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| ------------------------------------------------------------ An Online Educational Community A newsletter that educates parents, teachers, and students. March 2001 Issue #20 Zigmond Snook, Editor, mailto:editor@innovamultimedia.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to the twentieth issue of "An Online Educational Community". To read past issues of our newsletter, visit http://www.innovamultimedia.com/archive.html or to learn more about us, check out our website at http://www.innovamultimedia.com If you think a friend might be interested in reading this newsletter, pass it along in whole or in part. You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, fill out the form at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/newsletr.html Each month we will focus on a different educational theme and base our feature article and learning tips around that particular theme. ------------------------------------------------------------ IN THIS ISSUE ------------------------------------------------------------ => Feature => Contest - Win a Whale => This Month’s Free Lesson Plans => More Great Education Web Sites => Whale Links for Whale Lovers => Webmaster’s Wanderings => Feedback ------------------------------------------------------------ FEATURE ------------------------------------------------------------ EDUCATION AND THE INTERNET Winning Over the Skeptic ..................... Despite the obvious advantages, recent studies have shown that many teachers are reluctant to employ technology in the classroom. These teachers have many reasons for their reluctance -- lack of time, skepticism, and even fear of technology. In order to foster the growth of a technology-rich learning environment, school administrators must pay particular attention to the needs and concerns of these teachers. Winning them over requires time, effort -- and yes, funds. A recent article in the online publication From Now On [ http://www.fno.org ] provides several guidelines for reaching out to teachers who are reluctant to embrace technology: 1. Emphasize the ultimate reward Many teachers find it hard to understand what they will gain from investing time and effort in learning and then teaching with technology. Instead of hyping the magic and possibilities of specific technologies, quantify the results they can expect to see in terms of increased student performance. Give them measurable results. Unfortunately, no reliable figures currently exist. Make attempts to study the impact of technology in your district, or offer specific case studies as evidence that technology does enhance student performance. 2. Deliver a reliable package Busy teachers don’t want to waste time experimenting. They are looking for products that have been tried, tested, and perfected. They don’t want to be guinea pigs for every new fad that comes along. Offering them well-tested, easy to use solutions like WebQuest or SchoolNotes will ensure that their first experience with technology is a positive one. 3. Lose the jargon Many proponents of technology use "techno-jargon" while trying to sell their peers on technology use. They use terms like "constructivist learning" and "student-centered classrooms." This only serves to alienate users who are already reluctant. Steer clear of jargon. Use language that people who are not proficient with technology can understand and relate to. 4. Offer continual support While training is undeniably beneficial, do not overlook the issue of providing support on an ongoing basis. Many teachers give up at the first sign of a technological glitch. They require a degree of hand-holding and support to keep them motivated. 5. Learn which buttons to push Find out what issues are most important to your teachers and show them how technology can help address those issues. They will be more likely to embrace technology if they perceive it as being of some specific use or interest to them. 6. Provide rewards and incentives According to the author of the FNO article, "Too little attention is paid to motivation." Teachers are often expected to learn technology on their own time and with their own money. Offering them compensation and recognition for being willing to learn something new will provide them with some much-needed incentive and motivation. The bottomline? School administrators play an important role in reaching out to technophobic educators. Recognizing that role and employing effective techniques to realize it are the first steps toward winning more teachers over to the idea of technology as a teaching aid. reprinted with permission from EdGate.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Contest - Win a Whale ------------------------------------------------------------ INNOVA Multimedia Ltd. is giving away TEN of our "A Whale of a Tale" educational software lessons and the latest version of LessonBuilder, a custom course creation utility, as a FREE DOWNLOAD on our website! Visit http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lbuilder.htm to download your free copy. When you download LessonBuilder you are automatically entered in our contest to win a free CD-ROM from our "A Whale of a Tale" series. Good Luck! ------------------------------------------------------------ This Month’s Free Lesson Plans ------------------------------------------------------------ Teachers, check out free "A Whale of a Tale" lesson plans on our website at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lp_index.html Swim into Social Studies 1 - "Community Workers" at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/social1a.html encourages children to identify the occupations of some people in the community and understand how these people are important to meeting their needs and ensuring their safety. Swim into Social Studies 1 - "Working in a Group" at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/social1c.html encourages children to participate in various activities that require them to speak to others, to listen to one another, and to cooperate with one another. ------------------------------------------------------------ More Great Education Web Sites ------------------------------------------------------------ Check out some of these INNOVA recommended resource sites: Math Word Problems for Children http://www.mathstories.com The goal of this web site is to help grade school children improve their math problem-solving and critical thinking skills. It has over 4500 math word problems for children to enjoy! Gander Academy: Weather Theme http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/weather.htm Visit this site to learn about Project Groundhog. This project is designed to involve groups of primary and elementary classes in recording and exchanging weather data to determine if the ground hog is a good predictor of weather. Other educational opportunities are also presented. Egyptian Mummies http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmnh/mummies.htm The methods of embalming, or treating the dead body, that the ancient Egyptians used is called mummification. Using special processes, the Egyptians removed all moisture from the body, leaving only a dried form that would not easily decay. It was important in their religion to preserve the dead body in as life-like a manner as possible. So successful were they that today we can view the mummified body of an Egyptian and have a good idea of what he or she looked like in life, 3000 years ago. Mrs. Randall’s Fourth Grade Class http://myschoolonline.com/site/0,1876,45233-142009-48-4764,00.html Welcome to Mrs. Randall’s fourth grade website. They’re from Woodland Elementary School in Greer, South Carolina. Come in and browse through their website. Don’t miss their classroom authors’ pages. They have been writing some excellent stories, so they put them on this website to share with others. GoMath.com http://GoMath.com GoMath.Com is a FREE on-line mathematics tutor designed to assist students from K-12, and their parents. They are dedicated to helping and encouraging students with learning and interactive participation in mathematics. All GoMath tutors have extensive teaching experience and hold degree(s) in science or engineering from top Universities. Cool Science for Curious Kids http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience The Howard Hughes Medical Institute invites curious kids to explore biology... on screen, off screen, and in between. Glacier National Park Electronic Field Trip http://www.sd5.k12.mt.us/glaciereft Imagine a class field trip with your students to the crown jewel of the Rockies without leaving the classroom. Motivate your students to learn by online discovery and inquiry. Garbage: How Can My Community Reduce Waste? http://www.learner.org/exhibits/garbage This online exhibition lets students study garbage and brainstorm ways to improve our environmental record. Investigate solid, hazardous, and sewage waste, and look at how the world is handling the problem of waste disposal. Then try an activity that asks students to shrink a landfill. Finally, let the class submit their ideas for recycling trash. (EdGate) NASA Quest http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/index.html Space Team Online continues to provide lots of opportunities to interact with interesting NASA people. They encourage email exchange and host frequent live network events on a Web chat system, and periodically WebCasts add the video dimention to these interactions. Generation www.y http://genwhy.wednet.edu/index.php3 The foundation for Generation www.Y is the extensive involvement of students as collaborative partners with their teachers, their school, their school district, and the local community to assist in restructuring education through instructional and telecommunications technologies. Generation www.Y originated as a U.S. Department of Education Technology Innovation Challenge Grant (TICG). ------------------------------------------------------------ Whale Links for Whale Lovers ------------------------------------------------------------ Check out these INNOVA recommended whale sites! The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group: http://iwdg.ucc.ie Dedicated to the conservation and better understanding of whales, dolphins, and porpoise in Irish waters. Atlantic Whale Foundation: http://www.whalefoundation.f2s.com The Objectives of the Foundation is to work toward the conservation of cetaceans within the operational area in ways that facilitate and encourage the active involvement of ordinary individuals. ------------------------------------------------------------ Whale Trivia: ------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------ Webmaster’s Wanderings ------------------------------------------------------------ Screen Savers http://www.innovamultimedia.com/screensv.htm Download one of our colorful five screensavers featuring your favorite "A Whale of a Tale" characters. Your children can joyfully watch as Little Blue has a BBQ or Cedric as he enjoys the seashore. ------------------------------------------------------------ Feedback ------------------------------------------------------------ If you have comments or suggestions concerning our online newsletter or website, please direct them to mailto:editor@innovamultimedia.com Your comments and suggestions will be published in the feedback section of future issues. Past Online issues can be found at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/archive.html ------------------------------------------------------------ "An Online Educational Community" may only be redistributed in whole or in part in its unedited form. Written permission from the editor must be obtained to reprint or cite the information contained within this newsletter. | ||
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