Teaching Guide

Aim:
To provide participants with a range of strategies and formats that can be used to organize Web resources while focusing on the specific learning goals of their classroom.

Rationale:
While many teachers are being asked to integrate technology with their curriculum, their comfort and ability levels in regard to technology use vary greatly. Becoming familiar with what already exists on the Internet--lesson plans, ongoing telecollaborative projects, references, WebQuests and other learning activities--will give teachers a basis for determining what they might use from the Web and what they might contribute of their own. Having access to a range of strategies will allow teachers to determine what fits best for them, their students, and with their curriculum.

Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Define the four activity formats described in the module;
Determine your purposes and goals for using the Internet in your classroom;
Gather sites or activities to include on your Web page;
(optional) Create your own web-based activity;
E-mail your mentor or the module's author with any comments or questions.

Audience:
This module has been assembled for participants of the "Using the Internet" section of WIT. It will be most beneficial to educators who work with students and are interested in locating and/or designing Internet activities for use in their classroom.

Prerequisites:
Participants who wish to successfully complete this module should be able to do the following activities before beginning:

Launch Netscape Navigator or any other Web browser;
Access the module notes by placing an address in the URL location field;
Follow the instructions and notes for the module;
Feel comfortable enough to ask questions or for clarifications from the mentor;
Work with colleagues that share the same grade level or common interests;
Send and receive e-mail;
Copy and paste information and save documents.

Description of subject matter:
This module is designed to be used with cooperative groups and by individuals. It is designed to introduce participants to four types of learning activities that students can engage in while using the Internet, ranging from simple locate and recall to higher order thinking skills. It is also designed to assist educators in planning and designing the instructional contents of a class Web site.

Instructional plan:
This module is designed to be used with cooperative groups and by individuals, with a mentor guiding participants. However, the participant should be able to navigate through the module's pages and links at his or her own pace. A mentor will lead participants through the introduction and introductory demonstration. Then students will work either cooperatively or individually to complete the tasks, depending on the assignment. Any questions about the module or contents of the module should be directed to the mentor or the author of the module at amon@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu.

Materials required:
For this workshop, participants will be required to have access to a computer with Internet access. Participants will leave this site and access other sites, therefore it is recommended that at least a 56K modem be used. Participants will need to access the URL of the module that is located at http://webinstituteforteachers.org/2002/etc. Handouts for this module are included as links within the module, in the notebook, and as PDF files.

Plans for evaluation and assessment:
Since this module is designed to allow participants to plan, determine, and possibly design the content of their class home page, there are no specific plans for formal assessment. Participants can check their learning objectives to see what progress they have made, as well as contact their mentor. Any questions or clarifications about this module can be directed to the author, Connie Amon, at amon@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu.

Return to the intro.