Safety: Teachers anxious to help students become computer savvy must inform students about internet safety. They must steer students away from temptatious cutting and pasting material (plagiarism), and they should provide them lists of "legitimate" online websites like Kidinfo.com, and factmonster.com, from which students can draw "accurate" research material. In order to prevent problems regarding internet misconduct from arising at school, many schools require students and their parents to sign contracts, which teachers go over with students in class, to make certain students understand what they are allowed and not allowed to do while online. Consequences associated with improper internet conduct are made clear in the contracts.
Locating Legitimate/Accurate Resourses: In addition to utilizing lists of legitimate internet resource sites provided by teachers, students must learn to find other legitimate online resources including encyclopedias such as MSN Encarta, Encyclopedia Britannica, and World Book, in order to make certain information they draw on for research projects is precise. Fees are required for the use of some online encyclopedias, however, since the encyclopedic industry is offering the same information students would find if they went to the library and looked in hard copies of the encyclopedias, internet convenience and the fact that most students don't have access to encyclopedias at home makes the expense worthwhile for some parents. In addition, encyclopedic accounts may be cancelled any time; meaning the service can be used during school months and rescinded over non-school months.
Distractions/Parent Involvement: While surfing the internet for class related research information, it can be challenging to ignore pretty, colorful pictures, flashy pop ups, and your brain telling you to go check your "space" or your email or to connect to a favorite online game. This is where parenting comes in. Parents must help teachers with their quest to teach using the internet; and rather than viewing the fact that they've provided online access to their children as the end of their role in the process, parents should be hands-on with internet assignments just as they are with book assignments.
Placing computers in areas of the home where parents can walk up to see what and how students are doing with online homework may not be easy since many students have laptops that they work from in their rooms. However, parents should check up on students while they're
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