By Brad
Ross
NetWatch is
Professionally Speaking’s Internet column.
I’ll be reviewing popular and lesser-known
web sites, as well as the latest developments on
the College’s own web site in each edition
of the magazine.
Your
feedback is important. I’d like to hear from
you - whether it’s a solid site worth
mentioning here, a site an Ontario teacher has
developed, or the kinds of sites you’d like
to see explored. Drop me an e-mail at bross@oct.ca .
As new and
updated sites appear daily on the World Wide Web,
it’s almost impossible - it is impossible -
to hit them all. Using the keyword 'teacher' on
the Excite search engine, for
example, I found 366,839 sites that contain
something - anything - to do with teachers.
Of course,
only a handful would be relevant and I could
always narrow my search to, say, 'teachers
Ontario', but that search alone pulls up 166
sites. Certainly more manageable, but still a lot
to visit.
The four
sites reviewed below are potential resources for
the practicing, or about-to-be-practicing,
teacher. Some may be familiar, others less-known,
but all have links to other sites, so the surfing
potential is boundless.
The
College web site
We’ve
registered more than 78,000 visits to our web
site since its creation last fall. Many hits were
generated by the run-up to the election in
February, but it’s still a web site worth
checking out. Just add us to your Bookmarks.
The Professional Affairs Department’s
page is now active - and interactive. The two
units within Professional Affairs, Accreditation
and Standards of Practice and Education, both
pose questions on the site every two weeks
soliciting feedback. In turn, the feedback
received is being posted on the page. Your
opinions about pre-service training, for example,
are crucial to the College. Drop by and have your
say.
The College
web site also has a What’s New page. Links are
there to news releases and updated or new pages.
After two weeks, those links will revert to their
original homepage. Another reason to visit often.
Site-ings
TVO
PD Online for Teachers!
(http://www2.tvo.org/pdonline/default.html)
Ontario’s
public broadcaster, TVOntario, has developed a
wealth of material for teachers, ranging from
something called 'TVO Technoteacher' which helps
with technology-related issues, to 'CurricuLine,'
a link with unlimited curriculum-related
resources. Graphically rich, you can spend a lot
of time here - well worth a Bookmark.
A
Homepage For New Math Teachers
(http://www.clarityconnect.com/webpages/terri/terri.html)
Terri
Santi, a math teacher in Ithaca, N.Y., has
developed this easy-to-use, content-driven web
site for, as the title suggests, new mathematics
teachers. Light on graphics, the site has nine
subject areas: - How to Start Making Connections
- A Clear Lesson - Multicultural Mathematics -
Best Problem of the Month -Last Month’s
Problem - Resources for New Math Teachers -
Classroom Management - Other Professional
Suggestions - Great Sites. The 'problems' posed
by Santi are worth the trip alone.
Access
Excellence Resource Center -
Web Resources For Science Teachers
(http://www.gene.com/ae/RC/)
Neuroscience
for kids? Why not. Want to know about the
'functional divisions of the cerebral cortex' or
'compare the brains of nine different species'?
This is the site.
The
graphics load quickly, providing detailed
photographs and illustrations. The site also
contains a wide array of resources and links to
other science-related web sites. Everything from
astronomy to microscopy to ethical issues in
science can be found here. It also has a list of
links to 'teachers’ pages.'
Lesson
Plans Using Internet Web Sites
(http://www.voicenet.com/~reevesk/)
Teacher
Kathy Reeves offers some useful tips and
solutions on how to use the Internet as a
teaching aid. She offers some of her own plans,
and those of others. Graphically heavy, you may
find the site takes some time to load, but Reeves
shares some useful tips and links. For example,
on studying ants for Grades 3 and 5, Reeves lays
out the objective of the lesson ('the students
will be able to rank ants according to how much
of an insect pest they are in a household') and
activities the students are expected to carry
out.
Brad
Ross is Webmaster and Communications Officer at
the Ontario College of Teachers. His e-mail
address is bross@oct.ca .
