The Internet gives a tremendous advantage to those who use
it for communication
purposes. Whether it be through e-mail, Web sites, video or
phone conferencing, or distance learning, the Internet can do it at the click of a button.
The ability to communicate in these various methods multiplies the resources
available to schools and teachers, greatly increasing opportunities for both
teaching and learning.
Imagine your class exploring an ancient
civilization with an archeologist or following scientists to the depths of
an ocean half way around the world while communicating in real-time videoconferencing
. Many rural school districts, as well as financially disadvantaged urban school
settings, now have the potential to access information and educational resources
that may not otherwise be available. Thanks to the advances in networking
technologies, students can now interact with their instructors via video
conferencing, collaborate in new ways with other students, teachers and experts,
and connect to school systems around the world and collaborative
resources such as National Geographic for Kids and the Jason Project
collaborations with scientists.
Below you
will find information on the variety of communication tools available for
teachers, students, parents and administrators that will enhance classroom communication
through technology. Although some forms of communication on the Internet, such
as videoconferencing and streaming video, require multiple software packages
coupled with powerful servers to handle the combinations of operating systems
and viewing software, most
Internet communication tools are either free or relatively inexpensive.
Home/School
Connections
Teachers
struggle daily trying
to answer all their
students' questions and keep parents
informed about daily events, special announcements, homework assignments,
upcoming projects, and planned monthly events.
Increasingly, teachers are using computers and the Internet to maintain contact
with parents, many through free sites that act as communication hubs. A
variety of on-line sites are available to teachers to create their own
classroom bulletin boards for posting assignments, publishing examples of
student work, and sending and receiving messages from parents and students.
The following sites are user friendly and take little time to set up and
keep updated. To begin to use any of these sites, you first need to register and
with the service and log in. The site will provide you with space on their
Web server so that you, your students, and their families can access the
information you post. Although most are free,some require a subscription fee.
Overall these are excellent tools for home/school communications and are
great time savers. It is important
to remember that many of your students may not have Internet access, however it
is easy to cut and paste the same information into a Newsletter to be sent home.
*Consider
this: If the site you set up is not updated regularly, it will quickly
lose its effectiveness.
Schoolnotes
www.schoolnotes.com
Schoolnotes
is a user friendly site designed for teachers to put homework assignments,
spelling words, calendars, and other school information on the Internet! It’s
easy, fast, and free. And best of all, no programming required!
E-board
http://www2.eboard.com/classroom-bulletin-boards/
This site
uses a simple "corkboard" interface where teachers can post messages,
photos, files and links online in seconds. Subscription fee required.
Teacher
Web
http://www.teacherweb.com/
This
site allows teachers to create their own class Web sites to post assignments,
announcements and other educational material on their own classroom bulletin
board. Subscription fee required.
Bigchalk
www.schools.bigchalk.com
Myschoolonline
www.myschoolonline.com
Blackboard
http://www.blackboard.com/
Blackboard is a free service that allows
instructors to add an online component to their classes or even teach their
entire course online.
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Classroom Communications
Students have questions
and questions lead to learning when there is an opportunity to obtain answers.
Teachers can not always have the answers, but thanks to technology and
the Internet, students have opportunities to contact “experts” who are
available to answer student questions. Network
links invite students to acquire the information they want directly from
experts anywhere in the world. The
following Web sites have been designed especially for students to communicate
and collaborate as they become a part of a world wide community of learners:
Communication
with Experts
Ask
Dr. Universe
http://www.wsu.edu/DrUniverse/
Ask An Expert
http://njnie.dl.stevens-tech.edu/askanexpert.html
Pitsco’s
Ask An Expert
http://www.askanexpert.com/
Ask
Jeeves for Kids
http://www.ajkids.com
Homework
Helpers
A wide array of Homework Helper sites range from real-time
individual tutoring help to full-scale portals that deliver quizzes,
research links, expert advice and more. Most of the basic help resources listed
here are free, however, some site charge fees to access their libraries and
tools. They also vary in the type of help they offer ranging from live
tutors to short online lessons that supplement curriculum areas. The
following sites are considered some of the better Homework Helper sites:
On-Line Tutor
http://www.tutor.com
Online tutoring with mostly certified teachers and graduate students using
whiteboard, chat, and targeted lessons. Sessions can be expensive although the
first 15 minutes is usually offered free.
*Consider this: Make sure you can sample tutoring services and find out
if the company screens its tutors and if they have varying prices for specific
tutors.
www.school.aol.com
Q&A to general homework queries; best for k-8
www.bigchalk.com
www.factmonster.com
www.mathforum.org/dr.math
www.homeworkhelp.com
www.encarta.msn.com
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Online
Collaborative Projects
By joining
an online, collaborative project, your students can become a part of a community
of learners. They will be collecting data, providing information, creating,
designing, and cooperating in projects with students from all over the
world. This is a wonderful way to use real life/real time learning that is
motivating and crosses all areas of the curriculum. One teacher, somewhere
in the world coordinates the project guidelines and meets the deadlines.
After the project is finished, much learning from the completed project takes
place.
To
receive notice of projects available or to look at a project registry
go to:
The Global School House
http://www.gsn.org
Go to Lightspan's Collaborative Projects - Go to
Project Registry
or to receive the postings, scroll down to Join Hilites.
Flat
Stanley Project
http://www.enoreo.on.ca/flatstanley/index
Internet
Projects Registry
http://www.gsn.org/pr/_cfm/index.cfm
Monarch
Watch
http://www.monarchwatch.org/
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Teacher
to Teacher
Teachers no
longer have to be isolated within their classroom. They can enjoy a world-wide
web of interaction. Listservs, discussion boards, threaded discussions, professional chat
rooms, and video conferencing all provide occasions for teachers to dialogue with other teachers. They
provide a way to share information, ask questions, solve problems and connect
with others. They might gain ideas, learn a new strategy, or simply “air” an issue
asking for suggestions for remedy. This form of communication also provides a place to share success stories
or professional concerns.
Listserves
Listservs are an
email-based discussion format and there are many of these available. Below you
will find some education and distance education listserv groups that you might
consider joining. Please also visit the E-Mail Discussion List site which
contains a larger list of listservs in the area of general education, k-12
education, and educational technology.
Teacher
to Teacher
http://www.teachnet.com/t2t/
You can get your
e-mail daily, weekly, or in digested form.
Connected
Classroom
http://connectedteacher.classroom.com/home.asp
Grade
Connection
http://www.imagicomm.com/abreding/
Listserve
especially for teachers of Grades 3-4 and 5-6
The
Marco Polo Listserv
http://www.mpfoundation.com/maillist/join_maillist.cfm
E-Mail
Discussion Lists and Electronic Journals
http://edweb.gsn.org/lists.html
List of listservs in
the area of general education, k-12 education, educational technology and
education reform.
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Videoconferencing
One of the many benefits
of video over the Internet is the ability to communicate through
videoconferencing. Videoconferencing provides participants the ability to conduct interactive
conferencing between various locations, eliminating travel time and costs while
promoting better collaboration. Participants can interact in the video meeting
just as they would if they were sitting in the same room. This
synchronous (real-time) communication allows participants to share information
and respond immediately
to questions and/or concerns. While this type of communication can be
costly and require complex and expensive equipment to successfully communicate,
it is ideal for real-time
communication, learning, and collaboration. The current most widely deployed
videoconferencing model for distance learning and video conferencing is H.323.
which is proving to be a more cost effective and reliable networking standard.
Not only is videoconferencing beneficial for teachers, it is highly effective
when used in the classroom for student interactive discussions with experts.
Projects such as the Jason Project, which allow students to ask questions in
synchronous communications with scientists, provides invaluable learning experiences for
students and teachers.
Windows
Net Meeting
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting/
K-12
Videoconferencing
http://neirtec.terc.edu/k12vc/index.cfm
JasonProject
www.jasonproject.org
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