1	The Web in the Modern Middle Level Classroom Gary L. Ackerman Technology Teacher and Coordinator West Rutland (VT) School
2	Overview of Session Introduction (5 minutes) WebQuests (<15 minutes) Web Sites (<15 minutes) Blogging (<15 minutes) Message Boards (<15 minutes) Dialogue
3	Turning Points
4	Turning Points
5	WebQuests Open-ended tasks that require Internet resources to complete Task is key Cognitive Collaborative Resources are key Link to content Time consuming
6	WebQuests Examples: Haiku Grimms’ Tales WebQuest.org Find the “Matrix”
7	WebQuests—FGA’s (frequently given answers) Yes, they are time consuming to create Yes, you do have to check the links before using them again No, the project or task does not have to be tech-rich Yes, a WebQuest must have live links No, a WebQuest does not have to be published on the web No, a “scavenger hunt” is not a WebQuest No, “finding three facts” is not a WebQuest Well, I suppose, but why not send kids to primary sources or authentic data? Get a group with similar abilities together and hammer some out… arrive with tasks in mind, divide into searchers and authors and publishers
8	School Web Sites
9	Web Sites– Essential Questions Where will it be hosted? In-house Lease server space Who will update? Selected multiple (site) administrators Who will generate content? What is acceptable? Policy Privacy Ethics & “Legalistics”
10	Web Sites—Advice Involve students Use templates Consistent navigation Think learning Consider the “Digital Divide” Don’t be “Carolyn” Keep It Simple Be careful with posting policies
11	Web Sites— Get your tech’s attention Do we have Mozilla, FrontPage, DreamWeaver? Can I ftp to a subdomain? I want to collect data from my web page, can you help me check my forms and do you have a cgi script to email the results to me? A simple example A more complex example
12	Blogging—Defined Facilitated publishing Content entered on web interface Appearance determined by templates Configure blog to publish to ftp server Example Demo
13	Blogging--Essentials Commercial tools are available Self-installed tools are available Commercial servers are available Your own server can be used
14	Blogging— Some Things I am Learning Turn off (or be very careful with) comments Minimize usernames and passwords Be careful with the “free” blogging tools
15	BBS—Defined Electronic bulletin board Members Guests Reading and Posting HordeNet
16	BBS—Essentials Control registration Control posting Control contact information Control private messages
17	BBS—Impress your tech Do we have a BBS installed? No? Well can you install one in our cgi-bin? I hear InvisionBoard is a good BBS.
18	Ackerman’s Contact: Gary L. Ackerman West Rutland School 713 Main St. West Rutland, VT 05777 (802) 438-2288 ext. 299 gackerman@westrutlandschool.org http://www.westrutlandschool.org gackerman@taconic-learning.net http://www.taconic-learning.net