Creative Classroom Online - Tech for Learning


Contents
	FEATURE: Kathy Schrock's Tech Quest

How can I cover the technology standards in my curriculum? Part 2
by Kathy Schrock

The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for students place skills into six areas:

Basic operations and concepts

Social, ethical, and human issues

Technology productivity tools

Technology communications tools

Technology research tools

Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

In the previous column , I explained how teachers can cover the first three standards as part of their regular classroom instruction. I also suggested ways to incorporate these concepts into a typical project (below) for elementary students. In this column, I'll discuss the remaining three standards using the same assignment. Though the example is a social studies report, the ideas can be used for almost any project in any curricular area.

THE ASSIGNMENT: You are a member of a state's tourism bureau. Your goal is to persuade the rest of the class to relocate to your state. Research your state and create a multimedia slide show or series of Web pages with details that will convince people to move there.

TECHNOLOGY COMMUNICATIONS TOOLS
The introduction of technology, the Internet, and e-mail into the classroom has opened up many avenues of communication. Today, students can contact, collaborate with, and interact with people from around the globe. For the state project, they may e-mail the governor's press office or contact students in that state through "pen pal" sites, such as http://www.epals.com/

Before students communicate via e-mail, they should learn proper behavior for online communication, also known as Netiquette. Suggest these guidelines:

Don't e-mail anything that you wouldn't say to someone's face.

Respect other people's time. Do not ask frivolous questions.

Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Make the subject line of your e-mail meaningful.

Include your contact information in your message.

Of course, e-mail isn't the only communication tool that's helpful for this assignment. Students will want to inform others of what they have researched. They may project their state slide shows on a wall or screen to share with classmates and parents, or post their presentations on a class Web site. Students should also explore a variety of media and formats such as printing brochures or adding sound files of their own narration or the state's anthem to their presentations.