INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNET FOR TEACHERS     Nicole Yankelovich, Instructor http://www.massnetworks.org/sun/tutorial/tutorial.html

Introduction

About this Tutorial

The tutorial is geared towards teachers who have had little or no exposure to the Internet. It covers basic concepts and is not specific to any computer hardware or software.

Instructor's Background

Nicole Yankelovich currently manages a speech applications research project at Sun Microsystems. Her area of expertise is software design. Before joining Sun, she designed a software system similar to the World Wide Web and helped faculty integrate this software into courses at Brown University.

"Guest" Instructor

Peter Weis is a science teacher at Wachusett Regional High School. He has been an early adopter of Internet technology in his classroom. Throughout the tutorial, he will offer a teacher's perspective on the material (via a video-taped interview).

Jargon

• Language is a major barrier.

• Every discipline has its own jargon. (e.g. DOE PDPs)

• Computer systems are designed by people.

• Concepts are familiar even if language is foreign.

• Focus on several major themes and try to decode the jargon.

Themes

Communicating

Using a computer connected to the Internet, there are a variety of ways for people to communicate with one another (e.g., send a message to Nicole Yankelovich).

Browsing

The Internet, good at storing large amounts of data, allows individuals to browse richly cross-referenced texts and follow trails of interconnected information as one does in an encyclopedia (e.g., Britannica article on the Olympic Winter Games)

Searching

With so much information, it's hard to find specific information by browsing. The Internet contains indexes and other tools to help people search (e.g., search the Boston Globe for Clinton).

Integrating

Materials on the Internet can be integrated into teaching, learning, and professional activities. Students can research almost any topic from A-Z (for example, American West to Zebras). Teachers can design lessons based on material published on the Internet.

Creating

Teachers and students can create original materials to share with others on the same network or with others around the world. For example, Jessica Morton created a web site about birds derived from questions her 1st and 2nd grade students generated and experts answered.

In*ter*net

1. Network of wires and satellite connections (like the "telephone network") that connects computers world wide.

2. A set of services for communicating, browsing, searching, and creating.

• Individuals or companies can connect directly to the Internet (expensive).

• Or can enlist the aid of an Internet service provider (AOL, BBN Planet, MEC, MediaOne, etc.).

Communicating

Electronic mail (e-mail), netnews, list serve groups, bulletin boards, modem, baud rate, 14.4, 28.8

• People have an insatiable desire to communicate (letters, postcards, telegram, radio, TV, telephone, cellular phone, answering machine, fax, etc.).

• A computer connected to the Internet offers several more options.

• Like a postcard or letter.

• Several technical differences.
  • Sender writes on his or her computer and recipient receives message on a different computer.
  • Usually mail is delivered more quickly than postal mail (Jargon: Snail mail).
  • The same message can be sent to one or more people.

• Several cultural differences.
  • E-mail messages can be very short.
  • Often a dialog between two or more people.
  • Can quote previous messages (Jargon: message thread).
  • Typographical symbols used to convey emotion (Jargon: smilies).

• Logistics.
  • Open new e-mail message window.
  • Enter address (nicole.yankelovich@east.sun.com).
  • Add subject, carbon copies, message body.
  • Send.
  • Receive messages in an in-box.

• Educational Uses.
  • Corresponding with other teachers.
  • Corresponding with subject matter experts.
  • Pen pals (e.g., Classroom Connections).
  • Language learning.
  • Cultural or information exchange.

Browsing

Hypertext, links, World Wide Web (the Web or WWW), browsers, Netscape, Internet Explorer, Hot Java, home pages, urls, http, ftp, gopher.

• The heart of the Internet is browsing.
  • Hypertext (already demonstrated) is jargon for richly cross-referenced text.
  • Browsing is accomplished by following links, the connections between related information.

• A number of different Internet facilities allow browsing, including the Web, gopher, and wais.

• The Web is a random collection of information written and cross-referenced by the masses.
  • Information is stored on computers around the world that are connected to the Internet.
  • Following trails of connections often lead to remote places (e.g., Japan, Chile, many other countries).

• Browsers are software products that provide a means of viewing the information on the Web.
  • Netscape, Internet Explorer, and Hot Java are names of browsers.

• A web site is a collection of related pages.
• A home page is a starting point for browsing a web site.
  • Individuals can have home pages (e.g., Nicole's Home Page, site contains about 15 pages)
  • As can organizations (e.g., Sun Microsystems' Home Page, site contains over 250,000 pages)

• A URL (Universal Resource Locator) is the electronic equivalent of a call number on the spine of a library book. It indicates the location of a page on the Web. For example:
  • Sun Microsystems -
    http://www.sun.com/
  • Exploratorium -
    http://www.exploratorium.edu/
  • Lowell Public Schools -
    http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/
  • Stapley Junior High -
    http://www.mesa.k12.az.us/~stapley/
  • PBS Scienceline Overview -
    http://www.pbs.org/learn/scienceline/about.html
  • BioInformatics gopher at Australian National University -
    gopher://blitzen.canberra.edu.au/links/gopher.html
  • Apple Software Archive -
    ftp://mirror.apple.com/
  • List of domain and country codes

• Ways to browse & navigate:
  • Click on highlighted text (or a picture).
    • Notice cursor change.
    • Notice URL at bottom of window.
  • Go directly to a site using the URL.
    • http://www.whitehouse.gov/
    • Make a bookmark
  • Use a bookmark.
  • Use the history list ("Go" menu).

Searching

Index, Yahoo, Lycos, Alta Vista, search engine, query, full-text search, web crawler.

• The Web is huge and growing rapidly.
  • Estimated 650,000 web sites, up from 100,000 a year ago. Approximately 60% (400,000) are commercial. The number of sites double approximately every 6 months.

• A whole cottage industry has emerged around indexing the Web.
  • Lycos and Yahoo are examples of topic oriented indexes.
    • See a listing of "top" sites (Lycos).
    • See what's available for kids (Lycos).
    • Find material to help teach a unit on dinosaurs (Yahoo).

  • Infoseek and Alta Vista are "full-text" indexes.
    • The Web is too large to browse by just following links.
    • Alta Vista indexes over 30 million Web pages on 275,000 computers.
    • If you're looking for something specific, it is usually easier to formulate a query.
      • Find material to teach a unit on weather.
        (QUERY: weather education)
      • Who is portrayed in Da Vinci's Mona Lisa?
        (QUERY: "Mona Lisa")
        (REFINE: "Da Vinci" portrait)
      • What was the role of women and marriage in Greek mythology?
        (ADVANCED QUERY - Alta Vista: "Greek mythology" NEAR women, list marriage first)

• Big job to keep indexes up-to-date by hand.
  • A computer program called a "web crawler" looks for new web sites as they are added and follows all the links to help create these indexes.

Integrating

Full text, raw data, Internet resources, electronic field trips, simulations, monitoring projects, virtual tours.

Student Perspective

• Students can use the Internet for conducting research, engaging in interactive activities, participating in web-based projects, or created original materials for others.

• Research
  • Students can make good use of the Internet as a research vehicle. The following types of materials can be found:
    • Educational Collections
      Hubble Space Telescope, Perseus Project, CIA World Fact Book (Armenia)
    • Electronic Field Trips
      White House Tour, The Freedom Trail, Virtual Galapagos, City.Net Travel
    • Full Texts
      San Francisco Examiner, Dictionaries, Translation Service (French biodiversity page), Electronic Texts, Shakespeare, Mendel Web
      Peter Weis on Mendel Web
    • Raw Data
      Weather Underground, Stock Market Watch, World Population Clock, Visible Human Project (use of this data by Smokey Hill High School, Aurora, CO and Washington University)
    • Access to Experts
      Ask Dr. Math, Ask-a-Geologist, List of Experts

  • Important to determine credibility and validity of information. Sites can be created by anyone (see Evaluation Skills for WWW Resources and recent Boston Globe health article). Compare these two articles:
    • Clara Barton (article A)
    • Clara Barton (article B)

  • Methods for citing Internet sources are evolving (see Cybercitations, or the MLA Style Sheet for Electronic Sources).

• Interactive Activities
  • Many web sites offer interactive activities that engage students in one way or another. Here are some examples:
    • Simulations
      Virtual Frog Dissection, Voltage Circuit Simulator (Java-based), Virtual Fly Simulation (mirror site)
      Peter Weis on the Virtual Fly
    • Lessons and Quizzes
      Unknown Planets Lesson, Piano on the Net, SAT Prep
    • Exhibits
      Exploratorium - Common Cents, Hurricane Spiral, Telegarden

• Web-based Projects
  • Both short and long term classroom projects organized via the Internet can be exciting additions to the curriculum. These projects include:
    • Monitoring Projects
      Global Grocery List Project, Exercise Monitoring Project, Journey North Tulip Garden Project, BatNet
      Peter Weis on Environet
    • Exploration
      Jason Project, Maya Quest

• Students as Authors
  • Individual students, groups of students, or teachers on behalf of students can create original content for others browsing the web.

  • There is a wide range of possibilities when it comes to creating web-based materials:
    • Student Publications
      American High School Newspaper (Fremont, CA),
      North Pole High School Literary Magazine (North Pole, AK)
    • Art & Literary Exhibits
      Empire Elementary Art & Poetry (Grades 4 & 5, Empire, CA),
      Green School Student Art Gallery (Grade 7, Oxnard, CA),
      Ben Seto Comics (Grade 10, Logan High School, Union City, CA)
    • Virtual Tours
      Princeton Nature Trail (Thomas Prince School, Princeton, MA)
      Peter Weis on the Princeton Nature Trail
    • Original Collections
      Corsaut's Artists (Grade 3, Empire Elementary, Empire, CA),
      Underground Railroad, (Grade 5, South Dennis, MA),
      Hudson's Statue (College, Brown University, Providence, RI),
      Pointillism (Logan High School, Union City, CA)
    • Home Pages
      Jaguar (Grade 11, Sidwell Friends School, Washington, D.C.),
      Jessica (Agnes Irwin School, Rosemont, PA),
      Chris (Aberdeen High School, Aberdeen, MI)

Teacher Perspective

• Teachers can use the Internet in many of the same ways as students. They can use it for communicating with other teachers and experts, researching new materials for courses, and creating original materials for students or for other teachers.

• Communication
  • Finding other teachers or subject matter experts on the Internet can help in discovering interesting material and answering questions.
    • Talking to Teachers
      eDscape Teacher Link, PedagoNet Teacher Chat Room,
      K12 Teacher Chat Newsgroup, School Teachers Newsgroup, Education Newsgroup, Science Education Newsgroup
    • Talking to Experts
      Electronic Emissary Expert Matching Service, A Line in the Sand, Virtual Fly

• Research
  • Using the WWW as a research tool can provide data for preparing course materials or ideas for teaching in general.
    • Lesson Plans
      Pinhole Camera Lesson, Whale Songs Art, Access Excellence Biology Lessons, GirlTECH '96 Lessons, Lesson Plans Using Internet Web Sites
    • Information & Data for Classes
      Uncover Periodical Index, Facing History
    • Teaching Ideas & Techniques
      Teachnet.Com Classroom Management, Teachnet.Com 5-minute Activities, PE Central Assessment Ideas, Creating Lesson Plans
    • Educational Resources
      NetGuide's Best Education Sites, Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators, Education World's Best of 1997, ESL and Billingual Education Links

• Teachers as Authors
  • Creating your own materials can be the most effective way to ensure that your students are viewing valuable content on the WWW.

  • Requires documents in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language).
    • Can view the "source" of a page to see what HTML looks like.
    • Editors such as Netscape Communicator, Claris Home Page, and Adobe PageMill create HTML automatically.

  • Good original materials are characterized by:
    • A sense of coherence.
    • Good graphic design.
    • Judicious use of large illustrations.
    • Well-organized link structure with "meat" on every page.
    • Sufficient navigational aids.
    • A well-defined audience.
    • Clearly identified authors.
    • Not too much identifying information about students.

  • Examples of materials:
    • Internet Resources
      Social Studies Resources (Kent School District, WA),
      WachuNet Biology Resources (Wachusett Regional High, Holden, MA)
    • Collections & Lessons
      WebQuest on Children and China (High School, San Diego State University's Application Design Team),
      Men and Women of the Atom (High School),
      The ABC's of the American Revolution (Grade 5, Empire Elementary, Empire, CA)
    • School Web Sites
      Gunn Senior High School (Palo Alto, CA),
      Lowell City Magnet Internet Projects (Lowell, MA),
      School Web Page Development Guide

Reality vs. Hype

Network error, DNS entry not found, Unable to locate server

• Internet is not without flaws.

• Organizational and design problems:
  • Non-professional authors
    • Unlike TV, newspapers, and books, the Web has few copy editors.

  • Nothing is static
    • Pages and sites change constantly.
    • Impossible to count on material staying the same or links working from day to day
      • Article on Aphrodite no longer exists.
      • This Plymouth link used to contain the high school's web page. Now it's a page for the school district.

  • Pages lack "meat"
    • For example, the Gallery Walk is poorly organized, with many uninformative links to follow (Commercial Galleries to Cities...).
    • Content-free intermediate pages like Warner High School Student & Faculty Pages (Warner, SD) waste valuable time.
    • Unannotated, poorly organized lists of links are hard to use. Compare the Taylor Road Middle School's Math Resources (Alpharetta, GA) page with Sonoma State University Library's well-annotated list of Math Resources on the Web

  • Poor graphic design
    • The Plymouth Souuth High School (Plymouth, MA) site lacks coherence. Compare it with the Tandem Friends School (Charlottesville, VA) site.
    • The excellent content of this lesson plan site, The Zebra Mussel Invasion, is marred by an attractive, but highly distracting background that makes the text very difficult to read.
    • The multiple animations on this content-free Houlton High School Home Page (Houlton, ME) are very distracting.

  • Pages are published before their time
    • The Ashland Park-Robbins Elementary (Omaha, NE) is a shell without much content.

• Technical problems:
  • Errors
    • Error messages are common while browsing.
    • Links like this one are often broken due to typographical errors.

  • Overcrowding
    • Creates slow speeds.
    • Prevents access.

  • Computer failure

• Preparation is essential.
  • Because of these problems, preparation and a backup plan are essential.
  • Peter Weis on the need for preparation

• Democracy reigns.
  • Everyone can be a publisher.
  • Leads to wide variation in quality.
  • Many examples of trash.
  • Equally many examples of highly polished, professionally designed sites.
    • Boston University, Boston College
    • StockMaster, DLJdirect
    • ESPN Sports Zone
    • Motocycle Page
    • Women's Wire
    • Lands' End
    • Federal Express
    • Amazon.com: Earth's Biggest Bookstore
  • Good things are out there, it just takes some patience to find them.