FMOct22

Exploring the Possibilities of Learning with the Internet
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/
 * The Internet provides opportunities for students to read, explore, interact with, and respond to multimedia texts from around the world.**
 * [|International Children’s Digital Library] (diversity, understanding culture’s influence in literature)
 * [|National Geographic for Kids]
 * [|Mythic Journeys]
 * Planet Oz [|Animal Myths and Legends]
 * [|Create a Graph] - National Center of Statistics
 * [|Interactive Math Dictionary] for Kids
 * [|Pathways to Freedom]: The Underground Railroad
 * [|GA Super Readers]


 * The Internet invites students to compose, think critically, collaborate, and create peace**
 * [|Global Schoolhouse Projects]
 * [|Global Virtual Classroom] - [|Different Countries, Different People, Same Dreams]
 * [|Global Story Trains]
 * [|Never-Ending Stories] from Writer’s Window
 * [|Children's Encyclopedia of Woman]
 * [|WikiJunior Information Texts]
 * [|Student Created Document Based Questions]


 * The Internet enables teachers to collaborate and share ideas across classrooms.**
 * [|Mary Kreul's 4th grade classroom]
 * [|Susan Silverman's Webfolio]

Developing important questions is not typically considered a part of reading comprehension. Students seldom ask questions; student often answer questions. However, inquiry, self-directed information use, and learning is central to new literacies.

//CONSIDER: How might the information at the websites below be used to model questioning strategies, peak student interest in new topics, and support students as they develop their own questions to explore.//
 * [|21st Century Explorer] (Science)
 * [|Ask Dr. Universe] (Science)
 * [|Yuckiest Site on the Internet] (Science/Health)
 * [|FAQ Kids] (Assorted Topics)
 * [|Questions about Aboriginals] (Very specific topic)
 * Refer to the Things We Learned Using the Internet Handout to spark ideas for generating question exploration
 * Encourage students to visit content area sites to explore and then locate interesting examples to share and how they found it

**B. Navigating to locate relevant information**
//CONSIDER: What skills and strategies are required to navigate search engines in order to efficiently locate relevant information? Is it just one set of skills, or do different interfaces require different skills sets?//
 * [|Google]
 * +whales +"lesson plans"
 * +whales +"second grade"
 * +whales +webquest
 * +whales +quiz
 * +whales +cyberhunt
 * +whales -"pilot whale"
 * [|Alta Vista] (for audio, video, and [|translations])
 * **Searching Information Portal Sites For Kids**:
 * Ask for Kids [|http://www.askforkids.com/]
 * Kidsclick Search Engine http://www.kidsclick.org/
 * Kids.net.au http://www.kids.net.au/
 * Fact Monster http://www.factmonster.com/
 * First Gov Kid's Portal http://www.kids.gov/
 * Enchanted Learning Site [|http://www.enchantedlearning.com]
 * Free Clip Art for Kids http://www.thekidzpage.com/freeclipart.htm
 * Free Photos for Kids http://www.pics4learning.com/
 * Free PhotosImages for Kids http://www.public-domain-image.com/
 * International Children's Digital Library http://www.icdlbooks.org/
 * Yahooligans?? [|http://www.yahooligans.com]
 * Searching within listserv archives like [|RTEACHER]
 * Navigating within websites - Where do I read first? (see Educational Leadership Article)
 * [|Kidshealth] (using multiple menus and local search engines)
 * Underground Railroad (interacting with multimedia and "non-relevant" distractors): [|Pathways to Freedom] and [|National Geographic Underground Railroad]
 * [|Alfy Kids]
 * In the future...
 * [|Kartoo] or [|Ujiko] or [|Browse 3D]

**C.** Critically evaluating information - Being a healthy skeptic
//CONSIDER: What types of inferences must readers make as they read search engine results and within a website to evaluate the relevancy, reliability, bias, and overall utility of a website ?//


 * Explore the critical evaluation activities [|at Julie's TRLD 2007 conference website].**


 * Related Ideas to think about when evaluating reliability and authority/expertise of the author**
 * [|Snopes.com]
 * Think and Check Activity (see Educational Leadership Article)
 * Investigating the author within the website and outside the website
 * Provide opportunities in art/computer class or as part of a persuasive writing unit to explore digital manipulation and creating bogus websites to see how easy it really is!
 * Move from sites like these with clear black and white issues to issues with shades of grey


 * Evaluating author stance and bias**
 * Investigate each of the following websites while considering the answers to the following questions:
 * Who created the information at this site?
 * What is the purpose of this site?
 * When was the information at this site updated?
 * Where can I go to check the accuracy of this information?
 * Why did this person, or group, put this information on the Internet?
 * Is there anyone that might be offended by the information at this site?
 * Does the website present only one side of the issue, or are multiple perspectives provided?
 * How is the information at this site shaped by the stance taken by the creator of the site
 * [|American Girl], [|Scholastic], and [|Lego], and [|Animal Legends]
 * Try some of these [|Media Awareness Educational Games] with students ages 8-10.
 * Supporting readers as they learn how to detect fact, opinion, and bias in the information that they read
 * [|Ray Redington's Dogcare], [|Racing for the Grave], and [|Is The Iditarod for the Dogs?]
 * **Detecting Fact vs. Opinion:** Tell which website you think has the STRONGEST opinions about the use of sled dogs in the Iditarod. Tell whether you think the author of the website you chose is for or against racing sled dogs for competition. Select a quote from the website you chose and explain why you think it is an example of the author sharing strong opinions.
 * **Detecting Bias and Considering the Author:** Tell which website (Site A, B, or C) gives opinions from more than one side of the issue. Who are the two people whose opinions are given in the website you chose in number 1? What factors make these two people feel the way they do about the treatment of sleddogs ?

D. Synthesizing information
//CONSIDER: What new literacies are required to collaboratively compose and organize information from multiple sources in multiple formats?//


 * [|Save the Tiger Fund]: What inferences are required to read, locate, and synthesize information from multiple pages within this website?
 * [|Google Notebook] provides an online tool for clipping, organizing, accessing, and publishing - essentially, synthesizing! [[|Video Tutorial]]

E. Communicating your ideas to others
//CONSIDER: What new literacies are required to interact with others to compose and share information in online spaces?//
 * Wikis - [|Wikipedia], [|WikiJunior Wikibooks], or Wikispace tools to create your own [[|Video tutorial of Wikis in Plain English]]
 * Blogs - [|Bob Sprankle's 3rd Grade Blog] with Integrated Podcasts, [|The Write Weblog], Sandaig Primary School Radio Podcasts
 * Email - Try [|Epals for Kids>]
 * A free and save space for teachers and kids to use many online tools all together (for teachers and kids) [|Think.com]

Comments, questions, ideas, ......This has been awesome, Peter