Project 1 - Research Net

General Information Project Overview Curriculum Connections Resource Connections Evaluation Project Summary

  General Information

  Project Overview

This project will be part of an ongoing resource-based unit in Language Arts that we hope will be a model for the whole school in most subject areas.

It is still very important for students to gain knowledge, but it is equally important for them to acquire the skills to locate, gain access to, evaluate and utilize vast amounts of information. In other words, in order to function well in society, and to fulfill their individual potentials, it is essential that our students know how to critically examine and creatively use information.

We have, therefore, devised a research strategy that is a student's guide for doing research and a teacher's guide for planning a research assignment. We hope to have students use the resources presently available in our resource centre, but we hope to give them the opportunity to access more current, relevant information on the Internet.

  Curriculum Connections

Using resources online such as e-mail, newsgroups, bulletin boards, and websites, we hope to locate information on the topics that students are researching. Once the information is located and the students have evaluated it, they will organize and present it in a written report. This project will be an integral part of a resource-based unit in Language Arts entitled "Lifelines".

Social Studies

As students do the different instructional activities, they will acquire skills, attitudes, and develop personal qualities such as knowing, inquiring, reflecting, and valuing.

Science

As students communicate online with experts and other students, not only will they gain invaluable information, but they will begin to realize more fully certain global problems encountered by scientists.

Technology Education Learning Outcomes

• An understanding of the nature of online communications and its limitations.
• Use communications technologies to build new knowledge from existing knowledge.
• Use communications technologies to collaborate with students/teachers and others at a distance to gather information.
• Use communications tools to access, evaluate, and select appropriate information, and to create, modify, and disseminate information.
• Examine the role of communications technology as a tool for lifelong learning.

  Resource Connections

Presently, our school cannot adequately implement this project since we have only one computer in our school connected to the Internet. Although we have a variety of resources that students can use, we do not have access to a wealth of up-to-date information - the Internet and its resources. The Internet is the "largest library" in the world, and we, as teachers should be teaching students to learn how to use this research facility. We must challenge the students' research skills on the Net. In order for this project to be a success and to be properly implemented, our students must have access to the Internet.

Other Resources

• Card Catalogue (non-fiction)
• Magazines (Bargain Periodical Index)
• Vertical File
• Encyclopaedias
• Almanacs
• Newspapers
• CD-ROMS (Encarta and Webster's Encyclopedia)
• Videos
• Pamphlets
• TV
• People

  Evaluation

none stated

  Project Summary

Summaries will be added as they become available.