Criteria for Evaluating Websites

I have been working with a wonderful partner at my school. She is our Library Media Specialist. Early on the two of us felt kids needed to have some instruction on the use of the internet. Together we spoke to 4th and 5th grade students about using the internet. We started by asking what were sources of information. They named a lot of things newspapers, magazines, the internet, google, MSN and then somewhere towards the bottom BOOKS.

Valid sources and the idea of validity are tough for that age group to understand. They just don't have the life experience that adults have had. The idea that something is valid or not. We go into discussion about what makes a source good or believable. We ask a lot of questions and try and get real responses. It is sort of like confession, they ask some good questions that often have to do with their misconception of things. Once we have established what makes a source checked we move on to less traditional sources like Wikipedia and Google and Blogs. Many kids don't know what a blog is or what to do when a search finds one (Is a blog a good source?).

As a side note with the economic downturn effecting newspapers and news gathering organizations they have come to rely on bloggers for information sometimes as a primary source. I am not sure I like this idea. Slate magazine did an experiment, for a week journalist had to get information either solely from the newspaper or through online sources. They made a podcast out of the discussion. Here is the link : http://www.slate.com/id/2223262/

With our students we try and add some humor so I usually represent a dubious website and claim I have all the answers. One time my website was called chickenman.com and I knew all there was to know about chickens. Another site was Dinosaur Bob's Fossil Emporium where you always get 4 fossils for the price of 3, I insist that there questions would be answered if they just took advantage of 3 for 4 and so on. So how to find the valid site? We try and break down the parts of the web address. For example .com is commercial and will try and sell you some items some sites are good others are like Dinosaur Bob's Fossil Emporium. Sites with .gov or .mil are from the government and are usually valid. Organizations with .org are again sometimes valid and sometimes not. It is not easy and every year we try and do a lesson with every grade level from 5-8.

We have even taken our show to the faculty and they too are not always as savvy as we would like. They thought wikipedia was just fine as a source. So again this year we will get out our drum and bang it for common sense.

Second Life a Second Look

I have been introduced to Second Life two times in the last two years. In each experience I was asked to comment on what my reaction. My opinion has not been altogether positive in each try. Second Life is obviously popular, that was demonstrated in the zoom out we performed during class. For a free project it has found away to moneytise itself. It has been copied by by game makers (World of Warcraft) and others. The format appeals to some part of the population. I don't know anyone who is real into Second Life on a recreational basis. It seems to me to be a big time investment for someone to enjoy.

In both of my experiences, my intent was to look at Second Life in terms of education. I could see it being useful for some lectures, and I did see a recreated indian village and I think that would make for an interesting virtual field trip. However the learning curve for a user might be longer if the user is a student. This could also be an assumption on my part more kids may be used to moving in a virtual environment thanks to games. I wonder if students would consider Second Life just anther game and not get any useful information out of it. I found the environment hard to navigate at first. There isn't much of a tutorial for beginners. After figuring out how to move about where does a user go. I liken it to being left off in a strange city with only the classified section of the newspaper. Some people might find that exhilarating but I guess I value my time a bit more. Like any city there are some iffy elements and some nice ones. I thought that Amsterdam (SL) was very nicely built. But around the train station you are asked about doing some adult activities. I guess the argument could be made that this could happen anywhere in RL (Real Life). I may just be too uptight and should not take SL so seriously, it isn't real after all.

This is how is appeared and felt to me. It was similar to being back in high school. I did not know anyone, felt weird about my body and seriously did not want to look stupid. I laughed at people who didn't have it together. I didn't want to have the same shirt as another avatar. I wanted to fit in and be cool. If I am an adult and I am thinking about this and I have already lived through high school I can't imagine what a teenager will think. I liked the fact that we went as a group and had a space to go to. I thought the location we all went to at the end was useful. Only 2 of us went on a small tour of the area. Even still she gave me a magic carpet then told us we needed a sandbox in order to construct our items. Soon I was lost and feeling dumb.

Maybe if there was some sort of shepherding software that would not allow straggling or people flying off, or changing clothes during a lecture. I suppose older students might like this format but I would have great misgivings about bringing a class to Second Life.

Web 2.0 Apps with education

Web 2.0 is another way that the internet trys to itch it's way into daily living. The name doesn't give people any idea about what the term means. It is a catch all name to applications that live on the web. In most cases the applications that are Web 2.o can be used by anyone on the internet without regard to their computer's OS. This is sort of a revolution or holy grail of developers, they can develop software once and have it work on all stripes of machine. Many of the applications are available for free. Many have a free version and a pay version that has more function. I have only recently backed into using some applicaitions. I have been more into using add on applications for my web browser. Firefox is great for that. I have a few add-ons that I find a must.

• Update Scanner this FF add on will check to see is a website has been updated. It points out what has been updated by coloring it yellow.
• Xmarks has saved me so many headaches. After registering XMarks it will suck up all your bookmarks and save them to a remoter server. If you have more than one computer you can sync your bookmarks. They travel with you and can be added to on any computer.
• Evernote clipper works with Evernote. See Web 2.0 apps.

• Evernote www.evernote.com This free service/application is billed as a portable brain. If you have a web connection, a smart phone, a laptop, a desktop you can use evernote. It has a client software that can be installed on your device but it can also be accessed by a web browser. It can remember any note you type into it. It can remember websites for you and remember pictures. It can remember pictures you give it. In the demonstration the user takes a cell phone photo of a wine label of a bottle of wine he liked. Evernote scanned the photo and READ the label and deciphered the text. Now all he has to do is enter is a keyword from the label or name the location where he found the wine. I use it to remember web pages mostly but I have had it scan a photo to check out the search feature. Pretty neat.
• Chatzy a chat program that can be set up in 10 minutes. Found at www.chatzy.com. Set up the chat room and send out email invites and away you go. As a teacher you are the moderator for the room. I have used this to teach typing. The chat format appeals to kids. I have to put in limitations against web lingo. I had teachers use chatzy to discuss stories with their classmates.
• Snapgrades is an online gradebook for teachers. It is free and works with many SIS systems. I have used this for the past year because of my unique status in my school. I see many of the kids in the school and I see students from kindergarten to fifth grade. Kindergarten students don't have electronic grades so I found this and it has saved me a lot of headache and a lot of typing of names. It is web based so it is crossplatform. My experience has been better on a PC than a Mac for set up. Makes a decent report. No seating chart. Find it at http://www.snapgrades.net/

It seems there is an online application for every hobby or interest. For education the web 2.0 has some real uses. One part I have found on many of the sites is the need to register with a functioning email. Kerpoof is an online site I use with my younger students. I really like the fact that the site has a tab for teachers. It has a portion of the site for teachers to learn how to use Kerpoof with their class. Ultimately teachers invest in new technologies at a risk. Anytime a lesson is tried there is time when reflection comes in and improvements are considered. As a teacher I might ask 'Is this website even going to be here in a year?' Alas the web hasn't proven it's staying power. The question is for some teachers why should I invest my time and energy to something that may go away or become a pay site?

Inquiry Quiziry

Inquiry Instruction is a real hot topic in education today. Too bad many in this country have become beholding to the test score. Many of the aptitude tests given to students rarely tred in the realm of Inquiry. Much of today's aptitude test is repeating back memorized facts and showing your ability to repeat already known procedures. There can be a long debate over testing and it's effect on education. I bring up testing because it's influence doesn't help teachers to pick up the technique of inquiry. Creating inquiry based lessons takes time. Time is not what a lot of teachers believe they have. There is a lot of pressure to have your class perform well on these tests. A lot of time and energy are expended getting students "through" the material. Inquiry based instuction takes a lot of time, but has lasting effects. Students remember the cool project and forget the questions on the standardized tests.

Inquiry-definition off the top of head

Inquiry is the process of asking questions to lead to gathering more information about a topic or concept. The information gathered may solve or at least bring a greater understanding of a topic or construct. Ok that may not be exactly rolling around my head but it does a pretty good job, and you don't have to read all the 'likes, and ya knows and umms'.

TIE 542 Blog 1 Value of Internet Resources

Resources on the Internet and Education

Education and the Internet have been hand in hand since the internet started. There are most definitely resources that education can use on the internet. But the internet is full of less than educational resources. The trick of it is as the internet becomes more of a pay as you go the free resources may dry up.

I am not a history scholar but I remember some things. Television was to be this great educational experiment when it began. Chicago's PBS station has the call letters WTTW to stand for Window To The World. It is a bold mission to take on the education of some many over the airwaves. Radio also started out as a way to educate the public. Many of the first programs on radio were of classical music and great speeches. They were meant to raise the consciousness of listener.

Looking at those two mediums we may see a familiar arc in how the internet is used. Radio has all but lost stations that play classical music. Chicago still has one. Speeches of candidates for office are only heard on the public radio station. These stations are funded mainly by donations, and not government underwriting. Most of radio has been taken over by a few companies that have the goal of selling records and advertising. Newsradio stations are heavily commercialized and offer snippets of news but nothing in a long form that may educate. Modern talk radio works to undermine education and helps to miseducate many.

Television has been effective as well. Major events are covered as news but depth is lacking. The government has stepped in on occasion to regulate the content that is aired. They required children's programming and many shows directed at children began. In the beginning they were to have educational value. But as the years have past that educational content has gotten smaller and smaller. That content is awash with advertising. Again public television has taken up the mantle and it remains a place on the airwaves where children do learn. Surprisingly people pay millions of dollars a year for cable television with the justification of getting channels for their children. If people are paying for the content, it would be expected that it would have some quality. Instead much of it is filled with advertising.

Both radio and television have squandered opportunities. As a teacher who grew up on television I can say that it did teach me. Some of it is advertising jingles but I did learn an awful lot of science watching programs like NOVA on PBS. That knowledge that was gained by looking at TV was used and built upon later in my education. It is a great resource for the audio visual learner. Is it as effective today? Kids will choose and watch nature programs on cable and when they go to school that information gets reenforced. Some watch the History channel and really absorb that information. There are nuggets out there but you have to find them and schedule your viewing.

So what about Internet resources? There are more varied resources. Not just science and history but math and language. Many resources are available all day everyday, that is an important part of the internets appeal. From the start the internet has been very much like that giant electronic library and right now that has to be the number one resource it is used for. I think that usage will grow and expand into other areas.

Certainly the management and monitoring of students has been made easier by the internet. Email alone has vastly increased communication between parent and teachers. Online grading and attendance has made students be more accountable. One note though, that dang digital divide is still there and opens up and swallows a student or a group of students. Access for everyone everywhere is not there yet. I caution that we have to be aware of a divide that exists and may become wider. Educators cannot become too technology dependent. It can't all be on the web. For the poor and immigrants in this country the divide most definitely exists. I am also concerned about will it still be there in ten years and will it cost money for each thing you do on the internet.