As
an educator, I have always believed that my job is to provide a rich learning
atmosphere that will allow each child to grow at its own ability level. I also see myself as a facilitator to
the learning process. Working with
ESL students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade allows me to see children grow
from knowing virtually no English, to having the ability to converse, write and
read at the equivalency level to third grade in the United States. I have wanted to incorporate computers,
and the Internet into my classroom for some time. Although I have not yet, and I do stress yet, mastered the
internet or the ability to comfortably build a web page, I do believe I have
become much more aware of how a teacher can use the web in the classroom. I will discuss the importance of
project-based learning, the different types of web tools that are most exciting
to me, and the importance of safety awareness.
In Harnessing the Web
the idea of project based learning reinforced my beliefs as a teacher. When students are given the opportunity
to be an active part of the learning process they gain a much greater
understanding of the material.
Using myself as an example from a studentís point of view, I am
convinced that if I had only read the material for this course, I would not
have learned nearly as much as I did having to actually search for, evaluate,
and create.
Working the
Web for Education, Tom March encourages teachers to examine their value as
a facilitator for web based learning.
The Teacherís Role in Web Project Development suggests that teachers
must let go of the notion that they are the experts. A web-based project allows room for students to provide
newfound knowledge or information to the class.
My own experience with using the Internet in the classroom is very
limited. Through the WebCT, I have
learned that there are many exciting ways of using the Internet in the
classroom. In my classroom I
create learning centers with enrichment activities for a subject taught in the
textbook. I could easily
incorporate Subject Samplers to help the children feel connected to a topic,
and a Treasure Hunt to allow children to learn more information about a
particular subject.
Bernie Dodge
defines, ěA Web Quest as an
inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners
interact with comes from resources in the Internet, optionally supplemented
with videoconferencing. íí It was
interesting to learn that such a tool exists for teachers and their students. Using a Rubric for
evaluating Web Quests enables teachers to both choose appropriate and
worthwhile web quests, that are already available on the internet. At a glance
some web quests may seem appropriate, but after carefully checking the criteria
the teacher may decide that the web quest is not doing everything that it
should.
It is also essential as stated in Evaluating
Internet based Information that children know how to assess if the
information found on the Internet is accurate. It is alarming to discover how easy it is to publish
incorrect information. Teachers
and children must use certain criteria in order to determine if the published
work is truthful. For example, one needs to check if the information can be
validated in other sources. This is why it is so important to use the different
learning tools for children to work on the Internet. Gaining knowledge should only be a part of the process. They
need to be information builders too.
Telecollaborative projects are excellent ways of expanding the
classroom doors. In Telecommunication in the
Classroom: Keys to Successful Telecomputing, explains that
telecommunication activities allow children to interact with audiences from all
over the world. This is a great
way for an ESL class to interact with other students around the world. What I like best about this concept is
that it not only an excellent tool for student development, it is an invaluable
tool for teachers as well. Quite
often in the work environment teachers do not have the desire to share their
work. The web provides so many
opportunities to share both ideas and information and this is quite
refreshing. It is also very
helpful to have feedback from others working in the profession.
It is essential to assess the importance of web safety in the
classroom. In Child Safety on the
Information Highway we examine the benefits and risks of the Internet.
There are a few areas of concern I have as a parent and as an educator. Children can be exposed to
inappropriate materials such as sexual, hateful or violent in nature. Children are also at risk in online
discussion sites, such as, chat rooms and e-mails. Parents and teachers must create dialogues with children
that enable them to be aware of the potential dangers available and how they
can protect themselves.
Finally
I must add that although the Internet has excellent resources for both students
and teachers, it can be overwhelming at times. It is very important to help children look for information
by giving them guidelines and goals to work towards. The Internet can be a wonderful tool in the classroom, using
the teacher as the facilitator in their search for newfound knowledge.