Teachers' Guide

This site is designed to be self-supporting and it is hoped that the tasks can be used to evidence various media-based subjects as well as IT Key Skills.

The tasks presented here will not be acceptable in a Key Skills Portfolio if presented in isolation. They will need to be embedded in programmes devised for your students. At the beginning of each section there is a coded list of Assessment Objectives that may be covered in the different subject areas.

It would be useful to set time frames on the tasks – especially in Unit 2. Some students may not be confident navigators of this or other sites; on the other hand, more web-literate students may be tempted to spend too much time surfing web pages, and lose concentration on the task in hand.
You may also find it useful to exploit some of the content material on the linked pages for class discussion. A conceptual site map and scripts of the web pages on this site can be obtained by choosing a format on the Teachers' Pack page.

It is hoped that you will find these pages useful in your teaching and your feedback would be appreciated.

Print Outs

To help you work through the site here are two Adobe Acrobat PDF files that can be downloaded and printed for reference.

Web Explorations Content

Glossary

Downloading & Installing Free Adobe Acrobat Reader
If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader it can be downloaded for free by clicking on the link above. It is straight-forward to install on most computers by double clicking the installer icon.

Reading/resources list

Teachers' Reading List
Alexander, Laurel.
Education and Training on the Internet. Internet Handbooks, UK. 2000.
A useful range of sample web sites included here – though with the obvious danger of being out of date pretty quickly. A good introduction and practical guide, addressing the needs of schools and colleges, rather than Higher Education.

Collis, Betty & Moonen, Jef.
Flexible Learning in a Digital World: Experiences and Expectations. Kogan Page. 2001.
Informed and experienced commentary on strategies with lots of practical advice – though aimed mainly at the Higher Education sector. Nevertheless thorough, with a European perspective.

Forster, Ian.
Teaching & Learning Materials and the Internet. Kogan Page Ltd., London. 2001
A structured and usefully practical guide to the logic of using the internet. Balances practice with conceptual strategies, and seems adaptable to all levels – though runs the risk of becoming bland by trying to be all things to all teachers.

Gauntlett, David.
Web.studies: Re-wiring Media Studies for the Digital Age. Arnold, London. 2000.
Really the philosophy behind this web site. Largely aimed at the Higher Education sector but a down-to-earth discussion for all that. A cultural logic for moving to e-learning and delivery is investigated by Media specialists.

Horton, Sarah.
Web Teaching Guide: A Practical Approach to Creating Course Web Sites. Yale University Press, London. 2001.
For those with the skills or inclination, this book gives advice on how to integrate your web into classroom practice. No nonsense about replacing the classroom with a virtual mirage, but solid advice on how to structure, interweave and synchronise e-resources for your classes.

Monaco, James.
The Dictionary of New Media. Harbor Electronic Publishing. New York. 1999.
Excellent reference book for the library. Useful for teacher and student alike. May have to be ordered from the USA.

Rosenberg, Marc J.
e-Learning Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age: Building Successful Online Learning in your Organisation. McGraw-Hill. 2001.
Mainly aimed at the (American) commercial/business sector – but in as much as all educational establishments these days are supposed to be fiscally viable … here’s some advice for the educational manager.

Saunders, Gunter.
Getting Started with On-line Learning. Learning Partners. 2000.
Another practical guide for teachers, assuming no knowledge – ranges from “What is the Internet?” to relationships between PCs, networks, intranets and WWW. Could suffer from too wide a brief but worth a look for those intending to encourage policy-making.

Stephenson, John [ed].
Teaching and Learning Online: Pedagogies for New Technologies. Kogan Page. 2001.
An up-to-date and informed collection of essays outlining the state of play in this field in the UK. Again dealing mainly with the University experience, but addressing limitations and taking a more realistic position than many.