#1                                          Quick Reference User's Guide
 

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#2      Roman Virtues

Roman Virtues was a short web assignment used in the Ancient Rome unit of a high school freshman Humanities class.  The students also had a larger web project they were already working on.  The Virtues assignment was limited to visiting one web page for information retrieval and involved only about 5 minutes of computer time.  Each of the 29 students was assigned one virtue.  The students could use the classroom computers when other work was done or could go to the open computer lab during their study periods, or before/after school.

What follow-up activity would you use with this assignment????
______________

Background and Purpose

The Romans of the Republic were proud of their culture.  They believed their success depended on the practical application of personal and public virtues.  The purpose of this assignment is to examine the virtues that the Romans felt were important and to see if and where those virtues are present in American life today.

Web Address

MsSWork: Humanities Assignments--Roman Virtues   or
http://www.novaroma.org/via_romana/virtues.html

Assignment

1. Open the web page and write the meaning of your Roman virtue in your notebook.

2. Without using any words other than the name of your virtue, illustrate on a 9" x 12" piece of construction
        paper how and where your virtue can be found in American culture today.

3. Prepare a short oral report on the meaning of your virtue and what you tried to show in your illustration.

4. Roman Virtues is due on ________________________________________.

5. Find your virtue by looking at the list below.
 
 

Your grade will depend on how well you
                1. Follow directions;
                2. Create an illustration that has thematic and artistic unity;
                3. Deliver an articulate oral report on your virtue and illustration.
________

Follow-up:

• Students took notes on the meaning of all the virtues as they were presented in class.
• In groups, students chose 3 virtues they thought were the most important for America today.
• Group lists were compared, and a general discussion followed about how much or how little these virtues are promoted in our culture.
• Another follow-up activity could concentrate on the English vocabulary derived from these Latin words.
• And you would......

#3     An excellent web site has these characteristics.

               1. The site contains information that is not just as easily available in general reference books.
               2. The material demonstrates a thorough understanding of the topic.
               3. It would be possible to check the accuracy of the information.
               4. The site contains a bibliography or source list.
               5. The site contains working links to related sites.
               6. The links are helpful.
               7. The material is well written and free of errors.
               8. There is a way to contact someone related to the site.
               9. The layout is clear and easy to navigate.
             10. Backgrounds, text, and graphics are clear and readable.
 

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#4    Citation of Web Sources and Common Sense
 

It is necessary to have a clear and consistent format for the citation of sources, but the primary emphasis needs focus on the citation itself rather than the way it is presented.  Students who are accustomed to citing sources adapt easily to whatever format is required.

Many of the models for citing web sources are complicated, and some are downright unintelligible. If you can't find a format that is clear, concise and easily understood, why not develop a format that works for you and your students?  Consult your friendly librarian and promote your simplified model for school wide use.

What absolutely needs to be included in a web site citation?
Consider the following:

• web page title (officially found at the top of the screen)
• URL (the exact page used, not just the homepage)
• author (surprisingly hard to find sometimes)
• date visited  (important in case the site disappears or goes down for updating)
• other???

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#5      Web Assignment Ideas
 

When you did your search for WebTeach, you probably concentrated on finding subject and grade level
sites.  You may have noticed, however, that there are also many sites that deal with curricular issues
and/or present a variety of web assignment models.

So, this is not going to be a laundry list of particular web assignments that you can do with your students. Look at the WebTeach suggested K-12 directories for those.

This is just some food for thought.

There are  three basic types of web assignments, and they can be mixed and matched with a little creativity and a few inter-changeable parts.
 
 

1. Go For It--Deal With It--Bring It Back, (GDB).

When teachers begin to create their own web assignments, they usually begin with GBDs.  WebTeach's Roman Virtues, is a very simple GBD.  Basically, a GDB assignment sends students out to the web to find something, then they do something with it, and finally, they bring it home to the classroom.  Whether it's simple information retrieval or taking a virtual field trip, the process is the same.

GBD assignments are the easiest to construct, accomplish, and grade, and students like doing them.
Each new assignment opens up another window on the world, and that sure beats "Section Review."
 
 
 

 2. Absorb It--Build It--Share It (ABS).

One of the most gratifying educational experiences for students is to publish their own web page. ABS is fun and can be tailored to any subject and most grade levels.  Students especially enjoy having artistic control of web elements such as color scheme, graphics, etc.   Also, a web page project is a good exercise to fulfill that "writing across the curriculum" goal.  Furthermore, imagine the pride students feel when they realize that the whole world can see what they have created!!!

ABS is a long range project, but it is easily broken down into measurable units with enough tasks for everyone to have something to do (a.k.a. meeting students' individual needs).  The variety of tasks involved in web page design also helps to keep the project from getting stale.  Finally, ABS becomes a bonus because it can be pursued independently from other class work.

The beauty of ABS is that the teacher now has a new teaching tool for next year's class, some valuable experience of what worked and what didn't, and the opportunity to watch a web site grow as each new class updates and expands it.

For web sites relating to web page publishing, go to#8.
 
 

3. Reach Out, Jump In, Party On (RJP).

It is not uncommon for students to feel trapped and/or isolated.  They are "trapped" by things like homework, family chores, and the inability to go where they want, when they want.  It should surprise no one that students attempt to escape by spending as much time as possible on the telephone or in chat rooms where they can reach out and communicate.

After awhile, web work can also become a kind of trap if it only involves one-sided action.  Even many
of the sites labeled "interactive" are nothing more than an illusion, a swindle.  Any response to the user
is activated by the user him/herself. There's no "inter" about it because there's no real person at the other end to respond.

RJP assignments come in various formats, from simple to sophisticated.  One of the best presentations of RJPs has been written by Professor Judi Harris.  Get her book, Virtual Architecture: Designing & Directing Curriculum Based Telecomputing, or visit her online site at
Virtual Architecture: http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~jbharris/Virtual-Architecture/ .

If you can't exactly visualize what an RJP is, go to the online Chapter 2, where you will find a broad outline of Prof. Harris' RJP categories and models.  Go, go now--but don't forget to come back! WebTeach has just a few more things to say.
 

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#6      Some Other Uses for Classroom Computers
 

Quick Note:

If you have computers in your classroom, you also need to have an LCD panel/projector.  It is an essential tool for any computer based class presentation, and don't settle for, "Just sign it out when you need it."

Half the fun of having computers in your classroom is being able to spontaneously show or demonstrate something to the whole class at the exact moment a question is asked or an interest is voiced.  Also, lesson plans are often led astray by things like fire drills.  The day you signed out the LCD won't be the day you need it anyway.  Possession is important. You can't use it if you don't have it!
 

A partial list of  other classroom computer activities include:

• Show and tell web sites
• graphing
• word processing
• playing with graphics (art for report covers, etc.)
• modeling student writing (LCD is great for this)
• peer editing
• group notes
• classroom newsletters/newspapers
• presentation programs (Power Point and Hyper Studio)
• e-mail
• Other???