Where Can the Internet Take Me, How Do We Get There, and Why?

We often hear a lot about the internet in today's media, but we don't necessarily hear a good explanation for what it is, how we could use it or even why we should. Below you'll find links to get you started with solid explanations and examples of how other educators, schools and school systems are making brilliant use of a powerful tool.

• What is the Internet?
• What's "digital literacy"?
• Why should my school build network or get connected to the Internet?
• What are some of the things for which I could use the Internet in my classroom or school?
• How do I get connected to the Internet?

What is the Internet?

• The EFF's Extended Internet Guide
• The Unofficial Internet Book List
• The Internet Society

What's "digital literacy"?

• A Primer on Digital Literacy is taken from the book Digital Literacy by Paul Gilster and provides all sorts of information on what you need to know to consider yourself digitally literate.

Why should my school build networks and get connected to the Internet?

• Technology's Impact is an article about technology's effectiveness as well as its limitations in the classroom.
• The Role of Online Communications in Schools: A National Study
• Reasons for the Internet in K-12 Schools
• Getting America's Students Ready for the 21st Century: Meeting the Technology Literacy Challenge from the Dept. of Education

What are some of the things for which I could use the Internet in my classroom or school?

• In "Student Perceptions of Electronic Discussion Groups" Silva Karayan and Judith Crowe present the results of a survey of 96 students in eight classes at California Lutheran University. Students reported developing closer relationships with both their instructors and their classmates. Even students who indicated that they did not like participating in electronic discussions showed changes in behaviors, such as taking more time to think before responding to questions and improving writing coherency.
• Cyberspace Middle School is a project designed for students in grades 6 through 9 who use the WWW to work on science fair projects.
• Online Fantasy Worlds Benefit Inner City School, an explanation of how text-based virtual worlds have influenced students in one school.

How do I get connected to the Internet?

• "Getting Connected", from The Internet Companion by Tracy LaQuey Parker
• Yahoo provides listing of Internet service providers in the US, by state.
• Here's a tutorial on ISDN, one method of physically connecting your school to the Internet, from Pacific Bell.