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What is the Internet?
Internet
World Wide Web
Learning
Search Engines
Trusting the Internet
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The Web for Learners
The World Wide Web offers an astounding number of resources for learners.
If you can think of a topic, chances are that there is a Web site out
there with information about it. Try typing in keywords in a search engine
like Google (http://www.google.com/) and note how many "hits"
(that is, links to related Web sites) you get. As you will see, the problem
usually isn't finding out if information on a topic is available on the
Web, it's finding out which site has the best, most authoritative
information on that topic. This challenge isn't so much like finding a
needle in a haystack as it is like finding a particular needle in a mountain
of needles. (If your or your child's search results are too broad or off-topic,
you might want to consult the "How do you use search engines?"
section of this Web site for tips on how to refine your Internet search
techniques.)
While we couldn't possibly cover all the learning resources available
on the Web, we can point you a handful of sites that will give you a good
idea of what kinds of educational resources are out there. Click
on the links below to learn more.
WebQuests
Many forward-thinking educators have come to regard the Internet not
only as an information resource (for students and teachers alike), but
also as a teaching device. A particularly good example of the Internet
being used as an instructional device are "WebQuests." A WebQuest
is essentially a Web site that directs a student's learning about a particular
topic. It does so by describing to students a particular task or problem
that they must solve, breaking the task down into individual steps or
procedures that must be followed, and, finally, supplying hypertext links
to other Web sites and Internet resources that must be visited in order
to complete the task. By supplying the relevant links, students are prevented
from wandering aimlessly about the Web.
Teachers can develop their own WebQuests (many schools have computer
technicians who can help with Web page design) or they can simply select
from among the hundreds of WebQuests that are already out there on the
Internet. Parents can also use WebQuests as a teaching device. In fact,
they are a great way to keep bored kids occupied during long summer breaks.
To learn more about WebQuests, visit: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/.
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