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created by:
Sarah Nixon-Ponder & Tim Ponder
Ohio Literacy Resource Center, Kent State University
The following lesson could be used in a variety of ways: 1) with
a class of students who have Internet connections in a lab setting;
2) if only one or two Internet connections are available, the
instructor could pair together students to work together in teams
to complete the lesson; 3) in a one-on-one situation with tutor
and student, exploring, reading, journaling, and learning together
as you progress through the lesson; 4) as a lesson for a student
who wishes to work independently and has Internet connections;
or 5) as a resource for instructors or tutors who are planning
a lesson or unit on the state of New York and will not be using
the Internet with students.
Whichever format is suitable for you and your situation, keep
in mind that the Internet is a tool for learning and should
not entirely replace the instructor. Adult learners will need
guidance and support as they cruise the Internet locating information
for the following assignment. Discussions--whether they
be one-on-one, small groups, or whole class--are vital to the
learning process and can easily become a part of any lesson using
the Internet. Bringing in supplemental resources to enhance
the lesson (or unit) is essential as well. Trade books, magazines,
and newspapers are available in all libraries and can offer additional
information that can make any lesson important, relevant, and
unforgettable to adult learners--especially lessons on the Internet
because information from the library can help "bring home"
the ideas and topics covered. Tying writing assignments
in with Internet lessons is as easy as it is important. Instructors
or tutors can have students keep travel logs or start dialog journals
with you or other learners in which they write (in conversation
form) about their experiences and feelings regarding the lesson
on the Internet. (These journals become dialogs when they exchange
hands and the conversation is carried on with another person.)
Lessons on the Internet, such as the following one, can be structured
to be open-ended and learner-centered, unlike lessons found in
workbooks. They are great ways for students to explore their
personal areas of interest, as well as being an excellent motivational
tool.
I. Students will begin this search with blank maps of New York
state. Each student will try to locate as much information as
possible about the state, filling in what they can on their maps
by following the routes into the different sites listed at the
bottom of this section. Topography, which includes rivers, streams,
lakes, mountain ranges, roads, cities, and towns, will be entered
on their maps.
II. In addition, students will keep a "travel log"
as they go, noting anything of interest to them regarding the
different locations. This can be anything from sporting events,
art museums and art shows, historical locations (i.e., battle
sites), historical buildings, weather information, universities,
etc.
III. At the end of the lesson (or unit), students will share their
maps and travel logs with each other. Instructors/tutors should
bringing in maps of New York state as well as maps of different
cities or regions of the state. (AAA is a good source.) This
will give the students an idea of how good their geography skills
are and give them the opportunity to compare their maps to real
maps, helping them also to fill in the blank areas with information
they were not able to locate.
Teachers/tutors can expand on this lesson in many ways. For example,
with the rich history of New York state it would be easy to pull
together history lessons from different sites. This could be
expanded further by bringing into class fiction and non-fiction
books that deal with different periods of New York and United
States history. There is a wealth of trade books and authentic
literature available in all public libraries that could easily
supplement or enhance any lesson that has been pulled from the
Internet.
Go to GORP - New York Resource Listings
to get started:
GORP New York Resource Listings will appear
Scroll down to browse the sites; click on words that appear in
a different color to locate more information on a topic.
The following is an outline instructors &/or students can
use to help guide them through the above lesson. To leave a site
and return to the previous screen, click on BACK.
The following words in bold and italics will appear in a different
color on your screen; click on them for additional information
(shown below in the outline).
I. New York Attractions
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