinformationandlinksabouttheabacus.Studentsusemultiple
resources.
Informationskills:Teachstudentshowtolocate,organize,andevaluateinformationonaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesandhowtoeffectivelycommunicate
findings.
PlusandMinus.
Studentslearntoaddandsubtractonanabacususingtheonlinetutorialsandabacus.Studentsthenpredictwhichisfaster:completingadditionandsubtraction
problemsonanabacus(notthevirtualone)oronacalculator.Graphstudents'responsesonachart.Placestudentsintogroupsofthree(abacus,calculator,judge)
andprovideequations.Judgesobservethefastestresponseforeachequationandtallythemostaccurate.Studentgroupsgraphanddiscusstheresults,includingwhy
theydiffer.Next,havestudentsreadTheAbacusvs.theElectricCalculator(chooseContestfromthemainmenu).Studentscomparetheirresultstothefindingsin
thearticle,explorewhatvariablesinfluencetheresults(thatis,whyresultsmightdiffer),anddiscusstheirreactionstowhattheyhavelearned.
Informationskills:LocateandapplymathematicaltoolsontheInternetanalyzeandcomparedatacreateeffectivechartsandgraphscommunicatefindings.
MathematicalArchives:Numbers
http://archives.math.utk.edu/subjects/numbers.html
ThisisoneofmanysitesavailablefromtheMathematicalArchivesWebsite(http://archives.math.utk.edu/).Thissiteprovideslinkstomanysitesaboutnumbers.
Topicsincludepi,primenumbers,andnumberhistory.
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MathematicsArchivespage.
NumberNews
Studentgroupscreateanewspaperaboutnumbers.Studentsresearchandgatherinformationfromthevariousonlineandofflineresourcestoconstructtheir
newspapers.Newspapersaresharedwiththeclassanddistributedintheschoollibrary.Studentsidentify,compare,andevaluateeachsourceofinformation.For
followup,seethefirstactivityofUsingtheNewspapertoLearnMath(http://www.southam.com/calgaryherald/educa/Math1.html).
Informationskills:Teachstudentshowtolocate,organize,andevaluateinformationonaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesandcommunicatefindingsina
newspaperformat.
NumbersTalk
Studentsbrainstormalistofphrases,proverbs,titles,andsoonthatincludenumbers.Forexample,Ittakesonetoknowone,Ittakestwototango,Three'sa
crowd,andsoon.Studentsbrainstormasmanyphrasesastheycanforasmanynumbersastheycan,thencreateabargraphtoshowhow
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manyphrasestheythoughtofforeachword.Studentscomparetheirlistswitheachother,thencomparetheirliststoNumericon'sNumberswe'veallheardoflist.
(Toaccessthelist,firstselectNumericonfromtheMathArchives:Numbersmainmenu,thenselectNumbersWe'veAllHeardOf.Or,enter
http://www.maths.uts.edu.au/number/common.html.)Studentskeepajournalofnumberphrases.Asafollowupactivity,studentsmakephrasebooksthatfeatureone
ofthenumbers.Forexample,astudentmaywriteandillustrateabookwithphrasesthatincludethenumberthree:ThreeBlindMice,TheThreeStooges,three
dimensional,andsoon.
Informationskills:Brainstormcreateeffectivegraphsanalyzedatalocateandevaluateinformationcommunicatefindingsinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesforBasicSkillsandVocabulary
BaseTenCount
http://www.edbydesign.com/btcount.html
BaseTenCountisaJavaappletthathelpsstudentsunderstandtheconceptofplacevalue.ThisissponsoredbyEducationbyDesign.Additionalactivitiesare
availableatthissite.
BaseballMath
http://www.goldpages.com/math/
BaseballMathisaninteractivegamethatrequiresstudentstouseadditionormultiplicationskillstoscorehitsandruns.
FlashCardsforKids.
http://www.wwinfo.com/edu/flash.html
Usinginteractiveflashcards,studentscanpracticeaddition,multiplication,division,andsubtractionatvariouslevels.
MonsterMath
http://www.lifelong.com/AcademicWorld/MonsterMath/
MonsterMathprovidesinteractivemathstoriesforyoungerstudents.ThestoriesarepresentedinEnglishorSpanishwithbothtextandaudiocomponents.Students
mustsolveaproblembeforecontinuingtothenextpartofastory.
StanleyParkChase
http://schoolcentral.com/willoughby5/default.htm
Studentsusemultiplicationtohelpadoglocateburiedgold.
UsingtheNewspapertoLearnMath
http://www.southam.com/calgaryherald/educa/Math1.html
ThissiterepresentsoneofthemanynewspaperactivitiessponsoredbytheCalgary(Alberta)Herald.Additionaleducationalactivitiesareavailablebyclickingonthe
EducationOnlineicon.
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CurrencyConverterpage.
DecimalsandFractions
Mostsitesthataddressfractionsanddecimalsprovidelessonplans,onlinetutorials,andsoftwarelinks.ATourofFractions
(http://forum.swarthmore.edu/paths/fractions/index.html)isanexcellentresourceforlinks.
CurrencyConverter
http://www.oanda.com/cgibin/ncc
TheCurrencyConverterconvertsmorethan164currencies.Itprovidesbothcurrentandpastexchangerates.Convertingcurrencyisagreatwaytoteachrealworld
applicationsofdecimalsandfractions.
HowFarwillMyDollarGo?
Studentsusethecurrencyconvertertodeterminetheworthofonedollarinotherlocations.Studentschoosefiveoftheavailable164options,notethevalueofthe
dollar(e.g.,1U.S.dollarequals1.8820GermanMarks)andoftheforeigncurrency(e.g.,1GermanMarkequals0.5313U.S.dollars).Studentschartandcompare
theirresults,rankingtheamountsfromhighesttolowestposttheirfindingsontheappropriatelocationsonamapandsharetheirfindingswiththeclass.Students
constructaclasschartshowingeveryone'sfindings.Asafollowupactivity,studentsfindandbringinpicturesofforeigncurrencies,convertfoodmenustoanother
currency,ordeterminethecostofselecteditemsfromacatalogusinganothercurrency.Olderstudentsmaydiscusstheramificationsoffluctuationsincurrencyvalues.
Informationskills:LocateanduseinformationtoolsontheInternetanalyzedataandcreateeffectivechartslocatelocationsonamapcommunicatefindingsina
meaningfulmanner.
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GreatWorldWidePetSurvey.
http://www.webcom.com/hardy/cuis2/petskids.html
TheGreatWorldWidePetSurveyisoneofthemanyactivitiesavailableattheCuisenaireLearningPlace(http://www.awl.com/www.cuisenaire.com/index2.html).
Studentscanparticipateinanonlinesurveyandcomparetheirresultswithothers.Thisisalsoagreatsiteforconductingstatisticalanalysis.
DoubleCheckthatData
StudentgroupsreviewthedatasubmittedtotheGreatWorldWidePetSurvey,notingduplicateentriesandotherinvaliddata.Studentsdiscusstheirfindingsasa
classandcreatearevised,accuratedatalist.Theclassconstructsnewchartsandgraphstodisplaythedataandcomparesthesetothechartsonline.Studentsdiscuss
theirfindingsintermsoffractions,percentages,anddecimals.Studentsexplaintheimportanceofcheckingdataandnottakinggivenresultsforgranted.
Informationskills:Analyzeandevaluatedatacreateeffectivechartsandgraphscommunicatefindings.
AdditionalSitesforDecimalsandFractions
Decimals,WholeNumbers,andExponents
http://www.mathleague.com/help/decwholeexp/decwholeexp.htm
Thissiteprovidesinformationaboutdecimals.Topicsincludeaddingandsubtractingdecimals,writingdecimalsinexpandedform,andcomparingdecimals.
EgyptianFractions
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~eppstein/numth/egypt/
ThissiteprovidesinformationaboutEgyptianfractionsandothermathconcepts,aswellaslinkstorelatedsites.
ElementarySchoolLessons&MaterialsforTeachers
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/paths/fractions/e.fraclessons.html
Thissiteprovidesmanylinkstofractionlessonplansandmaterialsforelementaryschoolteachers.Teachersmayusethisastheirownresourceorallowstudentsto
downloadlessonstoteachtheirpeersoryoungerstudents.
S.O.S.Mathematics:Algebra
http://www.math.utep.edu/sosmath/algebra/algebra.html
Thissiteprovidesinformationaboutsimplefractions,complexfractions,convertingfractions,andmore.
ATourofFractions.
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/paths/fractions/index.html
ThisWebsitecontainsmanylessonplansandlinksforteachingfractions.
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GeometryCenterhomepage.
WorldWideMathTutorial
http://tqd.advanced.org/2949/
ThisWebsitesfeaturesshorttutorialsaboutfractionsanddecimals.
MeasurementandGeometry
TheInternetprovidesmanyopportunitiesforstudentstoapplytheirmeasuringskillsandtolearnmoreaboutgeometry.Inadditiontoonlinetutorialsandlessonplans,
theInternetoffersaccesstomanymeasurementandgeometrytools,projects,andinteractiveactivities.
GeometryCenter
http://www.geom.umn.edu/
TheGeometryCenterfeaturesresourcesandinformationrelatedtogeometry.Itisanexcellentsiteforhighschoolteachersandadvancedgeometrystudents.
TheArtofGeometry
Studentsresearch,view,andcritiquevariousgeometricalartworksanddesigntheirownpiecesbasedontheirfindings.Graphicscanbechosenbytopic,author,or
title.Theteachermaywanttoassignspecificgraphicsandcomparestudents'responses.Studentartcanbebasedonagraphicfoundinthearchiveoronaparticular
concept.StudentssendtheirquestionsandcommentstotheGeometryCenter.(Toviewtheart,chooseGeometryReferenceArchivesfromthemainmenu,then
chooseGraphicsArchive.)
Informationskills:Selectandapplyinformationseekinformationfromprofessionals.
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HowFarisit?
http://www.indo.com/distance/
ThisserviceusestheUniversityofMichiganGeographicNameServerandasupplementarydatabaseofworldcitiestodeterminethelatitudeandlongitudeoftwo
places,andthencalculatesthedistancebetweenthem.Italsoprovidesamapshowingthetwoplaces,usingtheXeroxPARCMapServer.
ChartaCourse
StudentschartacoursebetweentwoU.S.citiesonoppositecoasts(i.e.,eastandwest).UsingtheHowFarIsIt?Website,studentsdeterminethedistancebetween
thetwolocationsandcharttheshortestcourseusingaU.S.map.Next,usingthedrivingdirectionsoptiononHowFarIsIt?,studentscomparetheircoursewiththe
directionsprovidedbyMapQuest.Studentshighlightbothcoursesindifferentcolorsonamap.
Informationskills:MapskillslocateandapplyinformationtoolsontheInternetanalyzeandevaluateinformation.
Kali.
http://www.geom.umn.edu/apps/kali/start.html
KaliisaninteractivetoolforcreatingEscherliketilings,infiniteknots,andotherdrawings.Itcreatespatternsinallofthe17planarsymmetrygroups.
Picturethis
Studentschooseasymmetrygroup,notation,andpatterntocreate,andthenprintoutadrawingusingKali.Studentsattempttoidentifythesymmetrygroupand
notationofeachother'sdrawingsusingvarioussources,includingKali.
Informationskills:LocateandapplymathematicaltoolsontheInternetanalyzeandcomparedata.
AdditionalSitesforMeasurementandGeometry
AuntAnnie'sCraftPage:GeometricPlaythings
http://www.auntannie.com/geomplay.html
GeometricPlaythingsprovidesinstructionsformakingseveralpaperprojectsthatinvolvebasicgeometry.Mostprojectscreate3Dobjects.
ConvertIt!
http://microimg.com/science/
ThisWebsiteconvertsoneunitofmeasuretoanother(e.g.,centimeterstoinches,inchestomiles,feettocentimeters).Conversionsareprovidedforunitsoflength,
area,mass,velocity,fluid,andmore.
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Countdown!
http://www.spiders.com/cgibin/countdown
ThisWebsitecalculatestheseconds,minutes,days,andhoursbetweentwodates.
GeometryProblemoftheWeek
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/geopow/
ThisWebsitefeaturesweeklygeometryproblems.Studentscansubmittheiranswersandresearchproblemspreviouslysubmitted.Studentscanalsotrytosolvethe
problemofthemonth.
PlaneMathActivities.
http://www.planemath.com/
PlaneMathActivitiesfeaturesonline,interactivemathproblemswithstudent,group,andteacheractivitiescorrespondingtoNationalCouncilofTeachersof
Mathematicsstandards.
StorybookofGeometry
http://tqd.advanced.org/3654/
TheStorybookofGeometryfeaturesavarietyofinteractivestoriesthatrequirestudentstousetheirknowledgeofgeometry.
ProbabilityandStatistics
TheInternetoffersmanywaysstudentscancollectdataforstatisticalanalysisandtostudyprobability.Inaddition,onlineexpertsanddatabases,interactivetutorials,
activities,andsimulationsareavailable.
ChanceDatabase
http://www.geom.umn.edu/docs/snell/chance/
ThisWebsitecontainsinformation,resources,andlinkstohelpeducatorsteachintroductoryprobabilityandstatisticsconcepts.TopicsincludeChanceNews,
TeachingAids,andOtherRelatedInternetSources.Teachingaidsincludeevaluationinstruments,sampleactivities,computerresources,andinformationabout
probabilityandsurveys.ChanceissupportedbytheNationalScienceFoundationandseveralotherlearninginstitutions.
IntheNews
StudentgroupsreadanddiscussthestatisticsandprobabilityconceptsassociatedwiththeabstractspostedinChanceNews.BasedontheChanceNewsexamples,
studentsfindnewspaperandmagazinearticlesthatfeaturestatisticsandprobabilityconcepts.Studentspresenttheirfindingstotheclass,thensubmitabstractsofthe
articlestotheChanceDatabase.Studentsmayuseonline
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newspaperstoconducttheirresearch.Tofindlinkstoonlinenewspapers,chooseRelatedInternetResourcesfromtheChanceDatabasemainmenu.
Informationskills:Readforsignificantdetailsandconceptslocate,evaluate,andorganizeinformationforaspecifictopiccommunicateinformationinameaningful
way.
SameResults
StudentgroupsreplicateanactivitydescribedinActivities(chooseTeachingAidsfromthemainmenu)anddiscussandcomparetheirfindings.
Informationskills:Teachstudentshowtolocateinformation,readforsignificantdetails,applyinformation,andcommunicateresults.
EduStock
http://tqd.advanced.org/3088/
Edustockteachesstudentsaboutthestockmarket.Itincludestutorialsaboutthestockmarket,companyprofiles,andastockmarketsimulation.
CompanyProfilesandStocks.
Studentgroupsresearchanassignedcompanyandchartthestockofthecompanyoveragivenperiodoftime.Studentgroupspresentareportabouttheircompany
anditsstockresultstotheclass.StudentscomparetheinformationpostedonEduStockwithinformationfromothersources.(Whenassigningcompaniestostudents,
selectfromtheCompanyProfilesonEduStock'smainmenu.)
Informationskills:Locateandorganizeinformationforaspecifictopiccreateeffectivechartsanalyzeandevaluatedatacommunicateinformationinameaningful
way.
StockMarketReports
StudentslearnaboutthestockmarketbyusingEduStock'sonlinetutorialandotheronlineandofflineresources.Studentstakenotes,evaluateinformation,and
synthesizetheirresearchintoafinalreport.(Topicsforstudentreportsarebasedonthetopicsoutlinedinthetutorial.)Studentssubmit10questionsbasedontheir
researchforuseinaclassJeopardygame.Studentsplaythegame.
Informationskills:Readforsignificantdetailsandconceptslocate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesrecord,analyze,andsynthesizedata
communicatefindingsanddemonstrateknowledgethroughagameformat.
GlobalGroceryListProject
http://www.landmarkproject.com/ggl.html
TheGlobalGroceryListprovidesinformationaboutthepriceofgroceriesinvariousplacesaroundtheworld.Theinformationisbasedonclasssubmis
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sions.TheGlobalGroceryListprovidesinstructionsandatemplateforsubmittingprices.
CheckItOut
StudentsfollowtheinstructionsgivenontheGlobalGroceryListtosubmitinformationaboutgroceries.Studentsprintoutthegiventemplateandcalculatetheaverage
pricesofselectedgroceries.StudentscomparetheirfindingstothosealreadypostedontheGlobalGroceryList.
Informationskills:Locateandapplyinformationrecordandanalyzedatacommunicateresults.
NowandThen
Studentsexaminecurrentandpastgrocerypriceliststodeterminetheaveragecostofgroceriesandtocomparethemostexpensiveandleastexpensivegroceryitems.
Studentscommunicatetheirfindingsusingtables,graphs,andcharts.
Informationskills:Analyzedatacreateeffectivetables,graphs,andcharts.
AdditionalSitesforProbabilityandStatistics
DAUStatRefresher
http://www.cne.gmu.edu/modules/dau/stat/
StatRefresherisaninteractive,onlinetutorialaboutstatisticsandprobability.
K12Statistics.
http://www.mste.uiuc.edu/stat/stat.html
K12Statisticsprovideslinkstolessonplansanddatasets.LinksareorganizedbytheNationalCouncilofTeachersofMathematicsstandards.
StatisticsEveryWriterShouldKnow
http://nilesonline.com/stats/
Thisisanintroductiontobasicstatistics.
StatLib
http://lib.stat.cmu.edu/
ThisWebsiteisanextensiveresourceofstatisticsmaterials,includingdatasets,graphicmodels,software,andlinks.
TakingChances:OnlineProbability
http://www.fi.edu/qa97/spotlight4/
Thisisagreatsiteforteachertestedprobabilitylessonplans.
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ProblemSolving
TheInternetprovidesbothformalandinformalproblemsolvingopportunitiesacrossallareasofthecurriculum.Thissectionfocusesonproblemsolvingsituations
involvingmathematicsandlogic.
AskDr.Math
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/dr.math/index.html
Dr.Mathanswersquestionsfromstudentsatalllevels.Archivesofquestionsandanswersareavailable.Thesiteisdividedintofourlevelselementaryschool,middle
school,highschool,andcollegelevels.Eachlevelincludesvarioustopics:AboutNumbers,Division,Geometry,MathHistory,Puzzles,andsoon.
APassionforPuzzles
StudentgroupssolvepuzzlestheydownloadfromDr.Math.Studentscategorizethepuzzlesbytypeandlevelofdifficulty,thenorganizethemintoaclasspuzzle
book.Toaccesspuzzles,firstselecttheappropriategradelevelfromtheAskDr.Mathmainmenu.ThenselectPuzzles.Answersareprovidedforeachpuzzle,so
studentscanchecktheiranswers.
Informationskills:Solveproblemscategorizeinformation.
PerplexingPuzzles.
StudentgroupssubmitanunsolvedpuzzletoDr.Math.Beforesubmittingthepuzzle,searchthearchivestobesureDr.Mathhasnotalreadysolvedit.Studentsmay
alsosubmitpuzzlesandcomparetheiranswerstoDr.Math'sanswers,orstudentsmaysearchotherpuzzlesitesandcompareDr.Math'ssolutiontoapuzzlesolved
bysomeoneelse.
Informationskills:Seekinformationfromprofessionalslocateandevaluateinformationfromvarioussources.
MegaMath
http://www.c3.lanl.gov/megamath/menu.html
MegaMath,sponsoredbytheLosAlamosNationalLaboratory,encouragescreativityandanintegratedapproachtoproblemsolvingactivities.Thesiteprovides
lessonplansthatcombineproblemsolvingwithart,drama,languagearts,andmore.
ActItOut
StudentgroupsperformtheplayAUsualDayatUnusualSchool.(Toaccessthescript,selectAUsualDayatUnusualSchool,thenselectActivities,andfinally
selectUnusualSchool.Thelessonplanisalsoavailablehere.)Aftertheperformance,studentgroupscreateplaysbasedonlogicpuzzles.Foradditionalresources
relatedtothisactivity,seeBrainTeasers(http://www.eduplace.com/math/brain/index.html)andtheBigListofPuzzleandRiddlePages
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MegaMathhomepage.
(http://huizen.dds.nl/~mahulsma/biglist.htm).Studentssendtheircomments,questions,andplaystoMegaMath.
Informationskills:Locateandapplyinformationseekinformationfromprofessionalsassembleandcommunicateinformationinacreativemanner.
UniversityofTorontoMathematicsNetwork
http://www.math.toronto.edu/mathnet/mathnet.html
TheMathematicsNetworkoffersinteractiveproblemsandactivities,problemsandpuzzles,resourcematerials,andaquestionanddiscussionareaforhighschool
students.
ClassicFallacies
Studentsrecordtheirresponseswhiletheyattempttodiscovertheflawinafalseproof.Thesiteprovidesimmediatefeedbacktothestudent'sresponse.Choose
InteractiveProjectsandActivities,thenClassicFallacies.Asafollowupactivity,studentscanresearchandreportonvariousfallaciesinvolvingstatistics,
mathematicalinduction,andothertopics.
Informationskills:Readforsignificantdetailsandconceptsrecordandanalyzedata.
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GamePlay
Studentslearnaboutthemathematicsonwhichmanygamesarebased.ChooseInteractiveProjectsandActivities,thenGameswithaTwist.Studentsrecordtheir
findingsinajournalandsubmittheirquestionstotheQuestionandAnswerCorner.Studentsresearchadditionalgames,puzzles,andmagictricksbasedon
mathematics,thenaddtheirfindingstotheirjournal.
Informationskills:Readforsignificantdetailsandconceptsrecordandanalyzedataseekinformationfromprofessionals.
AdditionalSitesforProblemSolving
21stCenturyProblemSolving.
http://www2.hawaii.edu/suremath/home.html
ThisWebsiteisanexcellentresourceforlearningmoreaboutproblemsolvingstrategies,issues,curriculumintegration,andsoon.
AimsPuzzleCorner
http://www.aimsedu.org/Puzzle/PuzzleList.html
ThePuzzleCornerprovidesmonthlypuzzlestoengagestudents'imaginationsandbuildtheirproblemsolvingskills.Pastpuzzlesareavailable.
BrainTeasers
http://www.eduplace.com/math/brain/index.html
SponsoredbyHoughtonMifflin,thisWebsiteoffersweeklybrainteasersforstudentstosolve.Studentscansubmittheiranswersonlineandenteracontest.Archives
ofpastbrainteasersareavailablealso.Hintsandanswersareincludedinthearchives.Problemsarecategorizedbygradelevels:34,56,and78.
LemonadeStand
http://www.littlejason.com/lemonade
ThisisaWebversionoftheclassicgameLemonadeStand,withadditionaloptions.Forexample,studentshavetheoptiontoadvertisetotrytoattractmore
customersinaddition,theyareautomaticallycharged$.75perdayrent.Theobjectiveistoselllemonadetomakeaprofit.Thisinteractivegamecombinesweather,
advertising,andothervariablesthataffectthesaleoflemonade.Kidscancompeteandwinaplaceonthehighscoreslist.ThisWebsiteprovideslinkstootheronline
games.
MagicSquares
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/alejandre/magic.square.html
Thissitefeaturesthehistorybehindmagicsquares,examples,andexplanationsofhowmagicsquareswork.
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MathematicsProblemSolvingTaskCentres
http://www.srl.rmit.edu.au/mav/PSTC/index.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesproblemsolvingactivitiesandtips.Studentsareinvitedtosubmittheirownproblems.Adiscussionlistisalsoavailable.
GeneralMathematicsResourcesOntheWeb
OnlineMagazinesandNewsletters.
MathematicalDictionary
http://www.mathpro.com/math/glossary/glossary.html
TheStatisticsTeacherNetwork
http://www.amstat.org/education/STN/
Zimaths
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/3550/zimaths.htm
OtherSites
AIMSEducationFoundation
http://www.aimsedu.org/
AIMSdevelopsintegratedmathandsciencematerialsforK9.TheWebsitecontainsactivities,ideas,exchanges,puzzles,mathematicshistory,andmore.
AppetizersforMathandReason
http://www.cam.org/selby/lesson.html
Thissiteprovidesacollectionofmaterialandproblemstohelpstudentsdevelopproblemsolvingandreasoningskills.
BigListofPuzzleandRiddlePages.
http://huizen.dds.nl/mahulsma/biglist.htm
ThisWebsiteprovidesanextensivelistofpuzzleandriddlesites.
BlueDogcanCount
http://kao.ini.cmu.edu:5550/bdf.html
Studentscreateasimplearithmeticequationbyfillinginblanksonthescreen.BlueDogsolvestheequation,thenbarkstoindicatetheanswer.(Iftheansweris20,
BlueDogbarks20times.)
CalculatorsOnLine
http://wwwsci.lib.uci.edu/HSG/RefCalculators.html
CalculatorsOnLineprovideslinkstomorethan4,600onlinecalculators.
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CuisenaireLearningPlace
http://www.awl.com/www.cuisenaire.com/index2.html
Thissiteprovidesmanyonlineactivitiesforstudents,adiscussionareaforteachersfortheirquestionsandcommentsabouthandsonlearninginscienceand
mathematics,onlinelessonplans,andmore.
EisenhowerNationalClearinghouse
http://www.enc.org/
TheEisenhowerNationalClearinghouseprovidesmiscellaneousresourcesformathandscienceteachers.
Encyberpedia:Math
http://www.encyberpedia.com/math.htm
Thissiteprovidesanextensivelistofmathlinks.
TheExplorer
http://explorer.scrtec.org/explorer/
TheExploreroffersacollectionofeducationalresourcesandlessonplansformathematicsandscience.
FamousCurvesIndex.
http://wwwgroups.dcs.stand.ac.uk:80/history/Curves/Curves.html
Atthisinteractivesite,usersclickonthenameofacurve,thenwatchthecomputerdrawit.Informationaboutcurvesisalsoavailable.
Finity
http://www.finitycorp.com/tableof.htm
Finityfeaturesonlineactivitiestoteachstudentsaboutpercentagesandmoney.Thissitecontainslotsofteacherresourcestoprintanddownload,anditincludes
interactivemathgames.
FractalGalleries
http://www.glyphs.com/art/fractals/
Thissitecontainsinformationandpicturesoffractals.
TheFractory
http://tqd.advanced.org/3288/
TheFractoryprovidesaninteractivetoolforcreatingandexploringfractals.
GreekMathematics
http://sunsite.unc.edu/expo/vatican.exhibit/exhibit/dmathematics/Greek_math.html
ThissitefocusesonthehistoryofGreekmathematics.
HelpingYourChildLearnMath
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Math/
ThisWebsiteprovidesresourcesforparents(andteachers)helpingkidslearnmath.
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HistoryofMathematics
http://archives.math.utk.edu/topics/history.html
Thissiteprovideslinkstoresourcesthatfocusonthehistoryofmathematics.
HistoryofMathematicsArchive.
http://wwwgroups.dcs.stand.ac.uk/history/
ThisWebsitecontainsbiographiesofmathematiciansandotherhistoricalinformationaboutmath.
TheHub
http://ra.terc.edu/HubHome.html
TheHuboffersmanyresourcesformathematicsandscienceteachers.
InteractiveMathematicsMiscellanyandPuzzles
http://www.cuttheknot.com/
ThisWebsiteprovidesinformationaboutmanymathtopicsandanenormousnumberofinterestingactivitiesandlinks.
InteractiveMathematicsOnline
http://tqd.advanced.org/2647/main.htm
Thissiteaddressesintroductorytopicsingeometry,algebra,trigonometry,andchaostheory.Stereogramsarealsodiscussed.
ItFigures
http://www.solutions.ibm.com/k12/teacher/fig1S.html
SponsoredbyIBM,ItFiguresisanonlinemathactivity.Tocompletetheactivity,studentsmustuseinformationtheyfindonotherWebsites.
Kid'sWebMath
http://www.npac.syr.edu/textbook/kidsweb/math.html
PartofKid'sWeb,thissiteprovideslinkstomiscellaneousmathsites.
TheMathArchives
http://archives.math.utk.edu/
TheMathArchivesisawonderfulresourceformathmaterial,includinglessonplans,resources,additionallinks,andsoftware.
Math,Baseball,andtheSanFranciscoGiants.
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/baseball/
ThisisanonlinemathactivitythatrequiresstudentstouseotherInternetresourcestocompletetheactivity.
MathCentral
http://MathCentral.uregina.ca/index.html
MathCentralisaK12educationmathWebsitethatfeaturesonlinelessonplans,teacherforums,andanopportunitytosubmitquestions.
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MathComics
http://www.csun.edu/hcmth014/comics.html
MathComicsisacollectionofmathrelatedcomics.
TheMathForum
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/
TheMathForumcontainsanenormousnumberofmathlessonplans,links,andotherresources.Userscansearchitsdatabaseorbrowsebytopic.Thisisanexcellent
startingplaceforfindingdesiredmathematicstopicsandresources.
TheMathLeague
http://www.mathleague.com/
TheMathLeagueprovidesmathresourcesandhelpswithvariousmathtopics.
MathematicalAnimationGallery
http://mathserv.math.sfu.ca/Animations/animations.html
TheMathematicalAnimationGallerycontainsQuickTimeandMPEGmoviesofmathematicalanimations.
MathematicalJourney
http://nunic.nu.edu/jchao/math/bc3000.html
MathematicalJourneycontainsmanyinterestingtopicsrelatedtothehistoryofmath,includingnumeralsystems,mathematicalgames,magicsquares,pi,and
mathematicians.
MontessoriMathAlbumIndex.
http://www.missouri.edu/c575812/mts/math/_link.htm
ThissiteoffersMontessorilessonplansforavarietyofmathtopics.
NationalCouncilofTeachersofMathematics
http://www.nctm.org/
ThisistheofficialWebsiteoftheNationalCouncilofTeachersofMathematics(NCTM).Itoffersinformationaboutmathematicsstandards,upcomingevents,
NCTMproducts,andsoon.
Pharaoh'sHeartResources
http://www.teleport.com/ddonahue/phresour.html
ThisWebsiteprovideslinkstoinformationaboutBabylonianandEgyptianmathematics.
POPMathematics
http://archives.math.utk.edu/popmath.html
POPMathematicsisanothergreatsiteforlocatingmiscellaneousmathtopics,findingactivities,andaccessinglinkstoothermathresources.
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ThePrimePage
http://www.utm.edu/research/primes/
ThePrimePageprovidesinformationaboutprimenumbers,includinglists,factorizations,softwareprograms,andfrequentlyaskedquestions.
SAMI
http://www.learner.org/content/k12/sami/SAMIhome.shtml
FundedbytheAnnenberg/CPBMathandScienceProject,thisWebsiteprovidesmanyresourcesandlinksforscienceandmathteachers.
SATSkillLessons
http://www.testprep.com/satmenu.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesonlinelessonsandinteractivequizzesforbothmathandverbalskills.
S.O.S.Mathematics.
http://www.math.utep.edu/sosmath/
S.O.S.Mathematicshelpsstudentsreviewmathconceptsinseveralareas,includingalgebra,trigonometry,andcalculus.
TessellationTutorials
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/sum95/suzanne/tess.intro.html
ThissectionoftheMathForumoffersonlinetemplates,lessonplans,andinformationabouttessellations.
ThinkQuest
http://tqd.advanced.org/
ThinkQuestprovidesmanyonlinemathematicsactivities.Italsoprovidesexcellentactivitiesforothersubjectareas.
WomenMathematicians
http://www.scottlan.edu/lriddle/women/alpha.htm
Thissiteprovidesanindexofbiographiesofwomenmathematicians.
EMailExchanges
Mathematicsbecomesmoremeaningfulasstudentsdiscoverhowitrelatestoeverydaylife,personalinterests,andcultures.Thefollowingemailexchangesgive
studentsopportunitiestoapplymathematicsandcommunicatemathematicalideasinrealworldsituations.
ComparativeShopping
StudentscommunicatewithotherstudentsintheUnitedStatesandidentifycommonbrandsofhouseholditems(forexample,toothpaste,soap,detergent,food
products).Studentsagreeonalistofitemstocomparepricesandvisitthreemajorgrocerystoresintheirarea.Theyanalyzetheirownfindingsand
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comparethemwiththeiremailbuddies.Studentsdiscusswhysomepricesarelowerorhigherincertainareas.Studentscreatechartsandgraphstodisplaytheir
findingsandidentifythelocationsoftheiremailbuddies(alongwithasummaryoftheircomparativefindings)onaclassmap.
Mathemagic
Studentsexchangemathemagicalmathproblemsandchallengetheiremailbuddiestoexplainhoworwhytheywork.StudentsmaycreateamathemagicalWebsite
oftheirchallengesandexplanations.
Example:
Magician:
Thinkofacard.
Spectator:
ThinksofJackofHearts
Magician:
Multiplythevalueofyourcardby2.Anaceequals1,atwoequals2,
andsoon.Ajackequals11,aqueenequals12,andakingequals13.
Spectator:
11x2=22
Magician:
Add1toyourtotal,thenmultiplythattotalby5.
Spectator:
(22+1)x5=115
Magician:
Ifyourcardisaclub,add6tothetotal.Ifyourcardisaheart,add7to
thetotal.Ifyourcardisaspade,add8tothetotal.Ifyourcardisa
diamond,add9tothetotal.
Spectator:
115+7=122
Magician:
Whatisyourtotal?
Spectator:
122.
Magician:
YoupickedtheJackofHearts.
Solution:
Theone'splacerepresentsthecard'ssuit:Subtract1fromtheremaining
digit(s)tofigureoutthevalueofthecard.Anace=1,adeuce=2,etc.A
jack=11,aqueen=12,andaking=13.
1=club
2=heart
3=spade
4=diamond
Totalis122121=112=hearts
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8
LanguageArtsResourcesandActivities.
BeforetheexistenceoftheWorldWideWeb,Mrs.Schmitgall'sclassusedemailtoexchangestories,poetry,andbookreviewswithpeopleinotherstatesand
countries.Herstudentsseemedmoreconscientiousabouttheirwritingwhentheyknewthatotherpeoplepeers,seniorcitizens,andpersonsinthearmedforces
weregoingtoreviewtheirwork.Throughemailexchanges,Mrs.Schmitgall'sstudentslearnedmoreabouttheirkeypals'cultures,locations,likes,anddislikes.
Mrs.SchmitgallandherstudentsalreadythoughtoftheInternetasawindowtotheworld,butnow,withtheabilitytobrowsetheWeb,thewindowopenedonto
picturesandsoundsaswellaswords.Mrs.Schmitgall'sstudentscontinuedtheiremailconnections,buttheyalsobegantoposttheirstories,poetry,andartto
children'sWebsites.Mrs.Schmitgall'sstudentsalsoreadotherstudents'writing,extendedtheiremailconnections,downloadedandexaminedversionsofAesop's
fablesandotherstories,contactedchildren'sauthors,andusedonlinelibraryresources.
ToMrs.Schmitgall,theInternetwasasnaturalatoolaspencilandpaperweretootherteachers.Mrs.SchmitgallcringedatthethoughtofnothavingInternetaccess.
ShecomparedtheInternettoanendlesslibraryofinformation
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andresources.Nothavingaccesstoitwouldbelikelimitingyourselftoonebook,shesaid.Whywouldanyoneputalimitonknowledge?
TheInternetisanidealmediumforteachingstudentsabouttheimportanceofcommunication,reading,andwritingskillsandformakinglearningpersonallyrelevant.
Studentscaninteractwithstories,accessandshareinformationabouttheirfavoritebooksandauthors,contactonlineexperts,andsharetheirwork.TheInternet
providesmanyoutletsandaudiencesforstudents'writingthroughemailexchangesandWebsitesthatpoststudentwriting.
Inaddition,theInternetprovidesaccesstomanybooks,magazines,andotherelectronictexts(etexts)thatcanbeusedtoenhancewritingandliteratureunits.
Besidesbringingaworldofresourcesintotheclassroom,etextscanhelpstudentswithspecificdifficulties,forexample,textcanbedownloadedandenlargedwitha
wordprocessorforvisuallyimpairedstudentsorreadbyaspeechsynthesizerforstudentswhohavedifficultyprocessingthewrittenword.Etextsalsoprovide
accesstoreferenceworksandotherresourcesthatmaybeunavailableintheschoollibrarymediacenter.
ThischapterfeaturesWebsitesandpagesthatcoverfolktales,fables,andfairytalesliteraryclassicschildren'sauthorsandbookcharacterscreativewritingand
poetryreaderstheatreanddramagrammarandwritingideasandwritingandreferencetools.Foreachtopic,thechapterprovidesoneortwoinstructionalideasfor
twoormoresites.Theseideasandskillsarenotcomprehensiveinstead,theyserveasstartingpointsforexplorationandactivities.Followingthehighlightedsitesisa
listofothersitesrelatedtothetopicthesesitesarebrieflydescribed.Thechapterendswithalistofgenerallanguageartssitesandemailactivities.
Note:Eachsite'scurrentURLisgiven,but,becausetheInternetisextremelydynamic,addressesandpathsmaychange.
Children'sAuthorsandBookCharacters
Children'sbooksaregiftstoandfromtheimagination.Theirauthorsarewizardsofwords,captivatorsoftheheart,andcreatorsofunforgettablecharacters.The
Internetcancontributetothejoyandwonderofchildren'sbooksbyenablingstudentstolearnmoreaboutauthorsandthecharacterstheycreate.Manychildren's
bookpublisherspostbiographiesofauthors,andmanyauthorshavetheirownWebpages.Studentscanresearchandinteractwithauthorsonline,contactbook
publishers,andlearnmoreaboutwritingchildren'sbooks.
LewisCarrollHomePage
http://www.lewiscarroll.org/carroll.html
TheLewisCarrollHomePageprovidesusefulinformationaboutLewisCarroll,includinglinkstoreferencematerials,onlinetexts,photographsandgraphics,online
experts,discussionboards,andmore.
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LewisCarrolhomepage.
CharacterStudy
StudentgroupsselectacharacterfromoneofthemanyworksofLewisCarrollandinvestigatethecharacter'shistory,illustratedartforms(e.g.,TennielandDisney),
influenceonpopculture,trivianotes,andsoon.Studentsuseavarietyofonlineandofflinesources,usingtheLewisCarrollHomePageasastartingpointfortheir
research(seeGraphicsandCarrollinthePopularCulture).Studentstakenotes,evaluateandcomparetheirfindings,andcreateabibliographyoftheirresources.In
additiontoawrittenreport,studentgroupscreateamodelorposteroftheircharactersandpresenttheirfindingstotheclass.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationfromavarietyofsourcesreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptscompareandrecord
informationandpresentfindingsthroughoral,visual,andwrittenformsofcommunication.
CharlesLutwidgeDodgson
StudentgroupscreateamultimediabiographyofthelifeandworkofLewisCarroll.Studentsuseavarietyofonlineandofflinesources,usingtheLewisCarroll
HomePageasastartingpointfortheirresearch.Studentstakenotesandcreateabibliographyoftheirresources.Studentsevaluateandcompareinformationfrom
varioussources,andcreateoutlines,flowcharts,andstoryboardsfortheirprojects.Finalprojectsaresharedwiththeclass.Questionscanbesubmittedtoonline
experts.(ChooseContactsonthemainmenutocontactexperts.)
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Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationforaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesrecordandanalyzedataeffectivelyorganize
informationintoflowchartsandstoryboardsseekinformationfromprofessionalsintegratetextwithimages,videos,andsoundclipsinameaningfulmanner.
Snoopy'sDoghouse
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts/
Snoopy'sDoghouseprovidesinformationaboutthePeanutsgangandCharlesM.Shultz.ItalsoprovidesinformationaboutgalleriesandmuseumshostingthePeanuts
gang,televisionlistingsforPeanutsshows,andothertopicsrelatedtothispopularcomicstrip.
CharacterAnalysis
StudentsuseSnoopy'sDoghouseandotheronlineandofflinesourcestoresearchtheirfavoritePeanutscharacter.Theythencreateabookaboutthecharacter.In
additiontobackgroundinformationandthecharacter'sprofile,booksshouldincludeillustrationsshowinghowthecharacter'sappearancehaschangedovertime.
Studentsshouldalsoexplainwhythecharacteristheirfavorite.Asafollowupactivity,studentscreatea3Dmodeloftheircharacter.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationfromavarietyofsourcescompareandrecordinformationpresentfindingsthroughvisual
andwrittenformsofcommunication.
Yahoo:Children'sAuthors.
http://www.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/Genres/Children_s/Authors/
Yahoo,oneofthemostpopularWebguidesontheInternet,providesanextensivelistoflinkstochildren'sauthors.Moreinformationaboutliteraturecanbeaccessed
throughYahooathttp://www.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature.
WhoWrotethis?
Studentsselectthreeauthorsofchildren'sbooksandcompareandcontrasttheauthors'backgrounds,storythemesandcharacters,writingtips,andothertopicsof
interest.Studentsdescribethesimilaritiesanddifferencesamongthewritersandsharetheirconclusionswiththeclass.(Additionalauthorinformationcanbefoundon
TheBigBusyHouse,PenguinUSA,andReadAlongExpress.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsanalyze,compare,synthesize,and
recordinformationcommunicatefindings.
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AdditionalSitesforChildren'sAuthorsandBookCharacters
TheBigBusyHouse
http://www.harperchildrens.com/index.htm
SponsoredbyHarperCollins,thissitefeaturesinformationaboutHarperCollinschildren'sauthorsandillustrators,howabookismade,andvariouswordgames.
InviteanAuthortoYourSchool
http://www.snowcrest.net/kidpower/authors.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesalistofchildren'sauthorswhovisitschools.Informationabouthowtocontactandinviteanauthortoyourschoolisalsoavailable.Linksto
biographicalinformationareprovided.
TheOnlineMysteryNetwork
http://www.mysterynet.com
TheOnlineMysteryNetworkprovidesinformationaboutthehistoryofmysteriesmysterygenres,authors,andcharactersandmore.
PenguinUSA
http://www.butterfly.net/usa/
SponsoredbyPenguinBooks,thisWebsiteprovidesinformationaboutPenguinbooksandauthors.Onlinestories,aWinniethePoohpage,andotherresourcesare
available.
ReadalongExpress.
http://www.berkley.com/putnam/kids/index.html
SponsoredbyPutnamBerkleyGroup,thisWebsitefeaturesPutnambooktitlesandbiographiesofPutnamauthors.Atoyboxoptionfeaturespicturestocolor,
thingstomake,andotheroptions.TheStoriesforallSeasonoptioncategorizesPutnamstoriesbytheme.Additionalliteraturerelatedlinksareavailablealso.
Seussville
http://www.randomhouse.com/seussville/
Seussville,sponsoredbyRandomHouse(http://www.randomhouse.com),offersanassortmentofonlineandofflineactivitiesthatfeaturetheCatintheHat.
CreativeWritingandPoetry
ManyInternetsitesinviteanddisplaystudentwritingothersofferfeedbackorallowstudentstojoindiscussionroomsdevotedtowriting.Inaddition,severalauthor
pagesprovidetipsanddescribetheauthor'spersonalexperiencesinwriting.
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AmericanVerseProject
http://www.hti.umich.edu/english/amverse/
TheAmericanVerseProjectisacollaborativeprojectinvolvingtheUniversityofMichiganHumanitiesTextInitiative(HTI)andtheUniversityofMichiganPress.It
containsasearchablearchiveofAmericanpoetrypriorto1920.Studentscanperformasimplesearch(onewordorphrase)orBooleansearches.
FavoritePoet
Usingavarietyofonlineandofflineresources,studentspresentabiographyandsampleworksofaselectedAmericanpoetfromthenineteenthcentury.Students
takenotes,evaluateandcomparetheirfindings,andcreateabibliographyoftheirresources.Finalreportsarepresentedtotheclassusingapresentationtoolsuchas
MicrosoftPowerPointorAldusPersuasion.Fromthemainmenu,chooseTheHTI'sBibliographytoAmericanPoetrytosearchforpoetsorSimpleSearchtolocate
moreinformationaboutaparticularpoet.
Informationskills:Learntechniquesforusingelectronicmediatolocate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationfromavarietyofsourcesrecordandanalyze
dataandassembleandcommunicateinformationusingapresentationtool.
WinterPoems
Studentsexamineandcomparepoemsaboutwinter.UsingtheSimpleSearchoption,studentsenterthekeywordwintertostartthesearch.Studentsworkinteams
toviewordownloadseveralpoems.Studentsexamineandcomparethepoems'tone,mood,andtheme,thensummarizeandsharetheirfindings.Asafollowup
activity,studentswritepoemsaboutwinterandexplainwhytheychoseaparticulartone,mood,ortheme.StudentssubmittheirpoemstoPositivelyPoetry(seepage
143).Thisactivitycanbedonewithotherseasons.
Informationskills:ConductsearchesusingtheInternetreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptscompare,analyze,andsummarizeinformation.
TheYoungWritersClub
http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~david/derya/ywc.html
TheYoungWritersClubacceptsstudentstories,poems,storystarters,andarticlesforpublication.Italsopostsstudentbookreviews,moviereviews,research
projects,suggestedactivities,andongoingstories(calledstorybooks).Thesitefeaturesawordoftheweek,anonlinemagazine,keypalconnections,manywriting
topicsandactivities,andlinkstorelatedresources.Manykidscommunicatehere.
SevenLinePoem.
StudentsfollowtheguidelinesinForallpoetrybuffs...andsubmittheirownpoem.(Toaccesstheguidelines,selectActivitiesfromthemainmenu.)Studentsread
andcritiquesomeofthepostedpoemsandsharetheirpoemswiththeclass.
Informationskills:Selectandapplyinformationreadforsignificantdetails.
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YoungWritersClubhousepage.
StoryOutcomes
Studentscontributetoastorybookoftheirchoicebiweeklyfortwoweeks.Studentskeeptrackofthestorybook'sprogress,recordingthenumberofentriesbefore
andaftereachoftheirownentries.Studentsprintandcreateanendingforthestorybook.Studentsputthestoryintobookformat,includingillustrationsandauthor
credits.Studentsdiscussthedevelopmentofthestorybook,whattheydislikeandlikeaboutit,andwhattheywouldhavedonedifferently.(SelectStorybooksfrom
themainmenu.)
Informationskills:Readforsignificantdetailsandconceptsrecordandanalyzeinformationassembleinformationinameaningfulmanner.
YoungWriter'sClubhouse
http://www.realkids.com/club.htm
TheYoungWriter'sClubhousefeaturesinformationaboutfamousyoungauthors,keystowritingsuccess,frequentlyaskedquestions,anopportunitytoemail
questionstoandchatwithachildren'sbookauthor,anonlinecritiquegroup,teacherresourcesandlinks,astoryroom,writer'slinks,andmore.
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StoryCritique
StudentsparticipateintheStoryCritiqueGroupbysubmittingtheirownstoriesandbycommentingaboutotherwriters'stories.Beforebeginningthisactivity,besure
studentsreadandagreetoabidebytheCritiqueGroupMemberAgreement.
Informationskills:Selectandapplyinformationandeffectivelycommunicateinformation.
SubmittingaManuscript
StudentslearnaboutthepublishingprocessbyfollowingtheguidelinespresentedinKeystoWritingSuccess(choosethekeyiconorenter
http://www.realkids.com/keys.htm).Studentscontactapublisher(seeChildren'sPublishersontheInternetathttp://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/publish.html),obtain
writer'sguidelines,andlearnaboutandwriteaqueryletterbasedonastorytheyhavewrittenorplantowrite.Inaddition,studentscreateafinalreportthatincludes
writingtipsandthestepsforsubmittingastory.Studentsuseavarietyofonlineandofflineresourcesfortheirfinalreportandincludeabibliography.
Informationskills:Selectandapplyinformation,readforsignificantdetailsandconcepts,seekinformationfromprofessionals,locateinformationfromavarietyof
sources,andcommunicateinformationinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesforCreativeWritingandPoetry
CreativeWritingforKids
http://childrenwriting.miningco.com/
OneofthemanylinkssponsoredbytheMiningCompany(http://www.miningco.com/),CreativeWritingforKidsfeaturesavarietyofwritinglinks.Sitesare
frequentlyupdated.Previouslyfeaturedsitesarearchived.
AHandbookofTermsforDiscussingPoetry.
http://www.cc.emory.edu/ENGLISH/classes/Handbook/Handbook.html
AHandbookofTermsforDiscussingPoetryoffersinformationaboutfigurativelanguage,languageandmeaning,genres,rhythmandmeter,andstanzasandverse
forms.
Inkspot
http://www.inkspot.com/
Inkspotoffersavarietyofwritingresourcesforteachersandstudents.Topicsincludegenres,authors,basicinformationaboutwriting,discussionforumsandchat
rooms,andinformationandlinksforyoungwriters.Italsoprovideslinkstosourcesthatsolicitstories,articles,poetry,andothertypesofwritingfromstudents.
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KidNews
http://www.vsa.cape.com/~powens/Kidnews3.html
KidNewspublishesworkbychildren,includingstories,poetry,sportsnews,andschoolnewspapers.Itfeatureswritingforumsforjustabouteverytopic.Inaddition,
itpostsstudents'bookreviewsandkeypalrequests,providesaforumforteachersandparents,andprovideslinkstoadditionalresources.
Kidpub
http://www.kidpub.org/
Kidpubpublishesstoriesbyyoungpeoplefromallovertheworld.Inaddition,Kidpubprovidesreaderstatistics,keypals,andinterestingwritingactivities.KidStuff
(http://www.KidStuff.org/index.html)publishesstudents'storiesandpoemsalso.
PositivelyPoetry
http://advicom.net/~emedia/kv/poetry1.html
PositivelyPoetrypublishespoetrybychildrenfromallovertheworld.AlsoseePoetryPals(http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/5165/).
Folktales,Fables,andFairyTales
TheInternetcanretrievefolktales,fables,andfairytalesfromallovertheworld.Studentscanreadtraditionaltalesorreadtheworkofotherstudents.Studentscan
alsosubmittheirownstoriesforpublicationontheWeb.
Aesop&Me
http://isite.on.ca/Isite/Education/Aesop/
Aesop&MeisoneofseveralactivitiesavailableontheISiteonCanadaWebsite.ISiteonCanadaisbasedonthepremisethatittakesthreethecontributor,the
publisher(ISite),andthereadertomaketheInternetwork.Ithostsavarietyofactivitiesthatencouragestudentparticipationandcontribution.Forexample,at
BookNook,studentscanreadotherstudents'bookreviewsandposttheirownJauntsencouragesstudentstosubmitapictureofandaparagraphabouthometown
welcomesignsandAesop&Merequeststhatstudentssubmitoriginalfables.Thesitealsodiscussesseveralinternationalprojects,includingKidoPedia,whichallows
studentstocreateaninternationalencyclopedia.Toaccesstheseoptions,clickontheHomePagebuttonontheAesop&Mepage.
Aesop'sFables.
StudentscomparevariousversionsofAesop'sfablesbydownloadingversionsfromAesop&MeandWiretap(http://wiretap.area.com/)andbylocatingprint
versions,retoldversions,illustratededitions,andvideoandaudioadaptationsinthelibrarymediacenterandthepubliclibrary.StudentscreateaVenndiagramto
comparethePaperlessEdition(fromWiretap,chooseBooksonline)andthefablesavailableonAesop&Me,Townsendtranslation.Studentsmaynotethatthe
Townsendtranslationismoredifficulttoreadandinterpretthanthe
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PaperlessEdition.StudentscreateadditionalVenndiagramstocompareotherversionsofAesop'sfablestothePaperlessEditionortheTownsendtranslation.
Studentsidentifythemoralofeachfable.Asafollowupactivity,studentswritetheirownfables(basedontheversiontheymostprefer,PaperlessorTownsend)and
submitthemtoAesop&Me.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andcompareinformationfromavarietyofsourcesreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsorganizeinformationusingaVenn
diagrammakeinferencescommunicateinformation.
AManCalledAesop
StudentsresearchandwriteareportaboutAesopusingavarietyofonlineandofflinesources.Studentstakenotes,evaluateandcomparetheirfindings,andcreatea
bibliographyoftheirresources.InformationaboutAesopisavailablefromtheAesop&Memainmenu.AdditionalAesopWebsitesincludeAesop'sReader'sBook
Guide(http://www.mmit.com/bookguide/aesop.html)andAesop'sFablesontheFly(http://www.pacific.net/%7Ejohnr/aesop/).
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesanalyze,synthesize,andrecordinformationassembleinformationina
meaningfulmanner.
FaerieLoreandLiterature
http://faeryland.tamucommerce.edu/~earendil/faerie/faerie.html
Thissitefeaturesfairystories,poems,andanecdotesfromallovertheworld.Itcategorizesthestoriesbyeventsorotherdefiningcharacteristics(e.g.,changelings,
music,dancing,magic).Italsoincludesmanyarticlesrelatingtotheoriginsofandbeliefsinfairies,aswellaslinkstolegends,myths,andfairytales.
Changelings
Studentscompareandcontrastthreechangelingstoriesfromdifferentcultures(e.g.,Ireland,Germany,andScotland)andsharetheirfindings.SeealsoWonder:Folk
andFairyTalesFromAroundtheWorld(http://darsie.ucdavis.edu/tales/).Asafollowup,studentswritechangelingstoriesforaclassbook.Changelingstoriesare
availablefromthemainmenuchooseFairyStoriesandAnecdotesFromAllOvertheWorld.
Informationskills:Locateandcompareinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptscommunicateinformationinameaningfulmanner.
FairyOrigins
Studentsresearchvarioussourcestodiscovertheoriginsoffairiesindifferentcultures.Findingsaredescribedinafairybookwithillustrationsandtext.Students
investigatethefolkloreandotherrelatedsourcesontheFaerieLoreandLiteraturehomepage,aswellasexamineadditionalonline(seeFairyTaleOriginand
Evolutionathttp://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~cdaae/fairy/)andofflinesources.Studentskeepnotesandcreateabibliographyoftheirsources.
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thekidshomepage.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationfromavarietyofsourcesrecordandanalyzedatapresentfindingsthroughvisualand
writtenformsofcommunication.
thekids.com
http://www.thekids.com
ThisWebsiteoffersillustratedstoriesfromaroundtheworld,discussionrooms,andinformationforparents.Coloringpagesforthestoriesarealsoavailable,and
studentscansubmittheirownstoriesforotherstoread.
MyOwnTale
Studentsreadanddiscussfablesandsubmittheirownfableforpublication.OnlinefablescanbeaccessedbychoosingTalestoTellfromthemainmenu,andthen
selectingFables&AnimalStories.ChooseKids'Stufffromthemainmenu,followedbySoundOff!tosubmitastory.
Informationskills:LocateandevaluateinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptspresentinformationforWebpublication.
StoriesfromEverywhere.
Studentsreadstoriesfromvariousculturesandregionstocomparecharacters,settings,problems,andoutcomes.Studentsmarkthelocationsoftheculturesand
regionsonaclassmapandcreateaclasschartthatcategorizesthestoriesbycommonthemesorelements.(Toaccessthestories,chooseTalestoTellfromthemain
menu,thenchooseStoriesFromEverywhere.)
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AlsoseeTalesofWonder:FolkandFairyTalesFromAroundtheWorld(http://darsie.ucdavis.edu/tales/)andFaerieLoreandLiterature(http://tamu
commerce.edu/~earendil/faerie/faerie.html).
Informationskills:Locate,compare,analyze,andcategorizeinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsfindlocationsonamap.
AdditionalSitesforFolktales,Fables,andFairyTales
FairyTaleOriginandEvolution
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~cdaae/fairy/
Thisisanexcellentsiteforlearningmoreabouttheoriginsandmeaningoffairytales,aswellastheirauthorsandvariousversions.
LinkstoFairyTales,Stories,MythsandLegends
http://www.ifi.uio.no/~reierp/bat/stories.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesmanylinkstofairytales,storytelling,andotherrelatedresources.
RealisticWonderSociety
http://www.wondersociety.com
TheRealisticWonderSocietyfeaturesonlinefablesandfairytales,anditprovidesopportunitiesforreaderstosharetheirthoughtsaboutthestories.
StorySourcesontheInternet:FolktalesandMyths
http://users.aol.com/storypage/sources.htm
Thisisalargecollectionoflinkstostoriesandotherresourcesrelatedtofolktalesandmyths.
TalesofWonder:FolkandFairyTalesFromAroundtheWorld
http://darsie.ucdavis.edu/tales/
ThisWebsitecontainsalargecollectionofstoriesfrommanypartsoftheworld,includingAfrica,India,China,Ireland,Scandinavia,Russia,andSiberia.Additional
linkstootherfairytaleresourcesareprovided.
GrammarandMoreWritingIdeas.
TheInternetprovidesstudentswithmanywritingopportunities.Inadditiontotraditionalemail,manyWebsitesprovideinteractivestorystarters,grammarinstruction,
andotherwritingopportunities.
TheGrammarLady
http://www.grammarlady.com/
TheGrammarLadyprovidesEnglishgrammarinstruction,answerstofrequentlyaskedquestions,andanonlineexpertwhoprovidesanswerstostudents'questions.
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SpellingRules
Studentsbrainstormspellingrules(plurals,prefixesandsuffixes,doublefinalconsonants,andotherrules)andcomparethemwiththespellingrulespresentedbyThe
GrammarLadyandothersources.StudentsemailquestionstoTheGrammarLady.Studentscompiletheirresearchintoaspellinghandbookanddevisemethodsto
helpthemremembertherules.(ChooseEnglishGrammarfromthemainmenu,thenselectSpellingRules.)
Informationalskills:Brainstormandspecifyrequiredinformationforaparticulartopicseekinformationfromprofessionalscompareandevaluateinformation
assembleinformationinameaningfulformat.
Pitsco'sAskanExpert
http://www.askanexpert.com/askanexpert/
Pitsco'sAskanExpertisadirectoryoflinkstopeoplewhohavevolunteeredtheirtimetoanswerquestions.Itfeatureslinkstomorethan300Websitesofexperts,
anditcanbeusedacrossthecurriculum.Expertsaredividedinto12categories,includingScience/Technology,Career/Industry,Health,Internet/Computers,
Recreation/Entertainment,Education/PersonalDevelopment,International/Cultural,Resources,Money/Business,FineArts,Law,andReligion.Pitsco'sAskanExpert
offersstudentstheopportunitytoorganizetheirquestionsandwritetoonlineexpertsaboutspecificcareersandothertopicsforresearchreports.ChooseCategories
fromthemainmenuorusetheWebsite'ssearchenginetolocateexperts.
SimilaritiesandDifferences
Studentsselectfiveonlineexpertsfromdifferentfieldsandsubmitaninterestsurveydesignedbytheclass.Thesurveymayask:Howmuchschoolinghaveyouhad?
Doyouworkforyourself?Doyoubelievesciencecanmaketheworldabetterplacetolive?Whydidyouchooseyourprofession?Eachstudentcontactsdifferent
experts.Studentsanalyzetheirresults,lookingforsimilaritiesanddifferencesamongtheresponses.Studentscreateachartandwriteareportthatexplainstheir
findings.Studentsmakeaclasschartofalloftheirfindingsanddiscusstheresultsintermsofsimilaritiesanddifferencesininterestsofpeopleinthesamefield,different
fields,andasawholegroup.Beforegatheringthedata,studentsmaybeaskedtolistwhattheythinkaretheinterestsofpeopleinaparticularfield.Forexample,they
mayguessthatpeopleinthewritingfieldprefercats,liketoread,andenjoygourmetmeals.Studentscanexplaintheirguesses,thencomparetheirpredictionsor
stereotypicalviewswiththesurveyresults.
Informationskills:Seekinformationfromprofessionalsdevelopandadministerasurveyinterpretsurveyresultsrecord,analyze,andcomparedataassembleand
communicateinformationinameaningfulmanner.
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Pitsco'sAskanExperthomepage.
WackyWebTales
http://www.hmco.com/school/tales/
SponsoredbytheHoughtonMifflinCompany,WackyWebTalesprovidesmanyonlinetalesthatrequirestudents'input.Studentschooseataleandfillinaformthat
requestsvariouswordsandpartsofspeech(e.g.,friend'sname,noun).Studentsreceiveapersonalizedstoryoranecdote.Studentsmaysubmittheirownwackytale.
ATaleofMyOwn.
StudentswriteawackytaleandsubmitittoWackyWebTales.Studentscreateawackytalebywritingabriefstorywithblanksinplaceofkeywords(likethe
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maincharacter'sname)withdescriptionsofwhatkindofwordgoesintheblank(e.g.,friend'snameorpluralnoun).Findthesubmissionproceduresbyselecting
InstructionsunderChooseoneofYOURtales.
Informationskills:LocateandapplyinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptspublishinformationontheWeb.
AdditionalSitesforGrammarandMoreWritingIdeas
CareQuest
http://www.worldkids.net/CareQuest/careqst.htm
CareQuestprovidesseveralongoingwritingprojectsforchildren,includingwritingletterstochildreninhospitalsandtotheelderly.
DiaryProject
http://www.well.com/user/diary/
TheDiaryProjectallowsmiddleandhighschoolstudentstosharetheirpersonalthoughtsandfeelings,askquestions,andfindanswersaboutgrowingup.
AnElementaryGrammar
http://wwebl.hiway.co.uk/ei/intro.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesinformationaboutEnglishgrammar.Itincludesmorethan20topics,suchasNouns,ComparisonsofAdjectives,andthePastContinuous
Tense.
GrammarSafari
http://deil.lang.uiuc.edu/web.pages/grammarsafari.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesgrammaractivitiesthatcanbeprintedoutorcompletedonline.
OnlineEnglishGrammar
http://www.edunet.com/english/grammar/index.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesEnglishgrammarinstruction,answerstofrequentlyaskedquestions,andonlineexpertswhoanswerstudents'grammarquestions.Inaddition,it
providesEnglishlanguagepracticepages,anaudioalphabet,andlinkstootherresources.ThisisanexcellentsourceforEnglishasaSecondLanguage(ESL).
OnlineWritingLab.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
SponsoredbyPurdueUniversity,thissiteprovidesmanylinksforwritersandwritingteachers.
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LiteratureClassics
LiteraturesitesontheInternetprovideonlinebooksandotheretexts,discussiongroups,authorinformation,andrelatedlinks.
TheCompleteWorksofWilliamShakespeare
http://thetech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/works.html
TheCompleteWorksofWilliamShakespearefeaturesfulltextversionsofShakespeare'splays,adiscussionarea,linkstoadditionalShakespeareresources,and
more.Thelistofplayscanbeviewedchronologically,bycategory,orinalphabeticalorder.Hypertextlinksprovidedefinitionsofunfamiliarwords.
TragedyforTwo
Studentsdownload,read,andcomparetwoofShakespeare'stragediesanddiscussthesymbolism,characterization,conflicts,anduniversalapplications.Studentsuse
thediscussionareatosubmittheirconclusionsandtosurveyotherpeople'sthoughtsabouttheplays.Theythencomparetheirownconclusionstothesurveyresults.
Studentspresenttheirfindingstotheclass.
Informationskills:Locateandcompareinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsseekinformationfromotherscommunicateinformationinameaningful
manner.
WhowasthisMan,WilliamShakespeare?
StudentsusetheCompleteWorksofWilliamShakespeareandotheronlineandofflineresourcestoresearchthelifeandworkofWilliamShakespeare.Studentscan
submitquestionstothediscussionareaandtotheauthoroftheWebsite.Studentstakenotes,evaluateandcomparetheirfindings,andcreateabibliographyof
resources.Studentssubmitfindingsinawrittenormultimediaformat.LinkstoadditionalShakespeareWebsitesareavailableonthemainmenu.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesanalyze,synthesize,andrecordinformationseekinformationfrom
professionalsassembleinformationinameaningfulmanner.
PerspectivesinAmericanLiterature(PAL):AResearchandReferenceGuide
http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/table.html
PerspectivesinAmericanLiteratureisanoutstandingresourceforlearningmoreaboutAmericanliteratureandauthors.DevelopedbyDr.PaulP.Reubenat
CaliforniaStateUniversityatStanislaus,PALisanongoingprojectthatoffersinformationaboutvarioustimeperiods,authors,stories,andsoon.Italsoincludesideas
forwritingassignments,studyquestions,andresearchtopics.
TwoReal
StudentscompareandcontrasttheworksoftwoauthorsfromthelatenineteenthcenturyRealismperiod.Studentsuseavarietyofonlineandofflineresources,take
notes,evaluateandcomparetheirfindings,andcreateabibli
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ThecompleteWorksofWilliamShakespearehomepage.
ographyoftheirresources.ThePALWebsiteprovidesinformationandlinksforseveralauthorsofthelatenineteenthcenturyRealismperiod.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesanalyze,compare,synthesize,andrecordinformationassembleinformation
inameaningfulmanner.
WomenWriters.
UsingPALanditslinkstorelatedsites,aswellasofflineresources,studentsresearchtheworksandbackgroundsofwomenauthorsfromtheRomantictothe
Modernperiods.Studentscompareandcontraststyles,themes,authors'backgrounds,andsoon.Studentsshareanddiscusstheirfindingswiththeclass.Theclass
createsatimelineofU.S.women'sauthorshipfromtheRomantictotheModernperiods.Studentsrecord,evaluate,andcomparetheirofflineandonlineresources.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsanalyze,compare,synthesize,and
recordinformationassembleinformationinameaningfulmanner.
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TheSherlockianHolmepage
http://waterserv1.uwaterloo.ca/~credmond/sh.html
TheSherlockianHolmepageprovidesanextensivelistofresourcesforlearningmoreaboutSirArthurConanDoyleandtheSherlockHolmesstories.TheWebsiteis
maintainedbyChrisRedmond,UniversityofWaterloo,authorofseveralbooksaboutSherlockiana.TheWebsiteincludeslinkstothefulltextoforiginalSherlock
Holmesstories,informationaboutSirArthurConanDoyleandSherlockHolmessocieties,SherlockHolmesparodies,andlinkstositesformysteryfans.
SherlockHolmes
StudentschoosetwodifferentSherlockHolmesstoriesfromtheSherlockHolmesStoriesonWeblink,anduseaVenndiagramtodepictsimilaritiesanddifferences
betweenthestories.Studentssummarizeeachstoryandsharetheirdiagramsandopinionsofthestorieswiththeclass.Studentsummariesandopinionsofstoriesare
addedtoaSherlockHolmesclassdatabase.StudentsmaywishtoemailtheauthorofthehomepageregardingtheirquestionsorinterestinSherlockHolmes.
Informationskills:Locate,compare,andsummarizeinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsorganizeinformationusingaVenndiagramconstructa
databaseseekinformationfromprofessionals.
SherlockHolmesTimes
BeginningwiththeSherlockianHolmepageanditsrelatedlinks,studentgroupsuseonlineandofflineresourcestoresearchSherlockHolmes.Studentspresenttheir
findingsinnewspaperformat.Studentsevaluateandcompareinformationfromdifferentresources,takenotes,andcreateabibliography.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationforaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesanalyze,synthesize,andrecordinformationpresent
informationinanestablishedformat.
AdditionalSitesforLiteratureClassics
TheEnglishServerFictionCollection
http://englishwww.hss.cmu.edu/fiction
Thissiteoffersworksofandaboutfiction(novelsandshortstories),poetry,anddrama,includingthefulltextofworksinthepublicdomain,andlinkstoothersites.
TheLifeandWorksofHermanMelville
http://www.melville.org/
ThisWebsiteprovidesinformationaboutMelvilleandhiswriting,includinglinkstorelatedresources.
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TheWiretapElectronicTextArchive.
http://wiretap.area.com/
Wiretapprovidesthefulltextofmorethan200books(chooseBooksonline),anextensivelibraryofpoetryandotherarticles(chooseTheWiretapOnlineLibrary),
andlinkstogovernmentandcivicsarchives.AuthorsincludeAesop,BenjaminFranklin,SirArthurConanDoyle,Dickens,Shakespeare,andPoe.Allofthe
documentscanbereadonscreenorsenttoyouremailaddress.
Thewww.americanliterature.com
http://www.americanliterature.com/MAIN.HTML
ThisWebsitefeaturesmanyonlinebooks,includingTheRedBadgeofCourage,TheWizardofOz,MobyDick,andTheLastoftheMohicans.Italsofeaturesa
ChapteraDayactivitythatincludesadiscussionforum,ayoungreaderslibrary,andanauthorindexwithlinkstopagesaboutAmericanauthors.
YoxelyOldPlace:SherlockHolmesontheWeb
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/7846/
InadditiontoinformationaboutSherlockHolmes,thisWebsiteprovidesmorethan900linkstorelatedsites.ChooseCommonplaceBookfromthemainmenu.
ReadersTheatre,Storytelling,andDrama
Readerstheatre,storytelling,andotherdramaticactivitiesenhancestudents'reading,speaking,andlisteningskills.TheInternetprovidesaccesstoresourcesforthese
activitiesandtoexpertsinreaderstheatreandstorytelling.
AuthorOnline!AaronShepard'sHomePage
http://www.aaronshep.com/
ThisWebsitefeaturesstoriestoldandretoldbyAaronShepard,scriptsandotherresourcesforreaderstheatreandstorytelling,resourcesforusebychildren's
writers,andtipsandtoolsforteachers,parents,andstudents.
RtPerformances
Studentgroupslearnaboutreaderstheatreandchooseascripttopresenttotheclass.Followinggroupperformances,studentscompareandcontrastreaderstheatre
withothertypesofperformances.StudentsemailAarontheirquestionsaboutreaderstheatreandtheirselectedscripts.Informationaboutreaderstheatreisaccessed
bychoosingWhatisRT?andscriptsareavailablebychoosingReader'sTheaterEditions(fromthemainmenu,scrolldowntoResourcesandselectAaron'sRTPage
orenterhttp://www.aaronshep.com/rt/index.html).
InformationSkills:Selectandapplyinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsseekinformationfromprofessionalscompareandanalyzeinformation.
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Storytellers
Studentsresearchtheartofstorytellingandpresentastorytoyoungerstudents(e.g.,highschoolstudentsmayperformforelementarystudents).ChooseAaron's
StorytellingPagefromthemainmenu(orenterhttp://www.aaronshep.com/storytelling/index.html).ChooseTellaStory!tolearnmoreaboutstorytelling.Additional
informationcanbeaccessedbychoosingTheInsideStoryandOtherResources.StoriesareavailablebychoosingGiftsofStory,AStoryteller'sBookshelf,and
OtherResources.Studentsrehearsetheirstoriesinsmallgroups.Finalreportsincludestudents'selfevaluations,theirresearch,andabibliographyoftheirresources.
InformationSkills:Locateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesandselect,apply,record,analyze,andevaluateinformation.
StageHandPuppets.
http://fox.nstn.ca/puppets/activity.html
ThisWebsitefeaturesavarietyofpuppetactivities,includingcreatingpuppets,designingapuppetshow,writingscripts,andmore.Inaddition,studentscanemaila
puppetexpert,submittheirownpuppetscripts,readpuppetscriptsfromotherstudents,andlearnaboutventriloquism.
Playwrite
StudentswriteaplayandsubmitittoStageHandPuppets.(Tosubmit,chooseOnLinePuppetTheatrefromthemainmenu.)Studentsreviewpostedplaysforideas
andplayformats.
InformationSkills:Locate,evaluate,andapplyinformationwriteforpublicationontheWeb.
PuppetPerformance
StudentgroupscontactTheProfessor,anonlinepuppetexpert(selectTipsonthemainmenu),aboutstagingtheirownpuppetshow.Studentsconductadditional
researchonperformingwithpuppetsandputtogetherapuppetperformancehandbookbasedontheirresearch.Studentsuseavarietyofonlineandofflineresources
andincludeabibliographyintheirbook.Studentsapplywhattheyhavelearnedbyperformingapuppetshow.
InformationSkills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationfromavarietyofsourcesseekinformationfromprofessionalsrecordandanalyzedata
applyinformationassembleinformationinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesforReadersTheatre,Storytelling,andDrama
TheArtofStoryTelling
http://www.seanet.com/eldrbarry/roos/art.htm
TheArtofStoryTellingprovidesinformationaboutstorytelling,reviewsofbooksaboutstorytelling,frequentlyaskedquestions,andlinkstostories,storytellers,and
otherstorytellingsites.
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ThePuppetryHomePage
http://www.sagecraft.com/puppetry/
Puppetresourcesavailablehereincludeonlineexperts,puppetrydefinitions,informationaboutcreatingpuppetshows,andinformationaboutpuppetrytraditions
aroundtheworld.Studentscanlearnaboutpuppetperformersandfollowlinkstorelatedsites.
TheStorytellerHomePage
http://members.aol.com/storypage/index.htm
SponsoredbytheTejasStorytellingAssociation,theStorytellerHomePageprovidesinformationaboutstorytellingandmanylinkstostorytellingresources.Italso
includeslinkstopuppetry.
Storytelling,Drama,CreativeDramatics&ReadersTheaterforChildren&YoungAdults.
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/drama.htm
ThisWebsiteprovidesalistoflinkstostorytelling,drama,readerstheatre,andpuppetryWebsites.
WritingandReferenceTools
Whetherstudentsarewritingreflectionsabouthowtheysolvedamathproblemoraresearchpaperforascienceclass,writingandreferencetoolscanhelptobuild
students'researchandwritingskills.
TheInternetprovidessearchengines,onlinelibrariesanddatabases,andvirtualreferencedesksthatcanhelpstudentslocateinformationaboutatopic.Inaddition,
manyWebsitesprovidehowtoguidesforcitingonlinesources,materialsaboutwritingskills,searchabledictionariesandthesauruses,andinformationabout
plagiarismandcopyright.
MyVirtualReferenceDesk
http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
MyVirtualReferenceDeskisanexemplaryWebsite.Itcategorizesandprovideslinkstoanenormousamountofresources,includingavarietyofonlinedictionaries
(rhyming,foreignlanguages,spelling,grammar,acronyms,quotations,etc.)encyclopediaslinkstospecificsubjectsandmuch,muchmore.MyVirtualReference
Deskisanexcellentresourceforresearchandwritingactivitiesacrossthecurriculum.
Crosswords
StudentsenhancetheirvocabularyskillsbyusingtheCrosswordDictionary(http://192.239.148.29/cgi/getdict.bat?C%3F%3F)or
CrosswordSolver(http://www.ojohaven.com/fun/crossword.html)tohelpthemcompletecrosswordpuzzles.BothoftheselinksareaccessiblefromMyVirtual
ReferenceDeskbyselectingMyFactsPage,thenDictionaries.Crosswordpuzzlesmaybecreatedbytheteacher,downloadedfromtheWeb(selectCrosswords
fromMyVirtualReferenceDesk'smainmenu),orselectedfromlocalnewspapers.
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Studentskeeptrackofthewordstheyneededhelpwithandcompareandlisttheresultsofthetwocrosswordsites.
InformationSkills:Locate,compare,record,andapplyinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptscommunicateinformationinameaningfulmanner.
PlayingwithPalindromes
Studentscreateanillustratedpalindromebook.StudentsstartbyusingtheDictionaryandLanguageResourcestolearnmoreaboutpalindromes.Studentsselect
severalpalindromestoresearchandcreateatleastonepalindromeoftheirowntoincludeintheirbook.Studentsmaychooseaparticularthemefortheirbookor
simplyincludetheirfavoritepalindromes.Booksshouldcontainthedefinitionofapalindromeandotherinterestingfactsaboutpalindromes(e.g.,thelongest
palindrome,numberpalindromes).Studentssharetheirbookswitheachotherandmakethemavailableintheschoollibrary.Asafollowupactivity,studentsposte
mailmessagesinvitingotherstudentstosendpalindromestotheclass.Studentscompileaclassbookdocumentingthemostcommon,themostoriginal,thelongest,
andthefunniestpalindromesreceived.(Toaccesspalindromelinks,chooseMyFactsPagefromthemainmenu.Next,chooseDictionaries.Scrolldownandchoose
thePalindromeslink.)
InformationSkills:Locateandcompareinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsassembleinformationinameaningfulmanner.
WordPlay
http://homepage.interaccess.com/%7Ewolinsky/word.htm
WordPlayoffersalengthylistoflinkstositesthatfeaturefunwithwords.Therearelinkstohomonym,ambigram,anagram,antagonym,andoxymoronlists,a
mnemonicspage,listsofclichs,interactivewordgames,andmore.
Anagrams
DownloadexamplesofanagramsfromtheAnagramHallofFameandsharethemwithstudents.Explainthatanagramsaretheresultofrearranginglettersinother
wordsorphrases.ProvidestudentswithwordsoraphrasefromtheAnagramHallofFameandseehowtheiranswerscomparetotheanagramontheAnagramHall
ofFame.Next,askstudentstocreateananagramfromtheirname(first,middle,andlastname).StudentssubmittheirnametotheAnagramGeniusmainmenuand
comparetheGeniusanagramtotheirown.Studentschooseoneoftheanagramsfromtheirnameasastorystarterortitle.
InformationSkills:Locate,compare,andapplyinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptscommunicateinformationinameaningfulmanner.
Mnemonics.
DownloadmnemonicsfromtheMnemonicsdirectoryatAmanda'sMnemonicsPage(chooseAmanda'sMnemonicsPagefromthemainmenu)andchallengestudents
todecipherthem.Askstudentsiftheyknowvariationsofthe
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mnemonics(e.g.,EveryGreenBananaDrawsFliesisthesameasEveryGoodBoyDoesFine,representingthelinenotesfortrebleclef).Studentscollectmnemonic
strategiesfromotherclasses,onlinepeers,relatives,andmembersofthecommunity.Studentscombinetheirfindingsintoaclasschartanddeterminethesubjectarea
inwhichpeopleusemnemonicsthemost,howmnemonicdevicesdiffer,howmnemonicdevicesarealike,whichmnemonicsarethemostcommon,andsoon.Asa
followupactivity,studentscreatetheirownmnemonicdeviceforrememberinghowtospellawordorrememberingaword'sdefinition.
InformationSkills:Learnaboutmemoryaidslocate,gather,andanalyzeinformationfromavarietyofsourcesreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsassemble
informationinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesforWritingandReferenceTools
ConnectedClassroomConference:CitingInternetAddresses
http://www.classroom.net/classroom/CitingNetResources.html
Ahowtoguideforreferencingonlinesourcesinstudentbibliographies.
ElementsofStyle
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/strunk/
ThisistheonlineversionoftheclassicguidetousageandstylebyWilliamStrunk,Jr.,andE.B.White.
TheNaturalLanguagePlayground
http://bobo.link.cs.cmu.edu/dougb/playground.html
TheNaturalLanguagePlaygroundprovideslinkstointeractivelanguagetools.
OnlineResourcesforWriters
http://www.ume.maine.edu/~wcenter/resource.html
SponsoredbytheUniversityofMaine,thisWebsiteprovideslinkstomanyonlinewritingresources.Linksprovideaccesstomaterialsonwritingskills,online
dictionariesandthesauruses(includingforeignlanguagedictionaries),informationaboutcitationformats,andmore.
Plagiarism
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html
Thissiteprovidesexamplesofplagiarismandinstructsstudentsonhowtoavoidit.
ResourcesforWritersandWritingInstructors.
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~jlynch/writing.html
Thissitecontainsmanylinkstowritinginstruction,resources,andtools.
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GeneralLanguageArtsResourcesontheWeb
OnlineMagazinesandNewsletters
BitsandPieces
http://www.ryzome.com/toc.htm
TheChildren'sBookwatch
http://www.execpc.com/~mbr/bookwatch/cbw/
Children'sLiterature:ANewsletterforAdults
http://www.parentsplace.com/readroom/childnew/index.html
Connecttime
http://www.connecttime.com
CyberKids.
http://www.cyberkids.com/index.html
or
http://www.mtlake.com/cyberkids/index.html
LittlePlanetTimes
http://www.littleplanet.com/
TheLookingGlassGazette
http://www.cowboy.net/~mharper/LGG.html
MidLink
http://longwood.cs.ucf.edu:80/~MidLink/
ThePalindromistMagazine
http://www.realchange.org/pal/
StoneSoup
http://www.stonesoup.com/
YoungAuthor'sMagazine
http://www.yam.regulus.com/
WeeklyReader'sGalaxy.
http://www.weeklyreader.com/
OtherSites
AceKids
http://www.acekids.com/kidshome.html
ACEKidspublishesstudents'stories,offersonlinehomeworkhelp,providesadditionallinksforkids,andpostsaroundrobinstorycreatedbystudents.Italsooffers
manyotheractivities.
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CarolHurst'sChildren'sLiteratureSite
http://www.carolhurst.com/
CarolHurstprovidesreviewsofchildren'sbooksandwaystousethebooksintheclassroom.Thesitealsoprovideslinksforprofessionalresources.
TheCase
http://www.thecase.com
TheCaseprovidesonlinemysteriesforstudentstoreadandsolve.Mysteriescanbeemailedtostudentsorteachersweekly.
Children'sLiteratureWebGuide
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/index.html
TheChildren'sLiteratureWebGuideisaninvaluableWebsiteforeducators.Itfeaturesbookreviewsanddiscussionboardsinformationaboutchildren'sbook
awardsandbestsellersteachingideasforchildren'sbooksmanylinkstoauthorsandstoriesontheWebrecommendedbooklistsresourcesforteachers,parents,
storytellers,writers,andillustratorschildren'spublishersandmore.
Children'sStorybooksOnline
http://www.magickeys.com/books/
ThisWebsiteprovideslinkstoillustratedstories.Someincludeanimations,sounds,andfollowupquestions.
EarlyChildhood.com.
http://www.earlychildhood.com/
ThisWebsiteprovidesaccesstoonlineexperts,articlesandresources,artsandcrafts,andadditionallinksrelatedtoearlychildhoodeducation.Userscanalsopost
questionsandinquiries.
EarlyChildhoodEducationandActivityResources
http://www.intex.net/~dlester/pam/preschool/preschoolpage.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesinformationaboutavarietyoftopics,withmanylinks.Itoffersinformationforteachersandparentsofyoungstudents,crafts,projectsand
games,songs,andotheractivitiesforyoungstudents.
EnchantedLearningSoftware
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/
SponsoredbyEnchantedLearningSoftware,achildren'ssoftwarecompany,thissiteprovidesmanyonlineactivitiesandlinksforyoungstudents,includingrebus
rhymes,shortstories,andmathactivities.
FroggyTales
http://frog.simplenet.com/froggy/tales.shtml
PartoftheFroggyPageWebsite(http://frog.simplenet.com/),thispagelistlinkstofrogstoriesontheInternet.
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Giraffic:TheMultimediaBookCompany
http://www.megabrands.com/alice/doalice.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesmultimediastories.Foroptimalviewing,youwillneedNetscapeNavigator3.0withJavaScriptenabled.StoriesincludeAlicein
Wonderland,LittleBoPeep,andIkintartheGiraffe.Manyinteractiveoptionsareavailableinthestories.
IndigenousPeople'sLiterature
http://www.indians.org/welker/natlit01.htm
Thisisanetextarchiveofindigenousliterature.
Kidlit
http://mgfx.com/Kidlit/
KidLitprovidesstudentstheopportunitytoreadotherstudents'stories,submittheirownstoriesandart,andreadbookreviews.Kidlitalsoprovideslinksto
additionalliteraturesources.
Kids'SpaceConnection.
http://www.KSconnection.com/
Kids'SpaceConnectionisdedicatedtoyoungchildren.Studentscanreadotherstudents'storiesandsubmittheirownstories.Kids'Spaceprovidespicturestowrite
aboutandincorporateintostories.HopPopTownhelpschildrenlearnaboutmusic.Emailoptionsareavailable.
KidsWindowLibrary
http://jw.stanford.edu/KIDS/LIBRARY/
ThissiteprovideslinkstoaudiostoriesinEnglishandJapanese.
Kidscom
http://www.kidscom.com/index1.html
Studentscanpublishtheirownstories,accessavarietyofgamesandcrafts,learnaboutvarioustopics,andlinktoothersitesforkids.
Kidworld
http://www.bconnex.net/~kidworld/
Kidworldprovidesanassortmentofactivitiesforchildrenandyoungpeopleunder16.StudentscanconnectwithkeypalsandpublishstoriesonKidworld.
LanguageArtsResourcesElementary
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/childlit.htm
ThisWebsitecontainsanextensivelistoflinkstoelementarylanguageartsresources.
LifeLongUniverseLiteratureLinks
http://www.lifelong.com/EditorsChoice/EChoiceLiterature.html
ThisWebsiteprovideslinkstoliteratureprojects,onlinebooks,andotherliteratureresources.
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LinkstoTalkingSites
http://www.mvpsolutions.com/PlugInSite/Talker.html@otherlinks
ThissiteprovideslinkstoWebsitesthatincorporateaudio.
MikeRofone:TheRovingReporter.
http://www.indigo.ie/local/mikero/
ThisWebsitefeaturesonlinestoriesfeaturingMikeRofone.Italsoincludeslotsoflinksforkids.
Nikolai'sWebSite
http://www.nikolai.com/
Studentscanreadotherstudents'stories,submittheirownstories,andinteractwithonlineadventures.
Postcards
http://postcards.www.media.mit.edu/Postcards
AtPostcards,studentspickacard,writeamessage,andsenditoff.Therecipientisnotifiedbyemailthatacardhasbeensent.CardsareclaimedattheWebsite's
PickupWindow.
ReadingProjectWatch
http://www.hmco.com/hmco/school/projects/rdgproj.html
SponsoredbytheHoughtonMifflinCompany,thissitelistslinkstolanguageartsprojects.
TheReadingRoom
http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/ReadingRoom
TheReadingRoomfeatureslinkstoonlinebooks,poetry,journals,bookreviews,andmore.
StarnetHolidayCards
http://www.azstarnet.com/public/holiday/holiday.html
SimilartoPostcards,studentscansendanelectronicholidaycardtosomeoneontheInternet.Recipientsofholidaycardsgetamessagealertingthemthatacardhas
beensent.CardsareclaimedattheWebsite.
StoryCreations
http://www.searsportrait.com/storybook/index.html
ThisWebsitecreatespersonalizedstoriesfromastudent'swordlist.
StoryResourcesAvailableontheWeb.
http://www.cyberenet.net/~sjohnson/stories/
ThisWebsitecontainsmanylinkstostoryresources,includingstorytelling,audiostories,storiesbychildren,familiartales,andinteractivestories.
TheodoreTugboatOnlineActivityCenter
http://www.cochran.com/theodore/
TheTheodoreTugboatOnlineActivityCenterprovidesmanyresourcesandmaterialsforteachersandstudents.Oneactivityisaninteractivestorythat
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allowsyoungchildrentomakechoicesforTheodoreTugboatandmanipulatethestory'soutcome.Coloringactivities,soundsandmovies,andcharacterinformation
areotherTheodoreTugboatoptions.ThisWebsitealsofeaturesBerit'sBestSitesforChildren,anoutstandingresourceforlocatingadditionallinksforchildren.
WebTopicsPreschoolers
http://www.dimensional.com/~janf/wtpreschool.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesmiscellaneouslinksforpreschoolers.
EMailExchanges
Emailactivitiesestablishcommunicationlinkswithstudentsaroundtheworld,providingstudentswithavarietyofaudiencesandrealworldlearningexperiences.E
mailactivitiesstresstheimportanceofcommunicationskillsandcollaboration.Thefollowingactivitiesprovidestudentswithopportunitiestoshareinformation,work
collaboratively,andlearnmoreaboutthemselvesandothers.
FavoriteBooks
Afterestablishingacommonformatforwritingbookreports,studentswrite,exchange,collect,andcomparereportsaboutfavoritebookswithstudentsfromother
schools.Studentscreateanelectronicdatabasetotracktheauthor,numberofpages,titleofthebook,summary,andthereviewer'snameandstate.Studentscanalso
comparerequiredreadinglistsforvariouscountriesandlocations.Forexample,inRussia,booksbyJackLondonareconsideredessentialreading,buttheyarenot
alwaysincludedinreadinglistsintheUnitedStates.Studentsdiscusswhysuchdifferencesmightexist,thenemailexperts(suchaseducationalassociations,teachers,
scholarsinliteraturefromvariouscountries)toaskthemwhy.Studentscomparetheirpredictionstotheexperts'responses.
Playingaround
Followingadiscussionaboutdescriptivewriting,havestudentsdescribetheplaygroundandemailthedescriptiontoanotherclass.Theotherclasssendsits
playgrounddescriptionstoyourclass.Studentsinbothclassesdrawtheotherclass'splaygroundbasedonthewrittendescriptions.Exchangethedrawingsusingfax
ormailsostudentscanseehowtheirdescriptionswereinterpreted.Finally,exchangephotographsoftheplaygrounds.Discusstheresults,includingwhatitwasliketo
drawbasedonanotherperson'sdescriptionandtheimportanceofdescriptivewords.
TeleFieldTrips
Askstudentsinaremotelocationtoaskquestionsabouttouristattractionsandhistoricalsitesinyourarea.Studentsanswerthosequestionswithaccurateand
interestinginformation.
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THEHOUSEOFPOE
InthefollowingroomsarebriefdescriptionsofstorieswrittenbyEdgarAllanPoe.Readthedescriptionofeachstoryandseeifyoucanguessitstitle.UsingData
ResourceAssociates(telnet://dra.com),findthestorytitleandreaditsabstracttocheckyourwork.Whichstorysoundsthemostinteresting?Why?Writeyourown
shortstorybasedonaselectedsummary.CompareyourstorytoPoe's.Poe'sshortstoriescanbefoundatTheWiretapElectronicTextArchive
(http://wiretap.area.com/)andTheEnglishServerFictionCollection(http://englishwww.hss.cmu.edu/fiction).
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SocialStudiesandGeographyResourcesandActivities.
DavidsignedupforsixthperiodsocialstudieswithMr.SiskobecausehehadheardthatMr.SiskousedtheInternetinhisclasses.DavidhadalsoheardthatMr.
Siskoassignedlotsofhomework,butstudentsenjoyedhisclass.TheteacherDavidhadlastyearforsocialstudieswasnicknamedMr.Snoozebecauseheturned
socialstudiesintomonotonousbookwork,dailymultiplechoicequizzes,andhandcrampingwritingexercisesthatincludingcopyingtheDeclarationofIndependence.
Davidenjoyedlearningaboutpeopletohim,socialstudiesmeantlearningaboutaswellasinteractingwithpeople,notjustrememberingimportantdates.
Mr.Siskochallengedhisstudentstothinkbeyondwhattheythoughttheyalreadyknew.Hedidthisbyengaginghisstudentsingroupprojectsthatrequiredthemto
rethinktheirownthinking,makecompromises,andseethingsfromdifferentpointsofview.Inaddition,studentsactivelyparticipatedintheconstructionofnew
knowledgebyinvestigatingtopicsfromavarietyofperspectives.TheInternetwasawonderfultoolforthis.Inadditiontoofflinesources,studentgroupswere
requiredtoinvestigatespecificWebsites,contact
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onlineexperts,andemailquestionstopeoplerelatedtotheirtopicofstudy.TheInternetprovidedthestudentsaccesstocurrentrealworldinformation,personal
accounts,andtheopportunitytoefficientlyanalyzeandevaluateinformationfromavarietyofresources.This,Davidthought,issocialstudies.
TheInternetisusedbymillionsofpeopleincountriesallovertheworld.Thisglobalpresencemakesitanidealmediumforstudyingsocialstudiesandgeography.
Therearemanyopportunitiestolearnaboutculturesandplacesintheworldusingemail,telnet,andWebpages.Throughemail,studentscanobtainfirsthand
informationandpersonalresponsestonewseventstelnetprovidesstudentswithaccesstospecificresearchtoolsandWebpagesofferstudentsaccessto
internationalnewspapers,onlineexperts,virtuallibrariesandmuseums,governmentresources,andotherinformation.
ThischapterfeaturesWebsitesrelatedtosocialstudiesandgeography,includingancientcivilizations,U.S.government,U.S.history,worldhistory,andmulticultural
education.Foreachtopic,thechapterprovidesoneortwoinstructionalideasfortwoormoresites.Theseideasandskillsarenotcomprehensiveinstead,theyserve
asstartingpointsforexplorationandactivities.Followingthehighlightedsitesisalistofothersitesrelatedtothetopicthesesitesarebrieflydescribed.Thechapter
endswithalistofgeneralgeographyandsocialstudiessitesandemailactivities.
Note:Eachsite'scurrentURLisgiven,but,becausetheInternetisextremelydynamic,addressesandpathsmaychange.
AncientCivilizations
ManyWebsiteshelpstudentslearnmoreaboutancientculturesbyprovidingaccesstoonlineexperts,timelines,images,ancientmaps,teachingmaterials,andrelated
documents.
ExploringAncientWorldCultures
http://eawc.evansville.edu/index.htm
ExploringAncientWorldCulturesfeaturesasearchenginethatislimitedtoancientandmedievaltopicsontheInternet.Theresultismanylinkstopredefinedor
specifiedtopicsonancientandmedievalhistory.Studentscanlimitthesearchtosites,text,images,oressays.Chronologicallistsofeventsarealsoavailable.
ChronologicalComparisons
Studentgroupscreateaclasstimelinethatsummarizesandcompareseventstakingplaceamongdifferentcivilizations.ChooseInternetIndexfromthemainmenu.A
searchmenuwillappear.Searchbychronologyandglobal.Studentscomparetheirfindingswithothersources.
Informationskills:Conductsearcheslocate,compare,evaluate,andorganizeinformation.
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TheSevenWondersoftheAncientWorldhomepage.
RomanEmpire
Usingavarietyofonlineandofflineresources,studentswriteareportabouttheRomanEmpire.Studentstakenotes,evaluateandcomparetheirfindings,assessthe
validityoftheirsources,andcreateabibliography.ChoosetheRomanEmpirelinkfromthetextonthemainmenuorselectSearchArgosfromthemainmenuand
enterRomanEmpire.
Informationskills:Usesearchtechniquesforelectronicmedialocate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationrecordandanalyzedataassembleinformation
inameaningfulmanner.
TheSevenWondersoftheAncientWorld
http://pharos.bu.edu/Egypt/Wonders/Home.html
TheSevenWondersoftheAncientWorldprovidespictures,maps,answerstofrequentlyaskedquestions,andlinkstorelatedresources.
OtherWonders
Studentscompareancient,modern,andnaturalwonders.Studentsreportwhythewondersareconsideredwonders,researchthewonders'history,andidentifythe
wonders'locationsonamap.Studentsuseonlineandofflineresourcesandcreateabibliography.Studentssharetheirreportswiththeclass.ChooseOtherWonders
fromthemainmenu.Asafollowupactivity,studentsresearchanddiscusswhatelsetheymightconsidertobeamodernornaturalwonder.Studentssubmittheir
proposalsandquestionstotheeditorsoftheSevenWondersoftheAncientWorld.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesanalyze,compare,record,andsynthesizeinformationidentifylocationsona
mapcommunicatefindings.
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SevenWonders.
Studentgroupsresearchoneofthesevenwondersoftheancientworldusingavarietyofonlineandofflineresources.Theypresenttheirfindingsandathree
dimensionalsculptureordrawingoftheirwondertotheclass.Studentstakenotes,evaluateandcomparetheirfindings,andcreateabibliographytoaccompanytheir
report.ChooseTheCanonicalListfromthemainmenu.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationfromavarietyofsourcesrecordandanalyzedatadisplayfindingsusingatwoorthree
dimensionalformatandworkcollaborativelytoassembleandpresentinformation.
TourEgypt
http://interoz.com/egypt/
TourEgyptoffersatremendousamountofinformationaboutEgyptthroughavarietyofinterestinglinks.ThroughTourEgypt,studentscanlearnaboutEgyptian
tourism,researchEgyptianhistory,sendmessagesandchat,learnabouttheanimalsofEgypt,andmuchmore.LittleHorusandRosettaStoneareexcellentsitesfor
elementarystudents.
EgyptianMythology
StudentgroupsreadaboutEgyptianmythologyandcreateaposterandabiographyofoneofthecharacters.Studentgroupssharetheirbiographiesandposterswith
theclass.Asafollowupactivity,studentswriteastorybasedononeormoreoftheclass'scharacters.Studentsuseavarietyofresources,evaluateandcompare
theirfindings,andcreateabibliographyoftheirresources.InformationaboutEgyptianmythologycanbelocatedonTourEgyptbyselectingEgyptianAntiquitiesfrom
themainmenu,thenEgyptianMythology.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsrecordandanalyzedataandcommunicatethroughoral
presentations,writing,anddrawings.
HistoryofEgypt
StudentgroupsresearchdifferenttimeperiodsofEgyptianhistoryusingTourEgyptandothersources.Studentstakenotes,evaluateandcomparetheirfindings,and
createabibliographyoftheirresources.StudentscombinetheirresearchtocreateaclasstimelineofEgyptianevents.(ChooseEgyptianAntiquitiesfromthemain
menu,thenchooseHistoryofEgypttoaccessdifferenttimeperiodsofEgyptianhistory.)Asafollowupactivity,studentgroupscancompareancientEgyptwith
Egypttoday.
Informationskills:Locate,compare,evaluate,synthesize,andorganizeinformation.
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AdditionalSitesforAncientCivilizations
AncientRussia
http://www.interknowledge.com/russia/rushis02.htm
ThisistheofficialsiteoftheRussianNationalTouristOffice.ItincludesaclickabletimelineofRussianhistoryandinformationaboutRussianartandarchitecture,
cities,andhistory.
AncientWorldWeb
http://atlantic.evsc.virginia.edu/julia/AncientWorld.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesanindexofsitesabouttheancientworld.
EgyptianHieroglyphs.
http://www.torstar.com/rom/egypt
SponsoredbytheRoyalOntarioMuseum,thisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutEgyptianhieroglyphics,anonlinehieroglyphicstranslator,andanoptiontoemail
hieroglyphicmessages.
LittleHorus
http://www.horus.ics.org.eg/
LittleHorushelpselementarystudentslearnaboutEgypt.TopicsincludeEgyptToday,History,andEntertainment.StudentscanemailtheirquestionsaboutEgypt,
takeonlinetours,andlearnaboutEgyptianattractions.
RosettaStone
http://www.clemusart.com/archive/pharaoh/rosetta/
SponsoredbytheCleveland(Ohio)MuseumofArt,RosettaStoneallowselementarystudentstolearnmoreaboutpharaohs,emailquestionstoexperts,takean
onlinequiz,downloadEgyptiancoloringpages,andmuchmore.
ScienceMuseumofMinnesota:MayanAdventure
http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/ma/map.html
MayanAdventure,sponsoredbytheScienceMuseumofMinnesota,providesinformationaboutancientandmodernMayanculture.Thesiteincludespicturesand
onlineexperiments.
MulticulturalEducation
TheInternetservesasameetingplaceforpeoplefromallovertheworld.Inadditiontolearningaboutpeopleandplacesthroughfirsthandaccounts,studentscan
accessWebsitesdesignedtohelpthepeopleoftheworldlearnmoreabouteachother.
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TheAmericanImmigrationhomepage.
TheAmericanImmigrationHomePage
http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Immigration/
TheAmericanImmigrationHomePageallowsstudentstoinvestigateimmigrationtopicsbytimeperiod.Topicsinclude:ReasonsforImmigration,WhoWere/Arethe
ImmigrantsoftheU.S.,Peaks/WavesofImmigration,MethodsofTransportationandPortsofArrival,ProcessofEnteringtheU.S.,andDestination/PlacesWhere
TheySettled.ThesitealsoprovidesinformationaboutEllisIsland,quotesaboutimmigration,andlinkstonewsgroupsandotherresources.
ImmigrationoverTime
Studentgroupsresearchaselectedimmigrationtopicandreportonthedifferences,similarities,andtrendsovertime.Studentgroupscreatetimelinesshowingthe
developmentorimportanteventsrelatedtotheirtopicanddiscusstheirfindingswiththeclass.Studentsuseonlineandofflineresourcestoresearchtheirtopicand
compareandevaluatethesources.Studentscreateabibliographyoftheirsources.Asafollowupactivity,studentgroupsresearchcurrenteventsrelatedtotheirtopic
andsubmittheirquestionstoimmigrationnewsgroups,publications,anddepartments(seeLinksandNewsgroups).
Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationaboutaspecifictopicassembleinformationinatimelinecommunicatefindings.
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QuoteInterpretations.
StudentsaccessQuotesAboutImmigrationfromthemainmenu.Theyexplainwhateachofthequotesmeans,whethertheyagreewithit,andtheextenttowhichthe
quotesrepresentordonotrepresenttheperspectivesoftheFederationforAmericanImmigrationReform(seeLinksandNewsgroups)orotherorganizations.
Studentsshareanddiscusstheirresponseswiththeclass.
Informationskills:Locateandevaluateinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsexamineinformationfromavarietyofperspectivescommunicate,
compare,andanalyzeinterpretations.
MulticulturalPavilion
http://curry.edschool.Virginia.EDU/go/multicultural/
SponsoredbytheUniversityofVirginia,theMulticulturalPavilionprovidesanextensivelistofresourcesrelatedtomulticulturaleducation.Informationandlinksare
organizedbycategory,includingTeacher'sCorner,ResearchandInquiry,MulticulturalAwarenessArchives,MulticulturalismontheInternet,andmore.Thesitealso
featuresanonlinediscussionboard,listservs,andasearchengine.
CultureStudy
Usingavarietyofonlineandofflinesources,studentgroupsresearchaparticularcultureandpresenttheirfindingstotheclass.Theytakenotes,compareand
evaluatetheirresources,andcreateabibliographyoftheirsources.StudentscanaccessonlineinformationaboutparticularculturesbychoosingResearchandInquiry
fromthemainmenu(seeOnlineLibrariesandInformationArchives,OnlineStatisticalDatabasesandArchives,etc.).Studentsmayalsowanttojoindiscussiongroups
oremailthecreatoroftheMulticulturalPavilion.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationfromavarietyofsourcesrecordandanalyzedataeffectivelycommunicatefindings.
WordsofWisdom
Studentsanalyzetwospeeches(bydifferentpeople)fromtheHistoricalSpeechesArchives(seeTeacher'sCorner).StudentscreateaVenndiagramtohelpthem
identifysimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthetwospeeches.Studentsresearchtheeventsleadinguptoeachspeech.Studentssharetheirfindingswiththeclassand
notehoweachspeechdefinestheimportanceoffreedomorequality.(ChooseTeacher'sCornerfromthemainmenu,thenselectHistoricalSpeechesArchives.)
Informationskills:Locate,analyze,evaluate,andcompareinformationorganizeinformationusingaVenndiagramcommunicatefindings.
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TheWebofCulture
http://www.worldculture.com/
TheWebofCultureprovideslinksandawealthofinformationaboutmanymulticulturaltopics.TopicsincludeCuisine,Currency,Experts,Gestures,Religions,
Resources,andmanymore.Abulletinboardandemailoptionsarealsoavailable.
MeaningfulGestures
Studentgroupsresearchthemeaningofgesturesinvariouscultures.Studentgroupscomparethemeaningsofgesturesamongtheculturesandpresenttheirfindingsto
theclass.Studentsuseonlineandofflineresourcestocompareandevaluatetheirfindings.Studentscreateabibliographyoftheirsources.Asaclass,studentsdiscuss
howbodygestureshavedifferentmeanings,dependingonthecountryinwhichtheyareexpressed,andwhyitisimportanttobeawareofsuchdifferences.Asa
followupactivity,studentsemailstudentsfromothercountriesregardingproperbodyetiquette.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationfromavarietyofsourcescommunicateinformationinameaningfulmanner.
PersonalPerspective
Usingavarietyofonlineandofflineresources,studentsresearchaselectedcountry.Theytakenotes,compareandevaluateresources,andcreateabibliography.
StudentscanchooseSites,Servers,andotherlinksfromthemainmenutolocateinformationabouttheirparticularcountry.Inaddition,studentschooseContactfrom
themainmenutocontactpeoplelivingintheselectedcountry.Asaclass,studentsdesignasurveytoadministertothecontactpersons.Studentsincludeinformation
abouttheircontactpersonsintheirreportsandpresenttheirreportstotheclass.Aclasschartiscreatedtocompareandcontrastthecountries.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationfromavarietyofsourcesrecordandanalyzedatadevelopandadministera
surveyinterpretsurveyresultsassembleandcommunicateinformation.
AdditionalSitesforMulticulturalEducation.
AfricanAmericana
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/hum/african.html
SponsoredbytheLouisianaStateUniversityLibraries,AfricanAmericanaprovidesawealthofinformationaboutAfricanAmericansandlinkstorelatedsites.
CentreforImmigrationandMulticulturalStudies
http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/CIMS/CIMSHomePage.html
SponsoredbytheAustralianNationalUniversity,thissiteprovidesmanylinkstomulticulturalresources,includingWebandgopherservers,mailinglists,andonline
publications.
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InterculturalEMailClassroomConnections
http://ww.stolaf.edu/network/iecc/
Thisisafreeservicetohelpteachersandclasseslinkwithpartnersinothercountriesandculturesforclassroomkeypalandprojectexchanges.
Kid'sWindowHomepage
http://www.jwindow.net/KIDS/
ThisinteractivesiteoffersstudentstheopportunitytolearnaboutJapaneseculture,stories,studentartwork,andmore.
LatinoLink
http://www.latinolink.com/
Thisinformativesiteprovidescurrentnews,discussionforums,chatrooms,andmanylinkstositesrelatedtoLatinoculture.
MulticulturalHomePage
http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/genhtml/agenmc/index.html
MaintainedbyPurdueUniversity,thissiteprovidesinformationaboutvariouscountries.Thesiteincludesgraphics,audioclips,andadditionallinks.
U.S.Government.
UsingtheInternet,studentshaveimmediateaccesstocurrentgovernmentinformation,pressreleases,anddata.Studentscanemailtheirrepresentatives,senators,the
vicepresident,andthepresident.Theycanaccesscensusinformation,theCIAWorldFactBook,andothergovernmentdatabases.
InadditiontothemanyWebsitessponsoredbyU.S.governmentagencies,therearemanyWebsitesaboutgovernmentissuessponsoredbyotherindividualsand
organizations.StudentscanevaluateandcompareinformationpublishedbytheU.S.governmentandsourcesanddiscussvariousorganizations'perspectiveson
variousissues.
U.S.CensusBureau
http://www.census.gov/
Inadditiontoprovidingstatisticalinformation,theU.S.CensusBureauWebsiteoffersnewsandlinkstorelatedsites.Menuoptionsincludecensusnewsand
information,asearchoption,asubjectindex,andactivities.
StateComparisons
Studentscomparecensusinformationabouttwostates.StudentscreateVenndiagrams,charts,andgraphstodisplaytheirresults.Findingsaresharedwiththeclass.
ChooseJustForFunfromthemainmenu.Next,chooseMapStats.Studentsselecttwostatestocompare,clickingonthedesiredstates.Asafollowupactivity,
studentscompareinformationpublishedbytheU.S.CensusBureauwiththesameinformationpublishedbyeachstate.Studentslookfor
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discrepanciesbetweenthedataandemailtheirfindingsandquestionstothestategovernments.
Informationskills:LocateandcompareinformationcreateeffectivechartsandgraphsorganizeinformationusingaVenndiagramcommunicatefindings.
StatetoState
Studentgroupscomparepastandpredictedcensusinformationaboutageamongthreestates.Studentschartandgraphtheirresultssharetheresultswiththeclass
anddiscusstheimpactofageontheeconomy,healthissues,andsoon.ChooseSubjectsAZfromthemainmenu.Next,selectAge,thenStateLevel.Forpast
information,chooseCensuses,Lookup,STF3A,andthedesiredstate(thenpressSubmit).Choosethetableoption(pressSubmit),thenselectcategoryP13(age)
andpressSubmit.Next,choosetheHTMLformatandpressSubmitagain.Forpredictions,chooseProjectionsinsteadofCensusesafterselectingStateLevel.Next,
choosebyageandsex.
Therearemanycategoriesofinformationtochooseandcompare.Asafollowupactivity,studentscanchoosetheirownareaofinterestandwriteareportoftheir
findings.Studentscanalsocomparetheirfindingstointernationaldata.
Informationskills:Locate,compare,andcontrastinformationanalyzeandevaluatedatasynthesizeinformationcreateeffectivechartsandgraphscommunicate
findings.
TheU.S.TreasuryHomepage
http://www.ustreas.gov/
TheU.S.TreasuryHomepageprovidesinformationaboutTreasuryoffices,officials,andnewsevents.Thesitealsoprovidesanswerstofrequentlyaskedquestions,
emailoptions,eventsinU.S.Treasuryhistory,andakid'spage.
MoneyMatters
Studentgroupsselectaresearchtopicfromthelistoffrequentlyaskedquestions.Studentsreporttheirfindingsintheformofanewsletter.Newslettersaresharedwith
theclass.Studentswriteafinalreportexplainingwhattheyfoundmostinteresting,whatfactstheywereunawareof,andwhatquestionstheystillhaveabouteach
topic.StudentsthenemailtheirremainingquestionstotheU.S.Treasurydepartment.(Tosendemail,selectCorrespondencefromthemainmenu.Anemailoption
appearsatthebottomoftheCorrespondencepage.)
Informationskills:Locateandorganizeinformationaboutaspecifictopicseekinformationfromprofessionalsorganizefindingsintoanestablishedformatevaluate
andrespondtoinformation.
MoneyMysteries
Studentgroupsuseavarietyofonlineandofflineresourcestoresearchtopicssuchasthefollowing:typesofcounterfeitmoney,protectingyourselfagainstcounterfeit
money,thehistoryofU.S.money,andfeaturesofU.S.money.
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Studentgroupspresenttheirfindingstotheclassbywritingandperformingaskitabouttheirtopic.Forexample,studentsresearchingcounterfeitmoneymaywritea
skitthatincludesthecharacterofSherlockHolmesinvestigatingtypesofcounterfeitmoney.Studentstakenotesandcreateabibliographyoftheirresources.
InformationaboutmoneycanbelocatedontheU.S.TreasuryHomepagebyselectingKidsPage,thenKnowYourMoney.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesandpresentinformationtoothersusinganontraditionalapproach.
TheWhiteHouse.
http://www.whitehouse.gov
TheWhiteHouseWebsiteallowsstudentstoemailthepresident,thevicepresident,andtheFirstLadytakeavirtualtouroftheWhiteHouseandlearnaboutits
historyviewWhiteHousedocumentsandphotographslistentospeecheslinktootherfederalWebsitesandmuchmore.StudentsmayvisitanotherWhiteHouse
Websitedesignedforyoungerstudents,TheWhiteHouseforKids(http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/kids/html/home.html).
PressReleases
StudentgroupssearchtheWhiteHousePressReleases,RadioAddresses,Photos,andWebPagesforaparticulartopic(e.g.,theozonelayer,AIDS,education,
technology,violence).Thesearchoptionprovidesstudentswithmaterialsfromvariousresources.Forexample,asearchontheozonelayermayyieldalistofmore
than40documentsrelatedtoenvironmentaladministration,theEnvironmentalProtectionAgency,thepresident'sremarksduringanEarthDayspeech,andexecutive
ordersgoverningozonedepletion.Studentsstudythetopicsandcomparetheinformationfromthesearchwithinformationfromgroupsthatrepresentdiffering
viewpoints.Dotheinformationsourcesagreeaboutwhatishappeningandwhatshouldhappen?Studentscompilethefindingswithotherresourcestocreateawritten
orhypermediaclassreport,whichtheypresenttotheclass.Note:Studentsmaylimittheirsearchestospecificdates.(ChooseTheVirtualLibraryfromthemain
menu.Next,chooseAllWhiteHouseWebFeaturesCombined.)
Informationskills:Conductsearcheslocate,organize,andevaluateinformationaboutaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesconsiderfactsfromavarietyof
perspectivessynthesizeinformationcommunicatefindings.
SocialStatistics
Studentgroupsresearch,analyze,andchartstatisticaldataontopicssuchasthefollowing:crime,demographics,education,andhealth.Studentsgathernewspaper
articlesrelevanttotheirtopicandpresenttheirfindingstotheclass.Studentssharetheirconcernsabouttheseissuesidentifyproblemsandpossiblesolutionsand
submittheirquestionstothepresident,vicepresident,orFirstLady.Fromthemainmenu,chooseTheBriefingRoom.Next,scrolldown
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TheWhiteHousehomepage.
andselectSocialStatisticsBriefingRoom(SSBR).EmailaddressescanbeaccessedfromthemainmenubychoosingThePresident&VicePresident.
Informationskills:Locate,analyze,compare,andorganizeinformationcreateeffectivechartsevaluateandrespondtoinformationseekinformationfrom
professionalseffectivelycommunicatefindings.
AdditionalSitesforU.S.Government
CentralIntelligenceAgency
http://www.odci.gov/cia/
TheCentralIntelligenceAgency(CIA)siteprovidesaccesstoCIApublications,informationabouttheCIA,theagency'spublicaffairsoffice,andlinkstositesrelated
totheCIAandtheintelligencecommunity.TheCIAWorldFactBook(chooseCIAPublications)isanexcellentresourceforcountryreports.
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FedWorldInformationNetwork
http://www.fedworld.gov
TheFedWorldInformationNetworkprovideslinkstoandsearchoptionsformanyfederalWebsites.
HouseofRepresentatives
http://www.house.gov/
ThisistheofficialWebsiteoftheHouseofRepresentatives.Studentscangetinformationabouttheirrepresentative,includinghowtowritetohimorher
theycanalsogetinformationaboutthevariousHousecommitteesandreadaboutHouseorganizations,commissions,andtaskforces.
Thomas.
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Thissite,fromtheLibraryofCongress,provideslinkstoseveralU.S.governmentresources.Studentscanreadcommitteereports,obtaininformationaboutcurrent
bills,andviewhistoricaldocuments.Theycanalsolearnhowlawsaremade.Therearemanymoreresourcesatthissite.
TheUnitedStatesSenate
http://www.senate.gov/
ThisistheofficialWebsiteoftheUnitedStatesSenate.Studentscanreadaboutlegislativeactivities,committees,andSenatehistory.Studentscanalsoemailtheir
senatorsfromthissite.
U.S.PostalService
http://www.usps.gov/kids/welcome.htm
Thissiteisdesignedforkids.Itincludesinteractivegamesandinformationtohelpstudentslearnmoreaboutthepostoffice,stamps,maildelivery,andmore.Links
leadtounforgettablelettersandstories,emailopportunities,andadditionalinformationaboutthepostalservice.
U.S.History
TheInternetallowsstudentstoinvestigateU.S.historyfromavarietyofperspectives,analyzeandevaluatedata,contactonlineexperts,andobtainmaterialsthatmight
otherwisebeunavailabletothem.ManylessonplansandotheractivitiesontheWebhelpeducatorsprepareunitsaboutU.S.history.
GreatAmericanHistory
http://www.cais.com/greatamericanhistory/
Inadditiontoothertopics,theGreatAmericanHistoryWebsiteprovidesfreeeducationalmaterialandinformationabouttheCivilWar.TheCivilWarLibrary
sectionfeaturesoutlines,quizzes,games,andadditionallinks.
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KidInfo:AmericanRevolutionhomepage.
TopicofInterest
StudentschooseatopicofinterestrelatedtotheCivilWar(e.g.,womenoftheCivilWar,foodandcooking,music,AfricanAmericansintheCivilWar,famous
battles).TopicscanbeselectedfromtheOutlineoftheCivilWarfromGreatAmericanHistory.Studentsuseonlineandofflineresources,emailtheeditorsofthe
GreatAmericanHistoryWebsiteregardingdiscrepanciesinorquestionsabouttheirfindings,takenotes,compareandevaluateinformation,andcreateabibliography
oftheirsources.Studentssharetheirreportswiththeclassandcreateadiorama,sketch,disk,tape,skit,etc.,toaccompanytheirreport.
Informationskills:Specifyatopicofinterestlocate,select,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcescontactonlineexpertsorganizefindingsinan
establishedformatcommunicatefindingsinameaningfulmanner.
KidInfo:AmericanRevolution
http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/American_Revolution.html
ThisisoneofmanysitessponsoredbyKidInfo(http://www.kidinfo.com).Thesitecontainslinkstoglossariesandtimelines,informationaboutthecolonies,historical
eventsrelatedtotheAmericanRevolution,andmuchmore.Thesitealsoincludeslinkstohomeworkhelpersandsearchableencyclopedias.
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CausesoftheAmericanRevolution.
StudentgroupsexamineandcompareWebsitesthatdiscussthecausesoftheAmericanRevolution(seeCausesofAmericanRevolution)withinformationfromtheir
textbooksorotherofflinesources.StudentsdiscusstheperspectivesrepresentedontheWebsites,thencontactstudentsinGreatBritainandaskthemtosharetheir
perspectiveoncausesoftheAmericanRevolution.Studentscompareanddiscusstheirfindings.(Seechapter4formoreinformationoncontactingotherclasses.)
Informationskills:Conductsearcheslocate,compare,evaluate,andorganizeinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconcepts.
HistoricalDocuments
Studentgroupsresearch,printout,andexplainthesignificanceofhistoricaldocumentsrelatedtotheAmericanRevolution.Eachgroupsharesthecontentand
backgroundofadifferentdocument.Asafollowupactivity,theclasschartsthesimilarities,differences,andrelationshipsamongthedocuments.
Informationskills:Teachstudentshowtolocateandorganizeinformationaboutaspecifictopicandtocommunicatethisinformationinameaningfulway.
NewPerspectivesontheWest
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/
SponsoredbyPublicBroadcastingServiceandGeneralMotorsCorporation,thisWebsitefeaturesmanytopicsrelatedtotheAmericanWest.Itisdividedintofive
mainsections:TourtheWest,EventsintheWest,PlacesintheWest,PeopleintheWest,andArchivesoftheWest.Thesitealsoprovidesinteractivequizzes,
historicaldocuments(includingjournalentries),photographs,maps,emailopportunities,searchoptions,andlinkstoothersites.
LewisandClark
StudentgroupscreateamultimediaprojectbasedontheirresearchaboutLewisandClark.Theyuseavarietyofofflineandonlineresources,compareandevaluate
theirresources,andcreateabibliography.LewisandClarkinformationandlinkscanbeaccessedbychoosingSearchSite(scrolldowntherightbottomframe)and
enteringLewisandClark(clickonSearch).Studentshousetheirprojectsintheschool'smediacenterormakethemavailableontheInternetforotherschools.
AdditionalprojecttopicsincludeNativeAmericans,theOregonTrail,theCaliforniaGoldRush,andtheMulticulturalWest.Linkstothesetopicscanbefoundunder
LinkstotheWestfromthemainmenu.
Informationskills:Searchelectronicmedialocate,organize,andevaluateinformationanalyze,synthesize,andrecordinformationorganizeandpresentfindings
usingamultimediatool.
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PerceptionsoftheCaliforniaGoldRush
Studentgroupsresearch,analyze,reflectupon,andevaluatecommentsmadebypeopleduringtheCaliforniaGoldRush.Beforetheirinvestigations,studentswrite
downtheirowncommentsorthoughtsabouthowtheythinkpeoplefelt,whattheythinkpeopleexperienced,andwhytheythinkpeoplewenttoCaliforniaduringthe
GoldRush.Inconductingtheirresearch,studentssearchforletters,diaries,memoirs,officialdocuments,andothermaterialsthatcontainquotesfrommen,women,
andchildrenwhotookpartintheCaliforniaGoldRush.Followingtheirresearch,studentscomparetheirowncommentswiththeirfindings.Studentsdiscusslifeduring
theCaliforniaGoldRushandcompareittolifetoday.ChooseSearchSite(scrolldowntherightbottomframe)andenterCaliforniaandGoldandRush(clickon
Search).SignificantlinksincludeLuzenaStanleyWilson'sMemoirsoftheGoldRush,ArchivesofTHEWEST1848to1856,andWilliamSwainLetter.
Informationskills:Conductsearcheslocate,compare,evaluate,andorganizeinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptscommunicateinformationina
meaningfulway.
AdditionalSitesforU.S.History
AmericanHistoryArchiveProject
http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/k12/history/aha.html
ThisWebsiteisanongoingprojectdesignedtoencourageclassroomcollaboration,studentpublicationandresearch,andotheropportunitiesrelatedtothestudyof
Americanhistory.Inadditiontophoto,video,anddocumentarchives,thisWebsiteincludesinformationabouttheAmericanRevolution,NativeAmericans,and
Gettysburg.
AmericanMemory.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html
AmericanMemoryisanoutstandingresourceofhistoricalcollectionsmaintainedbytheLibraryofCongress.Linksincludephotosandprints,documents,motion
pictures,andsoundrecordings.Studentscansearchorbrowsethesite.
ArchivingEarlyAmerica
http://earlyamerica.com/
Thissitefeaturesdiscussiongroups,maps,writings,famousdocuments(e.g.,BillofRights,U.S.Constitution),photographs,anonlinejournal,andotherinformation
relatedtoearlyAmerica.
CivilWarProject
http://www.rochester.k12.mn.us/johnmarshall/overton/cwproj/main/civilframe.html
TheCivilWarProjectisacollectionofstudentworkabouttheCivilWar.Studentscanevaluatetheworkandsubmittheirownreports.Assignmentdirectionsanda
gradingrubricareincluded.
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FromRevolutiontoReconstruction
http://grid.let.rug.nl/welling/usa/usa.html
ThissitefeaturesahypertextversionofAmericanhistory.
LessonPlan:TheCivilWar
http://www.smplanet.com/civilwar/civilwar.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesinformationandlinksusefulindevelopingaunitontheCivilWar.Inadditiontoanonlineunit,thisWebsiteprovidesalistofrecommended
books,integrationandenrichmentideas,linkstorelevantresources,andlinkstoadditionalsitesabouttheCivilWar.
WorldHistory
Websitesdevotedtoworldhistoryallowstudentstoemailpeopleinvolvedinhistoricaleventsorreadtheirpersonalaccountsoftheevents.(Somepeopleinvolved
inhistoricaleventsarewarveteransandsurvivorsoftheHolocaust.)Studentscancontacthistoriansfromvariouscountriestolearnaboutworldhistoryfromtheir
perspectives.
HistoryoftheWorld
http://www.hyperhistory.com/
TheHistoryoftheWorldWebsitehoststheHyperHistoryOnlineproject.HyperHistoryOnlineprovidesanenormousnumberoflinksandinformationrelatingto
almost3,000yearsofworldhistory.Informationcanbeviewedsynchronoptically,meaninguserscanchooseatimeperiodandvieweventsoccurringinvariousparts
oftheworldduringthattime.Topicsincludepeople,events,history,andmaps.Peopleandeventsarecolorcodedaccordingtovariouscategories:Science,
Technology,Economy,andDiscoveryCulture,Philosophy,Art,Music,andPoetryReligionandTheologyPoliticsandStatecraftandWar.
ConcurrentEvents.
Studentgroupsinvestigateandreportoneventsthattookplaceduringaselectedyearbetween1941and1945.InadditiontoHyperHistoryOnline,studentsuse
onlineandofflineresourcesfortheirresearch.Studentscompareandevaluateresources,takenotes,andcreateabibliographyofthesources.Studentspresenttheir
findingsinavideotapednewscastformat.(ChooseHyperHistoryOnlinefromthehomepage,thenchooseEvents,thenselect19391945.)
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesanalyze,synthesize,andrecordinformationidentifylocationsonamap
communicatefindingsusingavideoformat.
FamousContributions
Studentgroupsresearchandreportthecontributionsofdifferentpeoplebetween1850and1950.Groupsareresponsiblefordifferenttypesofcontributionsbasedon
thecolorcodesofHyperHistoryOnline(e.g.,science,politics,
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ATeacher'sGuidetotheHolocausthomepage.
theology,etc.).InadditiontoHyperHistoryOnline,studentsuseavarietyofonlineandofflineresourcesfortheirresearch.Studentscompareandevaluateresources,
takenotes,andcreateabibliography.Studentgroupssharetheirfindingswiththeclass.Studentscommentonthedifferentcontributionsfromaroundtheworldand
posttheirfindingsonaclassworldmap.ChooseHyperHistoryOnlinefromthehomepage.Next,choosePeople,thenselect15001996forthetimeperiod.Scroll
between1800and1996.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationfromavarietyofsourcesanalyze,synthesize,andrecordinformationidentifylocationsonamap
communicatefindings.
ATeacher'sGuidetotheHolocaust
http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust
ThissiteissponsoredbytheFloridaCenterofInstructionalTechnologyattheUniversityofFlorida.FundedbytheFloridaDepartmentofEducation,ATeacher's
GuidetotheHolocaustoffersstudentactivities,teacherresources,atimelineofevents,andinformationaboutpeoplerelatedtotheHolocaust.
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PeopleoftheHolocaust
StudentsreflectuponandsharewhattheyknoworbelieveaboutthepeopleoftheHolocaust.Next,studentgroupsarerandomlyassignedagroupofpeopleto
research:victims,perpetrators,bystanders,resisters,rescuers,liberators,andsurvivors.Studentsuseavarietyofresourcesfortheirresearch,takenotes,compare
andevaluateresources,andcreateabibliographyoftheirsources.Finalreportsaresharedwiththeclass.Studentsdiscusshowtheirresearchchangedorconfirmed
theirbeliefsaboutpeopleoftheHolocaust.(ChoosePeoplefromthemainmenu.Additionallinksareavailablewithineachtopic.)AlsoconsulttheUSHolocaust
MemorialMuseum(http://www.ushmm.org),theI*EARNHolocaust/GenocideProject(http://www.peg.apc.org/iearn/hgpproject.html),andtheAnneFrank
House(http://www.channels.nl/annefran.html).
Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationaboutaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesrecordandanalyzedataassemble
informationinameaningfulmanner.
WW1:TrenchesontheWeb
http://www.worldwar1.com/index.html
ThisWebsitecontainsawealthofinformationabouttheevents,people,places,crafts,andartilleryofWorldWarI.TheReferenceLibrarycategorizesinformationby
who,what,when,andwhere.Therearemaps,photos,asearchengine,miscellaneousbitsofinformation,discussionforums,audiofiles,additionallinks,andmuch
more.
MMWWI
AfterbrowsingthroughTrenchesontheWeb,studentgroupschooseatopicofinteresttoresearch.Findingsarepresentedthroughamultimediaproject.Studentsuse
onlineandofflineresources(includingtheTrenchesontheWebDiscussionForum),compareandevaluatetheirresources,andcreateabibliography.Finalreports
arelinkedtoaclassmenuofWorldWarItopics.ThefinalprojectcanbedistributedthroughtheWebortheschoolmediacenter.
Informationskills:Locateandspecifyatopicofinterestfind,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationfromavarietyofsourcesintegratetextwithimages,
videos,andsoundclipsinameaningfulmanner.
WWIPoetry
StudentsdiscusswhattheythinksoldiersinWorldWarImayhavethoughtaboutandwroteabout.Followingthisdiscussion,studentsreadandinterpretpoems
writtenbythesoldiers.StudentssharetheirthoughtsandtalkabouthowthepoemschangedorconfirmedwhattheybelievedaboutWorldWarIsoldiers.Choose
SearchFacilityfromthehomepagetext,orenterhttp://www.worldwar1.com/tsearch.htm.EnterpoetryasthesearchwordandclickonSearch.Fromtheresults,
selectTrenchesontheWebSpecial:GermanWarPoetry(Translated)andTrenchesontheWebSpecial:ItalianWarPoetry.Studentsmayresearchpoetryfrom
resourcesaswell.
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InformationSkills:Conductsearcheslocate,compare,evaluate,andorganizeinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptscommunicateinformationina
meaningfulway.
AdditionalSitesforWorldHistory.
CybraryoftheHolocaust
http://remember.org
TheCybraryoftheHolocaustprovidesinformation,resources,personalaccounts,andlinksrelatedtotheHolocaust.
NM'sCreativeImpulse
http://history.evansville.net/index.html
NM'sCreativeImpulsefocusesontheartist'sviewofworldhistoryandWesterncivilization.Emphasisisonart,music,drama,andliterature.
WomeninWorldHistoryCurriculum
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Ewomenwhist/
Thissitesprovidesmanyresourcesandlinkstoinformationaboutwomeninhistory.
WorldHistoryArchives
http://www.hartfordhwp.com/archives/index.html
Thissiteprovidesanenormouscollectionofresourcesforthestudyofworldhistory,includingtopicssuchasWorldHistoriography,theAmericas,theWorld,Africa,
Asia,andEurope.EachtopicisdividedintospecificcategoriesthatlinkuserstoadditionalWebpagesthatcontainlinkstospecificareasofstudyrelatedtothe
chosencategory.ThesitealsoincludesalinktoImagesfromHistory.
WorldHistoryLinksPage
http://we.got.net/docent/scwriter.htm
TheWorldHistoryLinksPageprovideslinkstocountriesandregionsoftheworld,worldnewspapers,worldpoetry,andmuchmore.
WorldWarII:TheWorldRemembers
http://192.253.114.31/DDay/Table_of_contents.html
CreatedbystudentsandfacultyatPatchAmericanHighSchoolandPatchElementarySchool(Europe),thissiteprovidesmanylinkstoWorldWarIIresourcesfrom
avarietyofperspectives.
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GeneralSocialStudiesandGeographyResourcesontheWeb.
OnlineMagazinesandNewsletters
AmericanJournalismNewsLink
http://www.newslink.org/news.html
CNNInteractive
http://www.cnn.com/
EditorandPublisherOnlineNewspapers
http://www.mediainfo.com/ephome/npaper/nphtm/online.htm
MungoPark
http://www.mungopark.com
NationalGeographic
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/contents/
PleasantCompany.
http://www.americangirl.com/
OtherSocialStudiesSites
AmazonAdventure
http://vif27.icair.iac.org.nz/
AtthisWebsite,studentscanlearnaboutthepeople,places,animals,andhistoryofAmazonia.
BlackHistoryMonth
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/AfroAm.html
ThisWebsitefeaturesinformation,links,andactivitiesrelatedtoBlackhistoryandAfricanAmericanissues.
BritannicaBirthdayCalendar
http://www.eb.com/calendar/calendar.html
Studentscanfindoutwhichfamouspeoplesharetheirbirthday.
CreateYourOwnNewspaper
http://crayon.net/
Thissiteallowsstudentstocreatetheirownonlinenewspaper.Newsarticlesaretheresultofstudents'interests.
FlintsandStones:RealLifeinPrehistory
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/antiq/menu.html
FlintsandStonesprovidesinformationaboutthepeopleandtheenvironmentduringtheStoneAge.Thesiteincludesphotographs,anonlinequiz,andinformationon
commonmisconceptionsaboutprehistory.
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ForeignLanguagesforTravelers.
http://www.travlang.com/languages/index.html
ForeignLanguagesforTravelersisanoutstandingresourcethatautomaticallytranslateswordsfromonelanguagetoanother,providestextandsoundfiles,andoffers
linkstootherlanguagesourcesontheWeb.
GeonetGame
http://www.hmco.com/school/geo/indexhi.html
GeonetGameisanonlinegeographygamebasedontheNationalGeographyStandards.
Girltech
http://www.girltech.com
Girltechoffersmorethan200pagesoffun,educationalcontent.Itfeaturesgames,anadvicecolumn,aweeklydiary,womenrolemodels,scienceprojects,inventions,
sports,andaboys'areadesignedtoencourageandincreasecommunicationandunderstandingbetweengirlsandboys.
GlobalOnlineAdventureLearning
http://goals.com/
Thissiteprovidesopportunitiesforstudentstoexploretheworldwithrealworldtravelers.Studentshavetheopportunitytoreadaboutreallifeadventures,interact
withexplorers,andtakevirtualfieldtrips.AlsoseeGlobaLearn(http://www.globalearn.org/)andHighPointsoftheAmericas(http://www.23peaks.com/).
GORP:GreatOutdoorRecreationPage
http://www.gorp.com
ThisWebsiteoffersinformationrelatedtooutdoorrecreationandtravel.GORPprovidesinformationabouttravellocationsaroundtheworld,interactiveforums,trip
tales,outdoorrecreationoptions,andmore.Studentshavetheopportunitytolearnaboutgeographyactivities.
HistoricAudioArchives
http://www.webcorp.com/civilrights/mlk.htm
Thissitefeaturesaudioclips,includingAdolfHitler,WinstonChurchill,MalcolmX,RichardNixon,RonaldReagan,GeorgeBush,andBillClinton.
HistoricalArchaeology
http://spirit.lib.uconn.edu/ArchNet/Topical/Historic/Historic.html
ThissiteprovideslinkstoarchaeologicalsitesandtoursontheWeb.
HistoricalTextArchive.
http://www.msstate.edu/Archives/History/index.html
HousedatMississippiStateUniversity,theHistoricalTextArchiveisanoutstandingresourceforlocatinginformationandresourcesaboutvarioustopics.Learnabout
thehistoryofAfrica,Asia,Canada,Europe,andmore.U.S.
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resourcesincludelinkstoNativeAmericanhistory,U.S.historicaldocuments,thecolonialperiod,U.S.wars,U.S.presidents,andmuchmore.TheWebsitealso
provideslinkstomiscellaneousemailaddresses(historians,military,colleges,etc.),databases,andothersocialstudiesandhistorylinks.
TheHistoryNet
http://www.thehistorynet.com/
SponsoredbytheNationalHistorySociety,thisWebsitefeaturesinformationandlinksrelatedtoworldhistory,Americanhistory,eyewitnessaccounts,personality
profiles,famousbattles,interviews,andmuchmore.
History/SocialStudiesWebSiteforK12Teachers
http://www.execpc.com/~dboals/boals.html
ThisWebsiteprovidesanextensivelistoflinkstohistoryandsocialstudiessites.
HolidaysontheNet
http://www.holidays.net
HolidaysontheNetprovidesinformationaboutvariousholidays.Thesitealsoincludesholidayactivitiesandadditionallinks.
Ingenius
http://www.ingenius.com
Ingeniusprovidesteacherandstudentresources.ItalsofeaturesAskA.N.D.I.E.,softwarethatgathersanddeliversthenewsfrom20differentnewswiresaroundthe
world.
InternetPublicLibrary
http://ipl.sils.umich.edu/
TheInternetPublicLibraryprovideslinkstoreferencematerials,onlinetextsandmagazines,librarianinformation,andmore.Italsoprovideslinksforkidsandlinksto
siteswithresourcesforlearningaboutvariouslanguages.
InventionDimension
http://web.mit.edu/invent/
TheInventionDimensionprovidesinformationaboutinventionsandinventorsfromaroundtheworld.
JourneyNorth.
http://www.learner.org/content/k12/jnorth/
JourneyNorthinvitesstudentstoparticipateintheobservationofwildlifemigration.
LessonPlansandResourcesforSocialStudiesTeachers
http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/index.html
Thissiteprovidesmanylinkstoresourcesforsocialstudiesteachers,includinglessonplans,onlineactivities,educationalstandards,othersocialstudiesresources,and
more.
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MapQuest
http://www.mapquest.com/
MapQuestisaninteractiveresourceforlocatingdestinations,calculatingdistances,planningroutes,andmakingcustommaps.Itisanoutstandingresourcethatcanbe
integratedinallareasofthecurriculum.
MartinLutherKing,Jr.
http://www.seattletimes.com/mlk/
SponsoredbytheSeattleTimes,thisWebsiteprovidesinformationaboutMartinLutherKingJr.AlsoseetheMartinLutherKingJr.HomePage
(http://www.emich.edu/public/nasa/martin.htm)andMartinLutherKingJr.(http://www.netgaincc.com/sddemocrats/mlk.html).
MedievalWorld
http://history.evansville.net/medieval.html
MedievalWorldofferslinksandinformationaboutthepeople,places,events,andartofmedievaltimes.Itsextensivelistofresourcesiscategorizedbypeople,
places,events,resources,artandarchitecture,literatureanddrama,musicanddance,anddailylifeandculture.Asearchoptionisalsoavailable.
MurryBergtraumHighSchoolSocialStudiesReferences
http://mbhs.bergtraum.k12.ny.us/referenc.html
ThissiteoffersanextensivelistoflinkstomanysocialstudiesWebsites.
MyHero
http://myhero.com/home.asp
MyHeroisallaboutheroesfromallwalksoflife.Studentscansubmitessaystheyhavewrittenabouttheirownheroes.
OnlineResourceshttp://socialstudies.com/online.html.
OnlineResourcesprovidesalistoflinkstosocialstudiestopicsarrangedinthefollowingcategories:world,UnitedStates,andgeneralhistory.
ParkNet
http://www.nps.gov/
ParkNet,fromtheU.S.NationalParkService,isanoutstandingresourceforlearningaboutnationalparks,theirresources,history,locations,historicplaces,and
more.Thesiteincludesmanyonlineresourcesandlinks,includingtoolsforteachers.
ResearchIt!
http://www.iTools.com/researchit/researchit.html
Thissiteoffersacurrencyconverter,languagetranslator,andsearchtoolsandlinksformanycategories.
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SocialStudiesBagO'Tricks
http://www.vkool.com/grapeshot/socials/homepage.htm
SocialStudiesBagO'Tricksprovideslinkstomiscellaneoussocialstudiessitesandlessonplans,includingmocktrials,advertisinganalysis,andhistorylinks.
TravelbyCity.Net
http://www.city.net/
ThisWebsiteoffersawealthofinformationaboutcitiesallovertheworld.Inadditiontointeractivemaps,City.Netprovidestouristinformation,searchoptions,
weatherreports,discussionareas,andadditionallinks.
Unicef
http://www.unicef.org/
ThissiteoffersinformationaboutUNICEF,childrights,andotherchildrelatedissues.ItcontainsalinkstoVoicesofYouth(aforumwherechildrencansharetheir
thoughts),alearningplacewithgamesandactivities,andresourcesforteachers.
USACityLink
http://usacitylink.com/
USACityLinkisacomprehensivelistingofWebpagesfeaturingstatesandcities.Studentscanlearnmoreabouteachcitybyclickingonitsnameorstate.Alsosee
CitySearch(http://www.citysearch.com/).
Visitor'sGuidetoTaiwan.
http://peacock.tnjc.edu.tw:80/ADD/TOUR/main.html
ThissiteprovidesinformationaboutTaiwan,includingregions,outdooractivities,cultureandcuisine,festivalsandholidays,andmore.
WorldSurfari
http://www.supersurf.com/
WorldSurfarioffersstudentstheopportunitytotolearnaboutthehistoryandcultureofpeoplefromaroundtheworld.Email,quizzes,activities,andadditionallinks
arealsoavailable.
WorldWideWebVirtualLibrary:Anthropology
http://www.usc.edu/dept/vlib/anthropology.html
ThisWebsiteprovideslinkstoinformationaboutarcheology,evolution,Asianstudies,paleontology,ethnology,andcriticaltheory.
WorldWideWebVirtualLibrary:History
http://history.cc.ukans.edu/history/WWW_history_main.html
Thissitecategorizesresourcesalphabeticallyandbyera,region,andsubject.Byinvestigatingresourcesorganizedbyera,studentscanmakeandcomparetimelines
forvariouscountries.TimeperiodsarePrehistoryandArchaeology
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Ancient:ca.4000BCAD500Medieval:5001500andModern:1500present.Studentscanalsoresearchhistoryserversbysubject.SubjectsincludeNational
Cultures,InternationalCultures,AsianStudies,BuddhistStudies,LatinAmericanStudies,andAmericanStudies.
XeroxPARCMapViewer
http://pubweb.parc.xerox.com/mapdocs/mapviewer.html
TheXeroxPARCMapVieweracceptsrequestsforaworldorUSAmapandreturnsanimageoftherequestedmap.Eachmapimageiscreatedondemandfroma
geographicdatabase.
EMailExchanges
Emailexchangescanhelpstudentslearnaboutsocietiesandgeographicallocations.Itisanexcellenttoolforcontactingpeople.Emailallowspeopletocommunicate
withoutbiasesrelatedtocolor,race,age,ordisability.Itallowsstudentstofocusonwhattheyhaveincommonandtorespecttheirvariousdifferences.
RealWorldAccounts
Askpeopleinotherstatesorcountriesforfirsthandaccountsofcurrentevents.Assesshowtheirreactionsorstatementsreflectordifferfromwhatisreported.This
activityprovidesstudentswithahumanperspectiveofcurrentevents.
SchoolaroundtheWorld.
Contactstudentsinothercountriesandexchangeanddiscussclassschedulesandotherschoolrelatedtopics.Comparewhichsubjectsarecovered,howmany
minutesareallottedforeachsubject,lengthoftheschoolday,recessandlunchperiods,emphasisonphysicaleducationandmusic,requirementstobeateacher,and
soon.
SeniorExchange
Arrangefortheresidentsofaretirementhometoexchangeemailmessageswithyourstudents.Studentsmayinquireaboutwhattheworldwaslikewhenthesenior
wastheirage,whatseniorsdidforfunwhentheywereyoung,howmuchthingscostseveralyearsago,whattheseniorsenjoydoingnow,andsoforth.Thesenior
citizensmayhelpstudentswiththeirhomework,giveadvice,andlistentoproblems.Theschool'sparentteacherorganizationmightsupporttheendeavorbyproviding
theretirementhomewithacomputer,amodem,andtraining.
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Art,Music,andTheaterResourcesandActivities
Dina'sfavoritestyleofmusicwasragtime.Hergrandmotherhadintroducedhertothemusicandtoldheraboutsomeofthefamousragtimecomposersoftheearly
1900s.NowDinahadtheopportunitytoshareherloveofragtimewithherclassmates.Ms.Norton,Dina'steacher,assignedtheclasstocreateamultimediaproject
thatfocusedonthehistoryofaparticularstyleofmusic.MoststudentsfoughtoverrockandrollDinaquicklychoseragtime.
Inadditiontohergrandmother'srecollections,DinausedtheInternettoresearchhertopic.ShesummarizedinformationfromseveralWebsitestoinclude.
Fortunately,therewereseveralsitestochoosefrom,andmosthadlinkstoadditionalsources.TheRagtimeHomePagewasespeciallyhelpful.Shealsolocated
severalcommercialmusicsitesanddownloadedsampleragtimemusicclipsandlearnedaboutcurrentragtimecomposers.Dinawasthrilledtodiscoverthatherlove
forragtimewasnotlimitedtoherandhergrandmother!
Dina'sfinalprojectincludedgraphics,musicclips,andinformationaboutthehistoryandcomposersofragtime.Sheusedavarietyofofflineandonlinesources
however,Dinanotedinherbibliographythatofflinesourcesforragtime(otherthanhergrandmother!)weredifficulttofindandverylimited.The
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Internethelpedhertolocateadditionalragtimeresources,tointegratetherequiredmediaelements,andtofinishherreport.
TheInternetprovidesatreasuretroveofaudioandvideoclips,photographs,songlyrics,movieandtelevisionscripts,lessonplans,andmuchmore.TheWeboffers
studentstheopportunitytotourvirtualmuseums,hearmusiconline,viewmoviesontheircomputers,sharetheirmusicalcompositionsandartwork,contactonline
experts,andaccesshundredsofdatabasesrelatedtothearts.Itprovidesalibraryofmediaresourcesthatstudentsmightnototherwisehave.
Thischapterfeaturesart,music,andtheaterWebsites.Topicsincludeanimation,music,thecinema,artandmusichistory,theater,andperformersandmusicofthe
early1900s.Foreachtopic,thechapterprovidesoneortwoinstructionalideasfortwoormoresites.Theseideasandskillsarenotcomprehensiveinstead,they
serveasstartingpointsforexplorationandactivities.Followingthehighlightedsitesisalistofothersitesrelatedtothetopicthesesitesarebrieflydescribed.The
chapterendswithalistofgeneralart,music,andtheatersitesandemailactivities.
Note:Eachsite'scurrentURLisgiven,but,becausetheInternetisextremelydynamic,addressesandpathsmaychange.
Animation
Children'sfascinationwithanimationbeginswhentheywatchtheirfirstcartoon.Astheygrowolder,theylearnthatthecartooncharactersarenotrealbutcreatedby
artists.Formanystudents,however,theprocessofanimationispuzzling.ResourcesontheInternethelptodemystifyanimationbyprovidinganimationstudios,
animationsequences,onlineexperts,andotherresources.
AnimationWorldNetwork
http://www.awn.com/
TheAnimationWorldNetworkfeaturesananimationgallery,anonlinemagazine,linkstoanimators,asearchabledatabase,discussionforums,andadditionallinks
andtopicsrelatedtoanimation.Theanimationgalleryfeaturescurrentandpastexhibitsofartists'work.Theonlinedatabasecanbesearchedbycategory,audience,
genre,technique,country,ororiginallanguageofthefilm.TheAnimationWorldNetworkalsofeaturesdownloadableshareware,freeware,andvideoclips.
AnimationExperts
Asaclass,studentsbrainstormandsubmitquestionstoanimationexperts.Resultsarerecorded,analyzed,andcomparedamongthedifferentanimators.Select
Animators(undertheAnimationVillage)fromthemainmenu.
Informationskills:Brainstormquestionsforaspecifictopic,seekinformationfromprofessionals,andcategorizeandcompareinformation.
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AnimationWorldNetworkhomepage.
Critiques
Studentsview,compare,andcritiquevideoclipslocatedintheDownloadableFilesArchive.(ChooseTheVaultonthemainmenu.)Studentsdiscusstheanimators'
techniquesandanalyzetheclipbysteppingthrougheachframe.StudentslearnmoreabouteachanimatorbysearchingTheVaultdatabase.Studentsshareand
comparetheircritiqueswiththeclass.Asafollowupactivity,studentssubmittheirownanimatedclipstotheAnimationWorldNetwork.(Foryoungerstudents,the
videoclipscanbeusedtogeneratestoryideas.)
Informationskills:Conductsearcheslocate,compare,analyze,andevaluateinformation.
RonKurer'sToonTrackerHomePage.
http://ftp.wi.net/7Erkurer/index.htm
Thissitefeaturesbackgroundinformationaboutclassicanimations,includingTheGumbyShow,TheDickTracyShow,WinkDinkandYou,Calvinandthe
Colonel,BeanyandCecil,Mr.Magoo,andmore.Thesiteprovidesmusicthemes,graphicresources,andanextensivelistofanimationlinks.
CartoonsofTodayandYesterday
Studentscompareaclassiccartoonwithasimilarcartoonoftoday(e.g.,clayanimationiscomparedwithclayanimation,adetectivethemedcartooniscompared
withadetectivethemedcartoon,andsoon).StudentscreateaVenn
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diagramtodisplaytheirfindings.InadditiontotheinformationfoundonToonTrackerHomePage,studentsmaygototheirlocallibraryorvideostoreforcopiesof
animatedclassics.Studentscancomparesettings,characters,animation,andsoon.
Informationskills:Locate,analyze,evaluate,andcompareinformationorganizeinformationusingaVenndiagramcommunicatefindings.
FavoriteClassics
Studentsdesignahypermediaprojectthatprovidesinformationaboutfiveoftheirfavoriteclassiccartooncharacters.Inadditiontobackgroundinformationand
picturesofthecharacters,studentsincludewhytheylikethecharacter.Projectsshouldalsoincludeaudioandotherinformationrelatedtothecharacters.Student
sharetheirprojectswiththeclass.
Informationskills:Teachstudentshowtolocateandorganizeinformationforaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesandtointegratetextwithimages,videos,and
soundclipsinameaningfulmanner.
WarnerBrothers'Animation
http://www.wbanimation.com/cmp/ani_01hm.htm
WarnerBrothers'Animationfeaturesavarietyoflinks,includingWarnerBrothers'Animation101,What'sHappening,andFavoritePlaces.WarnerBrothers'
Animation101providesastepbystepapproachforcreatinganimatedcartoonsstudentslearnabouttheimportanceofwriters,storyboards,layoutandbackground
artists,andmore.What'sHappeningfeaturescurrentnewsaboutWarnerBrothers'cartoons,employees,andupcomingevents.FavoritePlacesincludeslinkstoother
cartoonandcomicsites.
Animation101
UsingWarnerBrothers'Animation101andotheronlineandofflineresources,studentgroupsresearchtheprocessofcreatinganimatedcartoons.Studentgroups
applywhattheyhavelearnedbycreatingtheirownanimationdesignteamstocreateatwominuteanimationusingacomputerorvideocamera.Findingsandcartoons
aresharedwiththeclass.ChooseAnimation101fromthemainmenu.
Informationskills:Locateandcompareinformationreadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsapplyinformationinameaningfulmanner.
SuperheroVillains
StudentgroupsresearchthehistoryofBatmanandcompareandcontrastthevillainsinBatman:TheAnimatedSeries(chooseFavoritePlacesfromthemainmenu,
thenBatman:TheAnimatedSeries).Studentgroupscreateatimelinedepictingtheintroductionofeachcharacter,alongwithashortbiographyofeachcharacter.The
groupssharetheirfindingsasaclassanddiscusscharacteristicsofvillains.Studentsapplywhattheyhavelearnedbycreatingtheirown
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villaintostarinaBatmancartoon.Studentswriteacharacterbiography,createapictureofthevillain,andwriteascriptthatintroducestheircharactertoBatman.As
afollowupactivity,studentscompareandcontrastvillainsinBatmantootheranimatedvillainsinDisney,Superman,andothercartoons.Studentgroupsmayalso
createacartoonparodyofBatmanandthevillains,orcreatetheirownsuperherocartoon.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationcreateatimelineeffectivelycommunicateandapplyfindings.
AdditionalSitesforAnimation
AnimationCompanies&Animators.
http://www.pb.com.au/pb/cat/14.htm
Thissiteprovidesanalphabetizedlistoflinkstoinformationaboutanimationcompaniesandanimators.
Animation,USA
http://www.animationusa.com/
Thissiteprovidesinformationaboutvariouscharacters,art,andanimators.
CartoonGallery.com
http://www.cartoonarts.com/
Thiscommercialsiteprovidesinformationaboutcollectinganimationcels.Studentscanlearnaboutdifferenttypesofcels,collectingart,limitededitions,andsoon.
AlsoseeTheCartoonFactory(http://www.cartoonfactory.com/home.html).
Hovis.com
http://www.bendnet.com/users/brianhovis/
ThissitefeaturesonlinetutorialsaboutGIFanimationandlinkstoGIFsoftwareandfiles.
Kids'CoolAnimation
http://www.kaleidoscapes.com/kc_intro.html
Kids'CoolAnimationfeaturesonlinetutorialsthatteachstudentsaboutanimationontheInternet,3Dart,andanimation.Thesitealsoprovidesstudentswiththe
opportunitytocreatetheirownanimatedWebpage,toparticipateindiscussiongroups,andtolinktootheranimationresources.
WomenintheRealmofComputerVisualArts,Effects,andAnimation
http://www.animation.org/women/
Thissitefeaturesinterviewswithwomenincomputervisualarts,effects,andanimations.Informationaboutamentorshipprogramisalsoavailable.
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ArtandMusicHistory
Artandmusichistoryresourcesarenotalwayseasytocomebyintheschool.Fortunately,theWeboffersmanyresourcesaboutthehistoryofmusicandart.In
additiontoonlineexperts,theWebprovidesvirtualmuseumtours,interactivetutorials,artistbiographies,andaccesstomultimediacomponentsrelatedtothehistory
ofmusicandart.
ComicArt&GraffixGalleryVirtualMuseumandEncyclopedia.
Thissitefeaturesthehistoryofcomicart,includingapictorialhistoryofsequentialart,achronologicalhistoryofcomicartinAmerica,andmuchmore.Studentscan
alsoaccessartistbiographies,informationaboutcollectingcomicart,andadditionalcomicrelatedlinks.
TheHistoryofComicArt
Usingavarietyofonlineandofflineresources,studentgroupsresearchthehistoryofcomicart.Studentstakenotes,evaluateandcomparetheirfindings,andcreatea
bibliographyoftheirresources.Studentgroupsreporttheirfindingsbycreatingacomicstriptimeline.Eachpanelofthecomicstriptimelineincludesillustrationsand
informationrelatedtothecomiccharactersandartistsduringaspecifiedtimeperiod.Studentssharetheirtimelineswiththeclass.(ChooseTheHistoryofComicArt
fromthemainmenu.)
Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationaboutaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesrecordandanalyzedataeffectively
organizeinformationintoatimeline.
MusicHistory102
http://www.ipl.org/exhibit/mushist/index.html
MusicHistory102isapermanentexhibitoftheInternetPublicLibrary(http://www.ipl.org/).MusicHistory102surveysWesternclassicalmusic,focusingonthe
stylistictrendsinmusicfromtheMiddleAgestothepresent.Inadditiontoexcerptsfromfamousmusicalworks,thesitepresentsinformationaboutstylesand
composersofmusic.TopicsincludetheMiddleAges,theRenaissance,theBaroqueAge,theClassicalPeriod,andtheRomanticEra.
FamousComposers
StudentsresearchthelifeandmusicofaselectedcomposerofWesternclassicalmusic.Theycreateamultimediaprojecttodisplaytheirfindings.Projectsshould
includeabiographicalsummary,apictureofthecomposer,andsamplemusicclips.Projectsareconnectedthroughaclassmenuandaresharedwiththeclass.
Studentscreatereviewquestionstotesteachother'sknowledgeoftheircomposer.Asafollowupactivity,studentgroupscanparticipateinaJeopardygamerelated
tothestudents'research.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationrecordandanalyzedataintegratetextwithimages,video,andsoundclipsinameaningfulmanner
developcomprehensionquestions.
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MusicHistory102homepage.
StyleComparisons
StudentscomparetwostylesofWesternclassicalmusic.Comparisonsincludeinformationaboutthestyles'history,composers,andmusicalelements.Studentscreate
Venndiagramsandotherchartstodisplaytheirfindingsintheirreports.InadditiontoMusicHistory102,studentsuseotherresourcestoresearchtheirstyles.
Studentstakenotesandcreateabibliographyoftheirresources.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationaboutaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesrecordandanalyzedataorganizeinformationusinga
Venndiagramandothercharts.
WebMuseum
http://sunsite.unc.edu/louvre/
TheWebMuseumfeaturesartexhibits,famouspaintings,andbiographiesofartists.Studentscanresearchpaintingsandartistsbythemes,accessanindexofartists,
andlearnmoreaboutpaintingstylesfromanonlineglossary.Picturesofpaintingscanbeviewedandenlargedonscreen.Eachpictureisaccompaniedbydescriptive
text.TheWebMuseumalsofeaturesanonlineauditoriumwherestudentscanhearclassicalmusicandlinktoadditionalmultimediaresources.
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FamousPainters
Studentswriteabiographyofafamouspainterandrecreateoneofthesubject'sfamousworks.Usingavarietyofonlineandofflinesources,studentstakenotes,
evaluateandcomparefindings,andcreateabibliography.Studentspresenttheirfindingsandartworktotheclass.ChooseFamousPaintersfromthemainmenu.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationrecordandanalyzedataassembleinformationinameaningfulmannerpresentfindings
throughvisualandwrittenmedia.
PaintingStyles.
Usingavarietyofonlineandofflineresources,studentgroupscreateamultimediareportonaselectedpaintingstyle,forexample,Baroque,Cubism,Impressionism,
andsoon.Inadditiontothehistoryoftheselectedstyle,reportsshouldincludeinformationaboutartists,graphics,andotherinformationrelatedtothechosenstyle.
Studentstakenotes,evaluateandcomparetheirfindings,andcreateabibliographyoftheirresources.Projectsarelinkedtoaclassmenu,sharedwiththeclass,and
placedintheschoollibrary.ChooseFamousPaintingsfromthemainmenu.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationforaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesrecordandanalyzedataintegratetextwithimages,
videos,andsoundclipsinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesforArtandMusicHistory
ExploringLeonardo
http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/LeoHomePage.html
SponsoredbytheMuseumofScience(Boston),thissitehelpsteachersandstudentslearnmoreabouttheworkandlifeofLeonardodaVinci.
HistoryHappens
http://www.ushistory.com/cool.htm
ThissiteprovidessongsandlyricsrelatedtoAmericanhistory.RealAudioisrequired.
MinneapolisInstituteofArts
http://www.artsMIA.org/index.html#index
TheMinneapolisInstituteofArtsprovidescurriculumandinformationforteachers,onlinequizzes,andinformationaboutthemuseum'scurrentandpermanentexhibits.
RockandRollHallofFameandMuseum
http://www.rockhall.com
TheRockandRollHallofFameandMuseumprovidesinformationaboutsongsandartists,onlinelessonplansandresources,forums,andmusictrivia.
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SouthernMusicNetwork
http://www.southernmusic.net/
Thissiteprovidesinformationaboutsouthernmusicinthetwentiethcentury.Byclickingonaspecificyear,studentscanobtaininformationaboutthemusic,
composers,andotherrelatedtopicsforthatyear.AdditionallinksincludeNews,Education,CityLinks,Chat,andInstruments.(AlsoseeTheBlueHighwayat
http://thebluehighway.com/.)
WorldWideWebVirtualLibrary:ClassicalMusic.
http://www.gprep.org/classical/index1.html
ThissiteisoneofthelargestandmostcomprehensiveindexesofmusicrelatedinformationandresourcesontheInternet.Topicsareorganizedbycategories.
Studentscanfollowlinkstobiographicalinformationaboutcomposersandartists,onlineperiodicals,computersoftware,discussionforums,andreferencesites.
TheCinema
Thehistoryofthecinemaanditsreflectionofsocietycontinuestobeaninterestingareaofresearch.Peoplefromallovertheworldhaveconstructedsitesdedicated
totheirloveofthecinema.
AlfredHitchcock:TheMasterofSuspense
http://nextdch.mty.itesm.mx:80/plopezg/Kaplan/Hitchcock.html
Thissite,dedicatedtothelifeandworkofAlfredJ.Hitchcock,featuresabiography,answerstofrequentlyaskedquestions,informationandtriviaaboutMr.
Hitchcock'sfilms,andotherinterestinginformationrelatedtoMr.Hitchcock.
Essays
Studentsanalyzeandcritiqueoneoftheessaysavailableonthesite,basedontheirowninterpretationofthefilm.(ChooseEssaysfromthemainmenu.)Studentswrite
acomparativeessay,citinginformationwithwhichtheyagreeordisagree.Studentssharetheircomparativeessayswiththeclassforclassdiscussion.
Informationskills:Teachstudentshowtolocateandevaluateinformation,toreadforsignificantdetailsandconcepts,andtocommunicateinformationinameaningful
manner.
AGameofThought
InadditiontotheAlfredHitchcock:TheMasterofSuspenseWebsite,studentgroupsuseofflineandonlineresourcestocreateafilmographybookofMr.
Hitchcock'smovies.Thebookshouldincludethefilms'plots,genre,trivia,andsoon,aswellasabibliographyofsources.Next,studentgroupsdesignaboardgame
basedontheirresearch.ThismaybemodeledafterTriviaPursuit,Jeopardy,oranotherknowledgebasedgame.StudentscanalsoexchangequestionsaboutMr.
Hitchcock'smovieswithotherclassesthroughemail.Classestrytostumpeachother.Asafollowupactivity,studentgroupscreatetheirown
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AlfredHitchcock:TheMasterofSuspensehomepage.
movieintheHitchcockstyle.Moviescanbeexchangedwithemailpartnersthroughthemail.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationaboutaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesanalyze,synthesize,andrecordinformationinform
othersoftheirfindingsusinganontraditionalapproach.
HollywoodOnline
http://www.hollywood.com/
HollywoodOnlinefeaturesmanymovierelateddatabases,guides,andnewsitems.TopicsincludeMoviePeople,MovieTunes,Multimedia,HollywoodNews,and
more.Thesitealsofeaturesreviewsofcurrentmovies,interviews,andaHollywoodAlmanac.
HollywoodToday
StudentgroupsscriptandvideotapetheirownHollywoodnewsshowbasedonthetopstories,currentevents,almanacinformation,andotherfactsavailableon
HollywoodOnline.Studentgroupsbrainstormandresearchtopicsfortheirshow,assignproductionandactingroles,andpresenttheirvideotapetotheclass.Student
groupscancritiqueeachother'scommunicationskills,presentation,newsrelevance,andsoon.
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Informationskills:Brainstormandspecifyrequiredinformationonaparticulartopiclocate,select,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationorganizeandpresentfindings
inanontraditionalformat.
MultimediaMovieReview.
Studentscreateamultimediamoviereviewoftheirfavoritefilm.(MediaelementsandinformationforvariousfilmscanbeaccessedbychoosingMultimediafromthe
mainmenu.)Inadditiontothestudents'reviews,projectsmayincludeinformationaboutthefilm'splot,actorsandactresses,director(s),soundtrack,interestingfacts,
andinformationaboutthebookthatthemovieisbasedon(ifapplicable).AdditionalmovieinformationcanbeaccessedbychoosingMoviePeoplefromthemain
menu.Searchforinformationaboutthemoviebyitstitle.
Informationskills:Teachstudentshowtolocate,organize,andevaluateinformationforaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesandtointegratetextwithimages,
videos,andsoundclipsinameaningfulmanner.
MoviesatHome
http://ecreations.com/movies/frame.html
MoviesatHomefeaturesmoviereviews,actorbiographies,discussionforums,moviequotes,musicfiles,currentevents,linkstoothermoviesites,andmuchmore.
Studentshavetheopportunitytosubmittheirownmoviereviews,emailreviewers,takeanonlinesurvey,andaccessinformationaboutpastandcurrentmovies.
MovieReview
StudentswritereviewsoftheirfavoritemoviesandsubmitthemtoMoviesatHome.Studentscomparetheirreviewswithothers.Studentssharetheirreviewswiththe
classandcommentonothers'reviews.SelectWriteaNewReviewfromthemainmenu.Toaccessotherreviews,chooseReaderSubmissionsfromthemainmenu.
Additionallinksareavailablefromthemainmenu.(Toaccessthelinks,chooseLinks,thenMovieSites.)SeealsoReviewsinRhyme
(http://www.datasync.com/~booda/rir.html).Studentscanreadandsubmitreviews.
Informationskills:LocateandcompareinformationandassembleitinarequestedformatforWebpublication.
MultimediaMovies
Studentgroupscreateamultimediastackthatfocusesonaselectedmoviesoundtrack(chooseMIDIFilesfromthemainmenu).Forexample,studentgroupsmay
incorporatethemusicfromEvitaintoastackthatdiscussesthestory,characters,andsoonofthemovieEvita.Studentsuseavarietyofonlineandofflineresources
fortheirprojects.Stacksarelinkedtoaclassmenuandsharedwiththeclass.Asafollowupactivity,afterwatchingtheselectedmovie,studentscomparethebook
(ifavailable)tothemovie.
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Informationskills:Teachstudentshowtolocateandspecifyatopicofinteresttofind,organize,evaluate,andsynthesizeinformationfromavarietyofsourcesand
tointegratetextwithimages,videos,andsoundclipsinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesfortheCinema
AFIOnlineCinema
http://ptd15.afionline.org/cinema/
AFIOnLineCinemaoffersrealtime,online,classicHollywoodmovies.RequiresVDOLivePlayer(availablefromsiteseeInstructions).
ButteredPopcorn
http://webstar.com/buttered/popcorn.html
Thissitefeatureseasytoreadmoviereviews.Thereviewsincludelinkstothemovies'sites.
ChannelOne.
http://www.channelone.com/index.html
ChannelOneinvitesstudentstoanswersurveysrelatedtotelevisionshowsandpolicies,readandaddtheirownmovieandmusicreviews,andaccesscurrent
entertainmentnews.
CyberFilmSchool
http://www.cyberfilmschool.com/
Thissitecontainsanassortmentofmovierelatedlinks,includingarticlesaboutfilmmaking,newsandreviews,digitaldownloads,onlinemagazines,andmore.
Film100
http://www.film100.com/
Thissitecontainsinformationaboutthe100mostinfluentialpeopleinthehistoryofcinema.
Music
RealAudioisapluginthatenablesWebbrowserstoplayrealtimeaudiofileswithoutwaitingfortheentirefiletotransfer.Itisonewaystudentscanhearand
evaluatemusicusingtheWeb.Inadditiontoaudioclips,theWebprovidesaccesstolyrics,scores,students'compositions,andonlineexperts.Manylessonplansand
otheractivitiesfocusonintegratingmusicacrossthecurriculum.
Children'sMusicWeb
http://www.childrensmusic.org/
TheChildren'sMusicPagefeaturesacomprehensiveindexofchildren'smusicsites,adatabaseofmusiceventsforchildren,emailopportunities,musicactiv
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Children'sMusicWebhomepage.
ities,soundclips,andinformationaboutmusicorganizationsforchildren.Italsofeaturessongswrittenbyotherstudents,ideasforcreatingsongs,musicreviews,anda
newsletterformusicteachers.(SeeFunMusicIdeasonthePipsqueakspage.)TheChildren'sMusicPageoffersRealAudioandothersoundfiles.
SingaSong
Asaclass,studentslearnandevaluatesongswrittenbychildrenfromotherschools.ChoosePipsqueaksfromthemainmenu,thenselectSingAlong(underSing)to
seeandhearmusicwrittenbyotherstudents.Studentsillustratetheirfavoritesongs.Thesongsarethentalliedandcomparedonaclassbarchart.
Informationskills:Evaluateandrespondtoinformationandtoconstructcharts.
ASongofMyOwn
Workingindividually,insmallgroups,orasaclass,studentscreateandsubmitasongtotheChildren'sMusicPage.(Forinstructions,selectHowtoWriteYourOwn
SongontheSingAlongpage.)ChoosePipsqueaksfromthemainmenu,thenselectSingAlong(underSing).
Informationskills:ReadforsignificantdetailsandconceptsassembleinformationinarequestedformatforWebpublication.
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YoungComposers.
http://www.youngcomposers.com/
YoungComposersfeaturesoriginalworkbystudents.Studentscanlistentocompositions,emailthecomposers,joinonlinechatroomsanddiscussionboards,and
submittheirownmusicalcompositionstothesite.
ComposerofChoice
Followingaclassdiscussionaboutdifferentiatingbetweenpersonalpreferenceandgoodwork,studentsreviewandevaluateavarietyofcompositionsandchoose
theirfavoriteyoungcomposer.Studentsdesignalistofinterviewquestionstoemailtotheirfavoriteyoungcomposerandsharethecomposer'smusicandresponses
withtheclass.(SelectEarlierWorksandNewReleasesfromthemainmenu.)
Informationskills:Locateandevaluateanother'sworkdevelopandadministerinterviewquestionsassembleandcommunicateinformationinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesforMusic
AllMusicGuide
http://205.186.189.2/root/amg/music_root.html
AllMusicGuideisasearchabledatabaseforlocatinginformationaboutmusicians,albums,songs,musicstyles,andmore.AlsoseetheInternationalLyricServer
(http://www.lyrics.ch/).
DanMan'sMusicLibraryandCreativityClub
http://www.DanmansMusic.com/
DanMan'sMusicLibraryallowsstudentstheopportunitytoviewpopularsonglyricsandclassicalscores.MusicStudyprovidesinformationaboutmusictopics.The
CreativityClubinvitesstudentstosubmitoriginalworkandviewothersubmissions.
KathySchrock'sGuideforEducators:Music
http://www.capecod.net/schrockguide/enter/music.htm
ThissitecontainsanextensivelistofmusicsitesontheWeb.
Onair.com
http://www.onair.com/
Thissitefeaturesmusicfromthe1950s,'60s,'70s,'80s,and'90s.Italsoincludesdancetunes.RealAudioisrequired,andcanbedownloadedfromthesite.
SchoolHouseRock.
http://genxtvland.simplenet.com/SchoolHouseRock/
Thissitecontainssonglyrics,audiofiles,andotherinformationrelatedtotheSchoolHouseRockseries.
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Tots2TeensMusicandArtsLinks
http://www.jasper1.com/kidz/art.html
ThissiteincludeslinkstolyricstoMuppetsongs(http://www.cs.unc.edu/~arthur/muppetsongs.html),Disneysongs(http://zeus.informatik.unifrankfurt.de/%
7Efp/Disney/Lyrics/),andothersongs.
PerformersandMusicoftheEarly1900s
Theearly1900swasanexcitingtimefortheater,movie,andotherperformingarts.TheWeboffersmanysitesdedicatedtotheseearlypioneersofcomedy,drama,
andshowmanship.Thissectionisaneclecticcollectionofsitesrelatedtotheperformersandmusicoftheearly1900s.
FlapperStation
http://www.sns.com/%7Erbotti/index.html
TheFlapperStationisdedicatedtothe1920sandearly1930s,providinginformationaboutmusic,fashions,movies,motorvehicles,radio,andmovies.Manylinks
areavailableforfurtherresearch.
1920sPerformers
Studentgroupscreateamultimediaprojectfocusingonaselectedperformerofthe1920s.Studentsuseavarietyofonlineandofflineresources,takenotes,evaluate
andcomparetheirfindings,andcreateabibliography.Projectsshouldincludephotographsandothermediarelatedtotheperformer.SelectBoardingfortheSilver
Screenfromthemainmenu.SeealsoAutographs:HollywoodLegends(http://www.autographics.com/legends.html)
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationrecordandsynthesizedataintegratetextwithimages,videos,andsoundclipsinameaningfulmanner.
Roaring'20sVarietyPage
Studentgroupsresearchtheperformers,shows,andotherhighlightsofthe1920s,thencreatea1920snewspaper.Studentswriteasthoughtheywerewritingduring
the1920seachgroupchoosesadifferentyear.Studentsuseavarietyofofflineandonlineresourcesandevaluateandcomparetheirfindings.Studentgroupsshare
theirnewspaperswiththeclassandcreatecomprehensionquestionsfortheirclassmatestoanswer.Newspapersandquestionscanbeexchangedwithotherclasses
viatheInternet.Classescanexchangenewspapersthatfocusoneventsthattookplaceintheirstateduringthe1920s.
Informationskills:Collaborativelydefinetopicsandidentifyspecificinformationneedslocate,organize,evaluate,andrecordinformationdevelopcomprehension
questionscommunicatefindingsinameaningfulformat.
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TheHoudiniMuseum
http://www.microserve.net/%7Emagicusa/houdini.html
ThissitefeaturesinformationabouttheHoudiniMuseuminScranton,Pennsylvania.(Houdiniwasamagicianandescapeartist.)Thesiteincludesanabundanceof
Houdinirelatedinformation,includingabiography,trivia,informationabouthisbrother,andsoon.Studentsandteachersareencouragedtousethesiteasanupto
dateandreliablesourceofinformationaboutHoudini.
Houdini.
StudentsuseavarietyofofflineandonlineresourcestocreateabiographyofHoudini.Inaddition,studentscreateashortpresentationofwhattheyfindmost
interestingaboutHoudiniandshareitwiththeclass.Studentstakenotes,evaluateandcomparetheirresources,andcreateabibliographyoftheirsources.An
assortmentofinformationaboutHoudinicanbeaccessedfromthemainmenu.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationaboutaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesanalyze,synthesize,andrecordinformationassemble
informationinameaningfulmanner.
RagtimeHomePage
http://www.ragtimers.org/
RagtimeHomePagefeatureslinkstoaudioclipsofragtimemusic(soundfilesareinMIDIformat),informationaboutragtimeanditscomposers,andlinkstorelated
sites.ItalsofeaturesaTerraVerdeCorner,wherestudentscanlearnaboutthisstyleofmusic.Informationaboutragtimebooks,recordings,andeventsisalso
available.
HistoryofRagtime
Usingavarietyofonlineandofflineresources,studentgroupscreatemultimediaprojectsthatdetailthehistoryofragtime.Projectsshouldincludeaudioclips,
informationaboutcomposers,thedefinitionofragtime,andotherinterestingfacts.Studentstakenotes,evaluateandcomparetheirsources,andcreateabibliography.
Projectsaresharedandevaluatedbythestudentsaswellastheteacher.FilesintheMIDIformat,composerinformation,frequentlyaskedquestions,andadditional
ragtimelinkscanbeaccessedfromthemainmenu.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationrecordandsynthesizedataintegratetextwithimages,videos,andsoundclipsinameaningfulmanner.
WhyILikeRagtime
Insmallgroups,studentsdiscusswhytheylikeordislikeragtime.Studentssharetheircommentswiththeclass.Theycreateachartthatlistsreasonsforlikingand
dislikingragtime.Next,studentsreadWhyILikeRagtimeessays
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Ragtimehomepage.
availableontheRagtimeHomePage.Studentsanalyzeandcomparetheessayswiththeirownopinionsandaddtheirfindingstotheclasschart.Studentscancontact
someoftheauthorsabouttheiressays.Askthestudentswhattheymightlearnfromtheessays(e.g.,favoriteragtimethemes,whentheauthorsrealizedtheyliked
ragtime,ifmorefemalesormalesappeartolikeragtime,andsoon).Asafollowupactivity,studentswholikeragtimesubmittheirownessaystothesite.
Informationskills:Locate,analyze,andcompareinformationreadforsignificantdetailscommunicateinformationinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesforPerformersandMusicoftheEarly1900s
AmericanVarietyStage:VaudevilleandPopularEntertainment
http://Icweb2.loc.gov/ammem/vshtml/vshome.html
ThisLibraryofCongresssiteisamultimediaanthologyofpopularentertainmentduringtheperiod18701920.ThesitefeaturesinformationaboutHoudini,sound
recordings(RealAudioandWAVversions),playscripts,motionpicturerecordings,andinformationaboutmotionpictures.
Autographs:HollywoodLegends
http://www.autographics.com/legends.html
ThisisasearchabledatabaseofbiographiesofHollywoodLegendsandWebpagesdevotedtothem.
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TheMarxBrothers.
http://members.aol.com/marxbroths/index.htm
ThissiteprovidesbiographicalinformationabouttheMarxBrothers,theirperformances,andlinkstoadditionalMarxBrotherspages.
RagtimeVaudevilleShow
http://bestwebs.com/vaudeville/index.html
TheRagtimeVaudevilleShowfeaturesRealAudiorecordingsoffamousvaudevilleperformers,performerbiographies,andabriefhistoryofvaudeville.
VaudevilleHomePage
http://www.microserve.net/magicusa/vaudeville.html
TheVaudevilleHomePagecontainslinkstoresourcesaboutvaudevilleperformers,includingLaurelandHardy,CharlieChaplin,AbbottandCostello,AlJolson,and
manyothers.Italsocontainslinkstoragtimesongsandvaudevillesites.
Theater
TheInternetprovideseducatorswithadditionalresourcestoteachstudentsaboutthetheater,includingoperaandBroadwayproductions.Itexposesstudentstoa
worldtheymightnototherwiseexperience.
OperaWeb
http://www.opera.it/English/OperaWeb.html
OperaWebisanoutstandingresourceforlearningmoreaboutoperastories,singers,andhistory.OperaWebincludesfilesintheMIDIformatoffamousarias,
informationaboutsinging,aninteractivequiz,andlinkstootheroperasites.
OperaHistory
Usingavarietyofonlineandofflineresources,studentsresearchthehistoryofopera.Studentsevaluateandcompareresources,takenotes,andcreatea
bibliographyoftheirresources.Studentscreateawrittenreportandtimelineoftheirfindings.(ChooseTheCrazyOperaHistoryfromthemainmenu.)Questionscan
beemailedtoOperaWeb'sonlineexperts.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationaboutaspecifictopicfromavarietyofsourcesanalyze,synthesize,andrecordinformationassemble
informationinameaningfulmanner.
OperaStory
Studentgroupsresearchanoperaandcreateamultimediareportaboutitsstory,history,andsoon.Groupspresenttheirreportstotheclass,andreportscanbe
linkedbyaclassmenu,thenpostedontheschool'sWebsite.Asafollowupactivity,studentscanparticipateintheOperaWeb'sonlinequizandrecordtheirresults.
(ChooseOperafromthemainmenu.)
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Informationskills:Locateandorganizeinformationaboutaspecifictopicintegratetextwithimages,videos,andsoundclipsinameaningfulmanner.
TheatreCentral.
http://www.theatrecentral.com/
TheatreCentralfeaturesanextensivelistofresourcesrelatedtothetheater.Inadditiontocurrentevents,studentscanaccessinformationaboutshowsplayingaround
theworld.Studentscanjoindiscussiongroups,accessonlineexpertsandmultimedialinks,andtakeonlinequizzestotesttheirknowledgeoftheater.Themainmenu
remainsinaframeonthescreenduringsearches.
BroadwayShows
StudentpairsresearchaselectedBroadwayshowandpresenttheirfindingstotheclassina15minutevideotapedpresentationhighlightingtheshow.Choose
Broadway(underListings)fromthemainmenu.Studentscreatereviewquestionstotesteachother'sknowledgeoftheirshows.
Informationskills:Locateandorganizeinformation,developcomprehensionquestions,andpresentfindingsusinganontraditionalformat.
OccupationofInterest
Studentsbrainstormcareersinthetheater,thenformgroupsbasedonacareerthatintereststhem.Eachgroupdevelopsasurveytosendtopeopleinthatoccupation
(e.g.,composers,dancers,choreographers).Thegroupsanalyzeandcharttheirresultsandsharetheirfindingswiththeclass.(ChooseTheatreCentralfromthemain
menu,thenchooseConnectionsfromthemainpage.Asearchoptionwillappear.ScrolldowntoanoccupationofchoiceandclickonSearch.)
Informationskills:Conductsearchesdevelopandadministerasurveyinterpretandchartsurveyresultsassembleandcommunicateinformationinameaningful
manner.
TheWorldofMimeTheatre
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/5222/
TheWorldofMimeTheatreprovidesinformationaboutmimeperformances,artists,andhistory,aswellasotherinterestingfacts.Studentscancontactmime
performers,accessmimesites,andreadaboutorseepicturesofspecificperformances.
HistoryofMime
Usingavarietyofonlineandofflineresources,studentsresearchthehistoryofmime.Theytakenotes,evaluateandcompareresources,andcreateabibliography.
ChooseLibraryfromthemainmenu.StudentsmayalsoaccessadditionalmimesitesbychoosingInformation&Resourcesfromthemainmenu,thenWebsites.
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TheworldofMimeTheatrehomepage.
Informationskills:Locate,organize,andevaluateinformationanalyze,synthesize,andrecordinformationassembleinformationinameaningfulmanner.
WhyMime?
Asaclass,studentsdesignasurveytohelpthemlearnmoreaboutbecomingamime,whymimeschosetheirprofession,andsoon.Studentgroupssendthesurveyto
aselectedmimeperformereachgroupsendsthesurveytoadifferentperformerandidentifiesthelocationoftheperformeronaclassmap.Studentgroupschart,
discuss,andcomparetheirdatawithothergroupsandcreateaclasschartoftheirfindings.(ChoosePerformancefromthemainmenu,thenchooseMimeArtists.)
Informationskills:Mapskillsdevelopandadministerasurveyinterpretandchartsurveyresultsassembleandcommunicateinformationinameaningfulmanner.
AdditionalSitesforTheater
Children'sTheatreResourceWebpage.
http://pubweb.acns.nwu.edu/vjs291/children.html
Thissiteprovideslinkstomanychildren'stheaterresources,includingorganizations,publishers,plays,andliterature.
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TheDramaticExchange
http://www.dramex.org/
Thissitearchivesanddistributesscripts.
InternetResourcesfortheArts:DramaandTheatre
http://www.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/library/a_drama_theater.html
Thissiteisacollectionoflinkstoothersites.CategoriesincludePlaysandPlaywrights,Stagecraft,ActingandAwards,MusicandTheatre,JournalsandDiscussion
Groups,AcademicPrograms,andmore.
PerformingArtsExchange
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/2716/lessons.html
Thissitecontainsacollectionoflessonplansandotherideasrelatedtospeech,drama,andtheateractivitiesforhighschoolstudents.
PhantomoftheOpera
http://phantom.skywalk.com/
ThissiteisdedicatedtothestudyofPhantomoftheOpera.Studentscanaccessinformationaboutthestory,sounds,graphicsandimages,andotherrelated
information.
WWWVirtualLibrary:TheatreandDrama
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/VL/theatre/index.htm
Thissitecontainslinkstoonlinescripts,journals,articles,andrelatedresources.
GeneralArt,Music,andTheaterResourcesontheWeb
TheInternetprovidesmanyWebsitesforart,music,andtheaterresources.Manyofthesesitesaredesignedtobeintegratedintootherareasofthecurriculum
hence,severalart,music,andtheatersiteswerementionedinpreviouschapters.(Consulttheindexforcomprehensivelistingsofart.music,andtheaterresources
throughoutthebook.)
OnlineMagazinesandNewsletters.
AnimationJournal
http://www.chapman.edu/animation/
AnimationWorldMagazine
http://www.awn.com/mag/index.phtml
FilmmakerMagazine
http://www.filmmag.com/
VideomakerMagazine
http://www.videomaker.com/
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OtherArt,Music,andTheaterSites
TheAmazingPictureMachine
http://www.ncrtec.org/picture.htm
TheAmazingPictureMachineprovideslinksandasearchengineforfindingpicturesonitssite.
ArtsandCrafts.
http://www.earlychildhood.com/art.html
Thisisanoutstandingresourceforartsandcraftsresourcesandideas.Inadditiontoprojectideasandstepbystepinstructions,thesitefeaturescurrentarticles
relatedtoearlychildhoodeducationanareawhereteacherscanposttheirownquestions,opinions,andsuccessstoriesandadditionallinks.
CarnivalofAnimals
http://busboy.sped.ukans.edu/music/carnival
ThisinteractivesitecelebratesCamilleSaintSaens'sCarnivaloftheAnimals.
CartoonMania
http://www.worldchat.com/public/jhish/course.html
CartoonManiateachesstudentshowtodrawcartoonsandoffersthemtheopportunitytopostthemontheWeb.
TheElectricGallery
http://www.egallery.com/
TheElectricGalleryfeaturesartfromallovertheworld.Artistbiographiesarealsoavailable.
GalaxyHumanityPage
http://galaxy.tradewave.com/galaxy/Humanities/Arts.html
GalaxyprovidesextensivelistsofWebresourcesbysubjectarea.TheHumanitiessectionlistsanenormousnumberoflinkstoartresources,institutions,artists,and
more.
GlobalShownTell
http://www.telenaut.com/gst/
Thissitepostsstudents'artandofferslinkstoothersitesofinteresttokids.
GupitGupit:3Dpapersculptures
http://www.tiac.net/users/gneils/gupitgupit.html
Thissiteprovidesinformationandgraphicstohelpstudentslearnhowtomake3Dpapersculptures.
InternetfortheFineArts:ArtLinks.
http://www.fineart.com/link.html
ThisextensivelistofartlinksiscategorizedbyArtistsGalleriesandExhibitsIndices,SearchEngines,andResourcesOrganizationsandBusinessesMuseumsand
more.
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Jogle'sFavoriteTheatreRelatedResources
http://www.artsnet.org/OnBroadway/links/Theatre.html
Thissitecontainsanextensivelistoflinkstotheaterrelatedsites.CategoriesincludePeople,EducationandTheatre,Stagecraft,Indices,andNewsgroups.
TheJudyandDavidHomePage
http://judyanddavid.com/
TheJudyandDavidHomePagefeatureslyricstofavoritechildren'ssongs,miscellaneousartactivities,soundclips,andadditionallinksforkids.
JugglingInformationService
http://www.juggling.org/
Thissiteprovidesmanylinkstojugglingresources,information,onlinemagazines,clubs,andmuchmore.Thesiteincludesjugglinghelp,multimedia,currentnews,and
linkstojugglers'homepages.
Kids'Corner
http://kids.ot.com/
TheKids'Cornerprovidesonlineactivitiesandincludesoptionstoviewandsubmitstudentart.
TheKlingonLanguageInstitute
http://www.kli.org/KLIhome.html
ForStarTrekfansandperformers,thissiteprovidesinformationaboutspeakingandwritingKlingon,soundeffects,andotherKlingonrelatedinformation.
TheMediaHistoryProject
http://www.mediahistory.com/index.html
Thissiteprovidesmanylinkstoinformationonearly,print,electrical,mass,anddigitalmedia.Italsofeaturesamediatimeline,chatrooms,andonlinesearching.
MedievalDramaLinks.
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/theatre/emd/links.htm
MedievalDramaLinkscontainsacomprehensiveindexoflinksrelatedtomedievaldrama.Categoriesincludetext,setdesign,propsandmakeup,costumes,
illustratedmaterial,medievalmusic,andmedievaldance.
MuseumsfromAtoZ
http://www.vol.it/UK/EN/ARTE/MuseumsfromAtoZ.html
Thisisanindexofonlinemuseums.
OrigamiPage
http://www.datt.co.jp/Origami/
TheOrigamiPageprovidesinformationaboutthehistoryoforigami,paperfoldingtechniques,andmanyorigamiprojects.
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SiteswithAudioClips
http://www.geekgirl.com/audioclips.html
ThissiteprovidesanindexofInternetsiteswithaudioclips.ItisanabundantresourcefordialogandthemesfromTVshows,cartoons,andmovies.Italsoincludes
audiofromfamousspeeches,songclips,radiobroadcasts,andcelebritylectures.
TheSmithsonianInstitution
http://www.si.edu/newstart.htm
ThissiteoffersanintegratedviewoftheSmithsonianInstitution.Itprovideslinkstohomepagesforalloftheinstitution'smuseumsandmanyofitsofficesandresearch
centers.
WorldofEscher
http://lonestar.texas.net/escher/
ThissiteprovidesinformationaboutEscherandhismanyworks.
EMailExchanges
Telecommunicationsisonewaytoexchangeideas,shareprojects,andbolstercreativity.Emailisonewaytohelpyourstudentssharetheircreativity.
HollywoodHeroes.
Studentssurveyotherstudentsaroundtheworldtolearntheirfavoritemovie,song,actor,actress,commercial,televisionshow,andcartoon.Chartandcomparethe
resultsbylocation,age,andgender.
OhSay,CanYouSee?
Studentsresearchtheirnationalanthemandexchangetheirresearchwithstudentsdoingsimilarresearchinothercountries.Studentsmayresearchthesong'sauthor,
meaning,history,anddateofpublication,aswellasreflectonwhattheanthemmeanstothem.Printoutsoftheanthemscanbeattachedtothecountryoforiginona
classroommap.Studentscanalsocreateatimelineshowingwhentheanthemswerewritten.
Playingaround
Studentsexchangeclassplayswithstudentsinothercountries.Ineachclass,thestudentswritetheplaytoreflectanaveragedayorweekintheirlives.Students
performandvideotapeeachother'splaysandmaileachothercopiesofthetapes.Studentsemailfollowupquestionsorcomments.
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Index
A
AASL.SeeAmericanAssociationofSchoolLibrarians
Abacus,108
Acceptableusepolicy(AUP),5960
Access,1119
Achievement,4
Activities:
art,20536
communication,3755
geography,171204
languagearts,13570
mathematics,10534
music,20536
research,3755
science,71104
socialstudies,171204
theater,20536
Administrators,6
ADSL.SeeAsymmetricDigitalSubscriberineAdvancedresearch,4546
AECT.SeeAssociationofEducational
CommunicationandTechnology
AfricanAmericans,191
Algebra,106107
Allowances,12930(fig.)
AmericaOnline,11,23
AmericanAssociationofSchoolLibrarians(AASL),44
AmericanPsychologicalAssociation(APA),4647
AmericanRevolution,18485
Anagrams,156
Ancientcivilizations,17275
Animals,9092
Animation,206209
APA.SeeAmericanPsychologicalAssociationApollomission,74
Art,20536
AssociationofEducationalCommunication
andTechnology(AECT),4445
Astronomy,7275
AsymmetricDigitalSubscriberLine(ADSL),17
Asynchronouscommunications,3842
Audioconferencing,33
AUP.SeeAcceptableusepolicy
AustralianNationalUniversity,178
Authors,13639
B
Bandwidth,16
Basicresearch,45
Behaviorofstudents,45
BenefitsofInternetuse,2,47
Blackhistory,191
Blacklinemasters:
geography,197200
Houdini,230
HTMLcommands,35
Internetnavigation,3436
languagearts,16366
mathematics,12730
music,23132
researchactivities,5155
science,97100
socialstudies,197200
theater,229
WEBuse,36,5153
Bodyetiquette,178
Bookcharacters,13639
Broadwaytheater,223
Browsers,28
Bugs.SeeInsects
C
Cablemodems,1718
Calculus,106107
California,186
CaliforniaStateUniversity,150
Careers:
aerospace,7273
withanimals,91
Carroll,Lewis,13638
Cartoons.SeeAnimation
CDROMs,42
CensusBureau,17980
CenterforAppliedSpecialTechnology,4
CentralIntelligenceAgency(CIA),179,182
CERN.SeeEuropeanLaboratoryforParticlePhysics
Chance.SeeProbability
Changelings,144
Chatrooms,3233,42
Children.SeeStudents
Children'sauthors.SeeAuthors
CIA.SeeCentralIntelligenceAgency
Cinema,21316
Citations,4647
CivilWar,186
Civilizations,17275
Classprojects,6163
Classical:
literature.SeeLiterature
classicsmusic.SeeMusic
Classroom:
guidelines,2
management,6063
projects,3,24,6163
Cleveland(Ohio)MuseumofArt,175
Clinton,President,7,23
Collaborative:
projects,6366
research,46
writing,3940
Collegiality,6
ColoradoEducationalMediaAssociation,45
Comicart,210
Communication,3755
CommunitybenefitsofInternet,67
Comparativeshopping,12526
Composers,210,218,23132
CompuServe,11
Computers,12,15
Conferencing,3233
Connections:
dialup,11(fig),1114
direct,13(fig.),1416
Conservation.SeeEnvironmentalscienceContacts,6
Cooperativegrouptechniques,62(fig.)
Cosmetics,85
Countrycodes,23(fig.)
CreatingWEBpages.SeeWorldWideWeb(WEB)
Creativewriting,13943.
SeealsoWriting
Crosswords,15556
CSU/DSU,15
CUSeeMe,33
Culturaldiversity.SeeMulticulturaleducationCultures,17275
Currency,111,131(fig),18081
Currentevents,196
Curriculum,5
D.
Data:
lines,15
resources,5
Databases,43(fig.)
Decimals,11112
DesigningWEBpages.SeeWorldWideWeb(WEB)
Dialupconnections,1114
Dinosaurs,8283
Directconnections,13(fig.),16
Directories,47
Discussiongroups,63
Distancelearning,7
Documentmanagement,6
Dodgson,CharlesLutwidge.SeeCarroll,Lewis
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Domains,23(fig.)
Downloadingfiles,31
Doyle,ArthurConan,152
Drama,15355
E
Email,2224,9596,12526,162,196,228
Erates,7,15
Earthquakes,88
EDF.SeeEnvironmentalDefenseFund
Educational:
listservs,26
networks,69
Educator'sGuidetoSchoolNetworks,14
Egypt,174
EisenhowerNationalClearinghouse,122
Electronic:
conferences,63
experts,40(fig.)
journals,43(fig.)
magazines.SeeMagazines
mail.SeeEmailmentoring,39
newsletters.SeeNewsletters
penpals,3839
projects,6366
research,4247
searching,4749
tutoring,39
ElectronicVillage(VAPEN),39
EnvironmentalDefenseFund(EDF),7879
Environmentalscience,7882
Escher,228
EuropeanLaboratoryforParticlePhysics(CERN),27
Exchanges,9596,12526,162,196,228
Experts,40(fig.)
Externalmodems,12
F
Fables,14346
Fairytales,14346
Famouspeople,39
Fastfood,13334(fig.)
FCC.SeeFederalCommunicationsCommission
FDA.SeeFoodandDrugAdministration
FederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC),7
Fetch,31,32(fig.)
Filenservers.SeeServersTransferProtocol(FTP),31,43(fig.)
Films.SeeCinema
Filteringsoftware,59(fig.)
FloridaCenterofInstructionalTechnology,
Folktales,14346,16768(fig.)
FoodandDrugAdministration(FDA),8485
Food,8586,13334(fig.)
Foreignlanguages,42
FreeNet,11
Frogs,9091
FTP.SeeFileTransferProtocol
G
Galleries,40
GeneralMotorsCorporation,185
Geography,171204
Geology,8283
Geometry,11315
Gestures,178
GlobalSchoolNet,64
Globalwarming,7879
Goldrushes,186
Government,17983
Grammar,14649
Graphical:
browsers,29
interfaces,22
Grouptechniques,62(fig.)
H
Hardwareconfigurations,11(fig.)
Health,8387
Higherorderthinkingskills,4
HILITES,26
History:
art,21013
music,21013,21922
UnitedStates,18387
world,18790
HIT.SeeUniversityofMichiganHumanitiesTextInitiative
Hitchcock,Alfred,21314
Holmes,Sherlock,152,153
Holocaust,18889,190,201202(fig.)
Houdini,220,230(fig.)
HouseofRepresentatives,183
HTTP.SeeHyperTextTransferProtocol
Hubbletelescope,75
Hurricanes,88,89
HyperTextTransferProtocol(HTTP),28,30(fig.),35(fig.)
I
Ideaexchanges,42.
SeealsoExchanges
IECC.SeeInterculturalEmailClassroomConnections
Immigration,17677
Impersonations,39
ImplementationofInternet,5860
Individualprojects,6061
Information,56
skills,4445
Insects,7578,103104(fig.)
Instructional:
resources,66
strategies,5
IntegratedServicesDigitalNetwork(ISDN),16
Interactiveinstruction,42
InterculturalEmailClassroomConnections(IECC),65(fig.)
Interfaces,2122
Internal:
modems,1213
servers,15
Internationaleducation,196
Internet.SeealsoWorldWideWeb(WEB)
access,1119
activities.SeeActivities
benefitsof,2,47
chat,3233
citations,4647
classroomguidelines,2
classroomimplementation,5860
connectivity,10(fig.)
definition,1011
protocol,33
relaychat,33
researchcycle,44(fig.)
resources.SeeResources
serviceproviders(ISP),11,14
usepolicy,5960
IP.SeeInternet:protocol
IRC.SeeInternet:relaychat
ISDN.SeeIntegratedServicesDigitalNetwork
ISP.SeeInternet:serviceproviders
J
Juggling,227
K.
Keypals.SeePenpals
Kidsphere,26
King,MartinLuther,194
L
Languagearts,13570.
SeealsoForeignlanguages
LANs.SeeLocalareanetworks
Leaseddatalines,15
Lessonplans,66
geography,201204
languagearts,16770
mathematics,13134
music,23336
online,68
science,101104
socialstudies,201204
sources,6769(fig.)
LewisandClark,18586
Librarians.SeeMediaspecialists
LibraryofCongress,183,186,221Listservs,2426,43(fig.),63
Literacyskills,4445Literatureclassics,15053
Localareanetworks(LAN),1416
LosAlamosNationalLaboratory,118
LouisianaStateUniversityLibraries,178
Lynxbrowser,2930
M
Magazines:
art,225
geography,191
languagearts,158
Page239
mathematics,121
music,225
science,93
socialstudies,191
theater,225
Management:
classroom,6063
document,6
MarxBrothers,222
Measurement,11315
Mediaspecialists,56
Melville,Herman,152
Mentoring,39,42
Messages:
listserv,26(fig.)
newsgroups,27(fig.)
Metasearchengines,49,50(fig.)
Meteorology,8790
Mime,22324
MinneapolisInstituteofArts,212
MLA.SeeModernLanguageAssociationofAmerica
Mnemonics,15657
Modems,1213,1718
ModernLanguageAssociationofAmerica(MLA),4647
Money,SeeCurrency
Motivation,4
Movies.SeeCinema
Multicultural:
education,4,17579
music,23334(fig.)
Multimediafiles,31
Music,20536
Mythology,Egyptian,174
N
NASA,7274,9798(fig.)
NationalEducationAssociation,61
NationalScienceTeachersAssociation(NSTA),94
NationalWildlifeFederation(NWF),7980
NetMeeting,33
NetDay,7,14
Netscapemailinterface,25(fig.)
Networks,69
Newsgroups,2627,43(fig.)
Newsletters:
art,225
geography,191
languagearts,158
mathematics,121
music,225
science,93
socialstudies,191
1900s,21922
Notablepersonalities,39
NSTA.SeeNationalScienceTeachersAssociation
Numbers.SeeMathematics
Nutrition,9596
NWF.SeeNationalWildlifeFederation
O
Onecomputerprojects,63
Online:
conferences,63
experts,40(fig.)
journals,43(fig.)
magazines.SeeMagazines
mail.SeeEmail
mentoring,39
newsletters.SeeNewsletters
penpals,3839
projects,6366
research,4247
searching,4749
tutoring,39
Opera,22223
Origami,227
Originalresearch,46
Outdoorlife,96
P
Paintings,21112
Paleontology,8283
Palindromes,156
Parents,6
Penpals,3839
Pets,92
Pinesystem,23,24(fig.)
Pluginsforbrowsers,29
Poetry,13943,18990
PostalService,183
Pressreleases,181
Probability,11517
Problemsolving,11821
Projects:
class,3,6163
collaborative,6266
individual,6061
onecomputer,63
online,6366
smallgroup,61
PublicBroadcastingService,185
Publishing,40,41(fig.).
SeealsoWriting
Puppets,154
Puzzles,118
R
Ragtimemusic,22021,222
Rainbows,89
Rainforests,8081,101102(fig.)
ReadersTheatre,15355
Realworldlearning,4
RealAudio,216
Recycling,78
Referencetools,15557
Research,3755
skills,6
Resources:
art,20536
geography,171204
instructional,66
languagearts,13570
mathematics,105134
music,20536
science,71104
sites,64(fig.)
socialstudies,171204
theater,20536
Reuben,PaulP.,150
RevolutionaryWar,18485
Roaring'20s,21920
Robotics,74
Rockmusic,212
RomanEmpire,173
Router,15
S.
Satellite:
connections,18(fig.)
delivery,18
Schoollibrarians.SeeMediaspecialists
Science,71104
ScienceMuseumofMinnesota,175
Searching,4749
Senate,183
Servers,15,3031
SevenWondersoftheAncientWorld,173(fig.)
Shakespeare,William,150,151(fig.)
Shepard,Aaron,15354
Shopping,12526
Shuttle,7374
Skills:
information,4445
Internet,59(fig.)
literacy,4445
mathematics,10810
research,6
thinking,4
writing,4,15557
Smallgroupprojects,61
SmithsonianInstitution,228
Socialstudies,171204
Software:
directconnections,16
filtering,59(fig.)
telecommunications,1314
Solarsystem,74,75
Sourceevaluation,4243,51(fig.)
Spaceshuttle,7374
Spelling,147
Spiders.SeeInsects
Statistics,11517,18182
Stockmarket,116
Storms,88
Storytelling,15355
Storywriting.
SeeWriting
Student,benefitsofInternet,2
Students:
activities.SeeActivities
Page240
behavior,45
benefitsofInternet,2
communityactivities,67
galleries,40
grouping,6063
international,196
projects,41(fig.)
searchengines,49,50(fig.)
Subjectdirectories,47
Subscriptionbasedinstructionalresources,66
Superherovillains,208209
Synchronouscommunications,4042
T
T1lines,1617
T3lines,1617
Tales.SeeFolktales
TCP/IP.SeeTransmissionControlProtocol/InternetProtocol
Teachers:
benefitsofInternet,57
collaboration,5
lessonplans.SeeLessonplans
resources,64(fig.).
SeealsoResources
TelecommunicationsActof1996,7
Telecommunications.SeealsoInternetcosts,17(fig.)
software,1314
Telephonelines,13
Textbasedinterfaces,22
Textonlybrowsers,2930
Theater,20536
Thinkingskills,4
Timelyinformation,56
Tornadoes,8788
TransmissionControlProtocol/InternetProtocol(TCP/IP),16
Tutoring,39
U
U.S.GeologicalSurvey,83
UniformResourceLocators(URL),28,29(fig.)
UnitedStates:
CensusBureau,17980
CivilWar,186
government,17983
history,18387
HouseofRepresentatives,183
LibraryofCongress,183
PostalService,183
Treasury,17980
WhiteHouse,18182
UniversityofFlorida,188
UniversityofMichiganGeographicNameServer,114
UniversityofMichiganHumanitiesTextInitiative(HIT),140
UniversityofMichiganPress,140
UniversityofTorontoMathematicsNetwork,11920
UniversityofVirginia,177
Uploadingfiles,31
URL.SeeUniformResourceLocators
U.S.PostalService,183
V
VAPEN,39
Vaudeville,221,222
Videoconferencing,33
Virtualschools.SeeDistancelearning
Volcanoes,82
W
WarnerBrothers,208209
Weatherunderground,88
WEB.SeeWorldWideWeb
WebWacker,62
WebTV,1819
Women:
incomputerarts,209
inworldhistory,190,203204(fig.)
writers,151
WorldFactBook(CIA),179
Worldhistory,18790
Worldwars,18990
WorldWideWeb(WEB),2731,36(fig.).
SeealsoInternet:
designingpages,36(fig.),51(fig.)
publishingon,40,41(fig.)
resources,51(fig.).
SeealsoResources
searching,4749
Worms,7578
Writing:
SeealsoPublishing
collaborative,3940
creative,13943
skills,4,15557,16970(fig.)
bywomen,151
Y
Yahoo,48(fig.)
Page241
IndexofInternetSites
Boldnumbersindicatepagesonwhichaddressesaregiven.
A.
TheAbacus,108
AcademicComputingPolicyStatements,60
AccessExcellence,64
ACEKids,158
AdobePageMill,34
Aesop'sFablesontheFly,144
Aesop'sReader'sBookGuide,144
Aesop&Me,143
AFIOnlineCinema,216
AfricanAmericans,178
AIMSEducationFoundation,121
AimsPuzzleCorner,120
AlfredHitchcock:TheMasterofSuspense,21314
AlgebraOnline,107
AlgebraStoryProblems,107
AllInOne,50
AllMusicGuide,218
AltaVista,48
AlvirneHighSchoolAPCalculus,106107
TheAmazingPictureMachine,225,226
AmazonAdventure,191
AmericaSchoolDirectory,34
AmericanHistoryArchiveProject,186
TheAmericanImmigrationHomePage,17677
AmericanJournalismNewsLink,191
AmericanMemory,186
AmericanVarietyStage:VaudevilleandPopularEntertainment,221
AmericanVerseProject,139
AnatomyofanEye,68
AncientRussia,175
AncientWorldWeb,175
AnimalInformationDatabase,92
AnimationCompanies&Animators,209
AnimationJournal,225
AnimationWorldMagazine,225
AnimationWorldNetwork,206207
Animation,USA,209
AnneFrankHouse,189
AOLNetFindforKids,50
APCalculusontheWeb,107
AppetizersforMathandReason,121
ArchivingEarlyAmerica,186
ArmadilloWWWResources,67
TheArtofStoryTelling,154
ArtsandCrafts,226
AskaGeologist,83
AskaScientist,40
AskanExpertSources,40
AskDr.Math,40,118
AskOrinInsectRecipes,75,77
AskAsia,40
AskERIC,40
AstronomyHotLinks,74
AuntAnnie'sCraftPage:GeometricPlaythings,114
AuthorOnline!AaronShepard'sHomePage,15354
Autographs:HollywoodLegends,219,221
AwesomeLibrary,67
B
BEye,77
BaseTenCount,110
BaseballMath,110
Beginner'sGuidetoHTML,30
BestFriends,93
TheBigBusyHouse,139
BigListofPuzzleandRiddlePages,11819,121
BiologyPlace,69
BirminghamZoo,92
BitsandPieces,158
BlackHistoryMonth,191
BlueDogCanCount,121
BlueHighway,213
BlueSquirrel,62
BrainTeasers,118,120
BritannicaBirthdayCalendar,191
BritannicaOnline,69
Bubbles,93
Bugwatch,75,77
BusyTeacher'sWebSite,67
ButteredPopcorn,216
C
CalculatorsOnLine,121
CareforPetsWebsite,9191
CareQuest,149
CarnivalofAnimals,226
CarolHurst'sChildren'sLiteratureSite,159
CartoonMania,226
CartoonGallery.com,209
TheCase,159
CellsAlive,86
CentralIntelligenceAgency,182
CentreforImmigrationandMulticulturalStudies,178
ChanceDatabase,115
ChannelOne,216
ChemistryPlace,69
TheChildren'sBookwatch,158
Children'sLiteratureWebGuide,159
Children'sLiterature:ANewsletterforAdults,158
Children'sMusicWeb,21617
Children'sPublishersontheInternet,142
Children'sStorybooksOnline,159
Children'sTheatreResourceWebpage,224
Cinet,50
CivilWarProject,186
ClarisHomePage,34
ClassroomConnect,34
CNNInteractive,191
CollaborativeLessonArchives,67
ComicArt&GraffixGalleryVirtualMuseumandEncyclopedia,210
TheCompleteWorksofWilliamShakespeare,150,151(fig.)
ComputerAlgebraInformationNetwork(CAIN),107
ComputerCurriculumCorporation(Chemistry),69
ComputerMuseum,93
Connecttime,158
ConnectedClassroomConference:CitingInternetAddresses,157
Connections+,67
ConvertIt!,114
CoolTours,79
Countdown!,115
Cow'sEyeDissection,92
CreateYourOwnNewspaper,29,191
CreatingBoardPoliciesforStudentUseoftheInternet,60
CreativeIncentiveCoalitionWebsite,60
CreativeWritingforKids,142
CrosswordDictionary,155
CrosswordSolver,155
CuisinaireLearningPlace,112,122
CurrencyConverter,111
CyberFilmSchool,216
CyberKids,41,42,158
Cybersitter,59
CyberTeens,41,42
CybraryoftheHolocaust,190
D
DanMan'sMusicLibraryandCreativityClub,218
DAUStatRefresher,117
Decimals,WholeNumbers,andExponents,112
TheDiaryProject,41,149
Page242
TheDigitalLearningCenterforMicrobialEcology,8384
DinosaursinHawaii!,83
Dr.Rabbit'sNoCavityClubhouse,93
TheDramaticExchange,225
DrawandColor(forK3),68
E
EarlyChildhoodEducationandActivityResources,159
EarlyChildhood.com,159
EarthForce,81
EarthForceKids,79
EarthIsland,81
Econet,81
EditorandPublisherOnlineNewspapers,191
Edu.Stock,116
EducationWebpage,64
EducationalStructures,69
Educator'sGuidetoSchoolNetworks,14
Eduzone,64
EgyptianFractions,112
EgyptianHieroglyphs,175
EisenhowerNationalClearinghouse,122
TheElectricLibrary,69,226
AnElementaryGrammar,149
ElementarySchoolLessons&MaterialsforTeachers,112
ElementsofStyle,157
EnchantedLearningSoftware,159
Encyberpedia:Math,122
TheEnglishServerFictionCollection,152
EnviroLink,81
EnvironmentSchoolKit,81
EnvironmentalDefenseFund,7879
Excite,48
ExploraNet,93
TheExplorer,122
ExploringAncientWorldCultures,17273
ExploringLeonardo,212
F
TheFactory,122
FaerieLoreandLiterature,14445
FairyTaleOriginandEvolution,144,146
FamousCurvesIndex,122
FederalEmergencyManagementAgency:TornadoSafetyTips,89
FedWorldInformationNetwork,183
Film100,216
FilmmakerMagazine,225
Finity,122
FlapperStation,219
FlashCardsforKids,110
FlintsandStones:RealLifeinPrehistory,191
FloridaCenterforInstructionalTechnology,29
FoodandDrugAdministration,8485
ForeignLanguagesforTravelers,192
ForensicFiles,9394
FractalGalleries,122
TheFroggyPage,90
FroggyTales,159
FromRevolutiontoReconstruction,187
G
GalaxyHumanityPage,226
GamelanusingJava,68
Geocities,34
Geogame,1,3
GeometryCenter,113
GeometryProblemoftheWeek,115
GeonetGame,192
Giraffic:TheMultimediaBookCompany,160
GirlstotheFourthPowerAlgebraProgram,107
Girltech,192
GlobalGroceryListProject,11617
GlobalOnlineAdventureLearning,192
GlobalSchoolNet,62
GlobalShownTell,226
GlobalShownTellMuseum,41
GORP:GreatOutdoorRecreationPage,192
TheGrammarLady,146
GrammarSafari,149
GreatAmericanHistory,18384
GreatWorldWidePetSurvey,112
GreekMathematics,122
GupitGupit:3DPaperSculptures,226
H.
AHandbookofTermsforDiscussingPoetry,142
HeadboneDerby,3
HealthFinder,86
Healthwise,87
HealthyRefrigerator,94
Heart:AnOnlineExploration,87
HelpingYourChildLearnMath,122
HILITES,26,64
HistoricAudioArchives,192
HistoricalArchaeology,192
HistoricalDocumentsoftheU.S.A.,67
HistoricalTextArchive,19293
HistoryHappens,212
TheHistoryNet,193
HistoryofMathematics,123
HistoryofMathematicsArchive,123
HistoryoftheWorld,18788
History/SocialStudiesWebSiteforK12Teachers,193
Hoden'sHandsOnScienceExperiments,67
HolidaysontheNet,193
HollywoodOnline,21415
HotBot,48
TheHoudiniMuseum,220
HoughtonMifflinEducation,67
HouseofRepresentatives,183
Hovis.com,209
HowFarIsIt?,114
HTMLTutorial,30,68
TheHub,123
HurricaneStormScience,89
HyperHistoryOnline,187
I
I*EARNHolocaust/GenocideProject,189
Iconos,68
ImaginationFactory,94
TheIncredibleArtDepartment,67
IndigenousPeople'sLiterature,160
InferenceFind,50
InformationQuest,69
Infoseek,48
Ingenius,193
Inkspot,142
InnerLearningOnLine,94
InternetfortheFineArts:ArtLinks,226
InteractiveFrogDissection,68
InteractiveMathematicsMiscellanyandPuzzles,123
InteractiveMathematicsOnline,123
InterCulturalEmailClassroomConnections,63,179
InternationalFoodInformationCouncil,87
InternationalWolfCenter,92
InternetPublicLibrary,193,210
InternetResourcesfortheArts:DramaandTheatre,225
InternetSleuth,50
InternetTeachersNetwork,64
InventionDimension,193
InviteanAuthortoYourSchool,139
IONScienceMagazine,93
IowaState'sDepartmentofEntomology,7576
IPLYouthDivisionWritingContests,41
ItFigures,123
J
JasonProject,1,3,28,29
Jogle'sFavoriteTheatreRelatedResources,227
JourneyNorth,1,3,193
TheJudyandDavidHomePage,227
JugglingInformationService,227
K
K12AcceptableUsePolicies,60
K12ResourcesofMusicEducators,67
K12Statistics,117
Kali,114
Katerpillars&MysteryBugs,75,78
KathySchrock'sGuideforEducators:Music,218
KidInfo:AmericanRevolution,18485
KidLit,160
KidNews,41,143
KidPub,41
Kidput,143
Kids'CoolAnimation,209
Kids'Corner,227
Kids'Space,41
Kids'SpaceConnection,41,160
Kids'Web,41
Page243
Kid'sWebMath,123
Kid'sWindowHomepage,179
KidsWindowLibrary,160
Kidscom,160
Kidstuff,143
Kidworld,160
TheKlingonLanguageInstitute,227
L
LanguageArtsResources,Elementary,160
LanguageTutorials,68
LatinoLink,179
LegalandEducationalAnalysisofK12AcceptableUsePolicies,60
LemonadeStand,120
LessonPlan:TheCivilWar,187
LessonPlansandResourcesforSocialStudiesTeachers,193
LewisCarrollHomePage,13638
LibraryintheSky,67
TheLifeandWorksofHermanMelville,152
LifeLongUniverseLiteratureLinks,160
LinkstoFairyTales,Stories,MythsandLegends,146
LinkstoTalkingSites,161
LittleHorus,175
LittlePlanetTimes,158
TheLookingGlassGazette,158
Lycos,48
LycosKidsGuide,50
M
MadScientistNetwork,40,94
Magellan,48,50
MagicSquares,120
MapQuest,194
MarineBiologyLaboratoryPhylumIndex,92
MartinLutherKing,Jr.,194
TheMarxBrothers,222
TheMathArchives,123
MathCentral,123
MathComics,124
TheMathForum,124
TheMathLeague,124
Math,Baseball,andtheSanFranciscoGiants,123
MathematicalAnimationGallery,124
MathematicalArchives:Numbers,10810
MathematicalDictionary,121
MathematicalJourney,124
MathematicsProblemSolvingTaskCentres,121
TheMediaHistoryProject,227
MedievalDramaLinks,227
MedievalWorld,194
MegaMath,11819
Metacrawler,50
MicrobeZoo,84
Microsoft,29
MicrosoftFrontpage,34
MidLink,158
MightyMediaTeachersLounge,64
MikeRofone:TheRovingReporter,161
MinibeastWorldofInsectsandSpiders,78
MinneapolisInstituteofArts,212
MonsterMath,110
MontessoriMathAlbumIndex,124
MooMilkWebSite,94
MoviesatHome,21516
MulticulturalHomePage,179
MulticulturalPavilion,177
MungoPark,191
MurryBergtraumHighSchoolSocialStudiesReferences,194
MuseumsfromAtoZ,227
MusicHistory102,21011
MyHero,194
MyVirtualReferenceDesk,15556
N
NASAHomePage,29
NASASpacelink,72,7274
NationalCouncilofTeachersofMathematics,124
NationalFoodSafetyDatabase,8586
NationalGeographic,191
NationalScienceTeachersAssociation,94
NationalWeatherServiceinSanDiego,89
NationalWildlifeFederation,7980
TheNaturalLanguagePlayground,157
NCSSOnline,67
NetNanny,59
NetShepherd,59
NetscapeComposer,34
NetscapeFrames,68
NetVet,9192
NeuroscienceforKids,87
NewPerspectivesontheWest,18586
NewTechnologies,68
Newton'sApple,68
Nikolai'sWebSite,161
TheNinePlanets,74
NM'sCreativeImpulse,190
O.
Onair.com,218
OnlineEnglishGrammar,149
OnlineExperiments,94
TheOnlineMysteryNetwork,139
OnlineResources,194
OnlineResourcesforWriters,157
OnlineWritingLab,149
OntarioScienceCentreInteractiveZone,94
OperaWeb,22223
OpticalIllusions,94
OrigamiPage,227
P
ThePalindromistMagazine,158
ParkNet,194
PatchAmericanHighSchool,29,40,41(fig.)
PenguinUSA,139
PerformingArtsExchange,225
PersonalWebPageDesigner,34
PerspectivesinAmericanLiterature(PAL),15051
PhantomoftheOpera,225
Pharaoh'sHeartResources,124
Pitsco'sAskanExpert,40,95,14748
Plagiarism,157
PlaneMathActivities,115
PleasantCompany,191
POCIA,11
PoetryPals,143
POPMathematics,124
PositivelyPoetry,143
Possibilities!IntegratingtheInternetintotheScienceClassroom,67
Postcards,161
ThePrimePage,125
ProfNet,40
PsychologyPlace,69
ThePuppetryHomePage,155
Q
Quantum,93
R
RagtimeHomePage,22021
RagtimeVaudevilleShow,222
Rainbows,89
RainforestActionNetwork,80,8182
RainforestWorkshopHomePage,80
RangerRick,93
ReadAlongExpress,139
ReadingProjectWatch,161
TheReadingRoom,161
RealAudio,31
RealisticWonderSociety,146
ResearchIt!,194
ResourcesforWritersandWritingInstructors,157
ReviewsinRhyme,215
RockandRollHallofFameandMuseum,212
RonKurer'sToonTrackerHomePage,207208
RosettaStone,175
S
S.O.S.Mathematics,125
S.O.S.Mathematics:Algebra,112
SafeSearch,59
SAMI,125
SATSkillLessons,125
SavvySearch,50
ScholasticNetwork,66,69
SchoolNetworks,68
SchoolHouseRock,218
SchoolhouseSite,64
SchoolsontheWeb,34
ScienceEducationGateway,68
ScienceFairProjects,95
ScienceLearningNetwork,95
ScienceMuseumofMinnesota:MayanAdventure,175
Page244
ScienceOnline:SolarSystemResourceKit,74
SecondaryMathematicsAssessment,67
Seussville,139
TheSevenWondersoftheAncientWorld,17374
Shareware.com,31
TheSherlockianHomepage,152
SiteswithAudioClips,228
TheSmithsonianInstitution,228
Snoopy'sDoghouse,138
SocialStudiesBagO'Tricks,195
SouthernMusicNetwork,213
SpaceTelescopeScienceInstitute,75
SpecsforKids,59
StageHandPuppets,154
StanleyParkChase,110
StarChild,75
StarFacts,93
StarnetHolidayCards,161
StatisticsEveryWriterShouldKnow,117
TheStatisticsTeacherNetwork,121
StatLib,117
StoneSoup,158
StoryCreations,161
StoryResourcesAvailableontheWeb,161
StorySourcesontheInternet:FolktalesandMyths,146
StorybookofGeometry,115
TheStorytellerHomePage,155
Storytelling,Drama,CreativeDramatics&ReadersTheaterforChildren&YoungAdults,155
Sunburst'sWebWorkshop,34
SurfWatchSoftware,59
T
TakingChances:OnlineProbability,117
TalesofWonder:FolkandFairyTalesFromAroundtheWorld,146
Teacher'sEditionOnline,64
ATeacher'sGuidetotheHolocaust,68,188189
ATeacher'sHomePage,64
TeachersHelpingTeachers,64
Teachers.Net,63,64,67
TeachNet,67
TechnologyLessonPlans,67
TessellationTutorials,125
TheatreCentral,223
Thekids.com,14546
TheodoreTugboatOnlineActivityCenter,161
ThinkingFountain,95
ThinkQuest,125
Thomas,183
TIESInternetAcceptableUsePolicyLinks,60
TheTornadoProjectOnline,87
Tots2TeensMusicandArtLinks,219
TourEgypt,174
ATourofFractions,112
TravelbyCity.Net,195
TrenchesontheWeb.SeeWW1
TROLearning,69
TutorialGateway,68
21stCenturyProblemSolving,120
U
UNICEF,195
U.S.CensusBureau,17980
U.S.GeologicalSurvey,83
U.S.PostalService,183
U.S.TreasuryHomepage,18081
TheUnitedStatesSenate,183
UniversityofSouthFlordia,31
UniversityofTorontoMathematicsNetwork,11920
USHolocaustMemorialMuseum,189
USACityLink,195
UsingtheNewspapertoLearnMath,109,110
UseIt!,50
UTScienceBytes,95
V.
VaudevilleHomePage,222
VDOlive,31
VideomakerMagazine,225
ViewsoftheSolarSystem,74
VirtualAlgebraProblem,107
TheVirtualCave,83
Visitor'sGuidetoTaiwan,195
ViveWebConnections,34
VolcanoWorld,82
W
WackyWebTales,14849
WarnerBrothers'Animation,208209
WeatherUnderground,8889
TheWebofCulture,178
WebPageWizard,34
WebTopicsPreschoolers,162
WebWorkshop,34
Webcrawler,48
Webmaster,34
WebMuseum,21112
WebPublisher,34
Web66,31,40
WeeklyReader'sGalaxy,158
WelcometoEnergyQuest,95
WellConnectedEducator,64
Wendell'sBugWorld,76
WhaleNet,92
TheWhiteHouse,18182
TheWhiteHouseforKids,181
WhyFiles,95
WildWeatherPage,90
TheWiretapElectronicTextArchive,153
Wiretap,143
WomenintheRealmofComputerVisualArts,Effects,andAnimation,209
WomeninWorldHistoryCurriculum,190
WomenMathematicians,125
Wonder:FolkandFairyTalesFromAroundtheWorld,144
WordPlay,15657
WorldHistoryArchives,190
WorldHistoryLinksPage,190
WorldofEscher,228
TheWorldofMimeTheatre,22324
WorldSurfari,195
WorldWarII:TheWorldRemembers,190
WorldWideWebVirtualLibrary:Anthropology,195
WorldWideWebVirtualLibrary:ClassicalMusic,213
WorldWideWebVirtualLibrary:History,19596
WW1:TrenchesontheWeb,18990
WWWVirtualLibrary:TheatreandDrama,225
Thewww.americanliterature.com,153
X
XeroxPARCMapViewer,196
XploreKids(Lycos),50
Y
Yahoo,48
Yahoo:Children'sAuthors,138
Yahooligans,50
YesMag:Canada'sScienceMagazineforKids,93
YoungAuthor'sMagazine,158
YoungComposers,41,219
TheYoungWritersClub,139
YoungWriter'sClubhouse,14142
YoxelyPlace:SherlockHolmesontheWeb,153
YuckiestSiteontheInternet,76,77(fig.)
Z
Zimaths,121
ZoomDinosaurs,8283