|
Title: |
TAPPING the Internet for
Classroom Use. |
|
Subject(s): |
INTERNET (Computer network) in education; TEACHING -- Aids & devices |
|
Source: |
|
|
Author(s): |
|
|
Abstract: |
Examines the skills educators need to take advantage of
the Internet in the classroom. Task definition;
Information-seeking strategies; Location of information; Use of information;
Synthesis; Evaluation. |
|
AN: |
4155284 |
|
ISSN: |
1075-0479 |
|
Full Text
Word Count: |
2232 |
|
Database: |
Computer Source |
TAPPING THE INTERNET FOR CLASSROOM USE
Information
Literacy Skills Pave the Way
In the past, teachers had difficulty finding additional information to supplement and complement the curriculum they were developing. The school, academic, and public libraries could only provide so much added material, and these resources were soon exhausted. Today, with the availability of the Internet and the World Wide Web, teachers have the opposite problem. Presented with huge amounts of information, teachers need to learn how to search out and find the information they need, evaluate it for usefulness, and use it in a way that is meaningful for the student learning process. Teachers need to become much more information literate while helping their students to achieve this goal at the same time.
In their book Information Problem Solving: The Big Six Skills Approach to Library & Information Skills, Eisenberg and Berkowitz define the path to information literacy for research as six essential steps, appropriately called the "Big Six" process. (See the "Big Six Skills" sidebar for more, as well as the "Resources" sidebar for information on this book and other helpful resources I'll refer to in this article.) These same six steps to the effective research process make an excellent framework for highlighting the skills educators need to take advantage of the Internet in the classroom. There's a whole host of considerations--technical, ethical, and educational--to examine concurrently, and I'll do so in the context of the Big Six skills.
Task Definition
To find information on the Internet, teachers should first clearly define what they are seeking. With limited access to the Internet in some schools, and limited time to use it, you must think about the information needed before going online. Compile a list of keywords that are specific to your topic (e.g., igneous rocks vs. rocks) and types of information sought (e.g., lesson plans, images, etc.) to make the searching phase more efficient. Consult traditional reference sources and journals to articulate a unique thesis statement or problem to solve. In other words, define the task before beginning to search for information.
Information-Seeking Strategies
There are two basic methods of finding information on the Internet--directories and search engines. Directories are lists of links compiled by human beings. These directories usually categorize and classify sites according to some specific criteria. They may also have a keyword search available for searching their own list. Yahoo! [http://yahoo.com/] is an example of a large, general-purpose directory. There are also many smaller, subject-specific directories compiled by experts, such as my own Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators [http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/], a directory targeted toward an audience of educators.
Search engines, on the other hand, consist of databases compiled by computer programs (called robots or spiders) that index information on many Web servers. (A Web server stores Web pages on a computer that always is connected to the Internet.) The database may include the title of the Web page, the Web page address (URL), or even the full text of the page. A search engine database is keyword-searchable and usually includes an important advanced search capability allowing combining of terms. Some popular and well-maintained search engines include AltaVista [http://altavista.com/] and HotBot [http://www.hotbot.com/].
Directories are a good place to start if you're new to the Internet. They are usually browsable by category and give the "newbie" a large collection of links to begin exploring. Directories are also useful when you're not quite sure what information you are seeking and need to gather some ideas or find out what type of information is available on a certain topic.
Search engines are usually preferable to directories; the amount of information you can search in a search engine is much greater than what is in a directory. Search engines are most useful when you have a focused topic and need to combine relevant terms. It is a good idea to start on the advanced search screen of any search engine because it will provide the widest range of choices for narrowing or expanding the search.
Location of Information
Boolean searching is an important skill inherent in the location of information. It involves, among other things, the combining of terms with the word "AND" to limit a search and the word "OR" to broaden a search. For example, to find any site that contains the two words "igneous" and "rocks," the searcher would type "igneous AND rocks." This search would return only the pages that included both of these terms. If the search didn't turn up many hits, the searcher could type "igneous OR rocks," which would then return any page that contained either of these two words. (For more on Boolean searching, you can refer to the Tyner article mentioned in the "Resources" sidebar at left.)
Each of the search engines features a little different style of presenting this search strategy, and you should become proficient in this methodology in a few different search engines in order to locate the information you need. Always conduct searches in multiple search engines to obtain the most relevant information.
Avoid using metasearch engines, which concurrently search multiple search engines for a single keyword or phrase. These engines often use the lowest common denominator of search strategies, producing voluminous and unusable results. It is much better to practice conducting tightly structured advanced searches to achieve the best results.
Use of Information
After locating the information, you'll need to evaluate it according to a set of criteria ranging from the technical quality of the page to the authority of the Web page's author to write about the topic. One of the criteria to consider when evaluating aWeb page is the speed at which it loads onto the computer's Web browser. Even though many schools and universities now have high-speed connections, many students access the Internet at home via a telephone line. A graphically rich page may take a long time to download over this type of dial-up connection. Teachers need to remember the technical constraints at the school and at students' homes when considering using a page to support classroom instruction. (See my "Critical Evaluation Surveys" article, noted in the "Resources" box, to learn more.)
Some of the other content criteria to consider include the authenticity of the information, the authority of theauthor, the applicability of the information, and the presence of any bias. Critical evaluation of differing types of Web pages (personal, informational, educational) may also take different forms. There's a wonderful series of pages dealing with this area of critical evaluation of specific types of pages in the Tate and Alexander article noted in the "Resources" sidebar.
If teachers use some of the textual information or images from a Web site in a classroom lesson, they must give credit to the original publisher of the information. The same copyright guidelines exist for information published on the Internet as for information published in print. Information (including images) taken from the Internet should never be re-published on the Internet or in print form for formal publication without the express written consent of the copyright holder. The fair use guidelines for print and multimedia use specifically define the amount of an original work that may be used and for what purpose. If you plan to download an entire site for offline browsing in order to use a computer that is not connected to the Internet, you must obtain permission from the creator or publisher of the Web page. The University of Maryland University College article mentioned in the "Resources" sidebar offers more on this subject.
Synthesis
When confronted with a new technology, most users first think about how they can make an existing process better and later come up with new strategies that take full advantage of the new technology. Teachers are no different. The first thing teachers usually do on the Internet is send e-mail. It is easy to do, familiar in purpose, and understandable. Once they are proficient with e-mail, teachers realize there is a whole range of classroom projects that depend on e-mail. Judy Harris has been in the forefront of e-mail collaborative project ideas for many years, and some wonderful ongoing projects exist. These run the gamut from keypals (electronic penpals) to full-scale simulation projects involving many schools. See the reference to her book, Virtual Architecture, in the "Resources" sidebar.
When
teachers begin to obtain information from the Internet, they
usually present it to their students in the form of printed handouts or lists
of Internet addresses (URLs) that include Web sites for the
students to visit for extra information. Once you feel comfortable with the
breadth, depth, and quality of information available on the Internet,
you are ready to create a lesson or unit that depends primarily on Internet
resources to complete. The WebQuest is a successful, largely Internet-based
lesson model, developed in part by Bernie Dodge of
A WebQuest primarily uses Internet resources and requires students to employ some higher-order thinking strategies to complete the task. Because the teacher is by now well versed in searching and evaluating Web sites, these two skills are naturally included in any Internet-based lesson. In this way, you are presenting some of the theories and concepts of information literacy in the context of the subject matter.
Evaluation
As with any new lesson or unit, you need to take time to reflect on the process when it is complete. Here are some of the questions to consider:
• Was the lesson or unit effective?
• Did it point the students in the correct direction to solve the problem or complete the assignment?
• Did technical considerations affect students' ability to perform the task?
• Did the students become more information-literate?
• Did the students achieve the expected outcome?
• Was the Internet the correct vehicle for this particular lesson?
• How could things be done differently the next time?
You can lengthen, broaden, discard, or keep the lesson intact depending upon this thoughtful evaluation of the process and the outcome.
Conclusion
Teachers need to learn how to effectively use the Internet to support the teaching and learning process. They should spend time defining an information need, searching for information, and evaluating the information before attempting to incorporate it into a lesson.
Once you become comfortable with the process, there are models of classroom Internet integration available that support contemporary educational theory and practice. Remember that this is a fast-moving technology, and you need to devote time to the reevaluation of the process and incorporation of the newer technologies as they become available and commonplace.
Communications to the author may be addressed to Kathy Schrock, Technology Coordinator, Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District, South Yarmouth, MA, 02664; phone: 508/398-7660; e-mail: kathy@kathyschrock.net.
Helpful Resources
Need information? Interested in further reading? Here's a list of additional articles and books, many of which I refer to in this article.
Eisenberg, M.B. & Berkowitz, R. (1990). Information
Problem Solving: The Big Six Skills Approach to Library and Information Skills.
Dodge,
B. (
Harris,
J. (1998). Virtual Architecture.
Marzano, R. (1992). A Different Kind of Classroom: Teaching
with Dimensions of Learning.
Schrock,
K. (2000). Critical Evaluation Surveys [Online].
Kathleen Schrock. http://school.discovery.com/Schrockguide/eval.html
[
Schrock,
K. (1996). The Mystery Solved: Exploring the Difference Between Search Engines
and Directories [Online]. Kathleen Schrock. http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/mystery/mystery1.html
[
Tate,
Marsha and Jan Alexander (
http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial
Library/webevaluation/webeval. htm [
Tyner,
R. (1999, Fall). Sink or Swim: Internet
Search Tools and Techniques [Online]. Ross Tyner. http://www.sci.ouc.bc.ca/libr/connect96/search.htm
[
University of
Big six skills
• Task definition: Defining the problem and identifying information requirements
• Information-seeking strategies: Determining the range of possible sources and prioritizing search strategies
• Location and access: Locating the sources and finding information within the sources
• Use of information: Extracting relevant information from a source
• Synthesis: Organizing and presenting information
• Evaluation: Judging the effectiveness of the presentation and the problem-solving process
Web Quests
The critical attributes of a WebQuest include:
• Introduction:Set the stage for the learners in a narrative paragraph.
• Task: Write so it is doable and interesting for the learner.
• Information sources: Provide a set of print and online information sources for the students, including books, Web sites, e-mail addresses, and FTP sites.
• Description of the process: Supply a clearly defined set of steps to let the learner know what is going to happen during the WebQuest.
• Guidance: Provide guidance on how to organize information; supply a timeline if needed.
• Evaluation: Use evaluation rubrics designed by the teacher or students to set expectations and measure results.
• Conclusion: Bring closure to the WebQuest and provide some higher-order thinking skills questions to promote critical thinking.
~~~~~~~~
By
Kathy Schrock,
Copyright of Multimedia Schools is the property of Information Today Inc. and its
content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv
without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may
print, download, or email articles for individual use.
Source: Multimedia
Schools, Mar/Apr2001, Vol. 8 Issue 2, p38, 6p.
Item Number: 4155284