SLM: 521: Telecommunications & The
Internet
Compiled by: Tina Thomen
Last Updated: November 27, 2005
BIBLIOGRAPGHY
Web Bibilography – This Web Link Bibliography provides writing
resources for both secondary students and English teachers. The first three sections are arranged for
middle and high school students in order of relevance to their daily writing
needs: General Style & Research
Guides, Creative Writing ~ Ideas for Teens, and Publishing ~ Teen Writers. Sites were selected based on navigational
ease and appeal to an adolescent audience.
Several heavily-commercialized and outdated sites were reviewed, but
eliminated from this bibliography. The
last section, Teaching Writing ~ Teen
Instructional Activities, provides resources such as lesson plans,
interactive media and PowerPoint presentations that will enhance writing
instruction for a variety of learning styles. (Updated 9/23/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/webbib.htm
COURSE
MODULE LINK
Using the World Wide Web to Support Local Community
Service – This Internet
Course Module is designed for pre-service and current teachers who may want to
develop closer ties with their local community.
Pre-service teachers complete three activities to locate local
organizations, access resources connected to their content area, and to develop
a lesson plan that incorporates service learning projects for students. (Updated 11/16/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/coursmod.htm
DROPIN
ACTIVITIES
Dropin #1 – This first instructional drop-in activity introduces a multicultural literary
unit on The Joy Luck Club, a novel by
Amy Tan. High School English students
are connected to an online interview provided by the
Dropin #2 - This second instructional drop-in activity introduces a lesson about
Haiku Poetry for either middle or high school English students. Colorful graphics and photos represent how this
genre uses such imagery to convey a poetic experience. Students first are introduced to the basics
of Haiku before completing a follow-up activity that connects their own writing
to the teachings of Master Basho, the Japanese poet who created the Haiku form
and philosophy. (Updated 9/30/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/dropin2.htm
Dropin #3 - This third instructional drop-in activity introduces a high school World
literature lesson about several works from the perspective of African slaves, European
colonialists, and African tribal leaders.
As a pre-reading activity before studying Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography,
students will analyze the visual representations of Tom Feelings who
illustrated this history in his famous picture book called The Middle Passage. The selection includes a map of the
transatlantic slave trade and black & white art. (Updated 10/13/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/dropin3.htm
Dropin#4 – This fourth instructional drop-in activity introduces secondary
English students to a unit on persuasive writing. Students visit five different
websites to study a classic debate about the freedom of speech as it pertains
to students who publish high school newsletters; this topic may stir follow-up group
debate activities if desired. Students
analyze and evaluate multiple points of view and persuasive writing elements.
(Updated 10/13/05.) http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/dropin4.htm
Dropin #5 – This fifth instructional drop-in activity introduces the concept of
conflict in literature to secondary language arts students. They first read through a brief essay that
explains the four types of literary conflict: CHARACTER vs. CHARACTER, CHARACTER vs.
SELF, CHARACTER vs. NATURE, and CHARACTER vs. SOCIETY. This introductory
background sets the stage for the reading of Edgar Allen Poe’s short story,
entitled The Cask of Amontillado. Students complete a graphic organizer, citing
evidence from the text about what types of conflict are revealed and whether
they are resolved by the end of the story.
(Updated 10/28/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/dropin5.htm
ELECTIVES:
COMMUNICATION
Newsletters – This site offers a brief summary of two newsletters that I
subscribed to for resources and lesson plan ideas. The newsletters are
Education World’s Teacher Lesson Plans
and Educational Cyber Playground’s K12
Newsletters. (Updated
11/17/05.) http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/newsletr.htm
Student Publishing – This site outlines procedures for
publishing exemplary student productions on the World Wide Web. (Most publishers
post for students aged 13-18.) While recognizing the educational achievements
of students, measures must be followed to mitigate the potential risks
associated with these benefits. Foremost
to student publishing is the protection of privacy and assurance of
appropriate, quality postings. A parent
and student permission form is included as well as additional websites that
offer online student publishing.
(Updated 10/13/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/studpubl.htm
Web Radio and Audio - This guide offers resources for integrating
sound into secondary English or
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/audiosite.htm
ELECTIVES:
INSTRUCTION
Citing Internet Resources – This link reviews the specific focus of the MLA
Style link at Write Source (<http://www.thewritesource.com/mla.htm>),
written in concise language appropriate for adolescents. Targeted for middle
and high school students who typically must use the MLA style, this document
also provides examples of electronic citations.
(Updated 9/20/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/citing.htm
Evaluating Websites Checklist – This link provides a checklist for high school students
to critically evaluate two possible websites for research purposes. Seven main questions are posed that prompt
students to consider issues such as authorship credentials, overall quality,
interaction capabilities, audience, external reviews and personal reactions. A blank and a completed checklist are
provided as samples. Websites evaluated
for this exercise were www.poetry.org and http://poetry.wholesome balance.com/. (Updated 9/28/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/evalwebs.htm
Instructional Modifications for Internet Activities – This activity lists modifications and the
rationale for using given strategies to assist students with ADHD and Dyspraxia,
also known as Sensory Integration Disorder.
These instructional modifications could be adapted to assist students of
all ages. (Updated 11/17/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/instrmod.htm
Teacher Websites – This site critiques two websites created by middle
school teachers. One site followed a basic template provided by TeacherWeb.com
and another site that comprehensively and creatively offered both interactive
and informational resources for students and parents. For pre-service English
teachers, Mrs. Dowling’s Virtual Classroom models how a comprehensive website
could be organized for instructional, motivational, and informational purposes.
(Updated 9/28/05.) http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/teachweb.htm
Worksheets on the Web – This site annotates 10 different online resources
for secondary English and Language Arts teachers. Worksheets, rubrics, and graphic organizers
are available in either adaptable template or PDF format. (Updated 10/11/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/wksheets.htm
ELECTIVES:
LEGAL
Preventing Plagiarism – This site provides
a one-page handout that addresses this issue for any teacher who assigns
research papers that involve Internet sources.
Understanding the warning signs and potential for plagiarism is a
critical task for today’s teachers as students gain increased access to online
resources. Numerous websites offer teachers strategies to combat this
problem. Furthermore, teachers can
employ various instructional techniques to not only prevent plagiarism, but to
also improve the writing process for their students. (Updated 10/28/05.) http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/plagiar8.htm
ELECTIVES:
MISCELLANEOUS
Silicon Snake Oil - This blackboard response summarizes my reaction to
Clifford Stoll’s reflections about the role of technology on our society. I address the role of technology in either
bringing people together or isolating them.
I also draw on personal experiences as a banker to comment on how businesses
must cope with counter-productive technology systems. (Updated 11/17/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/silicon.htm
ELECTIVES:
MULTIMEDIA
PowerPoint Presentation - This site
provides a PowerPoint presentation of a lesson for a high school English class
as we begin the writing process. The
focus of this lesson is about using pre-writing strategies to generate
ideas. Over the course of several
lessons, students work independently and collaboratively to draft, revise, and
edit. In addition to composing original
works, students listen to a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks and discuss how she
generated ideas for “We Real Cool.” (Updated 10/28/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/ideasppt_files/frame.htm
ELECTIVES:
UTILITIES
Hoaxes –
This blackboard response summarizes my perceptions of how Internet hoaxes
effect people and businesses. I
primarily focus on how the medical alerts create unneeded hysteria by
consumers. In addition, businesses
suffer financially by protecting their brand to counteract these false
claims. Businesses also must spend
excessive funds to protect the privacy of consumers who may succumb to identity
theft and phishing scams. (Updated 11/17/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/hoaxdisc.htm
Research Journal Databases – This assignment provides a list of five citations
about journal articles that address Writing
Instruction. Through online access
to journal databases, students and teachers can more conveniently develop
professionally. (Updated 11/05/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/journals.htm
SEARCH
ENGINES
Search Engines – The 2005 Best of Search Engines Awards target
middle and high school students who are engaged in Related Language Arts (RLA),
or English studies. The annotated
credentials of the selected winners reveal search engines that share the
following characteristics: ease of
navigation, appeal to a pre-teen/teen audience, and quality of search
results. The categories include: Arts & Humanities, General, Language,
Media, and Meta Search Engines. (Updated 9/20/05.)
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/thoment/engines.htm
For more information about
the above activities, contact Tina L. Thomen at thethomens@adelphia.net.