Some websites for teachers with younger students...

Some 'safe' websites for teachers and kids...

http://pbskids.org/lions/This site is based on the popular children's show Beween the Lions.
http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/index.htmlThis site provides a list of leveled books by grade
http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/auto/18/50.htmlThis site is great for learning how to read, write, and spell
http://www.starfall.com/An excellent site for helping your child learn to read. Use the menu that appears directly in front of you on the first page to navigate, or the smaller menu at the right.
http://www.sundhagen.com/babbooks/adlib.cgiComplete the boxes as instructed to create your own silly story! In grade 3we learn about using interesting adjectives, so this should be a big hit
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/kids/recipes.htmlRecipes from the San Diego Zoo...great inspiration for writing! (Math:Blackline Masters for everything math!!)
http://lrt.ednet.ns.ca/PD/BLM/table_of_contents.htmA great tool for teachers or parents to reinforce math skills using Canadian tools.
http://www.funbrain.com/cashreg/Click on a level of difficulty and then on the Canadian flag to play this on-line money game! You may want to bring some money with you to helpfigure out the change, or you could use a calculator. Have fun!Other:
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/What a fantastic site! There are plenty of science articles in kid-friendly text and complete with pictures. This site is sure to feed those hungryminds - your child's and your own! http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/trythis/try1.htmlNobody ever said science was neat and tidy!! Only try this site out if youare in the mood for something slimy and goopy and blue....This mixture will be both a liquid and a solid and it is NOT to be eaten and NOT to be poured down your sink! Have fun getting gooey!
http://www.wackykids.org/welcome.htmThis site has fun ideas for making simple art projects with paper and it hasbook lists for kids interested in reading more about art!
http://www.scribbleskidsart.com/generic218.htmlHere is some great information about Pablo Picasso.
http://www.nga.gov/kids/kids.htmWow! This is a fantastic site! Take time to explore the site with your child.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/artists/coloring/This site has links to art and artists around the world as well as art activities, and colouring pages to print out or 'paint' on line.
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2223/2223_exploring_elements.pdfA one page chart outlining the elements of art and design.
http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/myplace/gallery/gallery.htmThis is a site dedicated to the artworks of children throughout Asia.

Kids Search Engines

Kids Search Engines
By Danny Sullivan, Editor-In-Chief April 4, 2005
The services below are designed primarily to serve the needs of children, either in focus, or by filtering out sites that some parents and teachers might find inappropriate for kids. These usually include sites that deal with explicit sexual matters, porn sites, violence, hate speech, gambling and drug use.

Major Children's Guides & Directories
The kid-safe directories below use human beings to filter out sites that might be considered objectionable for viewing by children.

Ask Jeeves For Kids http://www.ajkids.com/
Ask Jeeves is a unique service where you enter a question, and Ask Jeeves tries to point you to the right web page that provides an answer. At Ask Jeeves For Kids, answers have been vetted for appropriateness. Also, if Ask Jeeves cannot answer a question, it pulls results from various search engines in its metacrawler mode. At Ask Jeeves For Kids, no site that is on the CyberPatrol block list is supposed to be listed.

KidsClick!http://www.kidsclick.org/
Backed by librarians, KidsClick lists about 5,000 web sites in various categories.

Looksmart's Kids Directoryhttp://search.netnanny.com/?pi=nnh3&ch=kids
The Kids Directory is a listing of over 20,000 kid friendly websites that were hand picked by employees of Looksmart subsidiary Net Nanny and vetted for quality. Looksmart also offers a safe search of the entire web, using Net Nanny software to filter Wisenut search results, as well as a free toolbar that uses the same service.

Yahooliganshttp://www.yahooligans.com/
Yahoo for kids, designed for ages 7 to 12. Sites are hand-picked to be appropriate for children. Also, unlike normal Yahoo, searches will not bring back matched found by crawling the web, if there is no match from within the Yahooligan listings. This prevents possibly objectionable sites from slipping onto the screen. Additionally, adult-oriented banner advertising will not appear within the service. Yahooligans is the oldest major directory for children, launched in March 1996.

Filtering Options
Most major search engines get their listings by crawling the web, rather than through human review and categorization, as with the sites listed above. This means its easy for possibly objectionable material to appear in search results.
As a solution, most major search engines offer some type of filtering ability. It's meant to keep out porn content and other material that most might not want children to encounter.
These filters are not perfect. Some material does get past them, and some safe material may get filtered out. To understand more about this, see the Harvard Criticizes Google's Adult Content Filter article that ran in our SearchDay newsletter in April 2003.

Below are tips on enabling porn filters for major search engines:

AllTheWeb: Use the Basic Settings page to enable the Offensive Content Filter option. The only works for searches in English.
AltaVista: Use the Family Filter Setup page.
AOL Search: Doesn't appear to offer a filter, but enabling Parental Controls might have an impact on web search matches.
Ask Jeeves: Use options for Content Filtering on the Your Settings page or try Ask Jeeves For Kids, listed above.
Google: See the SafeSearch help page for instructions on setting up filtering on a permanent or as-needed basis.
HotBot: Use the Block Offensive Content section of the Filter Preferences page. Note that you may need to set this again if you change from using the default "HotBot" search engine that's offered.
LookSmart: LookSmart has never accepted adult content for listing within its directory results. However, obscure queries might bring these up in the crawler-based results that are sometimes provided.
Lycos: Use the Adult Filter section of the Advanced Search Filters page.
MSN Search: Use the Safe Search Filter on the Settings page.
Teoma: Teoma doesn't appear to offer a filter.
Yahoo: Set the SafeSearch Filter option via the Search Preferences page.
Filtering and Blocking Software
Filtering software works across the entire web, not just for search results. Most filtering software provides a fair amount of control for parents to determine what it and is not allowable content. Cyber Patrol and Net Nanny are two of the most popular of these programs.
Cyber Patrolhttp://www.cyberpatrol.com/
Cyber Patrol relies on an extensive categorized list of web sites to allow parents to determine which sites are allowable or not. Content is sourced by a team of 40+ professional researchers, automated tools and customer submissions to gather the most widely accessed content on the Internet. These lists are updated frequently. Parents can also control whether individual web sites are allowed or not.
The program can filter web pages, newsgroups, chat rooms and other internet resources, and can be used to limit online time, create user logs and so on.
Net Nannyhttp://www.netnanny.com/
Looksmart acquired Net Nanny in April 2004 and added porn-free web search to the product shortly thereafter. The product provides a wide variety of parental controls, including blocking content based on content, URL, or ratings.
In addition to blocking web pages, the program allows selective blocking of access to chat, instant messaging, internet games and newsgroups. The program can also be configured to prevent illegal downloading of copyrighted or obscene material.
For more filtering software programs, see Yahoo's list of blocking and filtering software.
Other Children's Search Engines ALA Great Web Site for Kidshttp://www.ala.org/greatsites
An organized directory of sites selected by members of the American Library Association using rigorous evaluation guidelines to assure high quality content, authority and "strength of character."
Awesome Libraryhttp://www.awesomelibrary.org/
Over 14,000 sites have been classified into a directory, specifically organized for teachers, students and parents. Information can be found by browsing or searching.
Diddabdoohttp://www.dibdabdoo.com/
Billed as an ad free, non-commercial directory of web sites designed for child-safe searching.
Education Worldhttp://www.education-world.com/
Over 500,000 sites of interest to educators. Browsable or searchable, with the ability to narrow in by appropriate grade level. Launched in spring 1996.
Fact Monsterhttp://www.factmonster.com/
Reference provider Information Please produces this site which provides facts and information oriented around the needs of children.
Family Sourcehttp://www.family-source.com/
This focused crawler-based service has indexed nearly 1 million kid-friendly URLs.
FirstGov for Kidshttp://www.kids.gov/
From the U.S. Federal Citizen Information Center, this directory provides links to government-related kids' sites along with some of the best kids' sites from other organizations, grouped by subject.
Kids Search Toolshttp://www.rcls.org/ksearch.htm
Search a variety of kid-safe search engines from a single page.
SearchEdu.comhttp://www.searchedu.com/
Index of pages built by crawling education web sites.
Teach-nology.comhttp://www.teach-nology.com/
Directory of web sites for teachers and educators.
TekMom's Search Tools for Studentshttp://www.tekmom.com/search/
All-in-one search page for kid search sites and research resources.
ThinkQuest Libraryhttp://www.thinkquest.org/library/
A free educational resource featuring 5,500+ websites created by students around the world as part of a competition.

Where's the Financing?

Perhaps this article, No More Chalk, written by Helen Gao, needs to be sent to the Ministry or the school boards. It is an interesting article that explains how research shows that with advanced technology in the classrooms students "do substantially better on standardized tests", and that technology "improves performance". As a grade three teacher, (approaching June), I am constantly hearing about increasing EQAO scores and test results. Perhaps the ministry should be assisting in this endeavour more by supplying money for classroom technology so that our students can rise to their fullest potentials. The article makes a valid point in saying, "With today's students born into a world saturatedwith cell phones, iPods and instant messaging, a growing chorus of technology experts say teachers must engage young people on their terms or risk boring them"--so provide us the resources to do this successfully.

Getting Internet Permission

In September the teachers with the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board send home a consent form that ensures parents are aware of their child's internet use at school. It clearly states the Guidelines for internet use and therefore helps parents to share in some of the responsibility for their child's internet use. Here is a sample of our form...

Acceptable Use Agreement for the Internet
CONSENT FORM
______________________________________________________________________________________________

The HamiltonWentworth District School Board has an Acceptable Use Agreement for the Internet that has been explained to your son/daughter. Please sign this form and return it to your son/daughter’s school.
The signatures of the students and parent/guardian (where the student has not reached the age of 18 years) are mandatory before access is granted for use of the Internet provided by The HamiltonWentworth District School Board
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As a user of The HamiltonWentworth District School Board’s Internet facilities, I agree to comply with The HamiltonWentworth District School Board’s AcceptableUse Agreement for the Internet.


Student Signature:____________________________________Date:______________
Student Name (please print):______________________________________________
Student’s School:_________________________________________________________
Grade:__________ Date of Birth: Year__________Month_______Day____

As parent/legal guardian of the above student, I have read the reverse side of this form, and I grant permission for my son/daughter to use Internet services provided by The HamiltonWentworth District School Board.

Parent/Guardian Signature:________________________________ Date:____________
Parent/Guardian Name (please print):________________________________________

Street Address/Postal Code:_________________________________________________
Home Telephone:___________________Work Telephone:_________________________



THE REVERSE SIDE READS:

Guidelines for Internet Use:
-Use equipment for educational purposes only
-Keep passwords Confidential
-Show Respect for people and organizations
-Use only authorized software
-Be polite and well mannered when using E-mail
-Do not break copyright laws
-Do not accessorpost offensive material
-Do not harm or destry data of a person, computer, or network
-Respect other people’s time--keep messages brief
-Logoff as soon as you have completed your task

Failure to observe rules will result in loss of Internet privileges and/or other punishment consistent with the school code of behaviour.

Seven Core Skills when Instructing in Computers

'We need to start instructing students in the use of computers, zeroing in on seven core skills: defining, accessing, managing, integrating, evaluating, creating, and communicating information. The seven core skill areas can be broken down into simple tasks for elementary students, and built upon as the students progress in their knowledge of computer skills.'

From the link: http://resourcexpress.net/8/classroom.php?zt=Safety%20Classroom

Pros, but also Cons, of Blogs

After researching the use of blogs in the classroom I have become aware of the enormous benefits that blogging provides for our students. How it can enhance writing, reading, creativity, communication, technological awareness, etc. I have read many articles from experts who endorse blogging.
However I think that it is important to examine the cons to this technology as well. As a grade 3 teacher (who admittedly has not yet attempted blogging with my students), I do have some concerns. I only have one 50 minute period in the computer lab a week with my students and although setting up a blog takes only minutes, with a class of 20 young children I wonder how ’smoothly’ that would be. Then their typing abilities come into question. I know that quality beats out quantity, but I think a few could only manage a sentence or two after reaching their blog. I definitely think older students have the advantage here. (Although I guess if you start them young...). There are also concerns about content that would have to be closely monitored of course. Here are some safety tips I found:

Copyright Parry Aftab 2006, all rights reserved. For permission to duplicate, e-mail Parry@WiredSafety.org. Parry Aftab's Guide to Keeping Your Kids Safe Online MySpace, Facebook and Xanga, Oh! My! Keeping yourself and your kids safe on social networks

The quick tips for teens:
• Put everything behind password protected walls, where only friends can see
• Protect your password and make sure you really know who someone is before you allow them onto your friends list
• Blur or morph your photos a bit so they won't be abused by cyberbullies or predators
• Don't post anything your parents, principal or a predator couldn't see
• What you post online stays online - forever!!!! So thinkb4uClick!
• Don't so or say anything online you wouldn't say offline
• Protect your privacy and your friends' privacy too...get their okay before posting something about them or their pic online
• Check what your friends are posting/saying about you. Even if you are careful, they may not be and may be putting you at risk.
• That cute 14-year old boy may not be cute, may not be 14 and may not be a boy! You never know!
• And, unless you’re prepared to attach your MySpace to your college/job/internship/scholarship or sports team application…don’t post it publicly!

And for parents:
• Talk to your kids – ask questions (and then confirm to make sure they are telling you the truth!)
• Ask to see their profile page (for the first time)…tomorrow! (It gives them a chance to remove everything that isn’t appropriate or safe…and it becomes a way to teach them what not to post instead of being a gotcha moment! Think of it as the loud announcement before walking downstairs to a teen party you’re hosting.)
• Don't panic…there are ways of keeping your kids safe online. It’s easier than you think!
• Be involved and work with others in your community. (Think about joining WiredSafety.org and help create a local cyber-neighborhood watch program in your community.)
• Remember what you did that your parents would have killed you had they known, when you were fifteen.
• This too will pass! Most kids really do use social networks just to communicate with their friends. Take a breath, gather your thoughts and get help when you need it. (You can reach out to WiredSafety.org.)
• It’s not an invasion of their privacy if strangers can see it. There is a difference between reading their paper diary that is tucked away in their sock drawer…and reading their MySpace. One is between them and the paper it’s written on; the other between them and 700 million people online!
• Don’t believe everything you read online – especially if your teen posts it on her MySpace!
• And, finally….repeat after me – “I’m still the parent!” If they don’t listen or follow your rules, unplug the computer…the walk to the library will do them good. . For more information, visit WiredSafety.org.

I hope that I have not given the impression that I am 'against' classroom blogging, far from it, but I do think that we need to look at the cons as well as the pros before we take the responsiblity of using it with our students.

The Audience seems to be the Motivator

Wow, I must admit that I did not know anything about blogs before I began this course. I had never heard of a ’blog’. So, although this course has just begun, I have already learned something new! In the last couple of days I have been surfing to find out more information (starting with the basic concept of ‘What a blog is’) and I am amazed at how ‘in the dark’ I have been, (but it appears I am not entirely alone). In talking to several colleagues there are others who are unaware of this technology too.
In my attempt to expand my awareness of blogs and how I can utilize this technology in the classroom, I found one site that was both interesting and helpful. It was http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2003/02/blogs.php. It contains an article written by Kristen Kennedy about Writing with Web Logs. In it she explains that “Web publication gives students a real audience to write to and, when optimized, a collaborative environment where they can give and receive feedback, mirroring the way professional writers use a workshop environment to hone their craft.’ She goes on to say that by doing this we ‘enhance writing and literacy skills while offering a uniquely stylized form of expression.’
My students have used computer programs to publish their writing before, but I think that the concept to creating a blog would generate more enthusiasm for students. As Kristen Kennedy says, this ‘uniquely stylized form of expression’ would be the motivation for witing for my students. There audience is usually limited to me, the teacher. I believe their excitement about having a wider audience would increase their writing efforts. At another interesting site, http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0450.asp?bhcp=1, a fifth grader, Dominic Oullet-Tremblay, confirms this by saying, "The blogs give us a chance to communicate between us and motivate us to write more. When we publish on our blog, people from the entire world can respond by using the comments link.” This seems to be the concensus, not only from students, but also from educators (as pointed out by Jeremy from the article he found that stated, "Although blogging in schools is still in its infancy, anecdotal evidence suggests that students' interest in, and quantity of, writing increases when their work is published online and -- perhaps even more importantly -- when it is subject to reader comments.”