Thinking About the Internet Pedagogically
Robert E. Wood
Professor of Sociology
Rutgers University, Camden
Note: This page was prepared for a presentation entitled
"Beyond the Electronic
Reserve Shelf: Pedagogical Resources and Possibilities in Web-Enhanced Courses"
at the Syllabus conference
in Santa Clara, CA, in July, 1999.
| Note: This website is somewhat outdated, although I'm retaining it for those who may still find it useful. More recent explorations of the pedagogical uses of the internet, including my department's web-enhanced curriculum, may be found at my homepage: http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/~wood/. --Robert Wood |
Powerpoint Presentation for Prof. Goertzel's Class
Introduction:
From URLS to Pedagogy
First Things
First: Identifying What's Out There
A Vast Archive
(without an archivist)
Interactive
Databases and Information Retrieval
New Modes of
Communication
Emergent Forms
of Authoritative Organization
Putting
Students to Work on the Internet
Introduction: From URLS to Pedagogy
Like many teachers, I have been inundated with books, articles, and exhortations about the educational importance of the internet that frequently turn out to be little more than lengthy lists of web page addresses (URLs). What is often missing is any clear identification of the new pedagogical opportunities that the internet offers. As one who has been experimenting with a broad range of internet projects and activities for close to ten years, I offer the observations below about what I have learned from my own experience and from the experience of others.
First Things First: Identifying What's Out There
A Vast Archive (without an archivist)
As everyone knows, one can access through the internet a huge array of materials that in a sense can be thought of as a vast, but almost entirely-unorganized, archive. From an educational point of view, even the the most crass and offensive websites are part of this archive, of at least potential research interest. Archival material has a fixed quality at any given point in time; what is accessed is a "file" that sits on a server. Three major types of files exist, and their relative balance is changing rapidly.
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Print media predominate on the internet, but less so than
a few years ago. The internet's print archive is unique in several ways that have
educational implications:
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The internet's archive of audio materials is increasing rapidly and
offers many educational possibilities. A few examples:
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Online video will be the next big growth area in the internet archive,
especially as bandwidth increases. A few examples:
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Interactive Databases and Information Retrieval
Archival material is fixed at any given point in time; with online systems of interactive databases and information retrieval, information on a remote server is reconfigured for the user at his or her command. This interactivity is increasingly a central feature of the world wide web and of special interest pedagogically. Two types may be observed:
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Sites that call up information and combine it in various ways. A
few examples:
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Sites that allow the user to manipulate data, models, and simulations
over the internet. A few examples:
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Despite all the glitz on the web, it is its ability to support personal communication that has most drawn people to the internet. Email remains the internet's "killer app." Teachers have found that internet-supported communication can support learning in a variety of ways.
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Email has become almost a prerequisite of full citizenship in many learning and professional communities, and so it is important that students not only master it technically but integrate it into their lives. For teachers, email can greatly enhance direct communication with students and can function as a form of office hours. |
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A step beyond person-to-person email is the
electronic mailing list, to which students subscribe, which automatically send messages to
all subscribers. These are often called listserves,
after one major software package that runs them. Electronic discussion groups
nicely complement the classroom, by opening up space for more free-wheeling discussion
around the clock, by bringing in students who are reluctant to participate in class, and
by creating a greater sense of community among students. They promote writing.
An enthusiastic student report on one class listserve is available from PennPrintout.
Listserves also offer an opportunity for students to listen in on discussions among "experts" in a subject they are studying or among "subjects" they are learning about. Students can be assigned to "lurk" on various listservs and to analyze their discourse, observing of course both general rules of netiquette and any restrictions placed by listserve administrators. In addition, students, librarians, and faculty members can use specialized listservs to request or track down resources or information. Over 90,000 listserves can be searched by keywords at Liszt and ONElist. Some listserves are archived, providing further resources for analysis. Electronic discussion groups exist in most disciplines to share ideas about teaching. |
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As an alternative to listserves, bulletin boards have pros
and cons. Students must take the trouble to access them (as opposed to finding
messages in their email), but bulletin boards allow for clearer organization of messages,
which are threaded together around particular topics. See Writing for a Community: Using
Internet News groups for a Student-Centered Classroom by Jane Collins for an
evaluation of one such experience and Chris Toulouse's message board tutorial for
practical guidance. Usenet employs a bulletin board format and like listserves provides a place where students can listen in or request information. Deja News and Cyberfiber Newsgroups are handy places to identify relevant Usenet newsgroups and search for relevant postings on the over 80,000 newsgroups in their databases. Deja News and some other commercial sites such as Excite also allow you to set up your own newsgroup (e.g. for a class). Deja News has a helpful new users tour that explains how newsgroups work and how to create one. |
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Multi-User Domains (MUDs) represent an adaptation of
online game environments for educational purposes. Participants create characters
and interact in a pre-constructed online virtual reality. Despite the enthusiasm of
a few, the potential of the medium seems limited both by its format and by the time
required to master its technical requirements. For more positive evaluations and
further information, consult the TECFA Educational VR (MUD)
Sub-page and MUDs in
Education: New Enivronments, New Pedagogies by Tari Lin Fanderclai. Chat rooms provide opportunities for online office hours and synchronous group discussions. They may be hosted at various commercial sites or supported by server software such as WebCT. The look of the WebCT chat room may be seen by clicking on the chat room link from my Sociology and the Internet course page, using "guest" as both login name and password. |
Tele- |
Current bandwidth makes teleconferencing a problematic choice at this time, but it definitely has a future. For a useful discussion by an interested party (Pacific Bell), check out Videoconferencing for Learning. |
Web Pages |
Because the internet has democratized publication so much,
web pages constitute a major new form of communication as well, but one whose audience is
often unknown and diffuse. Course websites however can function as a important
supplemental form of communication for classes, including both instructor and student
webpages, with appropriate links to the world wide web, and supporting a variety of forms
of intra-class communication. Three useful articles exploring the pedagogical uses
of course websites are:
The largest collection of (college and university) course syllabi and websites on the internet is the World Lecture Hall. A list of course websites that illustrate a range of possibilities may be found at my Course-Based Websites: New Pedagogical Possibilities in an Evolving Medium. For my own ongoing explorations, feel free to check out the courses linked to my homepage. |
Emergent Forms of Authoritative Organization
The internet has no archivist or librarian who selects and organizes its ever-growing sites. As David Post argues in The Cyberspace Revolution, the internet is undermining traditional sovereignties and hierarchies of authority. But he also notes that new kinds of intermediating institutions are already emerging, providing some structure and hierarchy--and relieving the average user of endless surfing. While as users we tend to think of them as useful tools, it is worth keeping in mind that the ability to direct movement on the internet is emerging as a important source of power and commercial advantage.
Search |
Search engine companies guard the details of how their search engines
work as propriety secrets, but some sell "placements" and increased
commercialization of search results is likely. Quite apart from this, company
algorithms may impose their own notions of order on the disorderly web. Search Engine Watch is a valuable source of news about search engine companies and about how search engines work Web Search Engine Comparison Chart provides details on searching techniques for different search engines All-In-One Search Page provides links to different search engines for a variety of purposes |
Directories |
Web directories reflect someone's choice to include or exclude and to
classify material in a certain way. Each attempts to impose some system or order on
the unruly web. Librarians' Index to the Internet is administered by the California State Library and is compact and well-annotated. Yahoo! and other commercial directories Web Search Strategies Tutorial covers both search engines and directories |
Authoritative |
These are essentially subject directories put together by experts in the given subject. Many of these are undertaken on an individual basis; others are part of a broader collective enterprise, the most comprehensive of which is the World Wide Web Virtual Libraries |
Filters |
A useful set of resources on "acceptable use policies" and the use of filters to block "offensive" material is available at the McREL Internet Safety website. |
Evaluation |
Two useful resources for teaching students how to evaluate web
resources are: Evaluating World Wide Web Information (Paul Robeson Library, Rutgers University) Evaluating Internet Resources (Milner Library, Illinois State University) |
Citation |
Citing
Internet Resources (Milner Library, Illinois State University) Citing Net Sources (Ohio State University Libraries) Citing Electronic Sources (Library of Congress) |
Putting Students to Work on the Internet
The typology below represents an effort to classify the main web-based learning activities that teachers are successfully experimenting with. Lesson plans, ideas, and resources (mainly for k-12, but many adaptable for college students) may be found at the selected websites at my Educational Websites for Teachers. Those with an interest in instructional technology may want to sign up for a free subscription to Syllabus magazine.
Acquiring |
Online tutorials to learn technical skills or master a
subject area. A few examples:
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Virtual |
Online tours and fieldtrips. Structured movement
between webpages to become acquainted with relevant websites and, usually, to locate
specific pieces of information. Sometimes called Treasure Hunts, Scavenger Hunts, or
Virtual/Electronic Fieldtrips. A few examples:
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Locating Information |
Task-oriented activities to locate specific information on
the world wide web. In these, students rely on their own web-searching skills to
locate relevant websites. A few examples:
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Problem |
Problem-solving activities designed to answer a
fundamental question. Can be short term or long term. Web resources may be
collected together in a single, self-contained site, or else provided in hotlist form.
Often called WebQuests. For further details see The WebQuest Page, WebQuests for Learning, and The Student
Web Quest. A few examples:
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Analyzing |
Accessing online interactive databases to run experiments,
simulations, and to test hypotheses online. A few examples:
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Researching |
Multipurpose use of the internet for major research
projects. In most instances, internet-based research will supplement
library, lab, or field research; this in fact is almost certainly the major way most
teachers and students use the web. Two examples from my courses:
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Exchanging |
Exchanging information with specific others (experts,
classes in other places, etc.) and/or publication of information on the world wide
web. Participation in multi-location research projects via the internet.
A few examples:
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Studying |
Being able to use the internet more effectively by
understanding it as:
A few resources:
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Note: this page is in the process of being developed. Please feel free to email me feedback and suggestions.
Robert E. Wood
Professor of Sociology
Rutgers University
Camden, NJ 08102
Return to Robert E. Wood's homepage
November 18, 1999
It
makes "traditional" print materials much more accessible.
A few examples: 
