Wednesday, August 18, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER How to make the Internet a teaching tool Too much of a good thing-that's what the wealth of information available on the Internet may turn out to be for a child. However, guidance from a parent, teacher or friend can keep Internet information from being overwhelming and turn this technology into a powerful learning tool for kids. To help children get the most from the Internet, consider these tips compiled by education expert B.J. Yentzer of the National Education Association (NEA), Internet author Jean Armour Polly and Computer Curriculum Corporation (CCC) executive Dr. David Dwyer: • Agree on the rules of the road. Work with your children to create guidelines about proper use of the Web, with a focus on learning. This will help them gain knowledge from the Internet without surfing aimless- iy- • Mind your manners. There are certain local customs you want to respect; cyberspace is no dif ferent from any other community. Find "Netiquette" tips at www.fau. edu/rinaldi/net/index/ht. • Consult the "yellow pages." Many experts have created time-saving sites that serve as "yel low pages" for education. Connect to one of Guidance from a parent, teacher or frien d can keep Internet information from being overwhelming to being educational cyberspace's search engines and try a keyword search (e.g., "K-12 curriculum"). For more about search tools, visit www.net mom.com/rescue/index.htm. • When in doubt, bookmark. Build a list of favourite bookmarks-handy shortcuts for navigat ing to specific cyber destinations-with your chil- dren. • Become an Intemet-sawy adult Find specific browser instruction as well as techniques for teaching with the Web at www.edscape.com/teachers_open. • Explore together. Make the Internet the centerpiece of your next class discussion or family dinner. Cybertrips might form the basis for field trips on history, science and other topics. • Get children to teach each other. A Web-savvy child can be the guide for another student or a ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ younger friend. Nothing reinforces learning better than teaching some one else. • Use the Web to stay connected. Use e-mail to write to grandparents, pen pals and others to share the latest happenings in the classroom or at home. There are also many Web sites such as www.cccnet.com that offer kids a chance to con sult with experts such as professional journalists and NASA scientists. • Travel safely. Make certain your children stay in a safe and appropriate cyber-neighbor- hood. To learn more about filtering software, visit the NetParents clearinghouse at www.netpar- ents.org. For additional information about how to use the Internet to teach, contact CCC, the leading provider of educational software and services to K-12 schools, at 1-888-CCC-4KIDS ext. 6229, or visit the Web site at www.cccnet.com. (Contributors are Jean Armour Polly, Net-mom and author of the Internet Kids & Family Yellow Pages; Dr. David Dwyer, VP of Advanced Learning Technologies for CCC; and B.J. Yentzer, Director, Center for Education Technology for the NEA.) Information courtesy o f the North American Precis Syndicate. "I wanted to help bridge the gap between people and technology. My business degree wasn't enough to get me there." ■m John M urray, a n a lys t/p ro g ra m m e r John Murray's a people person. But to help people in business, he knew he needed m ore technical skills than his university degree provided. John com m ents, "I'm not one to sit in front o f a com puter for hours on end. It's a tool to be utilized. ITI helped m e make the m ost o f m y university degree by teaching m e the skills to land a great job in inform ation technology." "It w as an intense nine m onths. But I had a really good tim e there. I m et a lot of great folks, and keep in contact with m any of them - students and staff. The team atmosphere at ITI w as a very im portant part o f the program. And the com pany I w ork fo r now is structured in teams, so the ITI environm ent is m irrored here on the job." John is using his Applied Inform ation Technology education at ICG Com m unications, a telephone and data network services provider. His job? ' I help others solve problems with information. I like working with the user community," John says. To join John and the thousands of ITI alum ni w h o have launched great careers, call ITI today. Info Session August 25 • 6pm Call to Register 1 - 800- 939-4484 4 1 6 - 3 5 1 - 8 4 0 0 ( j ? Information Technology Institute T o a t te n d a n in fo s e s s io n o r a r r a n g e fo r a n a p p o in t m e n t 1 - 8 0 0 - 9 3 9 - 4 4 8 4 HALIFAX MOIMCTOIM OTTAWA TORONTO M ISSISSAUGA CALGARY VANCOUVER DENVER School Success Chisholm Academy A highly specialized, full-time private high school for students who have avera± and special lea. After School Tutorial Individualized tutorials where students work in small groups with highly qualified and caring teachers. D r. H . B ernstein & A ssociates The practice o f educational and vocational psychology High school credits taught in groups o f three or less to students who are attending a public or private school and want to improve their grades. Chisholm Centre 440 Inglehart Street N ., 844-3240 S imple A s A .S .C .D .E . n™n™r STUDENT DESK WITH DRAWER White, Oak or Black Finish ,™ 4 0 W x 2 0 rd x 2 8 T l 3/4" Thick Melamine White or Oak 8 d e e p , IDEAL FOR BOOKS, VIDEOS, CD'S ETC. SALE PRICE... 1 0 <- W hite or Oak W hile quantities last. STACK A SHELF COMPUTER FURNITURE (shown) available in white or oak excluding BK3672,60,48 & 36 ire ring ORGANI ZATI ONAL PRODUCTS AT FACTORY DIRECT PRICES 2 1 1 1 Dunwin D rive, Mississauga M ai, lies t W ei IO oju. * 6pjn, ifw s t Fir 10 u . - ( pja. 4 in ito n C h u rc h ill c I & v m * D u ru la * W Sold 0-5 e . Sue Closed 820-3241 SOLID PINE SHELVING UNITS Small * 2 5 49 Medium 5o*CM4* Large O*- O*coCOV* UNDER BED ORGANIZER *15"SALE PRICE... Storage Solutions For Every Room In The HouseI http://www.fau http://www.net http://www.edscape.com/teachers_open http://www.cccnet.com http://www.netpar-ents.org http://www.netpar-ents.org http://www.cccnet.com iy- John Murray, analyst/programmer 1 -800-939-4484 To attend an info session or arrange for an appointment Chisholm Academy After School Tutorial Dr. H. Bernstein & Associates 440 Inglehart Street N., ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTS AT FACTORY DIRECT PRICES