INTERNET UTILIZATION STRATEGIES

Media Prep. Determine suitability for achieving lesson objectives and student learning outcomes. Check to see that the entire site is age appropriate and that links from the site are also age appropriate. Make certain that site content is aligned with the stated goals of the lesson and analyze the source of the site to assure its legitimacy. Prior to the start of class, visit the site (and all pages that you wish to highlight) for faster downloading of images and graphics during the demonstration.

Bookmarking. Before class begins, bookmark all lesson Web sites on demonstration and workstation computers. This will allow students to easily get to the Web pages that you wish them to see. By clicking with the mouse on "Add Bookmarks" from the "Bookmarks" pull-down menu in Netscape Navigator or "Add to Favorites" from the "Favorites" pull-down menu in Internet Explorer, the URL (Web address) will be easily accessible from your computer.

Provide a Focus for Media Interaction. Provide students with a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after interaction with Web sites. Teachers should introduce Web sites with a question, things to look for, unfamiliar vocabulary or an activity that will make the site's content clearer.

Conduct Introductory and Culminating Activities. Integrate the Internet into the overall learning experience by framing the lesson with experiential components. Activities should be done prior to viewing Web sites to set the stage, provide background information, identify new vocabulary words or to introduce the topic. An additional activity should be done following Internet use to reinforce, apply, review or extend the information conveyed by the program. Tasks assigned should be objective, specific and easy to assess.

Pause While Examining Web Sites to:

• Check for student comprehension.
• Solicit inferences or predictions.
• Highlight a point.
• Define a word(s).
• Compare to real-life events.
• Have students work online.
• Solve a problem, form a hypothesis.
• Enhance students' observation and memory skills.

Supervise the Students. The school should have a signed Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) from each student on file. Students should always be monitored while they are on the Internet to make certain they stay "on task" and are not visiting inappropriate or unrelated sites.

Reference Web Sites. Make certain students reference both text and images copied or referred to from the Web. Be sure to include the author, title, source, copyright date and URL.

Copy and Paste. To avoid long printing queues, have students "copy and paste" only those images and text needed to complete an assignment into a word processing document. Show students how to send only one page of a particular Web site to the printer. Teach your students how to reference copyrighted materials.