Review the basics of internet, including the address bar, forward/back buttons, links, favorites, plagiarism, and netiquette
Lesson Description
- Federal, state and local governments have spent millions of dollars to connect students to the Internet. By 2005, 94% of public school classrooms had internet access. Hopes are high that Internet use will change the process of education and enhance student learning.
- The internet offers a multitude of freeware to enthuse students about a myriad of educational subjects. The days of purchased software on a budget are gone. If you know what to do.
- Throughout this workbook, we’ve listed dozens of free websites on common academic subjects. In this lesson, we’ll talk about internet basics: How to access those confusing web addresses and links.
Computer Activity
- Start with the basics. Starfall.com is a good site for introducing the internet because it’s easy to maneuver through and quick to enter into the address bar. Type it in for younger students (most kindergartners can’t read all of those letters and dots), but let first and second graders do it themselves—even if it takes a while. They will learn from the mistakes—no spaces in the address, a dot is a period, and so on. Have them save the site to ‘favorites’. Next time, they can open from the bookmark rather than typing (Find the gold star for ‘Starfall’)
- As they master these first steps, add the back arrow, links, icon pictures.
- When the website is interesting enough, students will challenge themselves to work through it. Remind them they’re explorers—like Christopher Columbus or Star Trek—trying new things, going into the unknown, not giving up. Explain this concept to them.
- Remind them the machine won’t break. Have plenty of help the first months so students don’t get frustrated, hands up forever, bored.
- As they have problems, challenge them to solve them. Ask questions about the problem. What has solved similar problems? When you make a suggestion, have them do it. You’re a guide, not a servant. Remind parent helpers to adopt this attitude. There will be a day students move beyond the classroom, and then it’s just them—problem-solvers or victims.
- Here are some websites that never fail to intrigue even the youngest learner:
Games to teach mouse skills, problem-solving skills
A must at the Holiday—shows children where Santa is and what he’s doing
See the Appendix in 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom for a full list, ordered by grade and topic.
Extensions
- Visit Welcome to the Web
Troubleshooting Tips
- This is hard. (Have enough helpers, and then guide the students to a solution. They’ll be proud of themselves when they can solve the problem alone. And that happens fast—just a couple of weeks!)
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything and Technology in Education. Currently, she’s working on a techno-thriller that should be ready this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: first grade, free tech resources, homeschool, internet, Kindergarten, mouse skills, second grade, teacher resources, Tech Tagged: free websites, internet basics, internet for kids, internet in elementary, kids websites, learn internet, safe internet, tech for teachers, technology tips, technology tools
