From: Bob Rankin (bobrankin@MHV.NET)
Reply-To: TOURBUS-Request@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
To: TOURBUS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Subject: TOURBUS - 28 April 1998 - Internet & Classroom
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TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: Internet and the Classroom, Part II
Today I'm pleased to have a guest driver returning for another tour
of action. Mike Peterson, a newspaper reporter in Plattsburgh, NY
has a response to Patrick's recent issue on the Internet and
classrooms, and also some great links for teachers, students and
parents.
I'm also trying a little experiment in today's issue, using HTML
tags around the web links, so more people can simply click and go,
instead of using cut & paste. Let me know how you like it.
Enjoy! --Bob
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[ From Mike Peterson ]
Patrick's right about classrooms and the Internet: Computer
literacy is not as important as overall literacy and the ability to
think critically, and the best technology can't possibly overcome
bad teaching.
But let's not stop connecting classrooms. When motion pictures
first came on the scene, there were those who said they would
revolutionize teaching. They were a great tool, but we've all had
teachers who used films, film strips and educational videos to fill
a class they weren't prepared to teach.
A good teacher can do better lessons on a chalkboard than a bad
teacher with the latest technology. But there are teachers who DO
know how to use this new medium, and there are kids who are
learning to think, through books and newspapers and field trips and
computers and the Internet.
For those good teachers out there (and any parents who want to help
their kids at home), here are some links I recommend:
Start with some overall information collections, places that kids
can bookmark for times when they need to look up something or get
some help with a particular assignment.
Interesting Places on the Internet
This site is based at the Richardson Independent School District in
Richardson, Texas, and contains hundreds of links in every subject
area.
BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper
This is one of the grandaddies of all resource pages, featuring a
large selection of links with comments to help guide your
selection. Other useful collections can be found at:
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
Homework Heaven
Studyweb
Serious about schooling? Here are some sites that contain good
information on curriculum.
BC EST
British Columbia's Ministry of Education, Skills and Training
offers wonderful on-line resources for educators, including lesson
plans, tips on measuring outcomes and examples of curriculum
standards for every educational level. You should check the
Department of Education in your home state or province, because
many have good sites, but BC is also home to "Network Nuggets," the
best e-mail tip sheet for educators I've found. Subscription
information is on this site.
Ask ERIC
This site, from the US Department of Education, not only provides
information on a number of educational topics, but offers educators
a chance to get resource help and answers to educational questions
via e-mail in two days.
For literature and writing lessons, try these:
Purdue Writing Lab
One of the top writing resources on the web, the Purdue
University's writing lab has information and guidance, as well as
handouts and activity sheets to print out for use in class. An
outstanding resource.
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
Another excellent resource for helping kids improve their ability
to get things down on paper.
Children's Literature Web Guide
Keep current on the latest in children and young adult literature.
This site also features profiles of children's authors, discussions
about kids' books and resources for parents, teachers, storytellers
and writers.
Mitsuharu Matsuoka's Home Page
Matsuoka teaches at Nagoya University in Japan, and this page not
only contains quality links to literary sites throughout the world,
but some lovely, clean graphics.
You want to polish up your Polish or spiff up your Spanish?
AJR Newslink
...contains links to newspaper and magazine websites around the
world. Read the daily paper in the local language, and then browse
the classifieds to find out how people over there REALLY live!
(This site is also good for studying current events in your own
language and country, of course!)
For history and social studies, try these:
Archiving Early America
This site contains documents from our nation's early years, a
crossword puzzle and a daily listing of what happened on this day
in history in early America.
The Digital Classroom
The National Archives and Records Administration uses documents and
other primary sources to offer history lessons on topics like
Women's Suffrage, the Yukon Gold Rush, Jackie Robinson's off-field
career in civil rights and the Amistad.
For Math and Science, try this site for links to a variety of
sources for math and science teachers and students.
Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
Or have some fun at Science Web, a collection of science sites that
includes pages discussing the real science behind movies and
episodes of favorite TV shows. For instance, how come the
helicopter in Speed II could fly with no tail rotor? What is the
truth about all those cockroaches in that episode of "X-Files"?
Other sites are less frivolous, but all are examples of good
science not taking itself too seriously. Fairly advanced concepts;
Terrific for bright kids who are ready to move beyond watching lima
beans sprout.
ScienceWeb
Stuff for and about kids can be found at Family Education Network.
This is a semi-commercial site for parents to exchange opinions,
parenting tips, etc. Also features recalls on dangerous toys and
child furniture, etc. A nice, useful site. Registration is
required, but it's free.
Family Education Network
The initials cause cold sweats: These folks run the SATs, GMATs,
GREs and all those other alphabet-soup tests, and you can get
practice questions for the SATs on this site, but it also features
information on jobs and careers, on different colleges and on
helping to finance your college education.
ETS Net
Download useful pamphlets from the US Dept Education on helping
your child with math, reading, test-taking and other subjects, as
well as booklets like "Parents Guide to the Internet" and "Simple
Things You Can Do To Help A Child Read Well and Independently," and
"Getting Ready for College Early", a booklet aimed at middle-school
and junior-high kids and their parents, with information on why
kids need college, how they can prepare for it and how parents can
begin to make financial decisions now that will ease the shock of
tuition when the time comes.
US Dept Education Publications for Parents
Getting Ready for College Early
Bob, Patrick, maybe we can teach kids without easy access to these
sorts of resources, but we could also teach them without access to
paper or books, if we had to. We don't have to. And we shouldn't.
Kids and teachers need quick, handy Internet access as much as they
need dictionaries and pencils.
-- Mike Peterson, Plattsburgh NY
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See you next time! --Bob Rankin
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