Modules Goals
You will examine resources available on the Internet that can help students with day-to-day homework and projects.
You will identify the ways that the Internet assists with homeschooling.
You will examine the development of distance learning on the Internet.
Use the WebCT discussion tool to comment on two of the reflections that follow each section below.
Homework Helpers
Web sites specific to homework are popular these days. A simple search will return thousands of homework helper sites, posted by individuals, schools, libraries, and some private companies.
B.J Pinchbeck's Homework Helper - B.J.'s site contains over 700 links that can help a student find the information they might need to help them with their homework.
Chatterbee's Homework Help Center - This site exists to help middle and high school, and early years college students with their homework. Their stated goal is to guide students to only the best freely available Internet educational resources.
NOBLE for Kids - It is part of the North Of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE), a cooperative effort of 27 area libraries founded to improve library service through automation. Seventeen public library members, nine college libraries and one special library are members of NOBLE.
Fact Monster - This reference site for elementary students combines a user-friendly format with flashy graphics. It features an almanac, atlas, dictionary and encyclopedia made especially for kids.
Gary's Homework Help Page - This site was developed by a busy parent of two children. The site was designed to be an efficient and effective use of your time. It contains hundreds of links to thousands of Web pages to help you with math, science, history, geography, language, art and literature.
HomeWork Elephant
- It is your first stop for internet resources to help complete
your homework assignments. Over 5000 carefully selected resources
to assist with your homework problems!
HomeWork Planet - It makes it easy for students to find homework and research resources, tutoring services, reference tools, learning games, content experts, college information and more.
Homework Spot - HomeworkSpot.com is a free homework information portal that features the very best K-12 homework-related sites together with engaging editorial in one high-utility, educational spot.
Jiskha Homework Help - Mission Statement: to revolutionize education technology in order to promote a fascinating and technologically advanced learning experience. Jiskha.com has long been the leader in Internet education for K-12 students. The website assists thousands of children and teenagers with schoolwork everyday by publishing educational content and providing instant-answer services for students who need urgent help.
Beulah the Beagle - links to sites in many subjects.
Suffolk Web Homework Helper - comprehensive site with links from biographies to math.
Math Goodies - Math Goodies is a free math help site featuring interactive lessons, homework help, worksheets and forums! We have over 400 pages of activities for students, teachers and parents.
My Homework Helper - Here you will find an extensive set of useful links organized by grade level and subject as well as links to lots of general reference tools.
The Shakespearen Homework helper - This site was developed to help high school students and teachers learn more about Shakespeare.
Homework Helpers to the Rescue - The article was written by Roxanne Schneider and leads you to some of the best online destinations for homework help.
Note : Commercial companies have entered the homework domain for a fee. Take a look at these sites:
Lightspan - ( formerly StudyWeb ) Lightspan has developed award winning products proven to increase student achievement.
Homeworkhelp.com - Homeworkhelp.com's mission is to create the best possible educational software and services for middle school, high school, and college students. It is our hope that our creative, innovative and interactive products can empower students of all ages to achieve their educational goals.
Reflection: Using the WebCT discussion tool, what is your opinion of the homework helper sites ? Do you think they have a place in education ? Explain your answer.
Online Encyclopedia's
Encarta - Encarta Online specializes in connecting information-seekers with relevant, high-quality knowledge. Whether it's a school report or simply a personal interest to be explored, Encarta opens the door to comprehensive information.
Groliers - The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia is based on the text of the Academic American Encyclopedia. It is available directly on the World Wide Web, containing thousands of new and expanded articles, extensive hyperlinking, bibliographies and links to other sources of information on the Web.
e-encyclopedia - combines the best of a traditional encyclopedia with an extra digital dimension. The book's dedicated website has been created with Google, the world's leading search engine. It guides the reader to the most helpful, appropriate and amazing sites the web has to offer.
Other Helpful OnLine Resources
Research-It - Quick access to the best Internet tools including dictionaries, thesauruses and translators.
Flashcards for Kids - created by The Education 4 Kids®, this is a place for students to go who need extra help with math.
Plagiarism
An academic malpractice. Plagiarism is the use of the ideas, words or findings of others without acknowledging them as such. To plagiarise is to give the impression that the student has written, thought or discovered something that he or she has in fact borrowed from someone else without acknowledging this in an appropriate manner. The Internet is a great research tool but teachers need to be cautious about the possibility of students taking material from the Internet and submitting it as their own.
Plagiarism.org - The online resource for educators concerned with the growing problem of Internet plagiarism. It is designed to provide the latest information on online plagiarism.
Turnitin - Recognized worldwide as the standard in online plagiarism prevention, Turnitin helps educators and students take full advantage of the Internet's educational potential. Used by thousands of institutions in over fifty countries, Turnitin's products promote originality in student work, improve student writing and research skills, encourage collaborative learning, and save valuable instructor time.
Reflection: Using the WebCT discussion tool, do you find that Plagiarism is a growing concern in education, why or why not ? Please justify your answer.
Homeschooling
Homeschooling appears to be on the increase. For whatever reason, for an increasing number of students, home is where the classroom is and parents have chosen home schooling instead of sending their children to public or private schools.
Nova Net - Now part of Pearson Digital Learning, this site contains comprehensive computer-based education and communications network that offers thousands of hours of self-paced, interactive curriculum for secondary and adult learners.
Canadian Home Based Learning Resource Page - This site features links to all Canadian, provincial
and territorial sites.
The Association
of Canadian Home-Based Education
- (ACHBE)is committed to providing support, advice and information
to individuals and organizations. Acting as a special interest
group nationally and regionally,ACHBEwill help protect the rights
of all Canadians to educate their children at home. ACBHE has
no political or religious affiliations.
Homeschool Zone - This site is an interactive global community of homeschoolers, afterschoolers and educators with pointers to curricula and more.
The Caron Family's Homeschool Page - During their years of home schooling, the Carons have found many great resources available on the Internet. These resources include links to home-education resources on the Internet, help with finding curricula material, books, magazines and software on the Web.
HomeSchoolWorld - The official site of Practical Homeschooling magazine and The Big Book of Home Learning. The latest homeschooling news, articles, organizations, events, Homeschool Mall, and more!
Jon's Homeschool Resource Page - This site has been a source of neutral, non-commercial homeschooling information for nine years. Resources are selected on the basis of clarity and breadth, not politics or religion.
A - Z Home's Cool Homeschooling Web Site - This is an excellent site with information about teaching methods and styles, lesson plans and reading lists.
Texas Homeschoolers - This site has a great set of links to homeschooling resources, including associations, publications, distance learning services
Learn in Freedom - This site is about learning in freedom, taking responsibility for your own learning. It shows you how to use your own initiative in learning, so you can use schools and teachers just when they are helpful to you, and voluntarily chosen by you.
Reflection: Using the WebCT discussion tool, do you think home schooling is growing ? If you think yes, explain why. If you think not, explain why.
Distance Education - E-learning at a Distance
It is an area that has shown tremendous growth in the last few years.
MindEdge - the Web's premier resource for adult learning, training and continuing education.
Virtual University - Virtual University is a member-supported, global learning community and the largest educational portal on the Internet today; yet, our roots extend back to the 1960s. In that turbulent era of change and social awareness, our founders understood that knowledge is the mortar of a free society and lifelong learning is the key to personal success, happiness, and well being. Today, we remain devoted to the goal of making the world a better place by empowering individuals with the knowledge to improve their lives and the world around them.
Examples of Agencies Offering Courses Online :
Virtual High School
- offers the opportunity to obtain fully accredited high school
courses towards a High School Diploma.
North Dakota Division of Independent Study - a division of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, was established in 1935 by the North Dakota legislature to provide distance education courses for students in grades 5-12.
The Virtual High School Cooperative - The VHS (Virtual High School) project is a collaborative of high schools from around the US. In exchange for contributing a small amount of teaching time, a school in the collaborative can offer its students NetCourses ranging from advanced academic courses to technical and specialized courses.
Electronic High School - Utah's Electronic High School provides courses for high school students in grades 9 through 12.
Compuhigh - Since 1994 CompuHigh has provided online accredited high school courses for Clonlara School.
Michigan Virtual High School - The Michigan Virtual High School (MVHS) is an online resource that enables Michigan high schools to provide courses (all taught by certified teachers) and other learning tools that students wouldn't otherwise have access to.
Mesa Distance Learning - The basic core program has over 55 high quality, interactive online courses taught by certified teachers. The Mesa Distance Learning Program provides multimedia-rich curriculum aligning to state and national standards as well as numerous online tools for both parents and students. The Mesa Public Schools brings distance learning to a higher standard of education for students and families.
St. Paul's Academy - It provides online education for Grade 4 -
12 students across Alberta and the world.
Virtual Learning Center
- Operated by the Trillium Lakelands District School Board, the
Virtual Learning Centre has been offering Ontario Secondary School
students a wide range of flexible, and well designed high school
courses since 1997.
COOLSchool - COOLSchool offers a dynamic, easy-to-use selection of online courses.
Technologies used for course delivery and interactivity can include basic electronic mail, electronic mail for text-based lessons, online tutoring, and submitting assignments, listserv or other group conferencing environment for class discussions and learning circles, Web-based tutorials in print or multi-media format, downlaodable tutorials as text, .pdf. or multi-media files, real-time, interactive discussion or simulations using MOO's, PowWow, or other chat technology, streaming technologies - audio or video for delivering lectures and demonstrations and video conferencing such as CU-SeeMe - for collaborations and interactivity.
Learning Management Systems
Many schools are choosing to purchase or acquire access to a learning management system ( LMS or LCMS for learning content management system ) for delivering online courses. A learning management system typically provides an online environment that is already set up with many tools needed by teachers to develop and deliver courses. Here are some examples:
Learners - TeleCampus - TeleCampus, New Brunswick, is a virtual teaching
and learning environment, providing resources for course developers,
educators and learners.
WebCT
- developed by the University of British Columbia, WebCT is a
course management system that allows students and instructors
to develop and share knowledge in an interactive educational
environment on the web.
ATutor - developed
by the University of Toronto, ATutor is an Open Source
Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS) designed
with accessibility and adaptability in mind.
Blackboard.com - Blackboard offers a complete suite of enterprise software products and services that power e-Education programs in our primary markets Higher Education, K-12, Corporate/Government and International. Blackboard solutions deliver the promise of the Internet for online teaching and learning, campus communities, campus commerce services, and integration of Web-enabled student services and back office systems. It is an extremely popular LMS, used by many colleges and universities.
LearnerWeb - At MaxIT, their mission is to maximize the e-learning experience, how it's created and how it's managed. They have been focused in this business since 1995, pioneering award-winning technology and servicing thousands of customers in North America and around the world. They state " If you agree technology should solve problems, be fun to use and free time for the more important things in life, you've come to the right place."
First Class - The FirstClass Division of Open Text is a leading provider of cost-effective, highly scalable, feature-rich messaging and collaboration solutions to schools and school districts, educational organizations, and businesses. Since our inception in 1989 FirstClass has been committed to developing highly scalable and reliable technology that evolves with our customer's needs and enables them to break-free of traditional communication barriers and work on their own terms.
Manhattan - The Manhattan Virtual Classroom is a password protected, web-based course management system that includes a variety of discussion groups, live chat, areas for the teacher to post the syllabus and other handouts and notices, a module for organizing online assignments, a grades module, a surveys module, and a unique, web-based email system open only to students in the class.
MetaCollege.com - MetaCollege provides inexpensive access to course building tools. It offers an easy way for individual teachers to deliver online an course or set up an online space to enhance classroom communications.
Web Based Course Development Tools - Distance Education Information, Tools, and Support Services.
Course Management Systems - EduTools - This site was built to assist higher education in using a more rational decision making process to review the many options for a course management system. This site reviews each product by researching and describing more than 40 product features.
Drawbacks
Many courses are still text based. The question comes up about how to test effectively online. Many teachers still have reservations about the effectiveness of distance education.
Particularly interesting and often cited study dealing with correspondence students versus classroom students is entitled the "The No Significant Difference Phenomenon" by Thomas L. Russell.
Other sources that will help you learn about distance education on the Internet can be found at :
Institute for Distance Education ( University of Maryland ) - valuable distance education directory of resources.
Jason Merry's Canadian Distance Education
Directory - links to distance
education resources for each province.
University of Wisconsin Distance Education Clearinghouse - The Distance Education Clearinghouse is a comprehensive and widely recognized Web site bringing together distance education information from Wisconsin, national, and international sources. New information and resources are being added to the Distance Education Clearinghouse on a continual basis.
World Lecture Hall - World Lecture Hall publishes links to pages created by faculty worldwide who are using the Web to deliver course materials in any language. Some courses are delivered entirely over the Internet. Others are designed for students in residence. Many fall somewhere in between. In all cases, they can be visited by anyone interested in courseware on the Internet - faculty, developers, and curious students alike.
Heritage Online - For over 25 years, The Heritage Institute (THI) has been a leader in progressive continuing education programs for K-12 educators. Beginning in 1977 with a handful of field studies on the natural history of Washington state, our program has grown to include courses in most subject areas and teaching methodologies across the K-12 curriculum.
Steven's Web: Knowledge, Learning, Community - Founded in 1995, Stephen's Web is best described
as a digital research laboratory for innovation in the use of
online media in education. More than just a site about online
learning, it is intended to demonstrate new directions in the
field for practitioners and enthusiasts.
TEAMS Distance Learning - This site offers resources for distance learning as a range of teacher helps. TEAMS makes available TV in the classroom as well as Internet distance learning activities for K - 12 and for teacher professional development.
Distance Education at a Glance ... - written by Barry Willis, the Associate Dean for Outreach, University of Idaho, is a good introduction to distance education.
Reflection: Using the WebCT discussion tool, do you think online distance education using learning management systems is an effective way to deliver courses to students ? Why or why not and explain your reasons.
New Directions
The world of education is changing. One only has to look back a few years and you can see the changes that are happening. Some of the most pervasive trends in educational reforms include the inclusion of all learners, students taking responsibility for their own learning, a shift from all students learning the same things to students learning different things individually, learning outcomes and performance assessment, education for global stewardship facilitated by communications technologies, collaboration, communication, the integration of visual and verbal thinking, and the changing role of teacher from expert to facilitator, mentor, and partner in learning.