Internet Workshop

I am so excited over Internet Workshop. I cannot wait to try this out. My school is building a new library media center, which when complete, will encompass a full computer lab. This should be opening in late May. Until then, I can use our current computer lab (consisting of 13 computers) and rotate my class. I'm thinking that I may do a full hour in the lab (rather than our standard 1/2 session after which we switch to the other half of my class) and do 1/2 of my class one week and the other the following week. I think that it would be fantastic to go through search strategies and teach mini-lessons on how to critically evaluate the websites! My kids would benefit so much from this material! I have been sending them onto the Internet and asking them to do research without first giving them the lessons for the resources. Although most of them do an okay job, what a difference it would make to have them actually learn HOW to do this and do it effectively. I would also love to have them practice the compare and contrast strategies by asking them to do just that with the search engines. What a great piece of writing they could do with that activity. Talk about reading and writing for a purpose! Although CMTs will be ruling my life for the next couple of weeks (our library is even closed so that our librarian can proctor students who have accommodations), I'm excited to try this out! It would make for great conversations at conferences as well! I'd love to hear from you all if you decide to try this out before I do!

Navigating as a Subject

I feel as though I have been hit over the head. I never thought to go through and teach the kids how to navigate on the Internet. I have always told the kiddos where they can go to search the Net. However, I have never thought to go through the strategies for navigation or to point out all of the particulars of a website. I need to sit and make a list of all of the things I do when I search the Internet without even thinking about it. Things as simple as the ending to the URL that tell you about the website are things I look at, but never thought to point out to my students. I also like the idea of the Internet Driver's License so that we can see if our students "have the basics" before sending them out. However, the test that is online is a bit too simplistic for my students. It asks great questions, but the multiple choice aspect always has an obvious answer. If the students do not read the whole question and all options, they can easily get the questions correct without knowing the correct solution. What do you think about it??

Reading

Wow! That's my response to what I've read so far. It's amazing how much there is out there. I can see my students absolutely LOVING some of the activities and ideas mentioned in chapter one. Chapter 4 also gives me new ideas about how I could use blogging in my classrooms. What a motivation for the students. My students would be fighting to write their reader's response journals if I put them in a blogging format.
I cannot wait to find out more and get more ideas about how to use the Internet and weblogs in the classroom - and how to make it work! I love the fact that there are so many websites that we can use directly in the book. I am so excited to explore these sites and use them in my room right away!
However, the problem I see coming up is computer access. As much as I would love to have each of my students posting their writing and using websites, emails or weblogs to discuss literature and/or edit/revise work, I can see it becoming a long and drawn-out process for each student to be able to access the computers. I have 2 student computers in my classroom right now. I am on a list to receive a third, but that hasn't happened yet. In an ideal world, each of the students would have access to their own email account and we would be using all of these fabulous ideas and communicating around the world. However, with such limited computer access, how can I manage that in the classroom? I have used a rotating schedule that allows all students access to the computer, but that rotation takes so long to get around that there's so much time between their entries that I cannot see it continue to be as motivating and beneficial. Any ideas for how to make that work?? Looking forward to hearing from you...
-Kelli

Welcome!

Welcome to the world of blogging. I am looking forward to exploring new literacies and this new forum together over the semester. I am excited to learn new ways to incorporate the Internet and technology in general into my classroom. I teach a wonderful group of 24 5th grade students who I am sure would love this! What and where do you all teach? -Kelli