Welcome to Link Share
For Teachers Guide to the Internet
Spring 2003

Select a Section to Visit

Section 2: Internet Overview
Section 3: Communication
Section 4: K12 Resources
Section 5: Searching for Resources
Section 6: Evaluating Web Resources
Experimental Area

Section 2 Internet Overview Title Description Vocabulary Develpment (Glossary) A useful and meaningful site for the novice user. Easy to understand and comprehensive. A valuable source for (SEC) students- Special Education and all persons interested in the use of a computer. Google.com This is an excellent resource for finding, well.... everything. This search engine will find related links on virtually any subject from US history, to Home Economics. Google.com This is an excellent resource for finding, well.... everything. This search engine will find related links on virtually any subject from US history, to Home Economics. Google.com This is an excellent resource for finding, well.... everything. This search engine will find related links on virtually any subject from US history, to Home Economics. The Internet Traffic Archive As I had been reading our article "History of the Internet", I had become interested in Internet traffic, and how the packets travelled. I discovered this site which actually calls the information "Packets"--I just thought it might be an old term, but they used it in this site! I don't understand all it's talking about, but it makes me curious to find out more!  History of the Internet Why do people want to be "on the Internet?" One of the main reasons is simple freedom. The Internet is a rare example of a true, modern, functional anarchy." Once again more research supports the idea and triggers some real thinking skills for student writers and other communication projects.  A Brief Overview of the Internet Along with important glossary it is interesting to note that "...no one governs the internet; no chief operating official..a working example of anarchy.." How's that for a hot topic for an interdisciplinary research paper.  Netiquette This site will list nine do's and don'ts of internet communication. Personally I have done some of both and regret my mistakes. READ this now before sending another email! Make shorter work of your key stokes! At this site you also learn common abbreviations. Always be considerate of internationals. Their rules are not American rules. Be smart-Lurk awhile at a new newsgrourp before posting! Each newgroup have their own set of rules. Visit FAQ of new newsgroups before posting. Remember to respect elders of a newsgroup too.  The Internet The internet has no president.I find it interesting that the nearest thing to an Authority on the net, is the ISOC a volunteer organization. Kid's Search Engines This list of directories is kid-safe and designed to serve the needs of children. They filter out sites that might be objectionable for viewing by a child. It includes "Ask Jeeves for Kids" and "Yahooligans." Interactive Web Tutorial This site offers a great resource for your computer lab. This could easily be used for an introductory lesson plan for teaching your students how to utilize the internet. Easy to read and follow directions, great graphics, and practice activities. Ballad of an Email Terrorist This is a very eye-opening piece. I wasn't aware how to report or track extremely offensive emails and the importance of doing so. I've received obscene emails and spam, but usually just block the sender. I'm glad to be aware of this important option Technology Glossary A neat site for people to learn more about what the technology vocabulary means and how to use it. I went to shortcuts and found out how much easier it is to do things without having to use the menu bar. Future of the Internet and Web Interesting selection which causes you to think aboout the vast manner in which the internet may be used in the future. The idea that the world wide web may one day be used to transmit our telephone calls and such. That the web may replace the need for a TV, DVD player and other technology that we have come to have as a part of our everyday lives. I found the possibility that one day the web may be available to those who are impaired by vision, hearing or other impairments exciting. Think, impaired persons may one day have the abilty to explore the web as non-impaired persons are able now. Many thoughtful ideas of what the web of tomorrow may look like.   Future of the Internet The very near future is outlined with potential uses of the internet. We need to be aware of these possibilities as we may well be participants at the least,and perhaps facilitators of its use in the classroom. Epals.com classroom exchange This is a well-designed, user-friendly site for teachers, students, and, perhaps, parents. More than 4 million students and teachers have joined from countries around the world to promote better communication and a greater appreciation of other cultures. There are helpful links to projects, communication tools, resources, events, products and services, curriculum connections, as well as subjects of interest in current news events. Well worth looking into for elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Kinder Corner - All About Me Kindergarten Project A site that provides lesson plans for a kindergarten unit, "All About Me." It provides books, starter activities, poems, and follow-up activities. It might be a good get-acquainted activity for the beginning of the school year. Kinder Corner - All About Me Kindergarten Project A site that provides lesson plans for a kindergarten unit, "All About Me." It provides books, starter activities, poems, and follow-up activities. It might be a good get-acquainted activity for the beginning of the school year. The Epiphany Glossary This glossary lists many of the computer terms we frequently encounter, but may have trouble identifying. It has a nice list of file extensions that is useful in locating files. Beginners Central Information that is helpful and easy to follow. This site is listed by chapters and has several links to describe and use; such as HotBot which is a search engine that finds information on the subjects you choose. Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial This is an excellent tutorial from the Univ. of Cal., Berkeley, Library. It introduces us to the internet and WWW, teaches us how to analyze a topic, choose a search tool, and use a variety of search engines. Glossary of Internet Terms This is a comprehensive yet easy to understand glossary. There is a wealth of information that would be useful to beginners to the internet and for those wanting to extend their knowledge. Very usable for upper elementary students and beyond. Beginners Central Easy way to find out about the internet. The selection has links to several lessons about the internet and the web. The language is simple and the diagrams are helpful. Beginners Central This page is an excellent resource for beginners like me who need to learn the basics of internet navigation. E-Mail Communication and Relationships Everything you ever need to know about email-is here! This site lists the Nuts and Bolts of E-Mail Communication. E-mail conversations can evolve into a Sophisticated, expressive art form. Read about "Zone for Reflecition" and the "Hold On!" rule. Evaluate yourself as an internet user, from avid to newbie. Learn good e-mail tips at Learn Anatomy of a E-Mail Message: Facets and Structure. Have an e-mail Make-Over. This site also offers links to Psychology of Cyberspace. How to Use HTML Meta Tags Being interested in HTML, I decided to investigate it further. This site explains a bit about how HTML works AND what Meta-Tags are. The author makes sure that you realize that while helpful, Meta-Tags are not magic quick fixes to all of your problems. Teacher Link I found this Web site through google. This site could be a useful resource. It contains printable workbooks for handwriting and math as well as lessons from NASA. The site also had some geography related clip art.

Section 3 Communication Title Description Communication Section This section was invaluable in that it indtroduced me to several ways to communicate with others via technology. Now I am familiar with the chatroom, mailing list (netguide), web board and e-mail._Thanks to the useful teacher's guide and the patience of our instructor, Paula. Strategies for Teaching in MOOspaces This resource page offers a "How Do you Teach in a MOO?" selection that walks you through a virtual lesson plan of how to use a MOO. It includes what one needs to do to prepare for communication in a MOO, materials and even the assessment. Is helpful for those who have never experienced a MOO. Rachel's MOOring This site can link you to other Moo sites. It also clarified again "What is a Moo?" Writing Classes in the MOO CoverWeb OverView by Michael Day: The author talks about the power of the MOO and the written word. Everything that is created in a MOO must be described in text. This can help challenge students to think outside the box and build new thought structures. The theory here is that working in a MOO can give students the practice with written language they will need to survive in work and social settings. The author correctly reminds us that this tool is not without its problems but solving those problems is another one of the challenges involved. How Mailing Lists Work Mailing Lists are Asynchronous (delayed)Communication. E-mail discussion lists are one of the most popular methods of group communications on the Internet. This site will tell you how a Mail List works. How to subscribe and unsubscribe to a list. It also teaches the important difference between the "administrative address" and the "listname address". This site will list the advantages of joining a Mailing List as well. email This section gives useful tips on eliminating wordiness and more efficient use (disuse) of punctuation. Can be included in class discussion with HS English students on a topic."When to break rules." opal taha DU : AIDS Quilt Poster At first you may feel lost on DU campus (A MOO) but after spending sometime in the foyer and moving to points of interests such as AIDS Quilt/Poster you get a real sample of how objects can be manipulated and text-based projects can be created. Diversity Main Campus MOO This site is a very user-friendly, interactive tutorial to learn how a MOO is set up, how to make your way around, how to communicate while there and how you might take a group here to work. Special Ed Chat Room This chat room offerred interactive conversations and scheduled meetings about special education topics. There were other education sources attached to this environment, but I was thrilled to find a site that offerred special ed. This could be a great source of knowledge and support for all teachers. What is MOO? This site explains the complexities of MOO. It really assisted me in my understanding. I find the multi-media features to be really, really, cool. What's MOO? This page really helped me "get it" in learning about the educational application of MOO. I find the multi-media capabilities especially fascinating! I tend to be very "visual" and can certainly see the value in having a written discourse with others on a subject. The generation of study notes and refinement of language skills as a result of the text "talking" is a huge side benefit. Helwig's Smileys This is a smiley directory that reconstructs over 200 smiley faces and gives multiple definitions. NetPets/The Kids' Room/ Emoticons - - I had looked at the Smiley Faces that Paula had included in our information, and decided to see what else I could find--this site has many of the same, and a few different ones, they're a little larger and in bold colors for those of us who are brain dead at the end of the school year and need the extra stimuli! Furthermore, it made me want to make one of my own...so here goes-- %:-} (Well, it was an attempt to have a flower in my hair...any ideas on how to do this better?) Guide to Basic MOO Commands When you log onto Diversity University you will find the link for the Guide to Basic MOO Commands. This is an excellent resource/dictionary of commands and terms and how to use these commands in a MOO. Commands and their descriptions are provided. This is a must have resource to download before visiting a MOO for the first time. MUD INFO - - This site gives a general overview of just what MUD's do, what their characteristics are, and common commands in MUD's. I thought the idea of having different rooms would be a neat way to organize the various subjects of discussion that you might have going on simultaneously in a production meeting. (Theatre production meetings are where the designers meet to create/collaborate in making their designs.) This site does discuss some technical stuff that I, a newcomer to all of this lingo/world, have a hard time wrapping my mind around, but much of the site is understandable to laymen. Students design virtual reality This was a professional journal that had seventh grade students design a science lesson in virtual reality. Some students designed and used the units and some simply utilized them. The students commented that they found the lesson to be educational, useful, AND enjoyable. The Effect of Having Grade Seven Students Construct Virtual Environments on Their Comprehension of Science This link provides a fascinating discussion on the use of computers and the internet as it pertains to the comprehension of sceince. The section entitled "Constructivism and Reality" is particularly eye opening to the use of these procedures to encourage science understanding. This is an excellent communication tool. Student Construction of Virtual Environments The authors describe a virtual environment (VE) an an immersive 3-dimensional environment created entirely from a database by a computer. This is certainly a unique way for students to learn. They can gain new perspectives and knowledge from the first hand experience. They construct their own mental models of content and project these for all to see. This is exciting technology and the projects can be highly motivating for today's students. I had no idea that things like this were being done in classrooms and it is fascinating. L Soft List Search This site allows you to search for multiple topics at the same time. You list the topics and separate them with a comma. The search will return any entries containing both words. Pioneer Elementary School This is a great web page from a school in California. You can access all their resources and communicate with staff and students. I like the Accelerated Reader book list whidh may be used in conjunction with your own school booklist.There are also links to several search engines. A good site for teacher and students. Education in the Future This site list a series of discussion papers that investigates the future of education and technology. One paper by Zozma and Schank contrasts traditional educational philosophies with a modern vision of technology coordinated with social and pedagogical change. Some really good thoughts to ponder. A view of where we may be shortly? Teacher Chatboard Network This site is a wonderful mentor and support center. This site will get you in touch with other teachers by subject or state. It also has Project and Career Support Centers. Teachers are listed from beginners to retired. Classroom help from Pre-school to Higher Education, from Private to Montessori Schools. For anyone in the education field - go search and you will find! Entering Email. My main concern is sending and recieving.Ive had difficulty with DSL modem hookup so much so that i thought to drop the class.

Section 4 K12 Resources Title Description ARTSEDGE: The National Arts and Education Information Network This site is both user friendly and fascinating! It offers lesson plans in a discipline based arts curricula for the visual and performing arts as well as in lanugages and creative writing. It had lovely reviews and practicable ideas for classroom use. Top: Science:Math: Education: Teaching Resources: Lesson Plans This resource site offers a wealth of web connections that provide specific lesson plans for teachers to use in teaching math and science. Many of hte links also give pre-test and post test assesments which can be used. A great place for a math or science teacher to locate help for his/her class. EDSITEment - The Best of the Humanities on the Web This site allows you to navigate through lesson plans, random photos, illustrations and visual aids, and information on the various areas of "the humanities". I can see where this would be a great site to reference, particularly for the visual or performing arts teacher OR the foreign language or language arts teacher. It allows you to select your area of interest as well as your grade level. AOL@SCHOOL/For Students/Research a Topic As a Media Paraprofessional one of the aspects of my job is to help students research the internet to help with classroom assignments. This site will be a great place to start. Adding a search term and grade level will present me with Matching Categories and Matching Sites. it also has a Show Me More Like This section to go deeper into a specific subject. Pre-Algebra-A complete course of study A study in Pre-Algebra in 14 lessons. Students can work independently, and step-by-step to sharpen math skills. The site offers study lessons in pre-algebra, questions and answers and has a test for each lesson. This site is excellent for parents who need a refresher helping their child with homework in many different subject areas. B J Pinchbeck This site is an excellent source for students to get help with homework. There are over 700 links to sites to get homework help. There are also puzzle and brainteaser sections to occupy students. Other valuable sections are available for parents and teachers. This will be a great resource for all. B J Pinchbeck This site is an excellent source for students to get help with homework. There are over 700 links to sites to get homework help. There are also puzzle and brainteaser sections to occupy students. Other valuable sections are available for parents and teachers. This will be a great resource for all. BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Finder This website sponsored by the Discovery Channel is an excellent site to direct children who need assistance with their homework. This self study guide has information on a wealth of subjects. In fact, the site states that if it can't be found on this page, it can't be found anywhere. Galileo Students Resources/ abcteach This site offers 5,000+ free, printable pages for K-12. They include Basics, Theme Units, Research/Reports, Reading Comprehension, Teaching Activities, and Fun Activities. What a great site! Newbery Medal Homepage This page lists the Newbery winners for 2003 with a link to past winners from the 1920s-2000s. We have students who often want recommendations of good books to read. This site allows them to see the titles and a brief summary of each book. I got to this link by starting in Galileo A Plus Math This is a great math practice and tutorial site. Students could use this during their computer time, after completing an assignment and for practice. This site offered drill and practice through flash cards and great games. They would never suspect that they were practicing their facts. Awesome Library - Mathematics Once having taught Middle School pre-algebra I was constantly searching for resources to use with my classes. This Awesome Library is a great resource for math teachers. It offers a place for a teacher to find such resources as math project ideas, worksheet activities and lesson plans. As you search through this site, there are many many web connections that take you to wonderful tools that can be used to make teaching a little easier. Government Site This site has a wealth of links to lesson plans, professional journals, parent and student information, professional information and topics. There are articles on accountability and school reports too. It's a Mystery! This page is useful in providing ideas to implement lesson plans that include mystery/fact finding excerises to make practical use of regular class material. This methodology also encourages students to use critical thinking skills. It's a Mystery! This page is useful in providing ideas to implement lesson plans that include mystery/fact finding excerises to make practical use of regular class material. This methodology also encourages students to use critical thinking skills. Fulton County Schools Staff Development Fulton County Staff Development resource for teachers (k-12) Projects and Programs Find supporting information for all of the Georgia Department of Education's educational initiatives, including those designed to support K-12 instruction for each curriculum discipline. You can find links to such projects as Character Education, Critical Thinking, Fine Arts & Professional Learning. Teacher Resource Center/Teacher Templetes Why spend hours of your own time reinventing the wheel? At this site the work is done for you! Templates are given for lesson plans, power points and science fairs. Outlines of world maps, forms, patterns and graphic organizers are also available. Even monthly calendars and cirtificates have been created to save you time. All templates are easily opened, edited to personalize and printed for teacher usage. Georgia Learning Connections This is the Ga. Dept. of Education web site integrating the QCC standards, lessons plans,and assessment tools. Also look for valuable information on professional development, projects and programs, current news, QCC standards and resources. I have used parts of this site before and there are some new additions, especially more extensive lesson plans, that I can use next year. This site is designed by Georgia professionals for Georgia educators and it is an important one. World Newspapers Any newspaper in the world can be accessed from this site. I see a great potential for research activities, second language studies, ESL classes, or just reading for pleasure. I think that newspapers are often overlooked as a learning tool, but now we can access them and use them as a great learning tool. Is Online Teaching for Me? Self-evaluation Quiz There are many guides to help potential students determine if distance learning is appropriate for them. OnlineLearning.net has developed this quiz to help potential instructors answer the same question. OnlineLearning.net is an online supplier of professional development courses. After answering the quiz questions, a recommendation and analysis is immediately returned based on the answers submitted PE Central A favorite site with P.E. teachers because you can easily go in and find lesson plans grouped by grade level and topics. I knew of this site already, but also found it listed under lesson plans and web resources. Welcome To The Lesson Banl Provides an opportunity for teachers to share teaching ideas and lesson plans. Forms aare provided in order to make it easier to submit. Also offered are lesson searches, the ability to browse a catergory and request lessons Galileo Internet Resouces - Education Page This is such a valuable resource that is both comprehensive and thorough in meeting the needs of teachers. You will find general information on national and state resources; also a vast selection of curriculum materials and lesson plans for all subjects and grade levels; links to publications, testing and statistics. It goes on and on. Galileo seems to be a one-stop site for education resources. I quickly found materials that I can use with all my students. Take a look. Uncle Sam for Kids This site offers subjects from U.S. flags, presidents, states, and government to world facts: foreign leaders, flags of the world and maps. The amount of information in this section will cover a lot of areas that our students research and may find difficult to locate in our media center. Yahooligans - Internet Literacy This site offers activity ideas, sample lesson plans, and virtual field trips. A teacher can learn how to teach Internet Literacy. They gave a sample plan about bats that was great! Pre-Algebra, A complete course of study This is an excellent independent study course in Pre-Algebra. The student is able to work at his/her own pace to complete 14 lessons, including lessons from the simple to the complex. This resource offers assignments, study questions and even an end of lesson test for each lesson the student completes. There is also a "mentor" component. This is also an excellent resource for parents who may need a refresher to help their child with pre-algebra homework. favorite Site As an assistantin the SEC,program at Westlake highschool.A favorite site for parents,teachers,and those who work with special needs peaple is-google.com i find it user friendly.

Section 5 Searching for Resources Title Description Newberys & the Net This site allows you to find Newbery Books by Award Year, Title, Author or Theme. Each book page contains information about the author, the grade level and other information to extend, expand or enhance the book theme. Most of the books will also have teacher lesson plans and other resources. Boolean Searching on the Internet OK- Admittedly, I liked the word "Boolean"--it just makes me laugh--which is why I initially went in this direction. What I discovered, though, was more information about Booleans--similar to that that was found in our"How to Search the Web" portion of Section 5, but it added semantic maps which helped this visual learner. It just reinforced and reitterated just a bit differently what I'd already learned! The WWW Virtual Library: Science Fairs This site has a wealth of info on all aspects of science fairs, projects, steps, sample projects, projects to browse, and virtual science fairs to enter. I especially like the link to Canada-Wide Virtual Science Fairs. This would be helpful to teachers, parents and students alike. KidsClick! Backed by librarians, KidsClick lists about 5,000 web sites in various categories. This is a MUST for parents and teachers. I will use it this summer with my Summer Tutorial/Enrichment program. Ask Jeeves for Kids At this site students pose a question, click on ask, and beginner, intermediate, or advanced information is given. The site offers areas to search for the answer to the question. It offers study tools such as dictionary, thesaurus, almanac, and clip art. It offers Jeeves' Newsroom with kid's news resources. This site made kids work to gain the answer to their question. Artslynx International Dance Music Visual Arts Theatre Resources This site (found by going through "yahooligans") is specifically geared toward children of all ages who are persuing the visual and performing arts. I loved this because it carries SUCH a broad base of interests for kids who don't know which direction to explore. It's a nice "sampler platter" for the kid who just can't decide. It has great visual aids. Yahooligans had a number of directions one might explore toward--not just the arts. I could see it being helpful and applicable in many disciplines. Awesome Library This is in fact an awesome library. The site breaks its information into several categories. It also includes a search engine that can look through its massive directory of knowledge in seconds. In addition, the website is user friendly, and caters towards children, parents, and educators. Grammar Bytes This site contains an index of grammar terms, interactive exercises (test your grammar knowledge, handouts for students and teachers--with permission to use, and grammar rules. I really like this site since I often want to check up on grammar rules and the proper use of troublesome words. Web Search Cheat Sheet This web page lists seven search engines which you can connect with to find shortcuts to narrowing your search of the web. It is a must for those like myself who have not had formal internet classes to help in the area of refining a search by use of different words,symbols, signs etc. Using one of these cheat sheets will help limit the time one spends attempting to locate resources on the web on a particular subject. Education World - The Educator's Best Friend At first glance, this website appears cluttered; it is, but it does contain a wealth of information, resources, other links, tips for teachers. It is a "safe" search of over 500,000 web resouces, for both browsing and advanced search. General topics: lesson planning, professional development, current news and trends, classroom technology, school issues, financial tips for teachers and much more. There should be something for everyone here. I am always looking for help with lesson planning and this is another great resource I can use! This may be worth some of your time. Factmonster.com This is a very kid friendly search engine. It has easy access to an atlas, almanac, dictionary and an encyclopedia. It also has subject searching available and a homework help center. Factmonster's Monthly Spotlights would be very helpful to the media center, enabling the librarian to pull pertinent books, and displays and organize monthly activities. I found this site under: Internet Searching for Children. Fact Almanac An on line almanac, dictionary,encyclopedia, and homework help page. There are sections for the world,the U.S, people, sports and all subject areas. There is an in built search engine for ease of locating topics. If a child needs to know, look here! Appropriately named. Family Village School Individual Education Plan This site is a Godsend. This site helps students, parents, and teachers formulate an Individual Education Plan. This site is particularly useful at this time of the year, when IEPs are being done for students as we close out the school year. Tips for Searching the Web Although this resource needs updating it does give some useful tips on search engines. It even identifies those sites which are best to find info such as AltaVista, Excite, and Lycos.Research search engines such as Google (http://google.stanford.edu) and LASER (http://laser.cs.cmu.edu) promise improved ranking of results. Search for Kids This site was designed for ages 3 through 10. I looked at this because I have a toddler and I teach special ed. The site had activities for ABC's, story books, learning linksand more. This would be a great classroom and home resource. Special Ed Resources This is the NICHCY site which contains a great search engine for special education information and resources. This is an important site to have in your professional file. You can search for organizations, access their research library or specific articles. Kid's Search Tools From this one page,you can access 16 different search engines. These include:Yahooligans, Ask Jeeves For Kids, Awesome Library,and Kid's Click. A graet time saver and allows quick access if you need to change a search engine. All sites are child safe so this would be a good place for children to begin searching, rather than having access to an adult search engine.Will help any student with difficulty in getting started with searching. Kids Search Engines Because I have a son in the 8th grade, I thought this would be a great place to explore. I was surprised at how cluttered the web page appeared. I was a little confused by its appearance, as it was a page for children. I tried Ask Jeeves and a couple other search engines and found them a little complicated to get around. These search engines did not appear to be helpful for elementary students. Middle graders could probably find there way around the clutter to get to their information. I did notice that the entire time I was at this site, there were way too many pop-up windows. I did not experience this on the other search engines. Search Engine Watch This website is to search engines what Amazon.com is to online shopping. You can find it all here: submission tips, searching tips, search engine listings, ratings and reviews, and other resources related to effective searching on the web. This is a very sophisticated site that should prove useful to anyone who wants to obtain better results in their searches. Many of our students can benefit from this information also. Teach-nology This was an interesting link. It contains rubrics, worksheets, lesson ideas. It has different levels to choose. TekMom Search Tools TekMom Search Tools for Students offers Search Engines as well as Reference Tools. The Research Tools are listed individually with a brief description. They were included in these categories; Search Engines Just for Kids, General Search Engines, Science Search Engines, History Search Engines, and Image Search Engines. This was an easy to use site. About Learning Disabilities An informative site for parents,teachers and othersinvolved in the learning process for children with learning disabilities. Issues addressed are as follows: What is learning disabilities? What are the early signs? Also, included is information regarding dyslexia and ADHD. Truely useful and informative for all . Yahoo search This is one of the most popular sites around. This site, like the other search engines, will allow users to access all possible references and resources available on a particular subject. Biology Greenhouse We are attempting to establish a greenhouse at Westlake Highschool.I found interesting on starting and Implementing a greenhouse site,with kits lesson plans,chat room,for greenhouse development.

Section 6 Evaluating Web Resources Title Description yahoo.com As a SEC teacher I found this site extremely informative and useful. The various forms of learning disabilities are defined and characterized, along with early warning signs. Methods of instruction are provided as well as informative source for teaching LD, EBD.MID students just to name a few of the various forms of learning disabililities. The use of this site is not limited to the SEC teachers but all teachers,caregivers, and anyone that provides care and instruction for the child with special needs. CRITICAL EVALUATION OF A WEB SITE; ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL This site offers an evaluation page designed for elementary educators. Not exactly clear as to who actually utilizes the evaluation, but with some modifications, it could be used by both teacher and student. Resources for Educators I found this site while looking at "An Educators' Guide to Credibility and Web Evaluation" as I have students researching theatre sources constantly, and would like to learn more about what governance applies to the Internet resources available. What I stumbled upon, though, that I found might be useful is a wealth of resources free for teacher use! (Including CLIP ART!!!) :-) fun for everyone! An Educators' Guide to Credibility and Web Evaluation As the title indicates, this site from University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign provides insight on how to determine credible sources. The site includes a section on evaluation methodology, which is very useful. Information Competence This site contains a self test that allows users to gain understanding as to what is and what is not a good and relevent source of information as it pertains to research on the internet. Critical Evaluation of Websites This site comes from Discovery schools.com and provides evaluation questionaires at various levels. The elementary level is rather basic but does get the children to use some critical evaluation skills.It is a good introduction to the process of web evaluation. As these skills are vital to quality use of the web, it is a useful place to begin. Critical Evaluation of a Web Site:Middle School This site has an excellent printable evaluation form. Middle school teachers could easily use this to teach students how to evaluate research web sites. After students complete this form a few times they could quickly view other research web sites for accuracy. Critically Analyzing Information Sources This is a great resource. This site is a must for teachers involved in research on the web or otherwise and is a great place for secondary education students to get help analyzing material they intend to submit for a research project. I have thee girls in college and intend to forward the site to each for their future use. Web Sites for Kids Selection Criteria Children’s librarians evaluate books, magazines, tapes, and software for children to find the best of all. Web sites are no exception. On this page, there is a collection of some excellent sites for young people. "Children" are defined as persons of ages up to and including fourteen and Web sites for this entire age range are considered. Great Web Sites for Kids Selection Criteria This selction on the web offers, in basic and elementary language, methods for students to determine the soundness of information they find on the internet. It spells out how to analyze information found on search engines. This would be a good piece to download and provide to students before they are assigned a research project. Kid 's Selection Criteria This site lists tips for children on evaluating sites. It uses all the categories that the Ohio State tutorial uses so it is very useful. I could see a correlation with web evaluation and high level reading and comprehension skills. Inter relating these skills will lead to goood readers and good web searchers ALA I Home I started out looking for ways that Kids could filter their own findings on the Internet and came across this site--it has all kinds of information regarding Continuing Education, Conferences, Workshops as well as myriad other areas to explore your educational interests. It's a place I'll likely play around in while looking for a graduate program. Web Page Evaluation Worksheet This worksheet on evaluating web pages would also be a good tool for student use in evaluating web sites. It guides the user with a point system to determine the value of a web page. The user learns what to look for on a site and what constitutes a well presented and informative site as opposed to a poorly put together page. Education Place This site allows you to search for activities by using key words or by doing a topic search. After choosing a topic, a lesson plan can be viewed that lists an objective, materials needed, and the procedure. The only problem is that the list of lesson plans is not that extensive. Critical Evaluation of Resources This information from Univ. of Calif., Berkeley is thoughtful and well-researched. When we do research, we must realize that there is much information on our topic which is really not suitable for our needs. How do we make sense of what is out there and evaluate its authority and appropriateness? This guide recommends we consider: suitability, authority, other indicators such as documentation and objectivity, reference sources such as book reviews and citation indexes. This is scholarly material but it is vital information for anyone involved in research. Evaluating Web Pages This tutorial is clear and concise. The part I find most interesting is on how to validate a site. Establishing its trustworthiness by finding out what others say by using a "link:" search, looking up the page in a reputable directory and looking up the author's name in a directory or Google (Googling) will help determine if the site is a source you want to use. Critically Analyzing Information Sources A site out of Cornell University wich has must download information that helps you to analyze information from books, the web or other sources. Secondary education students would benefit from this site when learning how to analyze information. Critically Analyzing Information Sources This overview from Cornell University is brief but well-prepared. In evaluating sources, we are told to consider two main areas, initial appraisal and content analysis. Who is the author, when was book written, what edition, who is publisher,and what is title (popular or scholarly)? With regard to content, consider the intended audience, objectivity, coverage, writing style, and reviews. Taken all together, this information can help us decide if a particluar resource meets our needs or should return to the shelf. This information can be adapted to our classrooms as we try to teach students the skill of searching for the best and most reliable sources. PBS-an old favorite There were tons of lesson plans concerning books like Huckleberry Finn, which has a film, lessons to go with their frontier series, etc... This had so many relevant and interesting lessons linked to PBS shows and films. Even included the Berstein Bears. The Ten C's for Evaluating This site was simple to use and understand, it would make a great poster in any computer lab or library. It simply presents 10 criteria to consider when utilizing a web site. Each C is explained briefly, content, credibility, critical thinking, etc... White House Information for Kids This site gave kids information from the White House. It chronicled Flat Stanley's visit from Chicago to the White House. His story included who he met, who he talked to, and what advice each staff member had for the children he represented. The site included a guide for teachers and parents and gave information on the President and Mrs. Bush, including a personal history and a list of their favorites. It was definitely on a level that elementary students could understand. Yahooligans This is a great child friendly site. I particularly liked it because as a P.E. teacher, I could have a student look up sports and recreation articles if for some reason they couldn't participate. Google Mania I find that Google is the universal resource for a variety of references. I find it user friendly for students and users of the internet.