The internet is a valuable tool that is increasing in value in the real world. Students need to become familiar and comfortable with its use to keep up with real world trends. Students can use the internet, not only to research and chat, but for classroom learning and practice on skills. I use QUIA, a site that allows me to design games that include material from chapters. In my science class, I basically took tested concepts, and worded them in different ways on different games. The games could be accessed from school or home. They allowed students to practice the material/concepts, and increased understanding of the chapter. It also allowed me to give computer graded quizzes, if I chose. I set up several quizzes on basics like terms of math operations and properties. The students take the quiz at a determined time. If they didn't pass, they were able to retake the quiz to try to improve their score. Steve introduced us to Timez Attack this year, which is an internet based computer game (set up like a video game) that allows the students to practice multiplication facts. The kids love it! We also were allowed to do an introductory trial to Study Island, a math site with skill practice based on the state standards by grade level (which the school is purchasing the license for our use next year.) The students use the internet to design placemats for a class luncheon in Social Studies. Their designs were sent to an in-house business class that printed and laminated the placemats. It made the placemat production a lot easier, and the students had some pretty cool placemats in the end.
To help control appropriate use and responsible use of the internet in the high school, our district requires the students and parents to sign a permission form. It states that use is only allowed as long as the student is using the internet access appropriately. We have a little more control in the grade school setting, but as the students become more aware of what is on the internet, that may have to change, especially in the upper level. Monitoring sites to be used helps, but instructions for inappropriate material that may pop-up need to be given.
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Module 3, activity 9, step 2:
I can use the Internet to support my teaching as a resource for better lessons, how to integrate technology into my curriculum and for peer support. As for my students' learning, they can use the Internet as a resource for finding information for their classroom assignments and as a way to share ideas with their peers.
As the libraian, I believe I have a large role in ensuring that they use the Internet appropriately. This is why I am glad our school requires students to sign an AUP and also why I spend time teaching lessons on how to evaluate web sources and how to give credit to sources that they use. I try to post these items around the library as reminders and then make a point of reminding teachers to monitor students that check out the laptops from the library.
One of the things that I think everyone should read (students, parents, administrators,etc.) is the Child Safety on the Info. Highway. (The TeenSafety one was good too.)
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