10 Ways to Take Charge of the Web

Instructor, Jan, 2000 by Julie M. Wood

Easy strategies for Internet smarts

Don't even get Mr. Harris started on the perils of teaching with the Internet. He's still recovering from what he considers the worst social studies class he's taught in his 18 years in the classroom. It began innocuously enough--his fourth graders had been begging for a chance to go on-line, and he thought that allowing them to do research in preparation for a visit to Washington, D.C., presented the perfect opportunity. It would also be a good chance to experiment with the World Wide Web as a teaching tool, something he had been meaning to do for some time.

Unfortunately, it had been a hectic week, and he had not had time to preview any sites or to visit the computer lab to get pointers from the tech specialist. Big mistake. Within minutes it became obvious that the students knew more than the teacher. Lycos, HotBot, Yahoo. Students were surfing the Web with tools he had never heard of. And the information they were finding was confusingly random--two children were reading about the Washington Monument, but a third was becoming frustrated as she tried to navigate the sophisticated Web site of the Library of Congress.

Mr. Harris also noticed youngsters naively cutting and pasting information from Web sites directly into their "original" reports on historical monuments in the capital. But the final straw was when one child's simple typographical error in a URL accessed a pornographic site, causing a near frenzy among students.

How did everything spin out of control so quickly? Our fictional fourth-grade teacher replayed the incident in his mind. How could he be smarter next time?

When it comes to using the Internet in elementary and intermediate education, critics and proponents agree on one thing: It is a powerful tool that has the potential to inform, teach, and facilitate communication in ways barely imaginable 10 years ago. But because the Web is so new and far-reaching, trying to master it as a teaching tool may be daunting and seem like more trouble than it's worth. The good news: Using the Web effectively comes easily once you develop some on-line "smarts." The following pointers will help you do just that. You'll be in charge before you know it!

1 EXPLORE YOUR OWN INTERESTS ONLINE. What holds for your students holds for you: Use your hobbies and passions as points of entry to the World Wide Web. There is no better way to familiarize yourself with it. Do you love auctions? Check out eBay (www.ebay.com), the on-line auction house, and bid on that old Brownie Hawkeye camera you've been longing for. Have you been meaning to join a book-discussion group but haven't gotten around to it? Join other literary-minded folks at Salon (www.salon.com) to discuss the classics or the latest best sellers on-line.

2 DEVELOP AN ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY (AUP). The best way to keep Internet access safe and appropriate for children is to teach and monitor responsible use. Make your terms the children's "ticket" for going on-line. Begin by teaching basic Internet safety rules and discuss the importance of observing them. Rules to include in your policy:

* Students may access only those Web sites that you, the teacher, have approved;

* Never give out your address or phone number;

* Never upload your photograph without adult consent.

Put your AUP in writing and print it out in the form of a contract. Have students, parents, and your principal commit to these rules by signing the contract. Be sure to post a copy of your AUP near each computer. (For more guidance in formulating an AUP, go to School Librarian Links, www.myx.net/[tilde]rbarry/aup.html)

3 NARROW THE PLAYING FIELD. Just as you wouldn't turn your students loose with a set of encyclopedias or a stack of Ranger Rick magazines, you shouldn't expect them to find information on-line without a framework. This was Mr. Harris's biggest mistake. If he had taken the time to identify appropriate sites about Washington, D.C., in advance and then either bookmarked the sites or posted their URLs, he wouldn't have lost control of his class's on-line research exercise.

4 KNOW YOUR SEARCH ENGINES. Search engines are indispensable tools for Web-based Most, however, are too indiscriminate to be useful to young users. For example, searching for "White House" on the search engine Alta Vista returns over a half-million hits, most of which will be irrelevant or inappropriate for elementary- school students. To prevent frustration and inefficiency, experiment beforehand with search engines designed specifically for children (see the sidebar, right). Bookmark the ones you like best and organize them into a "search engine folder" on your Web browser. Limit your students to these as they explore specific topics you have researched in advance.

5 CONSIDER USING A FILTER. Although I am convinced there is no substitute for having a hawkeyed teacher or parent on hand any time children are on-line, filtering devices function as a useful safety net. Filtering software (see the sidebar, page 70) typically accomplishes three things: It blocks access to undesirable content; it keeps a log that tracks where children have been on the Web; and it puts the skids on what kids can do on-line (such as chatting with strangers).