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Technology

Each week, Education World's Great Sites for Teaching About… page highlights Web sites to help educators work timely themes into their lessons. This week's sites are among the best on the Web for teaching about technology.

1. Download.com
   http://download.cnet.com/downloads/010007.html?st.dl.redir.txt.cat10
   An electronic grade book, a real-time sky display, a Shakespeare trivia game, and a customizable spelling bee are just a few of the hundreds of educational freeware and shareware products ready to download onto your hard drive. Each download includes product specs, quick facts, a narrative description, and easy to follow directions. The searchable database can help you find lots more great instructional and productivity tools too!

2. HTML Guides and Tutorials
   http://pages.prodigy.com/bombadil/create.htm
   "Content is king only if visitors stick around long enough to see it" is just one of the tips you'll find while using this extensive hotlist of online lessons for creating Web pages. Many of the linked sites involve using hypertext mark-up language (HTML), but even if you use an HTML editor, you'll find something here to help you get the most from your Web page.

3. Internet Detective Tutorial
   http://sosig.ac.uk/desire/internet-detective.html
   Information literacy will be one of the most highly prized skills of the information age. Are you ready to evaluate Internet resources? The two-hour tutorial on sharpening assessment skills is well worth the time.

4. K-12 Acceptable Use Policies
   http://www.erehwon.com/k12aup
   Every connected school or school district should have its own Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) in place! At this site, Nancy Willard, a teacher, lawyer, and technology consultant, posts a collection of (copyrighted) templates to help you develop an AUP for your school or district.

5. PC Lube and Tune
   http://pclt.cis.yale.edu/pclt
   Perhaps you're ready to learn a little more about the hardware behind your PC -- but not sure where to begin? PC Lube and Tune, "a Service Station and convenience store at Exit 130.132 on the National Information Highway," explains hardware, operating systems, COM ports, modems, ISDN lines, the Ethernet, and more -- in terms even a technophobe can understand.

6. Spreadsheet Integration
   http://users.desupernet.net/ohora/spreadsheet/ssintegration.html
   This practical, step-by-step process for effectively using spreadsheets explains how to set up, customize, and enter data in a spreadsheet created with ClarisWorks. The site also provides lots of data, graphing, and calculating ideas for using spreadsheets with students.

7. Tammy's Tech Tips for Teachers
   http://www.essdack.org/tips/index.html
   At this site, you'll find lots of practical tips for classroom management, online projects, electronic portfolios, Internet navigation, technology workshops, and much more.

8. Videoconferencing for Learning
   http://www.kn.pacbell.com/vidconf
   Pacific Bell maintains this site on using digital video to conduct distance learning in real time over the Internet. The site includes tips on using videoconferencing in the classroom, developing communication skills, and employing evaluation techniques. Lots of interactive links allow visitors to move around and gather the information needed to take the plunge. Excellent recommendations on other resources are also included.

9. Software Evaluation
   http://hagar.up.ac.za/catts/learner/eel/Conc/conceot.htm
   This extremely well organized and visually graphic site outlines the processes involved in evaluating software for your instructional program. From the Overview Diagram (Step 1), which shows the various stages of the evaluation process, to the Criteria for Evaluation (Step 4), this site provides a great starting point for educators interested in establishing criteria for software acquisition. The information is easily transferable to a rubric format.

10. Media Selection Worksheet
    http://hakatai.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/authoring/handbook/cs-media.html
    ml Perhaps you want to integrate a lesson with technology but aren't sure which type of media would work best. Just complete the checklist and click submit, and this site will return a list of appropriate media that match your lesson objectives. This is a fun and informative exercise even if you don't have a lesson in mind.

Article by Walter McKenzie
Education World®
Copyright © 2000 Education World

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• Learning on the Fly: On-Line Tutorials Teach It All!
• Incorporating Technology Into Classroom Curriculum

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Education World Introduces the "Technology in the Classroom" Page! Caught in the Web: Online Advertising Targets Kids Fact, Fiction, or Opinion? Evaluating Online Information Let's Put the Pedagogy First: Technology as a Tool to Support Instruction

Building a Technology Library: The Experts' Choices From Pony Express to Disposable Computers: A Technology Timeline Great Sites for Teaching About Technology What Can We Do to Curb Student Cheating?