EME 5405: Using the Internet in K-12 Instruction.
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Brief Description:
This course provides a holistic view of the issues and strategies associated with using the Internet in K-12 instruction. Participants will use a variety of social software applications (i.e. weblogs, wikis, social bookmarks, RSS aggregators, etc.) to work with course content and will develop activities for use in their own educational context.
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Expanded Description:
“My classroom finally has Internet access but how do I use it in my classroom?”
“I want to integrate the Internet in classroom but am worried about the dangers associated with allowing my students to access something so amorphous and unpredictable. What can I do?”
“I want to integrate the Internet in my classroom but every time I do a search I get thousands of hits. I cannot possibly weed through all this information. Isn’t there a more effective way to find information?”
“I know that many of my parents have Internet access at home and at work, how can I improve our communication using the Internet?”
In this eight-week course, participants will answer these questions (and more!). If you are an Internet newbie this course will provide information and activities you need to get your feet wet. If you are an Internet-savvy educator this course will provide opportunities to explore new possibilities and try them out in your classroom.
We will address four main areas associated with integrating the Internet in K-12 schools. First, we will focus on issues associated with using the Internet in instruction such as Internet safety, assessment, copyright, and the Digital Divide to name a few. Second, we will explore ways to efficiently find relevant information. We will also discuss strategies to support students in the research process. Third, we will evaluate a variety of Internet-based, instructional strategies. Some of these strategies are becoming commonplace in K-12 classrooms (i.e. Webquests, Telecollaborative Activities, etc.) while others are lesser known but powerful (i.e. Digital Resources, Insight Reflectors, etc.) Fourth, we will discuss the Internet’s role as a communication tool in the classroom.
By the end of this course you should be able to:
- make appropriate decisions about when and how to use the Internet in YOUR classrooms
- locate Internet resources for your professional development and for instructional use
- initiate and implement a variety of Internet-based instructional strategies
- develop basic Internet-based technical and design skills
- create Internet resources for instructional use
- think critically about the issues associated with integrating the Internet in instruction
- reflect on how the Internet may influence teaching and learning in YOUR classroom (i.e. your role in the classroom, the instructional strategies you implement, the content you cover, the assignments you give, the assessment strategies you implement, etc.)
