THE INTERNET/VIRTUAL LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM By: Jason Williamson & Jace Crossland

THE INTERNET/VIRTUAL LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM

By: Jason Williamson

&

Jace Crossland

The Internet

The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks (“Internet and Higher Education”)

Cons of the Internet in the Classroom

Maintenance and installation Paid Tech Staff Malfunctions Teacher training

Cons of the Internet in the Classroom New features on websites bog down servers

Objectionable material difficult to monitor

Cons of the Internet in the Classroom

Computers already in use are not good enough for Internet

Schools cannot afford to replace obsolete equipment

Pros of the Internet in the Classroom

• Current Events

• Up-to-date information to the second

Pros of the Internet in the ClassroomPrepares student for life and workplaceEstablishes networking skills

Pros of the Internet in the Classroom

Students can publish their work Limitless resource

Pros of the Internet in the Classroom Access to weather

Expose students to different cultures

Integrating the Internet into the Classroom

Step 1 Decide what you want the internet to do? Lesson plan,

worksheets, online activities, ect.

Step 2 Research your topic with a search engine.

Step 3 Visit the sites and review their contents to make sure that they

are pertinent to your unit and appropriate for your students. When you find a site that you want to use, Bookmark it. Make your lesson plan.

Integrating the Internet into the Classroom

Step 4 Run through your lesson plan the day before you

use any Internet sites to make sure that the site is still posted and you can get to it.

Step 5 Finally, organize all of your internet sites by

bookmaking the sites, for later use in lesson plans. ("How to...integrate the Internet." Teaching PreK-8 v 29 p 22-23

September 2002 )

Virtual Learning Environments A VLE will normally work over the Internet and provide a collection

of tools Tools normally included with a VLE are

Uploading content Return of students work, Peer assessment Administration of student groups Collecting and organizing student grades Questionnaires Tracking tools

New features on some VLE’s include Wikis Blogs 3D Virtual Learning Spaces

Why aren’t VLE’s in every classroom?

Fear of change! Teachers not wanting to change there

already “perfected” ways of presenting material

Other Theories

“Effective communication is not happening virtually, which is leading to fragmentation of a learning community with feelings of isolation and confusion among some students.”– According to: “Collaborative learning in the virtual

classroom Dr. Julie Ann Richardson”

Virtual learning Environments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC6QnSEChss

References• Phillips, M. R. & Horton, V. (2000). Incorporating the internet

into the classroom: Problems Opportunities and Thoughts. Internet and Higher Education, 1, 223-230.

• Sharma, P. & Maleyeff, J. (2003). Internet Education: Potential Problems Solutions. International Journal of Educational Management, 17, 19-25.

• Arbaugh, J. B. (2000). Virtual Classroom Versus Physical Classroom. Journal of Management Education, 24(n2), 213-233.

• Youngen, G. K. & Davidoff, G. (1988). Incorporating the Internet into Science and Technology. Science and Technology by Race, 17(n2), 23-30.

• "How to...integrate the Internet." Teaching PreK-8 v 29 p 22-23 September 2002

• Swain, Colleen. "The World Wide Web : A Classroom adventure." Intervention in School & Clinic v 32 p 82-88 November '96.