Web Wonders / Learning in the Digital Age

If you're a neophyte Web researcher, most search engines have user-friendly features that take the fear out of searching. You'll also find a directory of education Web sites that are judged “outstanding” by the California-based Knowledge Network at www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn.

You can't go wrong using WebQuests for research. A WebQuest is a teacher-guided student research project in which some or all of the information that students gather comes from the Web. Templates and links guide students as they research and produce authentic products. Check out the WebQuest page hosted by San Diego State University (http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquest.html) for guidelines on building a WebQuest and links to model quests.

Communication Tools

Blogs—short for “Web logs”—are personal but publicly accessible Web pages. Any individual or group can create a blog, and most blogs allow any visitor to post comments and replies. To keep up to date with your favorite blogs, e-newsletters, and podcasts, and for guidance on how to start a blog, visit www.bloglines.com.

To see a sample of one of the thousands of well-done class blogs, visit “Mr. Blake's Class Blog” at http://incsub.org/wpmu/nwa/index.php. This blog from a science teacher in Whiteville, North Carolina, includes features and links for students (for example, a student encyclopedia that Blake calls a “Tiki-Wiki”) and for teachers (for example, tips on motivating students).

Another powerful communication tool is a podcast, an audio program broadcast over the Internet that you can download to a portable MP3 player. Besides tunes, podcasts can feature class-produced talk shows or audiofiles of books, articles, poems, and even vocabulary lists created by students. For guidance on making a class podcast and to hear a podcast about Romeo and Juliet created by a rural middle school, visit www.netc.org/focus/examples/record.php. This site also links to the Podcast Directory, a listing of free podcasts organized by subject matter (www.podcast.net).

Lots of students use cell phones, many of which now come with Internet hookups and cameras. Some educators think these phones have potential as a learning tool. At http://cnets.iste.org/teachers/pf/pf_phone_phunctions.html, you'll find a math lesson developed by the International Society for Technology in Education that uses students' interest in cell phones to help them explore math concepts.

Networking

School districts everywhere are developing their own Web sites, which include both public and private networks to help teachers, students, and parents communicate. For links to U.S. and international school sites, try these links:

• Visit www.slocoe.org/resource/calpage1.htm for a list of all California school districts with Web servers.
• For a site that networks European schools and encourages online interaction among them, visit www.eun.org.
• For information about networked school libraries, go to www.sldirectory.com.

What's Hot

Here are a few of the best online and print resources to keep you up to date on what's hot in education technology:

• eSchool News: www.eschoolnews.com.
• Education World's Technology in the Classroom Center: www.educationworld.com/a_tech.
• TECHNOS Quarterly, the online version of the Agency for Instructional Technology Journal: www.technos.net/current_issue.htm.
• T.H.E. Journal (published by Technological Horizons in Education): www.thejournal.com. Go to the link www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A5439.cfm for an article about “synchronous interaction”—collaborative learning on the Web.

Collaborative Learning and Online Courses

The Center for Technology in Learning has studied many collaborative learning projects that use digital technology. Learn more at http://ctl.sri.com/keywords/displayKeyword.jsp?Nick=commcollab. “Australia's Future Using Education Technology: Report” describes an Australian collaborative learning project and is available at www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/policy_initiatives_reviews/reviews/australias_future_using_educational_technology/report.htm.

Visit Google's Distance Learning Directory for information about online learning and for a glimpse of all sorts of virtual schools, institutes, and organizations, such as the South African Institute for Distance Education (www.saide.org.za/frontend). You also might find ideas at the Texas Distance Learning Association (www.txdla.org).

In an age of budget crunches, online courses for educators are a great convenience. Visit ASCD's online professional development site (http://pdonline.ascd.org/pd_online/new) for courses on assessment, curriculum development, instructional leadership, and more.