Why Use Technology?

First off, technology is the wave of the future. It seems that you either hop on the band wagon ... or you get left behind in the dust! But there are better reasons too! They are:

• Invite the revisiting of concepts through different learning modalities (computers and the internet).
• Encourage interdependency and responsibility of all students in a group setting (teams for students that are not exactly familiar with the computer makes things easier!).
• Allow students to use fully their creative energies and potentials. (Letting students surf on their own once you give them rules and regulations helps the student to learn on his/her feet).
• Provide support for experimentation and risk-taking. (This means that you must know what you are doing ... so if you don't ... ask someone who does.)

The beginning of using the internet in your classroom should be systematic and within your own "comfort zone". Your individual teaching style will dictate the types of activities the students perform and the management of their materials. For most people the management of students using the internet is difficult to comprehend. It all depends on the level of organization you are comfortable with and the degree of responsibility for the organization which you give to the students.My students vary in ability and motivation, but the computer is a barrier free vehicle which encourages them to be successful students.

Starting Up Give all of these plenty of thought because as you get into the workings of the computer, the students will demand your attention. The project will develop a flow of its own.

1. Define the goals and objectives that you want the students to demonstrate using the computer.
2. Determine how the internet will demonstrate these goals. What assignments? How many entries? How the students will reflect on their work?
3. Determine the standards that will be used. These will dictate the scoring guide that will be used.
4. Start with small projects using the computer and eventually move to one which is more encompassing.
5. Determine if there will be a performance component to the use of the internet and allot time for it.
6. Use student feedback for improving what you do-this is a dynamic process which will change, grow, and mature.

Technolgy w/o the Internet

Some teachers have had the chance to engage their students with computers and all that is available to be done with computers. I would say that the trend to start using computers in the classroom (besides typing papers) began in the science departments with the introduction of:

• Probeware - Probes and sensors to measure temperature, speed, and other things.
• Computer interfacing - Computers and probeware used as laboratory instruments to collect and manage data.
• CBL - Calculator Based Laboratory system - Portable hand-held data collectors, probeware and a graphing calculators used as laboratory instruments to collect and manage data.

During the last decade, science teachers in the United States have begun using computers and probeware in their classrooms. These educators want their students to have the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully participate in our increasingly global arena of science and commerce. However, there is always the risk that the technology will drive the curriculum rather than serve as an effective learning or research tool.

But have any of you explored the internet in you classroom? Although these scientific tools are nice and using computers to type information or to access information through CD-ROM's are nice, these are very limited resources. The world wide web on the other hand is an extensive resource that promotes interest in learning through student-lead learning. What I mean by that is that students can follow whatever links they would like to investigate and subsequently teach themselves.

How Do I Get Involved?

How do you get involved? (If you are asking yourself this, than I have done my job! Great!) Well, there are a few different ways to get involved.

• Teacher's Newsgroup - This forum will share knowledge and skills developed by educators to use technology as a tool so that students might better understand both the process and content of science. We invite you to interact with other teachers to share secrets, experiments, tips and experiences. If you have good assignments that are internet ready ... please share. If you are interested in talking to other teachers about using the internet in the classroom ... just leave a short note with your name and e-mail address and another teacher who would like to talk to you ... will do so!
• Educational Links - This page is designed to give teachers suggestions of what they can do in the classroom. The way that we do that, is to have a list of links to other sites that are striving to involve the internet in the classroom.
• Using The Golf Course In The Classroom - This is an outine written by Mr. Wurster about how to use The Golf Course in the classroom. In this page, he outlines specifically what sections should be used and when they can be used.