"Do not go where the path leads;
Rather, go where there is no path and leave a trail."
-Emerson

Judy Curtis of the Lamar CISD in Rosenberg, Texas wrote and asked for web resources that can be specifically used to help teach kids proper use of the Internet. It sounded like a great theme to run with, but I wasn't sure what caliber sites I would find. After all, anyone and everyone has posted materials online for working with students. The good news is there actually are worthwhile sites you can use with your students to learn navigation, productivity, netiquette and safety online. Of course you can use a site like Brain Pop to introduce the concept of the Internet http://www.brainpop.com/tech/communication/internet/ but what do you do after that? Here are some answers for you to consider. Many are elementary/middle school level, but there are also a couple of sites suitable for secondary students, as well. Thanks to Jerry B. for his recommendations on this topic!

Next week I will take a break from the newsletter as we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the U.S. We will resume the weekend of December 8th with an issue on ideas for keyboarding and using personal keyboard in the classroom.

Alexa Toolbar - http://download.alexa.com/alexa65/startpage.html?p=Dest_W_t_40_B1

Talk about information literacy, here's a free download that plugs right into your existing browser and offers you all kinds of inside information about any web site you are viewing: traffic rankings, contact information, site stats and user reviews! Imagine your students having access to this kind of information as they practice evaluating Web content!

Class Zone - http://www.classzone.com/books/research_guide/

McDougal Littell's contribution to Internet literacy, this section of the Class Zone is a Web research guide that includes an interactive quizzes, sections on doing research on the Web, evaluating web sites and citing Web sources, and recommended web sites in Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, Math and Languages.

eSmarts - http://www.consumerjungle.org/students/esmarts_student.htm

Part of the Consumer Jungle site, eSmarts addresses consumer safety online for kids. Rather than offering a lot of information up front it immediately challenges students to learn as they play in two game formats: Word Up and Tour the Temple. Both are interactive and full of information. Other interesting sections include supporting yourself, digital communications, buying a car and using credit wisely.

Evaluating Web Pages - http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
(note: if this link does not work, go to http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ then click on "Starting Your Research," scroll down to "How to use Internet resources," then select "Finding information on the Internet: A Tutorial" and finally "Evaluating Web Pages: Why and How.")

Created by UC Berkeley for its students and staff, this is the kind of comprehensive page you want to use with your students beginning in upper elementary. Full of specific directions and step-by-step processes for evaluating a web site as well as clickable glossary terms, this is a great information literacy resource. See also Saint Louis University's Student's Guide to Research with the WWW http://www.slu.edu/departments/english/research/ and USC's Infofilter for evaluating a web resource at http://www.usc.edu/users/help/flick/Infofilter/template.html (just load it into Word or Composer and work with students to fill in the blanks).

Jo Cool or Jo Fool: An Online Game about Savvy Surfing - http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/webaware/2joes/johome.htm

Ideal for middle school students, this interactive simulation/tutorial comes complete with a short list of standards with which to judge each of Joe's dilemmas. There are commercial come-ons, privacy snafus and even some ethical decisions to make. Once students are done surveying this well-designed site they can even take the online quiz. There's a .pdf teacher's guide too.

Kids' Computer Room - http://www.chirpingbird.com/netpets/html/computer/computer.html

A section of Phil Shapiro's Net Pets site, this is a quick, largely text-based treatment of three hot topics for kids online. And while it is limited in scope, it makes up for it in the practical topics it targets: bookmarking sites, emoticons and attitudes about computers.

Learn the Net - http://www.learnthenet.com/English/section/intbas.html

So you need a site to satisfy your more precocious students? Learn the net just may do the trick, with everything from this first page on Internet basics through Web navigation, using email, newsgroups, research, downloading files, enjoying multimedia and Internet safety. There's lots of graphic examples and information is offered in consumable chunks.

Netiquette for Kids - http://www.bpl.org/kids/Netiquette.htm

The Boston Public Library offers these practical guidelines in down to earth language that children can understand. There are also links to more sophisticated explanations, including a techno-ten commandments, a Usenet guide and an extensive examination of netiquette for older students by Arlene Rinaldi.

NetSmartz - http://www.netsmartz.org/

The NetSmartz Workshop is an educational resource for children of all ages, parents and teachers on how to stay safer on the Internet. Opening in a Web-safe window, the site is full of games and activities like What to do on the Web and Protect Your Personal Information. All of these interactive activities are formatted for readers and nonreaders, as well.

SurfSwell Island - http://disney.go.com/surfswell/index.html

Disney has several offerings to educate kids on the Internet, but this seemed the most appropriate for younger children. This Flash-based site includes three games on privacy, viruses and netiquette. The Challenge of Doom quiz then tests what students have learned. You can even learn more about your wireless device while on the Island!

Welcome to the Web - http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/welcome/

Combining bigger-than-life graphics, straightforward step-by-step directions and html-formatted worksheets, Mark Warner has created a colorful introduction for upper elementary and middle school students. Topics covered include Internet uses, guest books, browsers, and search and researching skills. It culminates in the Welcome to the Web Challenge!

WOW: Internet 101 - http://www.wowusa.com/Internet101/

This section of the Winners on Wheels site is a brightly colored collection of introductory treatments to the Internet. In addition to Net history and background, this site also includes URLs, Internet jargon and safe surfing. Written specifically for younger students, WOW is a great way to introduce students to a number of key ideas about working online.

Find More Great Resources at

 

There will not be an edition of the ITN next week in observance of Thanksgiving here in the States.
Topic for December 8, 2002: "Keyboards in the Classroom"

Click here for rich text format (printer friendly) version of this issue

You can email URL's of high quality sites which may be of interest to our readers as well as new topic ideas and input and feedback!

 

 

Subscribe	innovative-teaching-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe	innovative-teaching-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

This newsletter may be forwarded or copied provided the header and signature information remain intact. Show a colleague what you have found in Innovative Teaching! ©2002 Walter McKenzie