I'd really like to integrate
Internet rather than use it as a "extra" in the
classroom.
These are typical responses by teachers who have
started using Internet in the classroom. On the surface,
it seems like a fun, easy technology to use. However,
like all technologies it requires carefully planned
learning environments to be effective. This book will
help you design practical classroom activities that make
use of the communication and informational resources of
the Internet. Rather than focusing on "how to use"
Internet, we'll be focusing on "how to integrate"
Internet. If you need basic skills in using the Internet,
try our book titled Cruisin' the Information Highway:
Internet in the K-12 Classroom.
Overview of the Book
Practical ideas are the key words for this book.
Practical is the most important key because you can use
the materials in your classroom today if you have access
to the Internet. Ideas is the second key because the book
provides suggestions. You need to fit the ideas into
activities that will work with your individual classroom,
grade level, content area, and students.
The book is sequenced to provide increasingly complex,
integrated activities. Start with projects from the first
section to get your students involved with Internet
before jumping into a full-blow project.
Findin' the Beach. The first section will help
you and your students "find the beach." It will give
students an opportunity to explore a variety of
information resources in popular topic areas and try some
simple email activities. These activities could be linked
to almost any academic area. We suggest that you focus on
literacy activities that involve reading, analyzing,
interpreting, and communicating ideas and
information.
Lookin' for Information Waves. After becoming
comfortable with the tools of Internet, students will
begin looking for waves of information in section two.
They'll explore specific health, nutrition, science, or
social issues of interest. Again, these activities can
easily cross content areas. This chapter will ask
students to identify and answer research questions and
use Internet resources along with other materials to
address important issues, problems, and questions.
Ridin' the Surf. The third section of the book
focuses on subject area activities. Students begin riding
the waves of technology by integrating Internet into the
traditional content area projects from Art to
Zoology.
Hangin' Ten. Interdisciplinary thematic units
are highlighted in the final section. Rather than
emphasizing a particular subject area, broad areas of
interest that cross disciplines will provide the basis
for a variety of activities. We'll focus on providing
learning environments to meet the multiple intelligences
of your students.
Words to the Wise
This is a "doing" book, not a "reading" book. Some
activities will fit with your needs, while others will
not. Pick those activities and projects that meet the
needs of your individual students and class. Use the
following guidelines as you work through the book.
Use a variety of resources. In addition to
Internet, you'll also want to use other traditional and
emerging technologies including fiction and nonfiction
books, maps, globes, filmstrips, videos, CD-ROMs,
laserdiscs, and other informational and instructional
materials. We've provided a short list of selected
materials with each activity. These are not intended to
be the "best" resources, but ones we've found useful in
working with the subject area. You'll want to expand the
list for your particular group of students.
This book is for all ages. Although we've
provided age or grade level guidance on some of the
supplemental materials, as a whole we avoid the age
issue. Most of the activities can be revised for use with
any grade level. You'll find that most of the resources
on the Internet are written at the middle school reading
level or above. However much of the general information,
pictures, and graphics can be used at all levels. In
addition, you may wish to direct student attention to
particular areas of a document that are easy to
understand.
Internet changes constantly. Each activity
provides sample Internet addresses. We've tried to
provide popular sites that contain links to other
examples. These represent only a few of the many sites
available. The resources we've listed may or may not be
available when you try them in your classroom. The
addresses may have changed or may be gone entirely. Many
times when an Internet address is changed, you'll see a
"forwarding" page that will take you to the updated
address. If the address doesn't work at all, it may be
that particular pages in the site have been renamed. In
this case, you may still be able to get to the site by
removing part of the address. For example, if the
following address doesn't work
(http://magic.usi.edu/treehouse/intro.html), then try
(http://magic.usi.edu/treehouse) or just
(http://magic.usi.edu).
In some activities, we've provided "search words" in
case the sites we've identified don't work. Try the
suggested words in one of the many Internet search tools
such as InfoSeek or WebCrawler to create your own list of
Internet sites. Use these sites and words to demonstrate
how to use Internet for the particular activity.
Encourage students to explore other sites and add them to
the class resource list.
Do it yourself. Before assigning any of the
activities in this book, you'll want to check them
yourself. Internet sites change frequently. In developing
the hands-on activities that relate to specific sites,
we've tried to create generic assignments that will work
even if the site has been updated. As such, we haven't
included any "answer" because in most cases the results
will vary from student to student. You need to work with
the sites and develop a means of evaluating student
assignments based on the needs of your classroom.
Another reason for checking the sites relates to age
appropriateness. Some materials may be inappropriate for
your particular class. Although you can't preview
everything, at least check the main links for the site
you'll be using. You may find that some of the "fun"
sites contain inappropriate language or terminology. You
never know what "Beavis and Butthead" might say. You'll
have to be the judge of whether to integrate a particular
site or not.
Get help. You can't be everywhere at once! Many
adults are interested in learning about the Internet. Get
parent or community volunteers to work with your
students. Develop collaborations across grade levels.
Many of the Internet resources contain content that may
be above the reading level of primary students, but just
right for older students. Try the each one teach one
approach. In other words, work with a small group of
children and let these students teach to others in the
class.
You can also use Internet resources for support. For
example, use the bookmark feature of Netscape to organize
bookmarks for each unit. You could create a bookmark
folder for each content area or unit topic. You could
also place Internet addresses and activities on laminated
notecards.
Consider creating your own home page containing links
to specific sites. Or, access our home page at one of the
following two addresses. We'll be updating addresses and
adding activities.
Explore the GORP page and try the following
activities. Use the words in bold to help you find the
information you need for each activity. This web site
contains lots of graphics, so it may be slow.
Go to the attractions and read about some of the
National Parks. Select one you would like to visit and
one you wouldn't want to visit. Explain why.
Visit some of the National Forests. It's important to
save our forests. Create a poster for one of these
forests. Describes it's features and the importance of
saving it.
Visit the US Wilderness Areas. Select one area and
describe the animals that live there. Write about a day
in the life of one of these animals.
Visit a US Wildlife Refuge. What's the purpose of a
wildlife refuge? Discuss an animal that lives in one of
these refuges and why this is important.
Visit the National Monuments. Plan a trip to visit
three of these national monuments. You only have four
days. Will you fly or take a car? Why did you pick these
three monuments?
Visit the Archeological & Paleontological Sites.
Learn more about the people or creatures that once lived
at one of these sites. Draw a picture of what the area
might have looked like when it was "alive" with
activity.
Visit the National Historic Parks. Write down the
address and write a letter to one of the parks asking for
more information.
Visit the National Recreation Areas. Locate one of
these areas on a map. If you could spend the weekend at
this site, what would you do?
Visit the National Seashore Area. Locate one of these
areas on a map. Describe the sea creatures that live in
this area. Create a chart showing the life cycle of one
of these creatures.
Visit the National Battlefield Parks. Create a
timeline showing when this battle took place in
comparison to other battles of the war. Why was this
battle important enough to become a National
Battlefield?
Explore the world of volcanoes. Teachers can
explore lots of great lesson plans to go with this site
(http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lesson.html)!
Create a wall chart and model showing how a volcano
works! Use the information in What is VolcanoWorld? for
help!
Create a world map showing recent volcanic activity.
Use Volcanoes of the World for ideas. In small groups,
study a part of the world where a volcano is active.
Email someone in the area and see what they think about
living so close to an active volcano. Are they worried?
Are they ready for an eruption? How are they preparing
for a possible eruption?
Where is the closest Volcanic Park or Monument from
where you live? How far is it from where you live? If the
volcano erupted, would you see evidence where you live?
What and how?
Study the impact of volcanoes in our world. Choose one
of the following areas to explore: plant succession,
animal behavior, evolutionary and geologic processes,
ecology, weather patterns and environmental issues.
- Create a two-sided hanging poster that shows
"before" and "after".
Make a timeline showing the long term impacts of
volcanoes.
Explore the glossary. Create an alphabet book for
younger students that uses each letter of the alphabet to
explain volcanic terms. How could you explain to students
in pictures and words the impact of a volcano?
Explore the Mount St. Helen's Volcano site. How did
the Mount St. Helen's volcano change the people who live
in the area? Email students at a school near the volcano
and ask them about the disaster.
Read some student projects about volcanoes. Pick a
topic and send in your own ideas!
Explore other volcano sites. Create a set of questions
to go with one of the volcano sites. Create a HyperStudio
stack containing questions and answers about your
favorite volcano.
Join the volcano contest!
Learn about becoming a volcanologist and ask a
volcanologist a question!
