NetWatch
by Kathie Felix, News Editor
News of the latest Net-related products and technology
for K-12 may be sent directly to Kathie Felix at 5746
Union Mill Rd., PMB 605, Clifton, VA 20124 or to kfelix@infotoday.com.
Net News
Guidelines for Creating Accessible Online Learning Technologies
International members of the online learning community have collaborated
on a set of guidelines to educate the e-learning world about the challenges
individuals with disabilities face in accessing online education and to provide
solutions and resources to solve these problems. The Guidelines have been published
by the IMS Global Learning Consortium and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting/WGBH
National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM). Titled "IMS Guidelines for Creating
Accessible Learning Technologies," the publication is available online at no
charge in a screen-reader format, as well as in PDF, at http://ncam.wgbh.org/salt/.
The Guidelines cover principles for accessibility in online learning; accessible
delivery of text, audio, images, and multimedia; using XML for accessibility;
and legal issues for accessible distance learning. Major support for this effort
comes from the Learning Anywhere Anytime Partnerships program of the U.S. Department
of Education. NCAM/Media Access Group, http://access.wgbh.org/.
WGBH, http://www.wgbh.org.
IMS, http://www.imsglobal.org/.
NSBA Online Learning Guide
Virtual Realities: A School Leader's Guide to Online Education, published
by the National School Boards Association (NSBA), provides information, data,
and profiles of seven onlineor virtualschools. In the guide, the
school leaders share the problems andobstacles they encountered (topping the
list are initial and sustainable funding) and the strategies they used to meet
the challenges and reap the benefits of online education. The profiled districts
are Colorado Online School Consortium (Monte Vista, Colorado); eHigh School,
Cobb County School District (Marietta, Georgia); Oakland Virtual Connection,
Oakland Schools (Waterford, Michigan); Partners to Access Virtual Education,
Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit (East Petersburg, Pennsylvania); Plano
ISD eSchool (Plano Independent School District, Plano, Texas); SK Online (Salem-Keizer
Public Schools, Salem, Oregon); and Wichita eSchool (Wichita Public Schools
Unified School District, Wichita, Kansas). Quantity discounts and NSBA member
discounts are available. NSBA, 800/706-6722 or http://www.nsba.org/.
Net Tools
Gale Online Quizzes
A new monthly quiz on gale.com's School page [http://www.gale.com/schools/] allows
students and schools to earn chances to win free books with every quiz submitted.
The quizzes have monthly themes. Answers to the questions can be found by searching
Gale resources such as Student Resource Center, Opposing Viewpoints Resource
Center, Discovering Collection, and Junior Reference Collection. When students
submit a correct quiz electronically, their school is entered into a monthly
raffle for Gale print titles for their media center. The quizzes come in two
versionsa five-question quiz for elementary school students and
a 10-question quiz for middle and high school students. A hint accompanies
each question, directing students to databases that contain the answer. Gale
Publishing/The Thomson Corporation, 800/877-4253 or http://www.gale.com/.
Net Libraries
WilsonWeb Revised
The new version of the WilsonWeb database includes a complete redesign, extensive
integration with existing Web-based content and services, multiple search and
display options, database-specific subject thesauri, customization options
for administrators and users, and a simpler interface. The new edition features
WilsonLink, SFX-powered software that provides access to full-text articles
in addition to the full-text articles delivered by Wilson databases. If the
full text of a cited article isn't available on WilsonWeb, users click on the
WilsonLink icon for an automatic search of the library's other open-URL-compliant
databases, regardless of vendor. Administrators and users can customize the
way results are displayed. Records can be sorted by various criteria, the number
of records displayed per screen can be adjusted, users can select what data
to show in citations, and more. Librarians can set unique IP address ranges
or user passwords for specific user groups and can track usage by standardized
criteria, with usage statistics per ICOLC guidelines. Online review access
is available at http://www.hwwilson.com/preview.htm/. H.W.
Wilson Company, 800/367-6770 or http://www.hwwilson.com/.
NoveList K-8
With content and an interface tailored specifically to support media centers,
libraries, classrooms, and students in K-8 schools, NoveList K-8 builds on
the content and subject headings of the original version of NoveList. The database
helps librarians and teachers select the right book for each student by matching
criteria such as the Lexile readability measure, a plot description, a favorite
author, an award, or a book similar to one already read and enjoyed based on
theme, setting, or other features. NoveList K-8 can also be used to find appropriate
fiction to support particular teaching units and classroom themes. Included
are more than 35,000 fiction titles for K-8 readers, thousands of subject headings,
full-text reviews from sources such as School LibraryJournal and Booklist,
and a Teacher Resources page designed to guide faculty to new titles and new
ways of translating curriculum standards into classroom activities. EBSCO
Publishing, 800/653-2726 or http://www.ebsco.com/.
Net Teaching
ISTE Best Web Sites for Teachers
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has published
the fifth edition of The Best Web Sites for Teachers. Listing more than
1,200 currently active Web sites, the book points to Web sites that are reliable,
safe, and educationally rich. The latest edition includes more than 600 new
sites, many of which include lesson plans. In addition, all Web sites and their
URLs were verified just before press time, browser information was updated,
and new lists were added for multicultural and special needs students. Also
included are forms for evaluating and creating customized Web site lists and
an explanation of how to use the two most popular Web browsers to their best
advantage. Sites are categorized by content area and, within each area, information
indicates which sites have lesson plans, exhibits and museums, and other resources.
The cost is $31.45 for ISTE members and $34.95 for non-members. ISTE, 800/336-5191
or http://www.iste.org/.
New Attendance Modules for Classroom Wizard
The Classroom Wizard system, designed to use hand-held
computers or a portable scanner to quickly quiz, grade,
and report scores in the classroom, now includes two
new attendance modules. The Instructor Attendance Module
allows teachers to mark students present, tardy, or
absent on a handheld; this information is then synchronized
with attendance records in the Classroom Wizard Web-based
application. The module also provides teachers with
an attendance summary that can be edited by date or
student name. The Student Attendance module allows students
to sign in and enter a student identification number
to use the test system. When finished, they use the
handheld's infrared capability to beam the information
to the Classroom Wizard online application. Scantron
Corporation, 800/722-6876 or http://www.scantron.com/.
Net Learning
Expanded AP Exam Review
Three additional subjects have been added to the online Apex Learning 2003
AP Exam ReviewAP Biology, AP French Language, and AP Psychology. In addition
to the new subjects, students can also use the test preparation product to
study for AP exams in Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, U.S. Government and Politics,
Calculus AB, Chemistry, English Literature, English Language, Physics B, Statistics,
U.S. History, and Spanish Language. The 2003 subjects are available beginning
March 1. Registered students receive unlimited access to AP Exam Review from
their date of enrollment until June 1, 2003. Site license pricing based on
school or district enrollment begins at $975 per year. Special site license
pricing is available for purchases before March 31. Schools and districts that
purchase the review before January 15 will receive unlimited access to Apex
Learning's Evaluation Tools, a set of online diagnostic sets for 14 AP subjects.
Teachers can use these tools throughout the year to prepare students for the
AP Exams. The product is also available for individual purchase for $59. Apex
Learning, 800/453-1454 or http://www.apexlearning.com/.
Raptors in the City
Raptors in the City is an inquiry-based science and technology program for
grades 4-6 that stars the peregrine falcon, a species that recoveredfrom near
extinction and was removed from the List of Endangered Species in 1999. The
online portion guides students through nesting season (approximately February
to June) as they watch the still rare falcons live via cameras mounted on skyscrapers.
The curriculum, designed to support one semester of study, helps students learn
environmental, biological, and technological lessons, as well as research skills.
The program is based on national science and technology standards. A complete
study package for peregrine research is available in print form or on CD. The
package includes assignments, resource lists, rewards, evaluation tools, a
reference book, and an e-newsletter. Nesting season and the program begin in
February 2003. Raptors in the City, 203/831-0855, raptors@optonline.net,
or http://www.raptorsinthecity.org/.
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