On-Line Sources
 

The Internet
-Brief History
-Today's Internet
-Working Basics
-World Wide Web
-Top 10 Reasons

Communication
-Asynchronous
-Synchronous

MultiMedia
-Streaming
-Virtual Reality
   *Virtual Tours
    *Avatars

Online Sources
-Field Trips
-Lessons/Games
-On-line Courses
-Research
-Scavenger Hunt
-Web Quests
-WebCams

Applications
-GIS
-PowerPoint
-WebCT

Security
-Copyright
-Firewalls
-Filters

The Future
-Internet2
-Wireless Class
-Quicker Band

There are many on-line sources available on the Internet that can be integrated into the school curriculum.  Some of the sources available are:

Virtual Field Trips:
A virtual field trip is similar to a traditional field trip, but the learning takes place over the Internet.  There's no worry about the weather, no having to ride an old school bus, or getting lost in some strange town.  It's entertaining and educational.  It's a trip that can take you to a completely new world!  It's the next best thing to actually going to a certain destination.  The trips are excellent for teaching Geography and many other courses.  Students can learn about distant places or anywhere in the United States.  An excellent site to visit to learn about the United States is WebDo6S. 

The web provides numerous resources to take a virtual trip out of the classroom. An
excellent example of enhancing the imagination of students and the classroom experience is The JASON Project.  The JASON Project explores oceans to rain forests, polar regions to volcanoes, and planet Earth.  It takes students around the world for an exciting educational adventure. 

For more links to virtual field trips, visit some of the following sites:  Tramline Virtual Field Trips, Innovative Teaching, and The "OOPS" Virtual Field Trip Page!

Interactive Lessons and Games:
Learning does not have to include just textbooks and note taking.  Lesson plans that include interactive games can add a new dimension to teaching and learning.  Interactive games and lessons can be a very useful learning tool for students and yes even teachers.  There are a wide range of activities available ranging from geography to basket weaving.  Check out these websites that are very informative and interactive:  Scholastic Instructor; an excellent site for primary kids, Primary Games.Com. and The Literacy Center.

On-Line Courses:
On the Internet, there are a growing number of virtual classes, that is classes whose content is delivered substantially via the Internet and in which substantial contact between students and their teachers -- and among students themselves -- takes place in Cyberspace.  On-line courses provides students (young or adult) the ability to learn about any topic available.  On-line courses can include college courses, tutorial, or any type of instructional course.  Online courses are conducted much like on-ground courses; they are classroom oriented-- although conducted in a virtual classroom.  With the ever-increasing popularity and accessibility of the Internet, it is only natural that the educational community should want to make use of the virtual classroom. 

Perhaps the most important feature of the virtual classroom is the teacher’s web page. The teacher’s web page for a virtual classroom – whether for the so-called traditional class or the wholly online one -- should serve a variety of functions. Among its functions, it should provide students with announcements, assignments, due dates, and information about how to communicate with the teacher.

Teaching on-line courses can be convenient, efficient, motivate students, provide effective instructional delivery, improve conditions for learning and give a better assessment of student program (Reference: O'Brien, Jack (1996) "Twenty-five reasons to consider on-line teaching."  Lifelong Learning Today, Vol. 11, No. 2, September 1996.)

 A fun and interesting site for children is Mrs. B's Virtual Classroom.

Research:
There are many ways to use the Internet for research such as: 1) exploring libraries; 2) visiting web sites; 3) visiting universities/colleges, businesses on the web to acquire information.  Students and adults will eventually face the task of doing research on the Internet.  It's important they understand that not all information is reliable.  The following links should help in searching for information and what to be aware of when researching:  Checklist of Internet Research Tips; Evaluating Internet Resources; and Conducting Research on the Internet.

A good tip to keep in mind when researching the web for information, save a web page that is being used in a presentation or in the classroom.  Addresses of Internet sites frequently change.  Web sites can disappear altogether.  Do not expect stability on the Internet.  An excellent software program that can help with this problem is WebWhacker.  It allows you to download a website from the Internet for future use.  When visiting web sites, there's no guarantee the site will be there on your next visit, so use WebWhacker to prevent losing that site.  To download a free demo visit  WebWhacker 5.0

Scavenger Hunts:
Internet scavenger hunts are a way for students to practice problem solving, improve their reading and comprehension skills, and learn how to search the Internet.  Scavenger hunts, or treasure hunts, have quickly become one of the most popular tools for teaching students how to access and use the resources and information available on the Internet.  Hunts can be geared virtually to any curriculum area, they can be used as a whole class activity or as a means of providing individual students with review or challenge activities.  Hunts can be simple or involved. Students are provided with questions along with the URL's necessary to find the answers, or just asked to find their own sources in order to obtain the answers to the questions provided. 
                                                                                                                               (Image: http://www.aea14.k12.ia.us/technology/ScavengerHunt.html)

A great site to use in the classroom is Scavenger Hunt. 
 

WebQuests:
A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet.  WebQuests are designed to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis and evaluation. WebQuests are more involved and detailed than Scavenger Hunts.  They are used by teachers to facilitate and provide students with skills needed to navigate, rather than surf the web.  The WebQuest Page has an overview of WebQuest and examples of WebQuest activities.  Check out this diagram to find the basics in designing a WebQuest. 

Classrooms are often limited as far as resources, mainly computers.  When teachers use WebQuest, they often have to take into account the type of computer classroom being used.  WebQuests can be used in different classroom scenarios such as one computer, two computer classrooms, etc.  For more information check out these different classroom scenarios.

WebCams:
WebCams can be used in the classroom to show students how animals interact, to visit rivers and streams.  They can be entertaining and educational.  Many internet sites have webcams which automatically load camera images of various objects or locations.  The images are then uploaded to a web page.   No special software, plug-ins, or equipment is needed to view webcam images. To visit a few exciting webcams, check out:  WebCamCentral, Education Planet, and Earth Cam.