Chapter 8 Review Questions

1. What online resources are available to assist educators in researching areas of interest? Describe each.

a. Online publications: are educational journals that include current and archived articles of interest to educators. These electronic articles can be saved or printed for use. Some online publications offer a service that will automatically send email regarding upcoming highlights or news. The emails can be sent on a weekly or monthly basis and may include special offers.

b. Online Professional Organizations: now have web sites that range from modest to robust. The sites provide calendars of events, current and archived publications, online stores, and current news about issues critical to that organization. Some include conferences, chats, and live audio or video broadcasts. In addition, these organization web sites can offer a central repository of relevant and useful resources related to the organizational focus as well as links to other pertinent web sites.

c. Blogs: or weblogs are virtual online spaces that support the posting of personal commentary on the Web. Blogs, an interactive writing tool, provide a one-way communication, where bloggers post their ideas and others respond to these ideas either in comments or in other blogs with link back to the original posting. Bloggers can add links in their own commentaries to connect to other web resources or “backtrack; to other blogs.

d. Government Sites: specifically the U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov) includes information about current education news, national standards, programs, grants, research, links to other federal agencies, and a wide variety of publications and reports available by mail or download. This web site also provides the most useful and comprehensive education links including ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center), which is the world’s largest database of education information.

e. Portals: contain teachers’ guides to the Internet, lesson plans, Net events, audio and video clips, web hosting opportunities, clip art libraries, educational games, information about schools and colleges, and a variety of instructional resources accessible by grade level and content area.

f. Links: can provide some of the best online resources from one site to another. Web sites often link to other sites consistent with the content of their own site. Some sites are a collection of links created for the sole purpose of providing connections to those seeking information on a given topic.

g. Class Management Tools: on the Web include downloadable or online tools that assist a teacher in the tasks required for their classroom. Examples include software that creates online or paper tests where it will even grade the online tests. Other Internet-based management tools include formal and informal diagnostic tests to assess learning preferences, tools that generate class rolls with seating charts, and electronic grade-books.

h. Academic Tools: are Internet tools that support instruction that can be used on line or can be downloaded to your computer. Some of the most popular academic tools include worksheet generators of many types that help you make interesting student activity sheets. Examples are content-specific crossword puzzles, word searches, cryptograms, math exercises, and multimedia flash card. Another resource is lesson plan sites that offer subject-specific plans, plans submitted by colleagues across the nation, and plans tied to national or state standards. Other academic tools include online dictionaries, thesauri, grammar and spelling tools, world atlas tools, and translations references.

2. What is a PDF file? What advantage does it offer over files in HTML format?

A PDF file is a file that has been saved in Adobe Acrobat format. Acrobat is a conversion software package that lets the user save a publication exactly as it looked on the printed page including custom layouts, photos, and other graphics. The advantage it has over HTML format is that it maintains the formatting and detail that is lost when presented in HTML.

3. What is a weblog? How might it be used for teaching and learning?

Weblogs or blogs are virtual online spaces that support the posting of personal commentary on the Web. As an interactive writing tool, it provides one-way communication where bloggers post their ideas and others respond to these ideas either in comments or in other blogs with link back to the original posting. It can be used for teaching and learning as it (edblogs) been successfully used to give students an opportunity to publicly post daily journal entries; to comment on peer postings; to collaborate on group project even if participants are world apart; to research what other bloggers have said on a topic; and to connect to resources they have found. It has also provided a unique forum of the expression of ideas and for the thoughtful consideration of other viewpoints. This tool can empower students to write and communicate and teachers to facilitate that expression.

4. How are government educational sites of value in terms of resources? How do they differ from commercial and organizational sites?

The U.S. Department of Education and most state departments of education have very comprehensive web sites with abundant resources for educators. As stated in question 1, they include information about current education news, national standards, programs, grants, research, links to other federal agencies, and a wide variety of publications and reports available by mail or download. The state department of education offers similar services but the emphasis in on education issue within a given state.

5. What types of classroom management and academic tools are available via the Internet? Briefly explain how each tool might help you in your classroom.

Examples of classroom management tools include software that creates online or paper tests where it will even grade the online tests. Other Internet-based management tools include formal and informal diagnostic tests to assess learning preferences, tools that generate class rolls with seating charts, and electronic grade-books. Examples of academic tools include worksheet generators of many types that help you make interesting student activity sheets. Others include content-specific crossword puzzles, word searches, cryptograms, math exercises, and multimedia flash card. There are lesson plan sites that offer subject-specific plans, plans submitted by colleagues across the nation, and plans tied to national or state standards. Other academic tools include online dictionaries, thesauri, grammar and spelling tools, world atlas tools, and translations references.

Management tools can help me in my classroom as it can assist in generating online tests. I have used an online tool for the Algebra classes I teach. This tool generates tests, homework, and other review sheets. It also will grade the tests and provides the student with his/her grade as well as what they did wrong in solving the problem. I would use other management tools for grading. At St. Catherine, we use an online grading system that helps the teachers calculate the student’s average and displays each student’s grades in an easy readable report card format.

I use many academic tools. I have found many web sites that provide online learning games and activities in which my students enjoy. The games make it fun for the students as well as they are learning at the same time. I also have used the Internet in searching for lesson plans as well as additional information on a particular subject. I encourage my older students to use the online dictionary and encyclopedia when writing a document.

6. How can a classroom web site improve, communications with students, parents, and community?

A classroom web site can help students who are primarily visual learners. A classroom web site can help support and enhance the communication between the student and the teacher. For teacher-to-student communication, the web site can contain daily, weekly, or unit assignments as well as thorough directions on how to complete them. For student-to-teacher communication, the web site can provide a teacher-student electronic chat for those how are shy in class to voice his or her questions or opinions. The student can also email the teacher. It also provides a more private environment for the student.

A classroom web site can improve communications with parents and community as it can build bridges between parents and the community. Parent and teachers share the common goal of helping students meet their personal potential. As many parents today work outside the home and are available after school hours, time-shifted interaction can help open lines of communication, which a classroom web page offers many opportunities for this line of communication. By posting classroom rules, schedules, and homework on a classroom web page, a teacher can directly communicate expectation to the parents of all students in a class. By adding communications tools such as email, chat, and conferencing, it creates a mean for private and public dialog to be established. Furthermore, the ability to inform parents in a timely manner about student progress is powerful Internet-based communications tools. Community involvement can mean partnerships that enhance your learning environment though community members’ participation as mentors or guest speakers or through community contributions to class projects.

7. What are web authoring tools? What types are available to educators?

Web authoring tools are tools that help a teacher to create a web site easy. There are tools that range to very easy to more challenging. There are authoring tools available that meet every teacher level of comfort and computer skills. Some specific types include Word Processors, Desktop Publishing Software, and Dedicated Web Development Software such as Microsoft Front Page, Macromedia Dreamweaver, and Adobe GoLive.

8. How are new web sites added to the Web? What resources do teachers have to do so?

There are a couple of ways to add a new site to the Web. One way is to move the collection of web site files to a web server. Many school and districts now provide space on their servers for teachers’ classroom web sites. The teacher then has to provide all the related files via CD or email to the webmaster for the school who will the upload them and integrate them in the appropriate location.

Another way is to upload the web site pages to a web hosting site in which a number of ISP provide for free or at a low cost. To upload the pages is usually done via FTP program. The service will take care of creating the web access for you. Links to instructions on how to upload the files are usually displayed on the service’s web development page.

9. What is an acceptable use policy? What impact does it have on the use of the Web in the classroom?

An acceptable use policy (AUP) identifies and enforces the acceptable use of a school’s network and Internet access. This policy articulates the ways in which the Internet can be used by students. Parents are then asked to confirm their understanding of the policy and the consequences for violating it through a signature acknowledgment. Teachers who use the Internet and who provide links to resource via their own class web sites should be familiar with AUP that governs their students’ use of the Internet.

10. Contrast the issue of privacy and filtering when using the Web in the classroom. What are the responsibilities of a teacher in each of these areas?

Privacy is when sharing students’ work or including images or names on a web site, no specific details about the child should be divulged. Before including any student’s work, image, or name a teacher should first have the parent or guardian’s permission. It is the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that his or her site is consistent with district and school guidelines.

Filtering is limiting access to web sites that are inappropriate for children. Schools today use filtering software that checks the content of a site before allowing it to be displayed on the screen. It is the teacher’s and school’s responsibility to limit the students’ access to unwanted web information and sites.