Chapter 8 Review

1. What online resources are available to assist educators in researching areas of interest?

Online publications - online publications are online versions of many of the educational journals that are now available on the Internet. These publications usually include current and archived articles of interest to educators, and typically offer related links; some offer automatic email updates and special offers.

Online professional organizations- offer a wide variety of services from a central location of relevant and useful resources related to the organizations’ focus as well as links to other pertinent websites; websites for professional organizations include teachers’ unions, professional associations, content area groups, technology groups they typically provide calendars of events, current and archived publications, online stores, and current news about issues important to that organization; some include conferences, chats, and live audio or video Internet broadcasts featuring important people in the field.

Weblogs (blogs) - Weblogs or blogs are virtual online space that provides a forum for the expression of ideas and consideration of other viewpoints, and the addition of comments and links makes blogs powerful interactive writing tools.

Governmental sites - the U.S. Department of Education website includes information about current education news, national standards, programs, grants, research, links to other federal agencies, and a wide variety of publications and reports available by mail or download; the U.S. Department of Education provides useful and comprehensive education links including access to ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center, the world’s largest database of educational information containing abstracts of documents and journal articles). State departments of education websites offer similar services but emphasize educational issues within that state.

Education portals - offers various services providing current up to date links to other resources on the Internet, teachers’ guides, lesson plans, Net events, audio and video clips, web hosting, clip art libraries, educational games, information about schools and colleges, and a variety of instructional resources accessible by grade level and content area.

Favorite links - Bookmarking or adding links to your favorites allows users to store a collection of their favorite website URL’s that are of interest to them in one place making easy for them to revisit them later using just a click of the mouse.

2. What is a PDF file? What advantage does it offer over files in HTML format?

A PDF file is a file that has been saved in Adobe Acrobat format so that the publication appears exactly as it would look on the printed page, including custom layouts, photos, and other graphics; these files require the use of Adobe Reader to display them. PDF files are often used to share published information because they maintain the formatting and detail that is lost when presented in HTML. Usually PDF publication websites include a link to connect directly to Adobe’s free download page to read the file.

3. What is a weblog? How might it be used for teaching and learning?

Weblogs are virtual online spaces that provide a forum for the expression of ideas and consideration of other viewpoints, and the inclusion of comments and links makes blogs powerful interactive writing tools. Educational blogging sites (edblogs) give online space to students of all grade levels opportunity to publicly post daily journal entries, comment on peer postings, collaborate on group projects worldwide, research what other bloggers have said on a topic and connect to resources they have found. Educators can facilitate the use of weblogs to encourage students to write and communicate.

4.How are government educational sites of value in terms of resources? How do they differ from commercial and organizational sites?

The U.S. Department of Education website includes information about current education news, national standards, programs, grants, research, links to other federal agencies, and a wide variety of publications and reports available by mail or download; the U.S. Department of Education provides useful and comprehensive education links including access to ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center, the world’s largest database of educational information containing abstracts of documents and journal articles). State departments of education websites offer similar services but emphasize educational issues within that state. Government websites inform and protect the public, organizational websites offer a central location of relevant and useful resources related to the organizations’ focus, and commercial websites promote products and services.

5.What type of classroom management and academic tools are available via the internet? Briefly explain how each tool might help you in your classroom.

Test generators - create multimedia tests by randomly selecting questions within their databases, allow teachers to select questions, or teachers create questions to be added to the database.

Formal and informal diagnostic tests - assess learning preferences.

Tools that generate class roll - create seating charts.

Electronic grade books - store and average student grades.

Worksheet generators - make interesting student activity sheets to create content specific crossword puzzles, word searches, cryptograms, math exercises, and multimedia flash cards.
Lesson plan websites - offer subject specific plans and lesson plans submitted by colleagues and lesson plans relevant to national or state standards; educational websites often offer lesson plan links related to the content of that site.

Lesson plan software - programs that generate lesson plans and relate them to specific standards.

Reference tools and resources - dictionaries in all languages, thesauri, grammar and spelling tools, and maps are available on the Internet.

CD-ROM based multimedia encyclopedias - are often too expensive, and in the alternative Internet available multimedia encyclopedias and research resources with links to related information may be better alternatives.

Internet - the Internet in general available through search engines is a vast source of innovative teaching resources constantly being updated and contributed to by educators.

Connection gateways - websites that offer opportunities to communicate with others provide discussion and chats on specific topics related to teaching and content areas for all grade levels, giving educators opportunities to interactively exchange with colleagues worldwide.

6.How can a classroom website improve communications with students, parents, and community?

A classroom website can offer class information as well as links to useful websites such as weblogs, e-pal, and content related sites. It allows teachers opportunities to customize in their own style to communicate information about what students do and see on the web. Classroom connection pages share classroom information and current activities, homework pages let students and parents know what is required, class calendars track important due dates for students and parents, news pages share news and events, and links offers students and parents related links to study units and school information.

7. What are web authoring tools? What types are available to educators? There are a variety of web authoring tools to assist educators make a class website.

Word processors - one of the easiest and familiar ways to create a web page to layout files with graphics and text to save as HTML format for uploading to the Web; it is easy to use but creates only basic types of web pages.

Templates and design wizards - use predefined formats as interactive tools with customization options with links requiring only data entry and uploading.

Desktop publishing software - allows more control of the web page design, such as moving objects, adding new elements, manipulating a printed page, flexibility of websites page layouts, more sophisticated design wizards.

Dedicated web development software - allow creation of simple websites or more complex sophisticated websites with advanced graphics and multimedia similar to commercial sites. They may also be available through the ISP or portal (although usually with fewer options).

8. How are new websites added to the Web? What resources do teachers have to do so?

The files stored on the hard drive or CD need to be uploaded to a web server which connects a network to the Web and stores web files for others to access. Some schools and districts provide space on their web servers for teachers’ classroom websites and the school’s webmaster will create and maintain the site and integrate new elements and upload them into the school or district site. If teachers have concerns about the delays associated with having a webmaster maintain their website, then there are many types of website hosting service available on the Web. Many ISPs, websites, and portals offer free or inexpensive (although there may be limitations and/or possibly inappropriate advertising) web hosting services where you can upload pages to the host through an FTP program and the service will take care of creating the web access. Private hosts do not advertise on customer web sites and will give a direct URL so that the host’s home page can be bypassed. There are also some private and publicly funded websites that offer web upload hosting to schools and teachers without advertising with control of advertising on their broader sites, and although there may be limitations of storage space at least they provide an appropriate Internet environment for students.

9. What is an acceptable use policy? What impact does it have on the use of the Web in the classroom?

Schools and districts acceptable use policy (AUP) identifies and enforces the acceptable use of a school’s network and Internet access in order to prevent abuse. The AUP policy indicates the ways the Internet can be used by students. Parents are usually asked to confirm their understanding of the policy and the consequences for violating it through signature acknowledgement. Teachers using the Internet and providing links to resources through their own class websites should be familiar with the AUP in their school district.

10. Contrast the issues of privacy and filtering when using the Web in the classroom. What are the responsibilities of a teacher in each of these areas?

Teachers must be sure to carefully guard children’s privacy when sharing students’ work or including their images or names on a website. It is in the best interest for everyone for the teacher to have parent/guardian permission. To avoid information used by predators there should be no specific details about children including names. Teachers need to be sure their websites are consistent with school and district guidelines. Schools use filtering software that checks the content of a site before allowing it to be displayed in order to block inappropriate websites from children. Regardless of the allegations of some that it is a restriction of free speech, teachers need to agree with school districts that keeping children safe from harmful Internet content is the responsibility of all educators.