Surfin' the Internet: Exploring the Possibilities    The activities below are designed to help you explore the possibilities for classroom Internet integration.   Activity 1 Let's start by exploring a thematic topic such as World War II, Simple Machines, or the Respiratory System. Go the 42explore project index and choose a topic from the list. Explore the 4 starting points, suggested activities, a webquest, a student project, and a lesson plan. Consider how these items might be "repurposed" for use in your classroom.   Be ready to share one website and a specific activity you could do with your students. Bookmark the website so you can get back to it quickly.     Return to Workshop Index Return to Eduscapes Activity 2 Go to the Educational Portals and Starting Points page. Compare using the general education starting points with the thematic sites. Look for topics that you will be teaching this year.   Pick the site that you might consider using as your "home base". It may be one from the list or one you've used in the past. Be ready to share this "home base."   Activity 3 Go to the Search Tools page and try three search tools you have not used before. Compare these tools with the ones you've used before. Be sure to try tools for both children and adults. Try a variety of topics. Which tools work best with which topics?   List your favorite three search tools on the lab whiteboard.   Activity 4 Go to the Search Strategies page and try explore the "helper" pages. Try at least three new strategies for searching. For example, try searching for a topic and a teacher word such as jazz webquest or Sarah Plain and Tall lesson. Share what works best with a neighbor.   Create a group list of "Successful Search Strategies".   Activity 5 Go to the Evaluating Web Resources page and review the evaluation guidelines. Try one of the activities at the bottom of the page. Develop an activity that you could use with children to help them with evaluating the quality of information they find on the Internet.   Discuss an idea for an evaluation activity you could do with your students.   Return to Workshop Index Return to Eduscapes Created by Annette Lamb, 6/01