Blog #5

Your fifth post should contain:
A paragraph on your views about using the Internet to support student research. When is it useful? Not useful? Look to Chapter 3 for ideas and inspiration.
A paragraph on other ways you might use web-based resources to support student learning. Share a few resources that are of interest to you. Use your book and do some googling for ideas.
A paragraph on your concerns about being a teacher who supervises students in a technology environment. Be sure to mention the age/grade level of your students.

Using the Internet to support student research will be strongly encouraged in my classroom. However, that is of course after I explain to my students what constitutes "research" on the internet. While I think that wikipedia is sometimes helpful because it is open to a wide variety and range of people to contribute to, it is definitely not a primary resource and should of course be verified by another source. I will also require that my students always cite their sources, since this will discourage plagiarism. The internet is useful when citing documents, since they can be found on google scholar, and also when searching for information that you need right away. It is always nice to know that if you want quick answers, you can just go into Google. I want my students to realize the benefits of this.

A few sources that I find interesting are Google Scholar and the FSU eLibraries. Google Scholar is especially useful in my opinion because you can find any form of literature just by typing it in the search box. Often this literature is free and readily available for the student to access and use. I like how all of the information about the writing is also available so that when the student goes to cite the source, he or she does not have to guess, everything is there, it just needs to be properly formatted. I like the FSU eLibraries because I believe having a virtual library is a convenience and advantage that our generation has over past generations, and we should utilize it. The FSU eLibrary system will tell you everything about the book/document you are searching for, and sometimes you can read it right there on your computer! I think this is a very useful source.

Being a teacher in a supervising environment is difficult no matter what. Adding technology to the mix just complicates it more, and adds so much stress to the mix. Being a supervisor of Internet activities will present a great challenge in my elementary environment, but I am up for it. I will be prepared to explain to my students what types of sources should be avoided, and which ones should be utilized. I will explain why this is, so they do not feel as if I am just "telling them what to do." I will also be prepared to demonstrate ti my students exactly how they should be using the Internet, so their research will be as effective as possible.