Integrating the Internet
into Instruction
By Rhonda Christensen rhondac@tenet.edu
http://courseweb.tac.unt.edu/rhondac/
CECS 4100
Planning: How to Begin
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Supplement, Not Replace Curriculum
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Decide Who Leads, Who Follows
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Assess Needs/Desires
Build on Existing Curriculum
Have Short-Range Goal/ Reward Incentive
Develop evaluation tools in planning stage
Commercial vs. Not-for-Profit
Existing Project vs. Home Brew
Teacher Buy-in is Key
Find Niche
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On-line Clearinghouses
Journals
Conferences
Internet
Network of Networks
 Share common protocol (TCP/IP)
 22 million users as of 1994
 51 million in US/Canada alone by 1997
 Net Population Approaches 429 million
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US and Canada = 41%
(Source: www.digitaldividenetwork.org)
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Growth Rate was predicted 70% Per Year
(Source: IEEE Computer Magazine, Vol. 30(5), 5/97 p.11)
Although
most schools are connected to the
Internet, most classrooms are not.
Planning: Traveling on the
Internet
 Access
Tools & Resources
Electronic Mail, Chat
Listservs
 Telnet, FTP
 WWW Browsing/Searching
 Audio Bridges/Internet Phone
 Streaming Audio and Video
 SSTV/CU See-Me/Desktop
Videoconferencing
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Planning: Types of Learning
Approaches in Educational
Computer Networks
 Ask
an Expert
 Electronic Mentoring
 Impersonations or Appearances
 Tele-fieldtrips
 Tutor Support
 Peer Interaction
Adapted from Harris, Judi. (1994). Way of the Ferret. ISTE.
Types of Approaches -Con’t
Information Exchanges
 Structured Group Activity
 Electronic Publishing
 Pooled Data Analysis
 Research on the Internet
 Publishing on the Web
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Implementation: General
Guidelines
Start
Small, Be Flexible
Budget for Training
Use Successful Models as Guiding Lights
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Big Three (NGS Kids, ATT Learning Circles, TERC)
Air/Water
Emissary
Many Others
Case Study: Water and Air
Projects
E-mail based
 Need for Curriculum-based Projects
 Structured Project
International in scope
http://courseweb.tac.unt.edu/rhondac/globa
l/global.htm
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The Water Project
Introductory Unit
 Module One: Water in Our Communities
 Module Two: Using Water in Our Past
 Module Three: Using Water Today
 Module Four: Caring For Our Water
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Project Timeline Example
Feb 13-Mar 3
 March 3
 March 6-24
 March 24
•••
 April 24-May 5
 May 12
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Introductory Unit
Deadline for transmission
Study of Module One
Deadline for transmission
Study of Module Four
Deadline for transmission
Evolution/Enhancements
E-mail
Foundation
Special Audio Exchanges
CU See-Me Experimentation
Web Site(s) Supplements
Important Elements for
Implementation
Planning Ahead
 Teacher Support
 Manageable number of classrooms
 Dedicated Teachers
 Caution if participating in key-pal only
projects
 Setting specific guidelines and time frames
 Awareness of different school schedules
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Benefits in “Networking” the
Classroom
Cooperation/Collaboration
 Interdisciplinary
 Incidental Learning
 Expanding the ability to communicate
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Benefits - Con’t
Communication with Experts outside the
classroom
 Relieves isolation
 Increase in motivation
 Student accountability
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Barriers to Implementation
Equipment availability to teachers
 Language barriers
 Time constraints for teachers
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How to Post Your Own Project
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Post to newsgroups or on-line conferences
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Subscribe to a listserv (IECC)
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(http://www.stolaf.edu/network/iecc)
Read Classroom Connect Publication
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(http://www.iearn.org/projects/index.html)
(http://www.classroom.net)
Visit web sites such as Global Schoolhouse
Network Foundation
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(http://www.gsn.org)
Social and Educational Issues
Censorship
Who
owns/controls the Internet?
Who makes the rules and who enforces
them?
Access Issues - The Digital Divide
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429 million people online globally
41% of the global online population is in the United States
and Canada
27% of the online population lives in Europe, the Middle
East and Africa(25% of European Homes are online)
20% of the online population logs on from Asia Pacific
Only 4% of the world’s online population are in South
America
In fall of 2000, the U.S. Department of Commerce found that
51% of all U.S. homes had a computer; 41.5% of all U.S.
homes had Internet access
White (46.1%) and Asian American & Pacific Islander
(56.8%) households continued to have Internet access at
levels more than double those of Black (23.5%) and Hispanic
(23.6%) households
From: http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org
Filters
Software
such as CyberPatrol, CyberSitter,
TattleTale, SurfWatch, The Internet Filter,
CyberSnoop, etc.
Monitors, filters, analyzes and logs internet
access
May block data transfers
May “tattle” to parents via email
How much protection do the offer?
Acceptable Use Policies (AUP)
Expectations
Rules
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and consequences
Privilege, not a right
Parental
permission
User agreement
All involved parties sign
Value of the Internet
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The Internet is a valuable educational tool
for our children.
– Wealth of informative material
– Helpful for school projects/research
– Communication tool of their generation
‘Tweens and Teens
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78% of American youth go online; 92.7% GS MS kids
are online
92% of online teens use email; 68.9% GS MS kids
have their own email addresses
71% of online teens said that they used the
Internet as the major source for their most recent
big school project
74% of online teens use IM; 66% of younger teens
(12-14) go online and use IM; 66.5% GS MS kids
use IM
Concerns About the Internet
Are Children Safe?
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According to the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children (NCMEC) over 25 million children
(10-17 yrs.) are on-line
Teens spend more than one hour per day on the
Internet; 48.1% GS MS kids spend more than one
hour per day on the Internet
Top three sites visited are chat rooms, instant
message rooms and game/newsgroups
Are Children Safe?
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NCMEC survey found that:
– One in five teens had received a sexual solicitation
– One in four had received exposure to pictures of nude
people or people having sex.
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Close to 60% of teens have received an IM
or email from a stranger and 50% report
emailing or IMing with someone they have
not met before; 14.9% GS MS kids have
been asked for personal info. from
strangers on the Internet
Are Children Safe ?
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Only a small percentage told their parents
Many are not even telling their friends
Children may think they are chatting with
another child only to find out later they are
corresponding with an adult.
The perpetrator lurks in a public chat room
targeting a particular type of child usually the more quiet ones.
Instant Messaging (IM) vs. Chat
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IM is a private chat between two people.
Chat rooms are chat groups where people can come
and go or “join” a chat room; “walk” into the room,
follow the conversation for a bit and decide if it is a
place you want to be
When you send a message in a chat room, everyone
in the chat room can read it.
Moderated chat rooms
– Pro: Allows more control (someone is watching)
– Con: Allows more control (someone is in charge)
Social Issues - A Growing
Concern
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IM/Chat are mediated by a screen—protected from
emotional reactions
– there is a “technology” between you and the person with
whom you are communicating
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Lack of cues
They are often in a world where parental supervision
is almost non-existent
When they are on the computer you are never quite
sure if they are doing their homework or talking with
friends or strangers online
Social Issues - Online Etiquette
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Lack of social norms
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Not only do IM and Buddy Lists interfere with
homework they are an unparalleled medium for
creating interpersonal conflict, as well as
disseminating gossip and rumors
57% have blocked messages from someone they did
not want to hear from and 64% have refused to
respond to instant message from someone they were
mad at.
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– “Talking” about people while they are in the chat room
– Ejecting people from a chat room - power
Social Issues - Online Etiquette
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37.0% of GS MS kids have received an email or IM
that was hateful or insulting
17.4% of GS MS kids have sent one that was
hateful or insulting
11.5% of GS MS kids have received an email or IM
in which they felt threatened
Of those, 60% told their parents - 40% did not
Social Issues - Buddy Lists
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Buddy Lists have become a symbol of social
status. Those with the most names are
considered the coolest. Some have more
than 90 on their buddy list. In this sort of
environment, leaving someone off your
buddy list is a stinging rebuke. It is yet
another way for cliques to form.
This is more common in girls than boys.
Social Issues - Identity Crisis
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Many teens lead secret lives and engage in
risky behavior online
More than half (56%) of online teens have
more than one e-mail address or screen
name; 21% have more than four
92.9% GS MS kids have a screen name;
37.2% have more than one; 9.7% have four
or more
Resources for More Information
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www.wiredkids.org
http://www.safekids.com/child_safety.htm
www.protectkids.com
Pew Internet and American Life Project Study www.pewinternet.org
http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/pornography/ Click on Quick
Facts
www.safeteens.com
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
(www.missingkids.com)
GetNetWise (www.getnetwise.org)
Growing Up Digital: The rise of the net generation
by Don Tapscott
References
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Lenhart, Amanda. (2003). Generation IM: Teens
and Technology. The Findings of the Pew Internet
& American Life Project. Available:
http://www.pewinternet.org
Owsley, Suzie. Is Your Child Safe on the Internet.
Available: http://www.eurekapd.org/inet.htm
Weiss, Daniel, L. (2003). Going online: Youth &
the Internet. Available: http://
www.family.org/cforum/fosi/pornography/facts/a0
026839.cfm