LECTURE OUTLINE: INTEGRATING THE WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW) INTO THE CLASSROOM
What is the World Wide Web?
The World Wide Web is "an Internet service that links documents locally and remotely" (Freedman, 2003).
Documents or Web pages reside on a server, which distributes Web pages and other files through the Internet.
The first page of a Web site is known as the home page.
Software called a browser is used to access Web pages.
Each Web site has its own unique address or Uniform Resource Locator (URL) on the Internet.
The World Wide Web gets its name from links or hotspots that take users from one site to the next and are like threads in a spider's web.
The size of the text on the Web page as well as the color of the links can be changed using preferences or the view menu.
The fundamental Web format is a text document embedded with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) tags that provide formatting and hyperlinks.
Unlike the programming languages Java or JavaScript, HTML is a formatting language for publishing documents on the Web.
A Brief History
Swiss researchers led by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990 developed the World Wide Web, a system that lets the user move smoothly through the Internet, jumping from one document to another.
Software programs were developed that made access to the Internet resources uncomplicated.
Marc Andreessen developed Mosaic, a software breakthrough and navigator tool for interactive material that allows the user to travel online through any desired path, at the University of Illinois' National Center for Supercomputing Applications.
Through a partnership called Netscape Communications Corporation, Mosaic developer Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics Inc., created Netscape, a Web browser that is more advanced and easier to use than Mosaic.
More browsers have been developed, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, that make it unnecessary to learn the Unix commands people once used on the Internet.
Once the user logs onto the Internet, several tools can be used to find information, such as documents, research, job listings, public domain software, or software updates.
Search Engines
Search engines are software programs that help the user to locate information in a database on the Internet, with millions of searchable pages on the World Wide Web.
Search engines locate Web pages on a subject or locate a specific page when the user lacks the URL.
Search engines can be used by typing a word or phrase called a keyword or search term in the search engine's text box.
Search engines return results in the form of links to relevant sites.
Search engines that are well known are Excite, Google, HotBot, Yahoo, Lycos, Open Directory, and AltaVista, with the kind of search site chosen dependent on the information needed.
Search engines in general automatically send spider programs, or automated electronic software programs, out on the Web to collect the text of the Web pages and put all the text into one database, which the user searches when using the site.
Metasearch engines do nothing but search other search engines, and an excellent metasearch engine such as Metacrawler simultaneously brings the user results from many search engines.
A list of popular search engines is found on p. 252.
use a search engine creatively, the user must have the mind of a detective, think creatively, and follow five rules.
Narrow the search to avoid thousands of unnecessary results.
Avoid generic or commonly used words when searching.
Link search terms with and, or, or the minus sign.
Use wild cards if the search engine allows them.
Enter singular terms.
Multimedia via the Internet
Audiovisual communication is in demand from users who want graphics, animation, sounds, communications in distance learning with clipart, photos, and scans on Web pages, and downloaded movies from camcorders.
Streaming video is compressed movies that are sent in real-time via the Internet, at the time the event actually occurs, with quality depending on the speed of the computer connection.
Streaming audio is audio transmission over the data network, with one-way transmission to the listener in which the listener and server cooperate to have uninterrupted sound.
RealPlayer is a multimedia player that plays streaming audio and streaming video in real time.
Currently, Web browsers are using more multimedia including plug-in extensions for video, audio, telephony, 3-D animations, and videoconferencing.
A plug-in is a separate program that works with the browser to enhance its capabilities.
A list of popular plug-ins is found on pp. 254.
Web Site Evaluation
The user must be able to distinguish a quality Web site from one that is mediocre and be cautious about the information on a Web page.
Download time should be fast enough to be used during whole class instruction.
Navigation ease means students can move easily from page to page and within pages.
Appearance refers to the Web page's attractive and appropriate design.
Graphics, video, and sound should have a clear purpose and be appropriate for intended students.
Content on Web pages should be age-level appropriate and accurate.
Currency is whether or not the site is updated on a regular basis.
Credibility refers to the site as a trustworthy source of information.
See the Web site evaluation form on pp. 256.
Integrating the Web into the Classroom
Many Web sites are especially useful for classroom teachers, covering all curriculum areas and presenting an excellent source of lesson plans.
See pp. 257-270 for a variety of lesson plans, activities, and Web sites for the classroom.
Web Quest
Bernie Dodge, a San Diego State University Professor of Educational Technology, created WebQuest in 1995. He coined the term WebQuest while teaching preservice teachers.
Tom March, while working as a fellow for Pacific Bell, developed the first WebQuest.
WebQuest can be a single lesson or month-long unit of study and requires creativity and problem solving.
Students divide their labor among groups to answer questions.
Lessons consist of materials selected by teachers and students who use the resources.
The user must be able to design a Web page with links in order to create a WebQuest, with plenty of templates available on the Web.
A WebQuest has six important components.
The introduction gives students background information and assigns roles for them to play.
The task tells students what they will accomplish by the end of the WebQuest.
The process tells students what steps they will go through to accomplish the task that is set.
The resources section consists of a list of resources either printed or bookmarked that students need to complete the task.
The evaluation section gives fair and consistent results for the tasks required in the WebQuest.
The conclusion component lets the users discuss what they discovered and lets the teacher summarize what has occurred.
WebQuest is used at the university level by teachers, curriculum specialists, and teacher educators.
Thousands of teachers have created WebQuest lessons on the Web.
WebQuest is invaluable for integrating the Web into the classroom.
Weblogs
Web logs, or personal, online diaries, are commonly referred to as blogs.
Free online tools let users publish blogs for free, without the need to know HTML.
Blogs are more structured than e-mails and more personal than discussion boards.
Audio and pictures can be inserted into blogs to make them more interesting.
Teachers are bringing the idea of blogs into their teaching and expressing their ideas through blogs.
Web Page Creation
Web page creation allows users to express themselves, and Web pages have become extremely popular.
Programs such as Web Workshop, Web Workshop Pro, and Microsoft Front Page let users create a Web page as though they were viewing it through a Web browser, with no HTML knowledge necessary.
Web Workshop is perfect for beginning students, grades 2-8, and contains clip art, familiar paint tools, and a simple interface that makes it easy to use.
Web Workshop Pro is appropriate for older students, grades 6-12.
Microsoft Front Page let users create full-featured Web pages, without having to know anything about HTML or URLs.
More advanced programs for Web-page creation by the professional are Dream Weaver MX and Adobe GoLive Studio.
HTML editors are available as shareware programs, such as HTML Editor, Hot Dog, and PageSpinner, and can be purchased for a fraction of the cost of other Web-page creation programs.
Organizer programs such as Inspiration, PowerPoint, or Keynote have HTML features built into their programs.
Web sites such as Yahoo Geocities with Page Wizard help the user to create Web pages.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
HTML is the formatting language behind the documents found on the World Wide Web.
HTML makes the portions or elements of a document appear with a distinctive format, when accessed by a Web browser.
HTML allows the author to insert tables, create forms to get user information, style text, embed graphics, and create hyperlinks, by enclosing orders in brackets or tags, for example, <TITLE>.
Beginners' guides and helpful Web sites provide information on learning and using HTML.
Some Guidelines for Creating a Web Page
create an attractive Web page, the user should follow nine steps.
Plan ahead to decide what kind of information is desired on the Web page.
Pay close attention to how the information is organized and how it appears.
Create a map that shows the navigational buttons and where they will be placed.
Ensure the Web page makes a good first impression with attractive visuals and readability.
Use graphics wisely to enhance content.
Use appropriate, relevant, timely, engaging material.
Use authoritative and reliable information.
Avoid cluttering the page with too many elements and typefaces.
Break up text so it is more readable, with a variety of items.
Keep the content interesting by using a variety of items, so as not to bore the audience.
Whereas HTML is a document display format that is constantly being changed to make it accomplish more, Java is a full-blown programming language.
Java can be used to write a program that will work on any computer that can run a Java interpreter, which is built into the majority of browsers today and can be found embedded in HTML documents on the Web.
Java can be used to create applets, or small computer programs, that provide a specific function such as displaying a scrolling or ticker tape message, a clock, or calculator and can be embedded in a Web page or stand-alone application.
Java is an important, promising new software technology, as it could power a new generation of devices that might make today's desktop personal computers obsolete.
JavaScript
Java is not to be confused with JavaScript, a scripting language developed by Netscape communications for publishing on the World Wide Web.
JavaScript allows the user to control and share information by Java applets, customize a Web page, check for mistakes, get visual feedback on actions taken, create animations, and have interactive features on the Web page.
Web Development Tools
A cottage industry has developed around Web page creation.
Web animation programs like Flash and image editing programs like ImageBlender and VideoBlender are being used increasingly in schools.
Macromedia Flash is a well-known creator of animations and integrates video, text, audio, and graphics into the Web presentation.
Flash has its own language called Action Script and produces interactive movies that let the user play sounds, type text into interactive forms, create links to URLs, and more.
Web Utilities
Web utilities that teachers find helpful are offline browsers and URL managers.
Web utilities such as URL Manager Pro and WebWacker help the user to organize and save Internet sites, using bookmark managers and offline browsers.
XVI. Subscription-Based Sites
A recent development is subscription-based sites such as Learning.com, NetTrekker, QuickMind Online, Waterford, and Knowledgebox.
These sites contain lesson plans, state standards, and tutorials; are aligned with National Educational Technology Standards (NETS); and reinforce the states' core curriculum standards.
These sites usually have a trial period and cost from $1000 to $1200 a year.
Learning.com provides online instruction for grades K-8.
Waterford Early Reading Program is individualized computer instruction that lets students move at their own pace.
Knowledgebox is a learning system for reading/language arts, math, social studies, and science, grades K-6.
QuickMind.net, a site for K-12, is a database for teachers and students to share resources and tools, print e-mail, publish or download.
NetTrekker is a search engine for schools that gives easy access to 180,000 K-12 online educational resources that are aligned with every state's standards.
