Follow that Mouse!
Using Just
the Internet to Teach High School Biology
by Patrick J. Greene
Making science relevant can be hard. Until recently, the only
resources
available have been textbooks, reference books, and the usual
assortment
of pedagogical materials. The Internet, and its rich sources
of information
presented in engaging and imaginative ways, is changing the
face of
science instruction. Dare you ditch your textbooks and use
only the
computer?
Technology & Writing:
Partners in
Communication
by Diane Horban
E-mail projects can be useful for students at all levels, but
teachers
must plan carefully so that the projects increase
students’ knowledge
base. Diane Horban’s seventh-grade students learned to
discuss
reading and writing by corresponding with local high school
students
by e-mail. The students discussed issues from their language
arts classes
and met in person at the end of the school year. Read some
sample letters.
Students Teaching
Students—Using
the Internet to Support Student Learning and Peer
Teaching
by Mary Moyer and Joan Sambucci
Students at all levels are beginning to take responsibility
for their
own and others’ learning. Mary describes how she worked
with Joan’s
fourth-grade class to begin an Internet research project that
culminated
in class presentations. Visit the Web sites the students
used.
Establishing Help Desks in K–12 Schools
by Gary Quiring
Frequently, when educational technology is funded, little money is earmarked
for support. Most schools have one or two resident technology experts who
bear the brunt of that site’s needs. In business, however, most of the
money for new technology is spent on support and training. One particular
method used in business—the help desk—would work well in education.
Mining the Internet
Online
Mining the Internet is an ongoing column in L&L.
Frequently
the Internet changes substantially in the six months between
the time
that a column is submitted and the time it appears in print.
The Mining
the Internet Web site will provide a location for updates to
each issue’s
column. It will also provide a way to offer active links to
Internet
locations mentioned in the column and a place for material
that would
not fit in the confines of a four-page column. The column will
therefore
become a hybrid mix of print materials that will appear in
each issue
of L&L and supplementary materials that will be
placed on
the Web each month.
