Locating, Using, and Integrating Internet-Based Science Materials

Critical Issue: Locating, Using, and Integrating Internet-Based Science Materials

ISSUE: The Internet contains vast amounts of science resources for K-12 educators and students - perhaps more than any other subject area. Because of the wealth of Internet-based science materials available, educators must take special care to identify the very best resources. Then they must design science learning opportunities that use those resources in instructionally appropriate ways.

OVERVIEW: Recent research on learning indicates that technology can play a critical role in changing classroom environments and restructuring schools to promote more engaged and powerful learning. Indeed, some evidence suggests that technology may even accelerate the restructuring process, especially if it focuses on using learning resources outside the classroom (Pisapla, Schlessinger, & Parks, 1993; Jones, Valdez, Nowakowski, & Rasmussen, 1994). Thus, the Internet is an important tool both for school restructuring and promoting engaged learning. Because it contains so many science materials, the Internet offers educators many opportunities to integrate technology and engaged science learning. By using the Internet, teachers can motivate students to learn while preparing them for work outside of school.

Image of Luis Garcia Luis Garcia, student at Kelly High School in Chicago, Illinois, talks about how using the Internet enabled him to obtain a summer internship at AT&T in Lisle, Illinois. Excerpted from Learning With Technology: Merging Onto the Information Highway, produced by NCREL in 1994. ( QuickTime slide show 298K) A text transcript is available.

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Image of Dr. Offie Hobbs Dr. Offie Hobbs, principal at Madison Middle School 2000, discusses bringing the Internet and computers into the academic playing field. Excerpted from Learning With Technology: Merging Onto the Information Highway, produced by NCREL in 1994. (Audio comment, 264K) A text transcript is available.

However, the size, complexity, and technical language of the Internet often discourage people from using Internet resources in depth. Others have difficulty finding a way to connect. To make the job easier, several agencies have been created that help schools and districts connect to the Internet. Once connected, educators can access software and other search tools that will help them locate and use Internet resources.

GOALS: Educators and students will be able to:

Locate and access high quality science and other educational materials on the Internet.
Identify, use, and integrate high quality science and other educational materials to further their learning.
Use their knowledge of the Internet and its resources to become efficient and effective creators of knowledge.

ACTION OPTIONS: The Internet is often described as a global network of networks or the "information superhighway." Yet, until recently, few K-12 educators and students accessed the Internet because of its complex UNIX format. In the past two years, however, developments in software and hardware have enabled fast and reliable access to the Internet. Today, K-12 educators and students are one of the fastest growing groups of users on the Internet. To ensure the ongoing success of their Internet use, educators should take the following actions:

Create a clear vision of why and how the technology inherent in the Internet will be used to improve learning and restructure schools.

Image of Alda Hanna Alda Hanna, teacher at Steele Elementary School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, talks about how being connected to the Internet has changed the way she teaches. Excerpted from Learning With Technology: Merging Onto the Information Highway, produced by NCREL in 1994. (QuickTime slide show with audio, 349K)

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Image of Barb Spitz Barb Spitz, Technology/Resource Director at Madison Middle School 2000 in Madison, Wisconsin, talks about how she is able to provide a wide range of resources for her students using the Internet. Excerpted from Learning With Technology: Merging Onto the Information Highway, produced by NCREL in 1994. (Audio comment, 272K) A text transcript is available.

Image of Matt Weinbaum Matt Weinbaum, student at Model High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, explains that his school is structured differently because it focuses on group-oriented work. He also explains how the Internet plays a part in the school's collaborative work. Excerpted from Learning With Technology: Merging Onto the Information Highway, produced by NCREL in 1994. (Audio comment, 272K) A text transcript is available.

Provide professional development for teachers that includes both technological and pedagogical support.
Ensure that the Internet does not increase educational inequities. Because of its complexity and cost, the Internet could bypass urban and rural areas that would greatly benefit from its resources. We can not allow such factors to create resource-rich and resource-poor populations.

Image of John Ruskamp John Ruskamp, executive assistant principal at Kelly High School in Chicago, Illinois, discusses how the Internet has made his students, who come from an inner-city environment, competitive for the job market and college entrance. Excerpted from Learning With Technology: Merging Onto the Information Highway, produced by NCREL in 1994. (Slide show with audio, 621K) A text transcript is available.

Image of Alda Hanna Alda Hanna, teacher at Steele Elementary School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, talks about the necessity of preparing her students for a technological world, and how the Internet helps her to reach this goal. Excerpted from Learning With Technology: Merging Onto the Information Highway, produced by NCREL in 1994. (Audio comment, 298K) A text transcript is available.

Expose students, teachers, administrators, and parents to the exceptional learning opportunities that are available on the Internet. For a list of science resources on the Internet, see the Illustrative Cases below.

IMPLEMENTATION PITFALLS: Some implementation pitfalls relate to the use of specific materials:

Materials that do not reflect good science instruction
Materials that are irrelevant or inappropriate for the curriculum being taught
Materials that are excessively expensive when analyzed against their potential to improve learning

Other implementation pitfalls relate to technology and software:

To use the Internet effectively, schools need good telephone connections, fast modems (at least 9600 baud), and 386SX computers with 8M of RAM.
Some of the best technology-based materials are so popular that they are difficult to access during school hours.
To find resources on the Internet, users must know about and successfully use search engines such as LYCOS, Web Nomad, and WebCrawler. It also helps to know about specific resource collections by topic, such as those noted in the Illustrative Cases below.
Unlike most materials on the Internet, many K-12 resource require specific software. For instance, most of the EXPLORER materials are now in the Acrobat PDF format and are readable on Mac, Windows, and Unix machines. There is a free Acrobat reader available for these machines from Adobe. After downloading the Acrobat reader you will need to configure your browser to use it.

DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW: Criticism of Internet-based science materials often focuses on software that conveys science content in inaccurate or inappropriate ways. Other criticism focuses on issues of funding and access. Because of the expense and access problems associated with the Internet, some science teachers argue that their limited instructional materials budgets would be better spent on laboratory tools. Many science teachers also fear that budget cutters will use oversold promises of Internet materials to justify increasing class sizes and reducing instructional materials budgets.

Some teachers and parents are concerned about Internet use in the classroom because they believe students will have access to files containing material that may be inappropriate for them to view. Some schools and other groups have developed Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) , voluntary guidelines designed to ensure the safe and appropriate use of the Internet. The federal government has been considering legislation to limit the kinds of information that can be placed on the Internet. Legislative and other current methods being discussed to limit Internet access are reviewed in Internet Parental Control Frequently Asked Questions.

Finally, many critics of "K-12 use of the Internet" claim that it is a fad that will be followed by a rapid decrease in interest when educators find that the Internet does not increase learning.

ILLUSTRATIVE CASES: The following organizations and Internet sites offer quality science materials and information. To access these sites, double-click on the active text. (Note: many of the sites have heavy traffic during school hours and may not be available on the first try.) This list will be updated regularly. Please send suggestions to valdez@ncrel.org

AskERIC is an Internet-based education information service of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system. Its Question and Answer Service is an Internet-based service for teachers, library media specialists, and administrators.

The Daily Planet at the University of Illinois's Department of Atmospheric Sciences will make you an expert on weather and climate. You will learn to predict the weather using five instructional modules: Pressure, Forces and Winds, Guide to Weather Maps and Images, the Cloud Catalog, and the Guide to Atmospheric Optics.

Earth Sciences Resources contains an extensive list of journals, software, network resources, and Web sites.

Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education is part of the U.S. Department of Education's effort to reform K-12 mathematics and science education. It lists a monthly Digital Dozen, 12 mathematics and science sites found on the Internet.

ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education collects all science, mathematics, and environmental education resources included on the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database. It includes lesson plans, links to ERIC Digest articles, organizations, and relevant Web links.

Explorer is an R&D effort designed to deliver math and science lesson plans and activities to K-12 educators and students.

Galaxy Science List links users to commercial efforts in various science topics. This site is especially useful for demonstrating work applications of science.

The Heart helps you to discover the complexities of the heart. Its graphics let you follow blood flow through the body and learn how to maintain a healthy heart.

The Jason Project has lessons on such diverse topics as Yellowstone National Park, Iceland, the Titanic, whales, spiders, the environment, volcanoes, and more.

Kids Web - A World Wide Web Digital Library for School Kids is an exceptional server that links to many wonderful resources for K-12 students. The site is rich in science and social studies materials, and is useful for demonstrating cutting-edge uses of the Internet.

Links to the Internet from the University of Illinois Office for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education offers exceptional resources on mathematics, science, and technology; Listservs about networking in education; and databases and online data.

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) is home to the Eisenhower High Plains Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education and the Standards and Benchmarks Database. This database provides extensive analysis, histories, and references for educational standards and benchmarks.

Museum of Paleontology, University of California has a dramatic display of exhibits and a listing of journal abstracts.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is where many other sites get the raw information to create their own exhibits or Internet servers. The NOAA server has eleven major databases of information: Sustainable Fisheries, Coastal Ecosystems, Satellites, Seasonal and Inter-Annual Forecasts, Long-Term Global Change, Navigation and Positioning, Fleet, Environmental Information Services, Protected Species, Warnings and Forecasts, and High-Performance Computing and Communications.

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) is home to the Pathways system you are using and an Internet gopher that contains numerous math and science resources. NCREL operates the Eisenhower Midwest Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education.

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) has several math and science resources, including the Alterative Assessment in Science and Mathematics Database. NWREL operates an Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Consortium.

Mid-Atlantic Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Consortium is operated by Research for Better Schools (RBS). The Consortium has many math and science resources, including the Promising Practices in Mathematics and Science Education database and several assessment databases.

The Regional Alliance for Mathematics and Science Education Reform is developing Internet-accessible math and science materials.

Smithsonian Institution has resources so rich that they had to be loaded on more than one server. At least five sub-servers have great science resources: Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Laboratory of Molecular Systems, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Natural History Gopher. Many of the servers allow users to go through "galleries" and bring up pictures of significant displays.

U.S. Department of Education has excellent links under "Other Resources." It also has many official education documents and listings of programs, resources, grants, contracts, and fellowships that are available from federal institutions or other federally funded agencies. While you're there, check out "A Teacher's Guide to the U.S. Department of Education."

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Learning Web offers earth science information for K-12 education, exploration, and life-long learning.

Virtual Frog Dissection Kit was created by the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. It provides excellent pre-dissection activities, but should not replace actual dissection activities.

WestEd is home to the WestEd Regional Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education.

WWW Virtual Library is a catalog of Internet resources from all over the world that can be searched in a variety of ways. Listings range from the most popular or newest material on the Internet to the Library of Congress classifications.

CONTACTS:

Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education
The Ohio State University
1929 Kenny Road
Columbus, OH 43210-1079
614-292-7784, Fax: 614-292-2066
E-mail: info@ENC.org

Far West Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education
Far West Laboratory
730 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-241-2730, Fax: 415-241-2746

High Plains Consortium for Mathematics and Science
MidContinent Regional Educational Laboratory
2550 S. Parker Rd. Suite 500
Aurora, CO 80014
800-949-6384, Fax: 303-337-3005
E-mail: edebassc@mcrel.org
Contact: Elaine DeBassige, Administrative Assistant

Mid-Atlantic Consortium for Mathematics and Science Educational
Research for Better Schools
444 N. Third Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
215-574-9300, Fax: 215-574-0133
E-mail: mathsci@rbs.org
WWW: http://www.rbs.org
Contact: Keith M. Kershner, Director

Midwest Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory
1120 Diehl Road, Suite 200
Naperville, IL 60563-1486
(630) 649-6500, fax (630) 649-7600
E-mail: info@ncrel.org

Northwest Consortium for Mathematics and Science Teaching
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
101 S.W. Main St., Suite 500
Portland, OR 97204
503-275-9500, Fax: 503-275-9489

WestEd Eisenhower Regional Consortium for Science and Mathematics Education
730 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-241-2746, Fax: 415-241-2746
E-mail: sking@wested
WWW: www.wested.org/werc

References

This Critical Issue summary was researched and written by Gilbert Valdez, director of outreach and technology at North Central Regional Educational Laboratory and director of the Midwest Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education.

Date posted: 1995