Assessment+Four

ASSIGNMENT FOUR - GROUP - Due date 11th October


 * __USEFUL SITES FOR EDUCATORS__**

The Internet started as a "place" to store data, and make it accessible to others for free. Over the years it has evolved to having many, many other purposes. This assignment looks at a tiny portion of what can be available, namely, a couple of Websites, of ListServe group Discussions, and of print-based resources about the internet.
 * Introduction.**

1. WWW site (Rajika)** Site: []
 * Six useful sites and their critiques

This website is a good website for primary teachers who need sample worksheets for students to practice concepts and revise strategies and skills. The website consists of topics that are related to different subjects. I liked the site as it is not selling its products but offering resources for interested teachers. It covers wide range of examples in each topic area. The only problem about this site is it does not define the level/grade/year the topics are meant for. Another problem with this site is that some of the links to other sites are not completely relevant to the topic. Overall the website is a great teacher resource and some of the sites it links to make learning fun.

Here is the site : []
 * 2. WWW site (Kim)**

In looking for a useful site, I have been inundated with gazillions of useful sites! What I have learned though, is that some of them are showcasing educational resources which they find good (like this university one) and others are showcasing educational resources which they SELL. This was a surprise for me - but now I can't see why I was surprised! It should have been obvious to me! So, one big lesson to learn: look for motivation - if it is for sale, it may not necessarily be the best resource! This particular site, Waikato University's, lists links to other sites. Easy and accessible is a list of General Teaching sites. In the list, the site is linked, with a very brief indicator of what can be found in the link. There there is another list which indicates "Curriculum Specific Links". These are organsised under the various curriculum areas: Arts, English, Health & Physical Education, Maori Education, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology. Again, within the specific curricula, the links are listed with a brief indication of what can be found in the link. I found this a particularly good general site for teachers of all levels in all disciplines.

Listserv group discussion: [|http://www.h-net.org/~edweb/list.html]
 * 3. Listserv group discussion (Rajika)**

I have chosen to do my critque on EDTECH listserv as it covered topics that I can use to discuss with my students for Computer Technology classes. The field of IT is constantly changing with new developments and with tremendous speed. To be able to keep in touch with latest developments and find a place to discuss these ideas, EDTECH is a great sounding board. Collaborative learning is becoming the new tool in educating people.The discussions are carefully moderated so that they are valid and cross checked. The listserv provides people to put forward views on their ideas about a topic and provide clarifications or additions to what they think. The discussion list was created to bring together faculty, educators, students and "interested others" in the field of educational technology to share ideas and information. Founded in February of 1989, EDTECH has also provided discussion by experts in their field which is of great value for learners.Hence theses days Education and technology are merging and becoming essential for Teachers and learners alike. But with all applications there are some limitations. You need to learn the netiquettes to be able to take part in Listservs. The user needs to be able to be technology savvy and be able to put their ideas clearly.

The Listserv group discussion is: [|http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/jesse.html] jESSE was created in 1994 to promote the discussion of "library and information scinece education issues" (para 1.). It is moderated by Dr Grechen Whitney of the University of Tennessee School of Information Science. Anyone can join, and there are instructions on the homepage on how to subscribe and how to unsubscribe. Messages to subscribers are moderated. This listserv group focuses on issues such as Education theory and practice, curricula, research and administration as these issues relate to library / information science. The Association for Library and Information Science Education requested that it be used as its official electronic "channel", because of its world-wide accessibility.
 * 4. Listserv group discussion (Kim)**

A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC -Jean Andrews
 * 5. Print-based resource (Rajika)**

A fantastic resource for teachers who need to teach students technical fundamentals. It is accompanied by CD as well which has chapterwise powerpoint presenations. The presentations are great help for further explaining the text given in the book.The language used is clear,simple and concise yet quite technical. The book contains Chapter summary, Key terms and reviewing the basic concepts. These are great tools for revising concepts taught and also provides hands-on projects which are great scenarios for students to practice the theoretical concepts taught by the teacher.The teachers resource contains tips for teachers to pick up ideas which need special attention and emphasis. The downside of this book is it does not contain solutions to the problems and quizzes provided at the end of the chapter.

Krause, H. (2003). The porn pandemic affecting our kids. In //Reader's Digest.// Auckland, New Zealand. Reader's Digest. Aug 2003. pp.54-59. This is an up to date article about the dangers to children of technological communication. The article deals at a very accessible level with dangers of chat rooms, of sending pictures via mobile phones and other dangers facing children with technology today. It is easy to read and easy to identify with the characters written about. Highlighted sections indicate "What parents can do" providing tips for parents and some useful websites to access. Another highlighted section deals with "Walking the fine line between parent and prison guard..." (p. 58). Generally, a good broad article, it provides indicators of dangers, but it does not go overboard and promote exclusion.
 * 6. Print-based resource (Kim)**

The Internet started as a "place" to store data, and make it accessible to others, for free. Over the years it has evolved to having many, many other purposes. What has become apparent in doing this assignment has been the Internet's move away from a "free data storage space" which sounds beneficial to all, to a "place" where companies can legitimately sell their wares, and further away, to a place of danger for children. The Internet still provides stunning resources to anyone with access to a computer on line. The dangers are there, but one can be vigilant, and the dangers do not negate the positive benefits.
 * General comments**