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Ten
Powerful Ideas Shaping the
Present and Future of IT in
Education
by David Moursund
The field of information technology (IT) is
changing so rapidly that it boggles the mind and
overwhelms the ability of most educators to keep
up. But there are underlying powerful ideas of IT
use in education that will serve educators and
students far into the future.
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If
I Teach This Way, Am I Doing My Job:
Constructivism in the Classroom
by Debra Sprague and Christopher
Dede
“I can’t let the students surf the Web
or play on the computer. That is like having 20
minutes free on Friday and telling the students to
do whatever they want. If I do that, I’m not
doing my job.”
Educators have been moving toward both
technology integration and constructive teaching
practices. But they may not understand how these
changes translate into effective classroom
practice. This month’s feature describes the
value of integrating technology with
student-centered, meaningful, and engaging learning
experiences based on constructivist theory.
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Getting Everybody Involved: Cooperative
PowerPoint Creations Benefit Inclusion
Students
by Rebecca Kelly
Using PowerPoint in a cooperative setting allows
inclusion students to create presentations as part
of the learning process. Special education teacher
Rebecca Kelly suggests her approach for any subject
area in Grades 4 and above.
Subject: Any
Grade Level: 4 and above (Ages 9 and up)
Technology: PowerPoint (Microsoft),
laptop computer (Texas
Instruments), LCD panel (In Focus Systems),
overhead projector, TV monitor, scan converter
(www.antec.com)
Standards:
Delaware Curriculum Standards in
English/Language Arts 1, 2, 3, & 4
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Electronic Books:
Presentation Software Makes Writing More
Fun
by Bob Hodges
Students can use presentation software to create
“electronic books,” a concept Bob Hodges
developed in response to his district’s
five-year plan to integrate technology into the
learning process.
Subject: Language Arts
Grade Level: 3 and up (Ages 8 and up)
Technology: PowerPoint (
Microsoft) or other presentation
software, scanner, digital camera, CD-ROM,
microphone
Standards: NETS 3 & 4. (See www.iste.org—click
Standards Projects—for more information on
the NETS project.) NCTE/IRA 3, 4, 6, &
9. (See
www.ncte.org for
more information on these language arts
standards.)
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Do Vampires Exist?
Using Spreadsheets to Investigate a Common
Folktale
by Hollylynne Stohl Drier
Using basic mathematical concepts and
spreadsheet skills, students investigated the
existence of vampires. The spreadsheet provides a
computational tool that facilitates the
investigative nature of the activity and allows
students to solve a mathematical problem in an
open-ended, exploratory manner. Hollylynne’s
lesson
plan won an award from Microsoft and the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development (ASCD) in 1998. It's posted online on
Microsoft’s Web site.
www.microsoft.com/education/k12/integrate.htm
Subject: Mathematics, Number Sense,
Algebra
Grade Level: 3– (Ages
8–14)
Technology: spreadsheets (e.g.,
Microsoft Excel or Works,
AppleWorks)
Standards: NETS 3, 4, 5, and 6. (See
www.iste.org—click
Standards Projects—for more information on
the NETS
project.)
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Chatting It Up Online: Students Talk to a
Favorite Author
by Pamela Livingston
One of the many things computer technology can
provide to schools is a way to reach beyond the
four walls of the classroom and bring a unique
learning experience to students. Author chats are
one way this can happen.
Subject: Language Arts, Literature
Grade Level: 2–8 (Ages
7–13)
Technology: Internet Access
Standards: NETS 4. (See www.iste.org/standards
for more information on the NETS project.)
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Mars Mania: Internet Resources for the New
Millenium
by Bob Albrecht and Paul Davis
Bob welcomes a new co-author to the fold and
begins a new incarnation of his long-running Power
Tools for Math & Science column. This
month’s Starship Gaia looks at building
colonies on Mars (and provides many data resources
you can use in your classroom) and then brings the
focus back to Earth for some sources of
environmental projects and information.
Subject: Space Science, Language Arts,
Environmental Sciences
Grade Level: 5–12 (Ages
10–18)
Technology: Internet/Web
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Tornadoes and Lightning and Floods, Oh My!
Weather-Related Web Sites for K–12 Science
Lessons
by Juanita Jo Matkins and Denise
Murphy
One of the biggest problems with using the World
Wide Web for classroom lessons is finding enough
time to locate useful sites. But, Juanita Jo and
Denise have done the hard part for you. They review
30 weather-related Web sites, covering 15 weather
topics. For most topics, they provide two
sites—one that addresses the underlying
scientific concepts and one that offers a
graphically engaging excursion topic.
Subject: Earth Science, Weather
Grade Level: K–12 (Ages
5–18)
Technology: Web
Standards: NSES K–12 D. (Read
the complete NSES at
www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/.)
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Software Reviews
by Lisa Edmonds and Judi Mathis
Johnson
This month’s reviews column covers a piece
of math software for Grades K–2 and a
hardware and software package for classroom
presentations.
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Software Releases
by Judi Mathis Johnson
The Software Releases column is now available
online. And, it includes releases not in the print
version of L&L.
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Electronic Fences or Free-Range Students?
Should Schools Use Internet Filtering
Software?
by David Pownell and Gerald
Bailey
Two Kansas State University faculty members
outline the pros and cons of Internet filtering
software. They also offer school administrators
four options to choose when deciding whether to
filter information.
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Smooth Skating for Multimedia Mania
Winners
by Kate Vanderhorst
Two Canadian fifth-grade girls won the 1998
International Multimedia Contest using their
imaginations fired by HyperStudio.
Subject: Multimedia Presentations
Grade Level: 3–12 (Ages
8–18)
Technology: HyperStudio (Roger Wagner
Publishing)
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