Key words: Curriculum Materials, General Information, K-12
Document: 1 2
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1996 11:32:33 EDT
Reply-To: A Practical Discussion List Regarding Deaf Education
Sender: A Practical Discussion List Regarding Deaf Education
From: Cathy Brandt Subject: Brief Review of Use of Online Newspapers & the Web
To: Multiple recipients of list EDUDEAF Hello,
As I mentioned in the earlier post I wrote a BRIEF review today. We have an
ISP (Internet Service Provider) in town through our local newspaper. The
major corporation is Infinet. Anyway a representative from the newspaper
asked me if I would use it in my classroom for a month and give him some
general feedback on the value of using such a tool in the classroom.
I think it is general enough that anyone could apply it as a rationale to
use online newspaper services or even the Web in their class. It is written
for a specific audience and would need to be changed and adapted if someone
wanted to use it as a rationale. Nonetheless, I believe it addresses some
key points on why to use such services.
If anyone is interested in reading it drop me a PRIVATE NOTE. If more than
five to ten folks want to see it I'll post it to the list. If not I'll send
it to them via private mail.
Cathy
Deaf Education Home Page Document: 1 2
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 09:52:53 EDT
Reply-To: A Practical Discussion List Regarding Deaf Education
Sender: A Practical Discussion List Regarding Deaf Education
From: Cathy Brandt Subject: Comments on KY Connect (fwd)
To: Multiple recipients of list EDUDEAF Hi folks, Several people responded to me personally :) and a few on the
list :( and asked for a copy of the review. It's simply my thoughts or
a review of the service I used.
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
One of the greatest values of a service such as Kentucky Connect is the
immediate accessibility to up to date information regarding current
events. While this information has traditionally been available by
having newspapers in our classrooms KY Connect allows teachers and
student immediate access to other information that is relative to the
topic. Newspapers will never be totally replaced by computers, nor
should they be. However, the instantaneous feedback of germane data,
found by using the Herald Leader archives and Web search engines,
hurdles students over a more tedious task of research into an instant and
efficient means of searching and collecting information. Students now
have the opportunity to read an article, search the archives for related
articles and have access to more information than what a daily newspaper
contains. They have years of editions of the newspaper at their
fingertips. This increased access to articles provides an extensive
context in which to read and understand a current article.
The strength of this information base lies in its diversity and the
numerous ways it can be used by teachers to enforce the curriculum which
they are teaching. One of the major components of KERA is the
integration of knowledge throughout subject areas, the use of
information for meaningful purposes. A newspaper covers all areas of
the curriculum and is a valuable tool for teachers of Language Arts,
Science, Social Studies, Math, History as well as other subjects. A
teacher is not teaching one topic for the sake of rote memorization or
the acquisition of isolated skills. Rather learning is occurring which
encompasses collecting information, reading for meaning, analyzing data,
synthesis of facts, organization of material and application of
knowledge. All of this can occur within one lesson while students of
all ages are constructing projects relative to their level of learning.
An important factor of using online resources is that much of the
information can be adapted to various levels. It is ONE resource, ONE
tool that can meet the needs of students from kindergarten to those who
are seniors. Projects can be developed for primary students that
involve using headlines and captions. Intermediate students can begin
using research skills to find and compare and contrast related articles.
Middle School students are able to use the online newspaper and archives
to search for information to develop their student created projects for
various classes. High school students have instant access to current
events across the state, nation and world to use throughout their course
of study as well.
One area of student achievement which has suffered over the past decade is that of reading. Students do not read as often for pleasure, to
acquire information or to learn. Reading skills have declined across
America. KY Connect and the use of the World Wide Web are means to
promote reading for all of the above purposes. The graphics and the
immediate feedback both provide reluctant readers additional
reinforcement as they attempt to uncover and understand the world around
them. Often motivating students to WANT to learn, to WANT to read is a
challenge for teachers in every classroom in the United States. This
new medium will provide students who are accustomed to Nintendo, Sega
and other current technology an innovative and contemporary avenue of
reading.
One of the most valuable places I believe this technology, KY Connect,
can be used is in fourth grade where students are studying their state
and the history of it. Access to the archives for the purposes of
finding articles on education, government, community, crime,
entertainment etc. is invaluable as students look at our state of
Kentucky today and how it was in the past.
The development of research and study skills is an important part of the
Language Arts and Library program. Online research is not meant to
replace other more traditional means of information collection. Rather
it is an additional tool students need in their toolbox that may enhance
and extend the amount of material to which they have access.
Proficiency in these skills is critical to students who choose to be
life long learners.
Other important classroom uses which have been alluded to briefly are
ways it can be used in various subjects. Following are examples of
ways one might see traditional print copies of the newspapers as well
as KY Connect used in a classroom. KY Connect can become the reading
text for the day. It can provide figures, statistics and facts to be
used in various math calculations for purposes of critical thinking and
problem solving. The online information provides the latest news
relative to events and issues around our world which are crucial to
Social Studies. Weather data and links to related resources furnish
students with current facts to use in the area of Science. Community
events and local information are vital to the education of students as
they learn about their neighborhood or their city and how this affects
their life.
Students in my classroom used KY Connect within the Language Arts and
Social Studies areas as we studied Communication in the month of May.
As we talked about mass communication we discussed the role it plays in
our lives and how different our lives would be without it. It became
obvious that the distribution of knowledge and information was a
critical part of our lives. It opens up not only our community to us
giving us a broader understanding of our city but brings the entire
world to our doorstep and desktop. It is an essential part of our daily
lives that enables us to learn about ourselves and the world around us.
We do truly live in a Global Community as we approach the 21st century.
Gaining information and access to that world wide village is possible
via KY Connect and the other resources it affords.
Students accessed the Herald Leader daily and chose articles to print
and use for their reading assignment that day. Articles were taken home
and used as a part of homework. Students read and reported to other
students about their articles. They often illustrated the articles to
show another means of communication - - visual communication void of
text.
This year we had access to this service for one month, the month of May.
It was amazing the proficiency the children in that class developed in
using KY Connect and the Web. Our school is fully networked and plans
to subscribe to this service for the following school year. We have
purchased software that will allow computers throughout the building to
access the modem and use KY Connect. We are excited about the unlimited
possibilities for students as well as the endless number of ways
teachers can use it to design instructional projects that will have
substantial impact on student learning and achievement.
Increased student achievement is at the center of KERA. KY Connect
offers to teachers an exciting, motivating and meaningful way to
accomplish this continued and immutable goal.
Uploaded by: Melissa Close/Kent State University/Deaf Education Major