Technology Workshop

The Internet in the Elementary Classroom

Teach your students to search effectively, and use Internet Workshop and Internet Projects in your classroom. Plan to incorporate your hands-on learning in this workshop into your science and

social studies lessons.

Pulaski SchoolLynn Ryczer

Workshop Objectives

The participants will:

Examine new literacies, such as searching, locating, and critically evaluating information on the Internet and learn strategies to introduce to students.

Become familiar with and evaluate Internet Workshop and Internet Projects.

Identify resources to for teacher use and student use.

Create an Internet Workshop for use in the classroom.

New LiteraciesDefinition of literacy is always changing…

Literacy is being redefined as new technologies emerge

New literacy skills are required to effectively use the Internet and other technologies.

Dr. Donald J. Leu, New Literacies Video

The new literacies of the Internet and other ICTs include the skills, strategies, and dispositions necessary to successfully use and adapt to the rapidly changing information and communication technologies and contexts that continuously emerge in our world and influence all areas of our personal and professional lives. These new literacies allow us to use the Internet and other ICTs to identify important questions, locate information, critically evaluate the usefulness of that information, synthesize information to answer those questions, and then communicate the answers to others.

Toward a Theory of New Literacies, 2004 (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, and Cammack)

Videos~Just to get you thinking…

Pay AttentionSince most of today's students can appropriately be labeled as "Digital Learners", why do so many teachers refuse to enter the digital age with their teaching practices? This presentation was created in an effort to motivate teachers to more effectively use technology in their teaching.

A Vision of K-12 Students TodayThis project was created to inspire teachers to use technology in engaging ways to help students develop higher level thinking skills. Equally important, it serves to motivate district level leaders to provide teachers with the tools and training to do so.

Dr. Leu Donald J. Leu holds the John and Maria Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology at the University of Connecticut and is President Elect of the National Reading Conference. He is an international expert in the new literacies of Internet technologies and how to best prepare students for these new literacies.

Technology Standards

◦ Information and Literacy Technology Framework

◦ ISTE National Education Technology Standards NETS Document

◦ Meriden 2006 Technology Plan

More to Teach…

How can we add one more thing to our already packed day???

◦Include the Internet as a resource

◦Integrate inot subject areas◦Discuss new strategies and skills learned

Frustrations…Problems…Concerns

Safety!

Internet SafetyMeriden Acceptable Use Policy

◦ Westport Student Policy

Safety Tips◦ Back button◦ Five click rule

Safety Sites students can explore◦Netsmartz◦Privacy Playground

Internet Driver’s License◦PBS Kid's Web License

Frustrations…Problems…Concerns

Searching!Finding

Info!What are your favorite sites to search with?What do your students use when searching for information?

Locating InformationUsing Search Engines

◦ Yahoo Kids! (categories) Browse vs. search Comprehensive directory of topics/categories

◦ KidsClick! (librarian selected database) Gives reading level of resource Smaller, less search results

Worlds of Web Searching

◦ Google Safe Search for Kids (text matching) Prevents inappropriate content from appearing

◦ Meriden Online Book Collection *Web Path Express give websites with reading

levels! List of Search Engines & Descriptions

Locating InformationKey Words

◦ Choosing important words and synonyms◦ Using quotations◦ Topic + focus strategy

Key Word Lesson Gr. 2-3

Ask Kids (natural language processing) ◦ Allows students to type question◦ Ineffective strategy when using other

search engines

Locating InformationAnalyzing Search Engine Results

Results are displayed differently on each site

Students need to skim and scan for title, site description, and URL

Title

Description

URL

Locating InformationUnderstanding URLs

◦URLs give information about the site Help make inferences about the credibility of the

site Locate a page when link changes

http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/ host of the site

(credible source?)

.com – commercial .org – organizational, non-profit .edu – educational .net – networked organization

*See Understanding URLs for more information!

hypertext document domain name

name of the folder on the server

Frustrations…Problems…Concerns

Finding a good site to

use!How do you choose which site to use? Where do you look to find information about the site?

Critically Evaluating InformationAnyone can publish on the Internet!

Students should evaluate a website for...

Author, Purpose, Date, Accuracy, Bias◦ Five W’s and How (Leu, Leu, Coiro)◦ Five W’s of Website Evaluation (Kathy Shrock)

Students need strategies for efficiently evaluating the credibility and usefulness of the information they find.

Analyze Video, Dr. Leu

Critically Evaluating InformationAuthor/Date

◦ Look for “About this site” Water Cycle Site

Purpose/Bias◦Google ~ Martin Luther King ~ 3rd Site

Accuracy◦All About Explorers (For Teachers~Lessons)

◦The Tree Octopus

*Critical Evaluation Info Kathy Shrock

CyberSmart! CurriculumCyberSmart!

“CyberSmart! Student Curriculum empowers students to use the Internet safely, responsibly, and effectively. The free non-sequential curriculum is easily integrated into your current curriculum. A consistent lesson model, including free reproducible student activity sheets, makes planning easy. Standards-based lessons are aligned with national and state technology and information literacy standards. CyberSmart! prepares students to use the Internet for communication, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving—the new basic skills for 21st century learning.”

Useful Student Resources from CyberSmart!

Privacy Rating Websites Acceptable Use Policy Copyright Netiquette

Frustrations…Problems…Concerns

Not enough time!

What do you plan for your students to work on in the computer lab? Can you incorporate a computer center during independent work time? Can create a rotating schedule for student computer time?

Internet Workshop Internet workshop is one way teachers begin to

integrate the Internet into a classroom setting which provides opportunities for students to exchange content information and new literacies.

Internet Workshop Steps◦ Locate a good site with content related to unit of study and set

bookmark

◦ Develop an open ended activity requiring students to use the site

(this could also be an Internet Workshop journal)

◦ Assign the activity to be completed during the week or in computer lab

◦ Have students share their discoveries, questions, and new literacy strategies during a short workshop session

Sharing the experiences is key! It allows students to share and compare the information they discovered, discuss their developing skills in critical analysis, and raise new questions to be explored.

Two Examples ~ Desert ~ Geometry

Internet Workshop UsesStudents could…

◦ Build background knowledge or activate knowledge on an upcoming topic ~ language arts, science, ss, math, etc.

◦ Gain additional knowledge on topic as students navigate and explore a bookmarked site

◦ Explore searching for a site to use for a research project

◦ Evaluating search results or two different sites on same topic

◦ Complete activity related to literature read ~ Cyberguides

◦ Research an author ~ Author’s on the Web◦ Solve a math problem of the week ~ CMT Review

Discovering the new literacies and learning together with your students is one of the important aspects of Internet Workshop; it models for students how they will need to learn from others the continuously emerging new literacies of Internet technologies.

Leu, Donald J., Internet Workshop: Making Time for Literacy

Leu, Donald J., Internet Workshop and WebQuests: Two Instructional Models

What are some other ways you might use Internet Workshop in your classroom?

What websites do you think you will incorporate in your classroom?

An other ideas?

Internet Workshop Uses

Internet Projects Internet Projects are collaborative learning activities

between two or more classes.  Students work on a similar topic and share their learning through the Internet.  The learning is engaging, purposeful, and authentic and prepares students for new literacies.

Website Project◦ Involves a common website that numerous classes report or

collect data for. 

◦ Classes have a chance to compare their data with other classes and discuss the differences. 

◦ Teachers can find Internet Projects and join!

Spontaneous Project◦ A classroom works with another class or classes to obtain a

common goal, which can be an objective for a unit of study. 

◦ Teachers can create their own project descriptions and find classes looking to collaborate.

Internet Project ResourcesAs you explore the Internet for websites to

use in your class, you will also find great Internet Projects and activities or you can search for them. Explore the sites attached for some great projects!

Internet Project: Preparing Students for New Literacies in a Global Village gives examples of Internet Projects.

Additional Internet Project Resources Google Doc

Internet projects help students communicate with students from different cultures, develop a greater appreciation for the diversity of our world, lead children to respect differences, learn new literacies, and provide authentic learning experiences. Leu, Leu, & Coiro Teaching with the Internet K-12:New Literacies for New Times

Internet ProjectsWhich Internet Projects looked

interesting to you?

What Internet Projects will enhance your science, social studies, math, etc. curriculum?

How do you see yourself using Internet Projects in your class?

Frustrations…Problems…Concerns

No time to search and

plan!Use the workshop time create an

Internet Workshop for your class!

Find a Internet Project you want to participate in!

Explore!

Additional Resources for…Internet Workshops, InternetProjects, WebQuests, and more!◦English and Social Studies Sites

◦Science and Math Sites

◦WebQuestsInternet Workshop Template

Use this template to start your own Internet Workshop!

Internet in the Classroom

Identifying important questions, navigating information networks to locate relevant information, critically evaluating

information, and communicating the solution to others are five important

aspects of new literacies. These instructional models provide support in

teaching and developing new literacies, as well as developing content area

knowledge.