I teach seventh and eighth grade computers at Wilmington Friends School, an independent Quaker school in Wilmington, Delaware.  My seventh grade sections have 9-15 students and my eighth grade sections are comprised of 19-20 students.  I have taught all but one of the eighth grade students when they were seventh graders.  However, the seventh grade students are new to me.  My objective is to help students recognize the computer and technology as tools.  My students are excited by this.  However, many of my colleagues are frightened by technological integration.  I find it important to also teach my colleagues about the uses of the web in order to help them feel comfortable with educational technology (ed tech) integration.

There is no question that the World Wide Web is full of substantial resources.  Some of the educational resources we studied this semester in "Internet Curriculum Applications" include: Listservs and Forums, Telecollaborative Projects, Search Tools, Lesson Plan Sources, Online Tools and Data Sets.  These tools can be great supplements either to the teacher in developing her/his curriculum and lessons or to the students directly through interactive web based instruction.  However, a problem occurs when educational technology resource specialists attempt to awaken school communities to technology use.  How do we help teachers use the WWW to supplement education?

I belong to several listservs.  A listserv is "An automatic mailing list server developed by Eric Thomas for BITNET in 1986. When e-mail is addressed to a LISTSERV mailing list, it is automatically broadcast to everyone on the list. The result is similar to a newsgroup or forum, except that the messages are transmitted as e-mail and are therefore available only to individuals on the list."  A forum is "An online discussion group. Online services and bulletin board services (BBS's) provide a variety of forums, in which participants with common interests can exchange open messages. Forums are sometimes called newsgroups (in the Internet world) or conferences."  The listservs I belong to include: Instructional Technology User's Group - Delaware (ITUGDE), Apple Learning Interchange (ALI), Tri-Rivers Educational Computing Association Learning Interchange (TLI), Delaware Independent Schools Computer Association (DISCA) and World Teachers.

ITUGDE is my favorite listserv.  Since the participants are local and educators as well, it feels much like a family all working together.  List members can pose questions to the group, and can usually expect a concrete answer within a day.  I receive questions and/or suggestions from them most every day.  We are all there for the support of everyone.  When someone posts a question, they receive many answers with various methods of answering the challenge.  Its great to have the feeling of other tech educators out there also trying to find their way through all the muck.  I have also found out about great ed tech resources, seminars and grants directly because of my membership to ITUGDE. ITUGDE is a listserv not to be missed. ITUGDE is an excellent resource.  I find myself constantly forwarding the messages I receive to the other Middle Faculty Members at Wilmington Friends School.  (This group has monthly meetings.)

ALI and TLI operate in basically the same manner.  They both send out monthly newsletters with links to technology alerts, lesson plans, and upcoming seminars.  I first encountered TLI at the National educational Computing Conference 2001 in Chicago, Illinois.  They hosted a workshop focused on integrating technology into curriculum education.  The workshop was very informative and hands-on.  The great thing about their regular workshops is that participants receive the technology that they work with.  For instance, if an educator takes a workshop in using PDAs in education, they receive the Palm Pilot or Handspring Visor handheld computer in order to then go and use it in their own classroom.  The ALI and TLI listservs are great for the professional development updates.

DISCA is a listserv devoted to providing opportunities for northern Delaware independent school technology educators to network and support one another.  The DISCA group meets every other Wednesday and therefore does not send out much mail.  However, much like ITUGDE, the members are available to answer technology related questions for one another.

World Teachers is a different sort of listserv supported by Telecollaboration.org.  This listserv is populated by educators all over the world it is truly a consortium of world teachers.  The activity of the listserv is dominated by teachers searching for world partners to participate in telecollaborative projects.  For instance, if an educator has developed a lesson and they would like schools around the world to participate with them, they could then use this listserv to locate partners.  Something else that is great about the services provided by telecollaboration.org is that they also provide a listserv for pupils.  This is so that students can find pen pals and develop relationships with other young people around the world.

As one can see, listservs can be used for a variety of reasons.  However, it is important to keep in mind one's tolerance of e-mail messages.  How often do you want to receive messages?  Sometimes one may choose to receive updates once an month or everyday, but that is not always the case.  When I receive messages that I feel will be of interest to other educators in my school, I forward them on and ask if they are interested in participating in particular webcasts hosted by Quicktime or innovative telecollaborative projects.  Some teachers are are more likely than others to respond, but I continue to share and do my part in my own classroom.

Telecollaboration is to work together in intellectual endeavors across distances.  Therefore, telecollaborative projects are completed with the assistance of partners that are far from one another.  Some of the networks I have found helpful are: iEARN Projects, MONTAGEplus, ePALS Classroom Exchange: Projects, and of course,  Telecollaboration.

"A key to iEARN's success is the leading role that participants play in determining the content within the network. All projects within iEARN are designed and facilitated by participants to fit their particular curriculum and classroom needs and schedules.

When schools join iEARN, the network is open to all teachers and students at a school, with resources available for finding iEARN projects across age levels and disciplines.

Participants may join existing structured on-line projects, or work with others internationally to create and facilitate their own projects to fit their own particular classroom and curriculum needs.

All iEARN projects involve a final "product" or exhibition of the learning that has taken place as part of the collaboration. These have included magazines, creative writing anthologies, websites, letter-writing campaigns, reports to government officials, arts exhibits, workshops, performances, charity fundraising, and many more examples of youth taking action as part of what they are learning in the classroom. "

iEARN offers projects from the following disciplines: Creative/Language Arts, Science/Environment/Math and Social Studies.  It is one of the oldest resources for online telecollaborative projects for youth in education, established in 1988.  The projects are informative, educational, and service based.  iEARN's project pages are especially helpful since they list: the project description, the ages group, the languages, the dates, and the appropriate website links for the project.  iEARN is a wonderful resource!

A project I recommend is "The Art Miles".  It is a project that is ongoing and for young people Preschool through College age.  The purpose of the project is for "Students [to] create murals to establish the Guinness Book of World Records for the Longest Children's Mural in the World."   I believe that this project would be great for an after school program, special ed students, or a community center project.  The incentive of being added to the Guinness Book of World Records os wonderful, and the since of community mural making brings is contagious.

"Montageplusaims to:

• Develop awareness of cultural diversity and individual circumstances so that students - irrespective of geography, gender, disability or economic circumstances - are given the opportunity to participate and to explore and develop their ideas.

• Encourage and support professional development of teachers in the use and understanding of new technologies to enhance the quality of teaching and learning.

• Build a network of education policy formulators and opinion makers by initiating executive linking programmes, video-conferencing forums, workshops and web-based discussions."

Montageplusprovides an extensive database of telecollaborative projects available on the web.  A project sited on Montageplus that I recommend is "The Convention on the Rights of the Child".  "The Convention on the Rights of the Child" is a project that looks at "at some of the worst sides of human behavior - the mistreatment and abuse of millions of children and also at some of the best of human behavior - the work of thousands of people who are fighting to end this mistreatment and abuse. "  This project is great because it helps young people see beyond themselves.  It is intended for youth between the ages of twelve and eighteen in the study of civics and citizenship.  The project is on-going therefore teachers and students need not worry about a closing date.  I recommend this project as a supplement to secondary school Social Studies units.

"ePALS' projects offer learning opportunities that span subject areas, age levels and the world. By allowing young people to learn through cooperation with peers near and far, ePALS projects foster cross-cultural understanding and enhance technological skills as well as meeting diverse curriculum objectives. "

In my opinion, ePALS.com offers itself as one of the BEST resources available for telecollaborative projects.  It provides the opportunity to search for projects on the web as well as developing e-mail relationships with schools and individuals around the world.  They monitor everything that is posted on the site, and the e-mail accounts have filter levels chosen by each teacher.  ePALS even provides an internet usage permission form that teachers may send home to parents.

ePALS has their projects listed in the following categories: Group Projects, Class-to-Class Projects and ePALS Recommends.

Group Projects
These cross curricular projects involve many members of the ePALS community simultaneously. ePALS tools and resources are used throughout and participants can improve their computer skills as they work with peers around the world to explore any number of topics. 
Class-to-Class Projects
Class-to-class projects allow you to work with other ePALS members at your own pace. These projects are highly customizable, letting you meet the needs of your students. You pick your partner. You pick the time line. Enjoy all the benefits of collaborative learning with these diverse projects. 
ePALS Recommends
You could spend a lifetime sifting through all the educational offerings on the Internet. But with ePALS, you don't have to. If you can't find a project to meet your needs here, ePALS has a list of recommended projects offered on other websites. 

The project which I found on ePALS.com and I am recommending is the "ePALS Online Book Club".   This projects provides an international resource of what books are being read around the world.  Students and teachers are able to post book reports in the forum, and gain suggestions from other participants.  This is wonderful because students can acquire book list suggestions that they may not have obtained otherwise.  Teachers have the choice of working directly with a partner school or having her/his students work solely as forum participants.  I believe that this project would be great for teachers that require and/or encourage free reading.  It adds another dimension to reading and makes the world a little smaller.

I have not used Telecollaboration as much as the others.  However, as mentioned before, the listserv that they offer is wonderful and teacher participants are often asking for international partners.  In addition to the listserv, teachers may become Telecollaboration members and participate in forums website projects as well as receive an e-mail newsletter.

Utilizing telecollaborative projects is one of the most authentic ways of implementing multicultural education.  Teachers can use technology through the world wide web to help their students learn more about other cultures and lifestyles in addition to helping them feel more connected to the world in general.

Search Tools are helpful resources that assist in locating the specific information one is looking for.  They include: search engines, subject directories and searchable databases.  The search tools I recommend include: UDLib/SEARCH, CNET Search.com, and Kid's Search Tools.

UDLib/SEARCH - Databases for Middle Schools/High Schools
"UDLib/SEARCH is a University of Delaware Library/State of Delaware partnership to provide access to online magazines, journals, encyclopedias and training to all Delaware public high schools and middle schools."

UDLib/SEARCH- best used for scholarly database searches.

This website was suggested to me by our Middle and Upper School teacher/librarian, Kate Thomas (Wilmington Friends School).  Friends apparently signed on with this service this Fall (2001), and the librarians are suggesting that all the students in grades 6-12 utilize it.  (I was told that since Friends is not a state school, we pay a small fee.) 

In order to fully utilize this site students need to acquire the school assigned User Id and password.  However, once that is obtained, students have access to multiple journals, magazines and encyclopedias through this site. 

1.  A Middle School student researching the impacts of multi-ethnic groups on the United States of America may choose to utilize the DISCovering Multicultural America journal on UDLib/SEARCH. 
2.  The student needs to have the school's User Id and password.
3.  Then, they can login to the needed databases of resources.
4.  For instance, the student in this example would complete a search for information on "African Americans" and get led to a list of texts that they may choose to utilize in a research paper. 

CNET Search.com - best used  for general searches. 

I sometimes suggest this site to my students when practicing the skill of retrieving clipart from the Internet.  Therefore, I ask my students to go to Search.com and do a search for "Free Clipart".   CNET Search.com then does a metasearch searching the databases of all the above search engines, and comes up with the following information.  (Free Clipart)

Kid's Search Tools (courtesy of the Ramapo Catskill Library System)
Multiple Search Databases for Kids including:

Wordsmyth Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary  Merriam-Webster Collegiate Thesaurus KidsClick! AwesomeLibrary Ask Jeeves for Kids ThinkQuest Library

Britannica.com Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Yahooligans GEM Gateway to Educational Materials Education World Berit's Best Sites

Kid's Search Tools- best used for filtered resource book searches.

This website provides links to several of the most used search engines for youth and educational purposes.  It was compiled by librarians.  I suggested this site to our seventh graders as a link to multiple educational resource tools.  They can use this tool especially when writing their Social Science papers. 

For instance, the seventh graders are now studying the various aspects of Africa in small groups.  A student may choose to utilize the systems at Kid's Search Tools.  On the site, they can search the Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition for "Ghana" and get transported to the following list of site resources.  (Ghana)
If they don't find what they are looking for in that search, they still have twelve other search methods to use on that site such as, KidsClick!  They can do the same search there or choose to vary it slightly.  (Ghana or West Africa)

This site is very helpful to student researchers because they have access to many possibilities in one place.

Search tools must be chosen according to the age and experience of the students one is working with.  My school  chooses not to use filters.  therefore, I feel an even greater responsibility to teach my students to utilize the web in a conscientious manner.  I am grateful that they receive this training not only from myself but also from the resource teacher/librarian that often meets with them in their core classes.  Consistent instruction is needed.

I find that lesson plan sources are helpful when looking for ways of integrating technology with academic course work.  In addition, they are great when in a rush for sub plans when one is on sick leave.  The lesson plan sources I recommend are: Intel Innovation in Education: Unit & Lesson Plans, Computer Integrated Lesson Plans, K-12, Multiple Intelligence, and The Lesson Plan Page.

Intel Innovation in Education: Unit & Lesson Plans

This site is a great resource that demonstrates methods of incorporating technology into academic curriculum.  One favorite lesson is  "Where do you want to go this year?"  In this lesson students create a plan to travel to a foreign country.  The students utilize many skills in the lesson such as: research, word processing, presentation and possibly spreadsheet management for the budget. 

This plan is indicative of the interdisciplinary projects that are available on the intel site.  Their creations are quite innovation and they demonstrate comprehensively how technology is a part of our lives.

Computer Integrated Lesson plans, K-12, multiple intelligence

The lessons on this page "[incorporate] the use of Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory with the integration of instructional technology. Each lesson contains a set of activities that enhances learning through the use of stations set up to help the students discover the topic while using a variety of multiple intelligence activities. These lessons are designed with constructivist learning strategies for cooperative groups. Each lesson incorporates computers/technology to enhance learning. Many topics and grade levels are available."

These lesson plans were created by graduate students of the Education Department at Montana State University-Bozeman for the above purpose.  I found this site to be interesting because of the fact that the lessons were created by graduate students.  In addition,  the lessons are created with multiple intelligence in mind.  One example of the lessons on this site is Art and Music Of Our Time.  This lesson provides multiple opportunities to integrate technology as well as the ability to teach to the auditory, visual and kinesthetic learner.

The Lesson Plans Page

I like this site simply because it is intended for general use.  It is a cool resource from which to pull substitute lessons.

Both ALI and TLI also have links to lesson plans.  I find that these types of resources are great for getting ideas to build on.  Rarely is there anything that does not need to be altered in some way.  However, they can be fun and innovative at the same time.

Online Tools assist students with manipulating data.  While Data Sets are groups of reports collected available on the web.  The Online Tools I recommend are: Gif Works v. 3.0, Free Online Tools for the Webmaster, and Franklin Covey Mission Builder.  I did not find many exciting Data Sets for Middle School students.  Data Sets are more geared for science and math education.  The Data Set site I recommend is The Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Homepage.

Gif Works v. 3.0

"Create your own special effects with any GIF -- even animated ones! Resize it, colorize it, optimize it, and jazzercise it -- then save it and take it with you. You name it and you can do it!"

I would recommend this site to any educator that creates their own web pages and/or teaches web page creation/design. 

Free Online Tools for the Webmaster

This site is jam-packed with cool tools that are excellent resources for anyone that creates web pages (beyond the beginner level).  I plan to recommend this resource to the Advanced Web Page class teacher at Wilmington Friends School.

Franklin Covey Mission Builder

The Franklin Covey Mission Builder is a comprehensive tool that takes each user step-by-step through the process of creating their own mission.  I can easily see this tool used in Middle and Upper School advisee sessions, with students creating a mission statement in 8th grade and revising it each Upper school year until it really feels solid.

I recommend this tool to anyone who works on personal development issues.

The Library of Congress
Geography and Map Division Homepage

This site is a "comprehensive collection of cartographic materials,
ranging from fourteenth century portolan charts through recent
geographic information systems data sets." (yahoo)

I recommend this site to any person that studies social science.  This site provides an extensive collection of maps.  One may choose to study cartography, and then have students create a map of their home or school community in one of the represented styles.

Scavenger hunts and webquests are a wonderful means of integrating the above web resources.  "WebQuests require students to find and research information on the internet, and then to create a product of their own. Scavenger Hunts require students to find information on the internet and record their answers." (World School, 1999)  Teachers can either create their own, as I have done with the Ghana Scavenger Hunt, or utilize hunts or scavenger hunts on the web that relate directly to their curriculum or lesson objectives.  There are many sources that contain templates to use when making scavenger hunts or webquests. 

"The purpose of a scavenger hunt is to have students collect information on a particular instruction topic, to teach students to use search engines properly, and to introduce students to the vast array of resources that are available on the web." (Spartanburg, 2001)   A great source for scavenger hunt help is "Using Scavenger Hunts" created by Spartanburg District 3 County Schools.  if gives a complete breakdown of what scavenger hunts are and how to make one yourself.  They even given scavenger hunt templates and internet scavenger hunt examples.  I particularly like that the site was made by active educators. 

"A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet, optionally supplemented with videoconferencing." (Dodge, 1997)  Bernie Dodge of San Diego State University has published an article online entitled "Some Thoughts About Webquests".  Dodge's article gives a very comprehensive explanation of what a webquest is an how WebQuest can be utilized in education.  The Webquest is the mightiest tool that I mention in this essay.  the webquest can encompass all the above mentioned Internet tools and can be the container for a complete curriculum based unit.  "The WebQuest Page" developed by Bernie Dodge and San Diego University contains a plethora of tools to be used to create and understand webquests.  I recommend utilizing the "Readings & Materials" section.  It contains articles, PowerPoint presentations, checklists, rubrics, webquest templates and scavenger hunts.

All in all, I have greatly enjoyed this course.  It has provided me with the great opportunity to learn more about the internet and the World Wide Web and how it can be utilized in education.  In this essay, I have shared several tools of listservs and forums, telecollaborative projects, search tools, lesson plan sources, data sets and online tools, and scavenger hunts and webquests. 

How do we help teachers utilize the World Wide Web to supplement curriculum education?  I find the the best way is to continue to share the opportunities and to train the youth.  More often when I teach my students a special skill in computer class my colleagues come to me and want to know about it.  There will always be some that bulk at technology.  However, there will also be those of us that are excited by technology.  Share, and continue sharing.  That way students will gain multiple opportunities in the classroom that they might not have otherwise.

In addition, I find it important to remember that the World Wide Web is merely a tool, a means to an end.  I use the internet in my classroom in order to supplement instruction.  As mentioned before, I find webquests and scavenger hunts to be a grand means for my students to acquire knowledge.  They themselves have mentioned to me that they found my Ghana Scavenger Hunt fun because they were able to challenge themselves to find the answers to the questions.  It also helped to raise additional questions for my students to then ask their epals in e-mail letters.  I so advise a student committee, International Connections.  My International Connections students belong to the World Teachers listserv and they have epals.com e-mail accounts.  They are very interested in connecting with youth around the world in order to learn more about lifestyles and cultures other than their own.  In this time, technology, especially the WWW, is the best method of accomplishing that.  This does not eliminate conventional methods such as using postal mail, however connections can be made more quickly, and projects can be completed together with their new international friends.

I appreciate the use of the internet in my classroom.  Students must have permission from their parents in the form of a signed notice that allows them to utilize the internet outside of class time.  However, if the internet is used in the class for research, a web quest, web page design, pen pals, or such I have a special login for "no-access" students so that they are able to use the internet during class.  Students "with-access" are able to use the Internet regularly throughout the day in classes and study halls.  Those with internet use parental permission are allowed to use it to check their personal WWW e-mail accounts after school or to play educational games like chess or cross word puzzles.  However, they know that the priority for the computer lab is course work.  Therefore, if another student who needs to work needs a computer, they must relinquish the computer they are using.  At Friends, I really do not have trouble with students surfing inappropriate web sites.  One time last year, one of my students was surfing for information about San Francisco, and accidentally encountered an inappropriate site.  The student quickly transferred off the site, and there have been no more problems.  The energy where I am is of trust, and my students step up to meet the standards of academic honesty across the board.  In addition, since I am in a spiritual environment, the Quaker philosophies of modesty and self governance also apply.  However, if there are infractions associated with internet use, the student will have to meet with their grade dean, advisor, and parents, and their unsupervised computer use will be taken away.

The internet is a a tool to be utilized creatively and shared with all.  I genuinely look forward to the advances that are sure to continue through this mode of technology.
 
 
 

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