Role of the Internet: Web-Based Teaching & Learning

Using the Internet to Our Advantage: Web-Based Learning

Search Engines

Google,Yahoo, & Bing: 

How can learning to use search engines help you find better information?

http://www.google.com

http://www.yahoo.com

As a student or teacher, learning to use a search engine is incredibly resourceful. Before search engines were available to the general population via the world wide web, we could only find the answers to our questions through the use of catalogued literature such as an Almanac or Encyclopedia. 

In the 21st Century, we can now type any specific phrase, topic, word, or question into a search engine and receive a result instantaneously. This efficiency of both time and effort makes search engines like Google absolutely vital for the 21st century student and educator. Information is at our finger tips and the Internet is an infinite digital world where learning is limitless.

For example, if you need video, audio, graphics, or background information to support a project, paper, or presentation, all you have to do is type what you're looking for within Google, Yahoo, or Bling. These search engines then generate a metaphorical highway for your technology to traverse while also connecting locations all across the web that deliver addresses that exactly or approximately contain what you were trying to find. Like bread crumbs, the search engine leads the user to their destination according to the number of hits or frequency/popularity in usage of particular sources. Hits help to bring you choices while also delivering the most relevant or approximate results to satisfy your search requests (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p. 219).

Website Evaluation Video

Youtube Tutorial:

"At a time when everything in the world seems so high tech and highly controlled, the Internet is, in some ways, a wild frontier" (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p. 254).

As users of the world wide web, we must use great discernment in order to define what a credible source looks like versus a non-credible source. Since "technology is [merely] a vehicle, not a destination," we cannot expect our computers to properly assess the quality of the sources without our help (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p. 226). We must critically evaluate all content and all designs of every source on the Internet. It is imperative to avoid "blind acceptance of [all] information" on the web or to assume "that [all] content is accurate and reliable" (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p. 255).

The following video will present a brief tutorial on the insight needed in order to make intelligent evalutations of Internet information:

Favorite Web Site #1

National Geographic - Education:

National Geographic was originally published by the National Geographic Society as a magazine in October of 1888. Overtime, it became a revolutionary printed collection of renowned resources: photos, research, global issue articles, geography, maps, news, and videos catalogued from places all over the planet from 1888 to present day. 

For educators, families, and students alike, National Geographic is a comprehensive resource viable for most every subject covered within the classroom. Today, National Geographic offers a variety of online formats for users to choose from in addition to its monthly published magazine.

Ex.  http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/?ar_a=1

The National Geographic: Education homepage satisfies the criteria required of an authoritative website by "clearly [showing] how to navigate to other features of the site" by using concise navigation options at the top, bottom, and sides of the page typed in readable font, appropriate font colors, with poignant graphics that do not distract, and overall appealing yet simple aesthetics (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p. 255).

Favorite Website #2

Wikispaces - Special Education:

"Wikis are a collection of web pages located in an online community that encourage collaboration and communication of ideas by having users contribute or modify content" (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p. 223). 

Ex. http://edutechdatabase.wikispaces.com/Special+Education

This wiki was created by hundreds of members who organized and compiled three clearly defined catagories of K-12 Special Education Tech Tools: Apps, Online Resources, & Tips/Advice. Although the design of the homepage is nothing fancy, it remains simple, clean, and easy to navigate. All URLs are hyperlinked properly, typed in an appropriate font selection, and color coordinated by specific category, website, and description.

The above web address is a perfect example of a wiki collection easily used and created for the collaborative classroom. It offers very specific links to lesson plans, teaching materials, resources, and engagingly educational applications for students with Autism, learning disabilities, and physical handicaps.

Wikis collections like this one are created to ensure that "the lack of awareness and knowledge about [disabilities]" is replaced with universal access to the Internet and appropriate accomodation for all individuals, whether disabled or not (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p. 213).

REFERENCES:

Doering, A. H., & Roblyer, M. D. (2013). Hypermedia Tools for 21st Century Teaching. In Pearson Education, Inc., Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching (pp. 202-257). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.