Strengthening Curriculum using the Internet

The fifth of the six NETS technology foundations deals with using technology as a research tool.

5. Technology as a Research Tool

Before you and your students begin searching for information, your students should design a plan they will use to find their information by creating a word web or concept map of the topic they will be researching. By studying the next five pages, educators will discover guidelines for helping students develop their searching strategies, tips for choosing the best search engine for their topic, taking the step to analyze and refine their search, and how to assess whether or not the information they found is credible. CINCH: Searching Strategies Tutorial on CINCH - teaching searching strategies.

Additional Resources

Here is a tutorial and lesson plan that you can use with your students. Web Quests A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet, optionally supplemented with videoconferencing. Surfing for ABC's This lesson can be done with Kindergarten and older students.

Search Engines for Elementary Students

The best search engines that elementary students can use are topical, which have been previewed by people before they were added to the search engine database. Here is a list of recommended sites to use with elementary students: Ask Jeeves for Kids seach using "natural" language Berit's Best Sites for Kids best 1,000 sites for kids Fact Monster geared for all ages Kids Click geared for all ages Kid Sites geared for PreK-Primary children List of Search Engines list of search engines for students and educators For a more comprehensive list of educational databases, visit these pages: Educational Databases Children's Literature Resources   For more information on how to teach students how to evaluate print and media resources, visit: Evaluating and Using Print and Media Resources

(WORKSHOP handouts/activity)

Go to the next page for NETS 6: Technology as problem-solving and decision-making tool