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On the Internet

Check out Education World's weekly Internet Scavenger Hunt! This ready-to-print activity engages students in learning about timely topics as they visit sites created just for them. Click to go to our Scavenger Hunt Archive.

Social Networking Tips for Teachers
Social networking in the classroom? Absolutely, says Facebooks chief security officer Joe Sullivan. Its educational and safe -- if you follow the rules.

Risks Involved in Integrating the Internet Into the K-12 Curriculum
Lets consider eight risks involved in integrating the Internet into the K-12 curriculum -- and some solutions and resources to help you minimize those risks.

Five for Fun
Lots of image generators are available on the Web. Most are free and easy to use -- so easy even a technology director can manage them. Here are five of my favorites.

Reflections on India
Education World tech columnist Bernie Poole reflects on his experiences as a Fullbright Scholar in Tirupati, India.

Online Safety Tips for Parents
Linda McCarthy, author of Own Your Space: Keep Yourself and Your Stuff Safe Online, offers parents these 10 tips for keeping their kids safe online. Provide a copy of our printable version to your students families.

Creating Your Own Web Site
Bernie Poole provides 11 easy-to-read handouts designed to lead you or your students step-by-step through the process of creating a content-rich education-oriented Web site.

Social Networking: More Hype Than Help?
If you believe the hype, just about everyone between the ages of 16 and 34 who thinks he or she is hip -- or would like to be perceived as hip -- is logging into a social networking site and having a ball. But, asks Bernie Poole, can you believe the hype?

Who's Talking Online?
Are social networking sites appropriate for school use? Should schools ban the use of such sites -- or incorporate them into the curriculum and teach students to use them safely? Members of the EW Tech Team tell us how their schools deal with the issue.

Free Online Teacher Tools
Bernie Poole describes a few of his favorite online teacher tools -- including RubiStar, BlogMeister, Survey Builder, and Web Collaborator.

Best of the Web
Members of the Education World Tech Team share their favorite educational Web sites -- online resources that have helped them teach better in general, better teach a single topic, provide better resources, or better engage students. Included: A few personal favorites!

Tap In to Tapped In
You've heard about it. You've read about it. Friends and colleagues have raved about the professional development opportunities it provides through ongoing events, groups, and chats. But you still haven't visited yourself. What are you waiting for?

Time-Saving Search Strategies
Bernie Poole offers a few quick tips and tricks for saving time when you're searching online.

Searching with Savvy
You can find almost anything you want on the Web if you look for it long enough. But if you know how to "phrase" your Web search questions, you can find what you want in a fraction of the time. Discover the secrets that savvy searchers know!

The Best Search Engines
If you're frustrated by search engines that give you unrelated responses... if you're spending too much time looking for online resources if you're worried students might access the wrong kind of information... these search engines can help you find pertinent, accurate, and safe information.

Online Projects Are for Everyone:
Jennifer Wagner, online project guru, talks about how she first got interested in online projects, and shares tips for selecting the best online project for your classroom. Included: Half a dozen links to online project resources.

Discover Mars
What time is it on Mars? Is there water on Mars? Was there ever life on Mars? What does Mars look like? Discover the sites that can help you and your students explore the answers to those questions and more. Included: More than two-dozen online resources for teaching and learning about Mars.

Voice of Experience: Teacher -- Alias Telementor
Opportunity is often difficult to recognize and it frequently takes the form of an interruption or additional work. This week, Brenda Dyck shares a teaching opportunity that opened her eyes to the potential we have to influence students via the Internet.

Learning Games for Students in Grades 3-5
This week, Education World searched the Web for interactive learning games for students in the elementary grades. The sites below represent some of the best we found. Keep them in mind when you're looking for a way to engage students' interest while increasing their knowledge or enhancing their skills!

The Concept-Mapping Classroom
By providing a framework that allows users to focus on topics, and a structure that permits them to easily convert diagrams to outlines and back again, Inspiration and Kidspiration simplify the task of organizing thoughts into effective project plans.

Pre-K-2 Students Play and Learn Online
This week, Education World searched the Web for engaging -- and safe -- sites offering learning games for pre-K-2 students. The sites below fill the bill -- whether you looking for a learning center activity -- or just an activity for yet another indoor recess.

You Can Create a Class Web Site
If you've read the Education World techtorial HTML Basics, you know how easy it is to create a basic Web page. In this article, you'll learn how you can extend the lessons from that techtorial to create your own classroom Web page -- in four easy steps.

Science Sites to See
The Web offers thousands of science sites on every imaginable scientific subject. The sites below represent some of the most recent additions to online science education -- and a few of my all-time favorites. Whether youre a science teacher or a science enthusiast, youll want to check out these online science treasures.

Ten Great Resource Sites for Educators
Those of us who spend a great deal of time online often stumble across valuable Web sites that contain unique resources we think many educators would like to know about. This list represents ten of those sites; online resources guaranteed to save you time and effort as you search for new ways to integrate technology into your curriculum.

Technology Integration Made Easy
Nineteen activities and nearly 50 Web sites to help you integrate technology into your daily routines.

Web Sites Worth Their Weight in Gold
When you spend as much time online as I do, you frequently stumble across online treasures -- Web-based resources that dont always get the attention they deserve. The sites below represent a dozen of the most valuable -- or most interesting -- online treasures Ive unearthed in the past few months.

Gee Whiz! Great Site-Building Advice from 'Web Wizards'
Is this the year you're finally going to create your classroom Web site? Have you been admiring other teachers' home pages and wondering how they make it look so easy? Do you wonder why some sites are naturally appealing and others are simply overwhelming? To help those of you who are ready to add an online component to their classrooms this fall but are new to Web site creation, Education World turned to its panel of 'Web Wizards'. These educator-Webmasters have "been there and done that" -- and share their best tips for Web site success!

Linking to the Library
For educators, online libraries offer a haven of respectability in the search for accurate and appropriate Internet resources. Virtual libraries present their own challenges, however. Locating and choosing the best library sites for students can be a daunting task! Where does a teacher begin?

Ensuring Student Privacy on the Internet
The Children's Internet Protection Act requires that school districts develop an Internet safety plan addressing the unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal identification information regarding minors. School districts need to consider a variety of issues as they attempt to comply with this safety plan requirement. Learn what those issues are and discover how your district can ensure student privacy online.

Keeping Kids Safe Online
The Children's Internet Protection Act requires districts to monitor student use of the Internet and to implement technology-based measures to protect against student access to inappropriate online material. Technology fixes have their place, but such fixes are neither completely reliable, nor always available. As educators, our primary focus must be on helping young people develop effective filtering and blocking systems that reside in the hardware that sits on their shoulders.

More Teachers Taking Online Classes
Teachers increasingly are using computers for teaching and learning -- not just for their students' education but for their own as well. This week, Education World talks to two teachers who have experience with online courses.

Free Online Web Site Creation and Publishing for Teachers
Are you an educator interested in establishing an online presence for your classroom? Many Web sites offer teachers free tools and free hosting services, with no HTML knowledge needed. Whether your goal is a home page, a hotlist, a WebQuest, or a full-fledged Web site, these online resources will allow you to create the online "home" of your dreams!

WebQuest Sends Students Back in Time
Three middle school teachers in Greece, New York, combined technology, research, and creative writing skills in the Back in Time project in which students imagined themselves at historical events.

Imagine the Schoolhouse of the 21st Century!
"This country's system of schooling was developed largely during the Industrial Age to prepare students for a workplace characterized by sitting in straight rows and performing repetitive tasks under close supervision," says Internet educator David Warlick. "It has to change." Learn how Warlick's New Century School House project offers you a chance to help design education's future. Included: Tips on designing your own classroom of the future.

Childnet Awards: Linking Children Around the Globe
Although it may sometimes seem that the sole purpose of the Internet is e-commerce, Childnet International is working worldwide to create a safe, barrier-free, e-community for children. Each year, the organization recognizes 12 or more outstanding Web projects developed by and for children. Today, Education World talks about the awards program with Childnet founder and director Nigel Williams. Included: Learn what two Childnet Award recipients have to say about their "winning" experiences, and tour their innovative Web sites!

Danger Online! Educating Kids and Parents About Internet Safety
According to a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, one in five Internet users younger than 17 received an online sexual solicitation or approach during the past year. One in 33 received an aggressive sexual solicitation involving offline contact or a request for offline contact. What can you do to help keep kids safe online? Included: Printable Internet safety tips for parents and Internet safety rules for kids.

Encourage Student Writing -- Publish on the Web!
Publishing student writing encourages the reluctant writer, strengthens kids' self-confidence, rewards interest, and promotes a positive attitude toward literature. If your school is like most, however, you lack an easy and effective way of publishing your students' work. Now, help is as close as a mouse click away! Today, Education World writer Glori Chaika explores opportunities to publish student writing -- and teacher writing -- on the Web.

How Can Schools Make Better Use of the Internet?
According to a report recently released by the National School Boards Foundation, the majority of parents see the Internet as a powerful tool for education and a positive force in their children's lives. According to Peter Grunwald, whose firm researched and produced the report, those findings present educators with both an opportunity and a challenge. Included: Guidelines to help schools make the most of the potential of the Internet.

Revisiting the AUP: A Digital Double Take
In the beginning, when the Internet was new, many schools attempted to keep online students safe by establishing strict standards and rules known as acceptable use policies (AUPs). Now, according to instructional technology consultant David Warlick, schools can protect students without restricting their ability to participate in valuable collaborative learning experiences.

Wired@School: 20 Teaching Units at Your Fingertips!
The Wired@School Web page ---part of a terrific on-line resource from The Franklin Institute of Science--- grows each year, thanks to the efforts of the institute's special fellowship program. This week, Franklin Fellow and Education World writer Hazel Jobe introduces her fellow Fellows and the great on-line teaching units that each has created. Included: More than 20 units ---full of great lessons and activities--- that every teacher should know about! Units about the ocean, rocks, Native Americans, sound, and much more!

Getting Started on the Internet: Developing an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for Internet use is one of the most important documents a school will produce. Creating a workable AUP requires thoughtful research and planning. Education World offers food-for-thought and a few useful tools for educators faced with developing a workable AUP for their school's students.

Getting Started on the Internet: Safe Surfing How can teachers and computer specialists help teach students the skills they need to be efficient and safe Internet surfers? Education World offers ideas and Internet resources for tackling the task in this article, the sixth article in our "Getting Started on the Internet" series.

Getting Started on the Internet: Add YOUR Name to a Listserv -- TODAY! Every teacher should join a listserv. Listservs offer a quick and easy way to connect with teachers around the world. Don't miss out on the sharing, the learning, and the fun! Included: Links to hundreds of listservs for educators.

Getting Started on the Internet: Searching the Web Is as Easy as ABC!
The third article in our Getting Started series focuses on simple searching. Teacher Tammy Payton's first graders are the super-est searchers around! Her "easy-as-ABC" project can work at any grade level. Included -- Ideas for searching across the grades and the curriculum!

Getting Started On the Internet: All Navigators On Board!
This second lesson in the Getting Started series introduces students to basic navigating skills -- the skills they'll need in order to get around on the Internet.

Getting Started On the Internet: Start Simply!
The Internet? Don't even think about it -- yet! First, use a few simple activities to get students comfortable with using the computer as a word processing tool.

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