Internet “How-to” Guide Helping students locate, evaluate, and use information from multiple online resources

1. Preparing Students: Teaching Digital Citizenship Before students engage in any type of Internet research, they should assess their current technology use, as well as, be able to analyze technology use in terms of appropriateness. Teachers should review the nine elements of digital citizenship with their students. Teachers can then select digital citizenship activities to suit the needs of their classes and/or the ability of their students.

Reviewing the Nine Elements:  ml ml Recommended Activities:  st Century Digital Compass  2. Digital Drivers License  PDF downloads for these activities are available at: 2.pdf 2.pdf

2. Locating Appropriate Sites Student competency at locating appropriate Internet sites varies greatly. If a student has limited experience locating appropriate sites, teachers may want to choose the sites for them.  Sites should be relevant and up-to-date  Visual appeal and ease of navigation should be considered  Sites should be at an appropriate reading level for the students  Sites should be bookmarked for easy retrieval

If the student is more seasoned at “surfing” the Internet, the teacher may want to focus the research using educational search engines.  Examples: Nettrekker.com Power Library

3. Designing a research activity After the content-specific sites have been chosen, the teacher designs an activity specific to the goals of the unit. The activity can take on a particular focus, such as:  Teaching navigational strategies  Acquiring background knowledge  Gaining content-specific knowledge  Developing the ability to critical evaluate information

4. Student Completion of Activity At this point, students will follow a step-by- step process as the teacher guides them through a research activity.  Based on the ability level of the students, the teacher may want to model the process using a Promethean or Smart Board.  Students can also work in partners or small groups to complete the activity.  (See “Student Activity Example” on Slide 10)

5. Using information from the Internet After students have located and evaluated information from the Internet, they should use or share the information in some way to appreciate its value. Students usually gain a deeper understanding of content when they use, share, or publish their work. Depending on the nature of the assignment, students can share with their peers or collaborate with students from other classes or schools. Students can see how their work changes and improves as they continually post, revise, and reflect upon their performance.

Ways for students to use or share information: Conduct classroom discussions or debates Create classroom blogs or wikis  Online journaling  Respond or reflect on each others’ work  Publish work: digital stories, movies, PowerPoint, Photostory Creation of podcasts/vodcasts

Student Activity Example Title: Marine Ecosystems & Gulf Coast Oil Spill Internet Workshop Objectives: Acquire background and content knowledge Evaluate information from multiple sources

Step 1: Locate Information General Marine Ecosystems Go to the bookmarks set for the following Websites: exfr.htm exfr.htm its/biomes/aquatic.php its/biomes/aquatic.php egulate/environ/chemo/chemo.html egulate/environ/chemo/chemo.html es/oceanography- book/marinefoodwebs.htm es/oceanography- book/marinefoodwebs.htm nt/science- environmental/articles/63526.aspx nt/science- environmental/articles/63526.aspx Explore the information on marine ecosystems, specifically the Gulf Coast region. Answer the following questions:  What is a producer? Describe 2 different types of marine producers. List at least 3 specific examples of Gulf Coast producers.  List, in order, the next 3 trophic levels above producer in a food chain. List at least 2 examples of each level specific to the Gulf Coast region.  What is an abiotic factor? List at least 5 abiotic factors in a marine ecosystem.

Step 1: Locate Information Continued Effects of BP oil spill Go to the bookmarks set for the following Websites: ction=NFWF_Gulf_Response ction=NFWF_Gulf_Response _________________________________ us/ spill-map.html us/ spill-map.html news/latest/gulf-oil-spill-impacts news/latest/gulf-oil-spill-impacts dyn/content/article/2010/04/30/AR html dyn/content/article/2010/04/30/AR html 0/Gulf-oil-spill-s-environmental-impact- How-long-to-recover 0/Gulf-oil-spill-s-environmental-impact- How-long-to-recover Explore the information on the effects of the BP Gulf Coast oil spill on marine ecosystems. After exploring the websites, formulate 3 specific questions you have regarding the effects of the BP oil spill on the biotic components of the ecosystem AND 3 questions relating to the abiotic components of the ecosystem. The questions you formulate can not be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”

Step 2: Evaluate Information Were there any discrepancies in the information you researched on the “general ecosystem” websites? Explain. Were there any differences in how the EPA and NFWF websites presented their information versus the news-related websites? Explain. Go back to the “effects of BP oil spill” websites and record information about the authors of each website.  What helped you locate this information?  What strategies did you use to find this information?  What website do you feel was the most valid, reliable source? The least? Explain.

Step 3: Use/Share Information A. You will now use the knowledge you have gained to create a Gulf Coast food web.  Please refer to the “Gulf Coast Food Web” rubric B. After completing your food webs, you will post them on the class wiki for each other and our partner students at FWBHS to review and critique. C. Next, You will post your “Effects of the BP oil spill ecosystems” research questions on the class wiki  Please refer to the “wiki posting guidelines” rubric  Student groups will provide feedback to each other  FWBHS will provide feedback  Each group will choose 4 questions to continue researching D. Lastly, each group will choose a presentation method to publish their food webs and research  Refer to the “Gulf Coast Multimedia” rubric

Resources ml ml Frye, E., Trathen, W., & Koppenhaver, D. (2010). Internet workshop and blog publishing: Meeting student (and teacher) learning needs to achieve best practice in the twenty-first-century social studies classroom. The Social Studies, 101,

Google images   nhokanson.wordpress.com  dir.coolclips.com  jeffstanger.net  Gpuapcd.org  Editgrid.com  Washingtontimes.com  Industry.bnet.com