The teacher can use web resources that match the subject areas.
We need to get the basics right so in this sub-unit we will unpack concepts we will be using extensively in this unit.
Access the two Wikipedia pages below, one on the Internet the other on Information Literacy, that unpack these two essential concepts. Make sure you are familiar with both concepts.
How do we navigate the World Wide Web to find good teaching resources? It is after all an enormous 'place'! Without the use of special software, the search engine, the benefits of the Internet will not be realised. In this sub-unit we will introduce these useful Internet tools.
Access the reading below that introduces search engines and what their functions are. Then follow with the two presentations on 'Understanding Search Engines'.
Let us briefly visit four popular Internet Search Engines by following the URLs below. Search for the same item or term in each of them and contrast their speed, results and ease of use.
Our exercise above demonstrated that there are many sites competing for our attention and not all of them are relevant to our interests. How can we search more effectively? Access the video below that identifies how to effectively search in the Google search engine.
Now that you can perform a basic Internet search, let us delve further and look into the advanced search functions available on Google, Yahoo, Ask and Bing. This will make our searches for curriculum materials that much more accurate.
Access the tutorial below by David Russell where he outlines how Google Advanced Search works.
Now try it out for yourself using the link below to access Google's Advanced Search options.
How similar or different are the other search engines' advanced options? Try out their functionality below and search for teaching materials for your subject or grade.
Use the chat room below to discuss, "How might advanced search techniques be used by teachers to improve their lesson preparation or even be worked into a lesson for students to use?"
Did the search engines provide any good teaching resources? Sometimes even with the power of advanced search the results can be disappointing. Consequently its a good idea to find, and then return regularly, to few relevant curriculum sites. In this sub-unit we will introduce you to random selection of such sites to see if any are appropriate to your needs.
Look through the teaching site examples listed below.
The list is hardly exhaustive! Meet the class in the forum below entitled 'Favourite Curriculum Sites' and share the URL of your favourite curriculum site. Also discover which sites others suggest and make sure you comment on their posts.
How can we know if the sites are relevant? This can be achieved through systematic analysis. In this sub-unit we will look at evaluating curriculum websites.
In a previous unit we used a simple evaluation matrix to help us determine usefulness of web resources. Open the link below entitled 'Web Site Evaluation' and look at it again.
What evaluation criteria should we be thinking about? Access the reading below that suggests a more sophisticated set of criteria.
In the future, as a graduate of this course, you are going to be involved in the evaluation of numerous web resources. It's time to customize your own web resources evaluation tool. Using the program you prefer devise a rubric that will allow you to quickly determine the quality and usefulness of any web site.
Use the assignment upload tool below entitled, 'Portfolio Item #7: Evaluation Rubric' to upload your finished rubric.
Once you have completed the reading and activities above access the facilitator's audio summary that captures the units salient points.
This unit was adapted from OER and developed further by Ms Rebecca Keli and Mr Justus Kinanga. The unit was revised by Andrew Moore.
All material in this Kenya ICT CFT Course unit is licensed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Kenya under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The OER by Grassian has a more restrictive license that does not permit use for commercial purposes and should be used accordingly.
The KICTCFT Course is in its pilot phase. Please use the survey tool below to provide feedback of your experience in this unit.