One in a Million Chance

1. One in a Million Chance You’ll Find the Right One! Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

2. Just a bit of review What does the address mean? http://www.english-online.org.uk • http – hypertext transfer protocol • www – world wide web • english-online – top level domain name (TLD) • org - domain (organization) • uk – country To see all country codes: http://www.iana.org/root-whois/index.html Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

3. A bit more • What other domains are there? • .edu – educational – used primarily for colleges and universities in North America • .gov – US government • .ac – academic • .org – organization or association – but now used for virtually any type of site • .com – commercial • .net – networks - – but now used for virtually any type of site • .co – commercial or miscellaneous Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

4. So, what if you search for – “gold rush” The Gold Rush Whether you home school, teach elementary school, or just enjoy history "The GoldRush" is designed for you. Welcome to your comprehensive guide to the epic ...www.isu.edu/~trinmich/home.html - 16k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this Gold Rush! California's Untold Stories, Oakland Museum of California. This site preserves and supplements four major exhibitions celebrating the gold rush sesquicentennial, at the Oakland Museum of California.www.museumca.org/goldrush/ - 10k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this GoldRush Multisport Event, Otago New Zealand - bike, run, kayak race Goldrush, a 375km Multi-sport event, set in the back country of Central Otago, New Zealand. A multisport endurance race including kayaking, mountain biking, ...www.goldrush.co.nz/ - 17k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this The Gold Rush (1925) The Gold Rush on IMDb: Movies, TV, Celebs, and more...www.imdb.com/title/tt0015864/ - 41k - 7 Jul 2007 - Cached - Similar pages - Note this Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

5. And finally . . . How to evaluate a website credibility*? • Dates – Does the site include the date it was created and/or updated? • Fallacy – Are there citations, reference and/or source materials listed that allow you to research the origin of the text? • Misinformation – Is the source an expert or authority? Can you find additional sites with similar information? • Objectivity - As web page authors can change information easily: “the use of opinion lexicon and appeals to emotions may indicate bias”. • Legitimate – Is there a real organization / company behind the site? Is there are physical address, phone number and/or email listed. • Design – Does it look like professionally designed? *Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators- http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html*How To Evaluate Information - http://www.virtualchase.com/quality/checklist.html Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

6. Our Audience: Age Grade Language level Maturity level OurNeeds: (To find. . .) More reading comprehension More grammar review Links for tasks or projects Short stories / poems / song Background information for content Defining our audienceand our needs Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

7. The BIG problem Internet materials for kids/teen L1 or ESL Reading Language level: K-12+ (mostly 6-12+) Reading level: K-academic Maturity level: age 6-18+ (mostly 10-18+) Our kids/teens: EFL Reading Language level: K-6/8 Reading level: K-8 (if we’re lucky) Maturity level: up-down  Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

8. Kids Search Engines • ALA (American Library Association) - Great Web Sites for Kids • Ask for Kids - selected sites • Berit's Best Sites - directory of kids' web sites • CyberSleuth Kids - search for K-12 students • KidsClick - web directory by a bunch of librarians • KidsKonnect - web directory maintained by educators • Yahooligans - selected sites Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

9. Educational Web Sites (ideas) • AT&T Knowledge Network- online library of outstanding Internet sites categorized by subject, grade level • BBC Learning English - short courses, quizzes, grammar, vocabulary, audio and video • Edsitement (National Endowment for the Humanities) – lesson plans • Home School - home schooling sites / reference • Read Write Think - National Council of Teachers of English (web resources) Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

10. News / Magazines for Kids and Teens • KidsNewsRoom • KidZone - National Wildlife Federation • Headline Spot for kids • New York Times for Students • NewsHour Extra for Students and Teachers - PBS • The Smithsonian Magazine • Scholastic News • Time for Kids Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

11. What happens if. . . • you searched for hours and hours and hours. • you used the right nouns, adjective and verbs, • you used the right search terminology (and / or / -), • you looked in kids search engines, adult search engines and mega-search engines, • and you still can’t find it! Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

12. Try searching for other teacher’s sites • They already made the lesson plan. • They already searched for sites. • They wouldn’t have put the lesson plan and sites online if they didn’t want to share. • The search • Egypt k-6 – Whitehorse Elementary school • Or try a Webquest sites and links Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007

13. there are reallyno secrets, promises, shortcuts, or science. there is only lots of time, patience, endurance, hope, luck! I hate to say it but, Search Engines and Sites for Kids and Teens Ann Shlapobersky ETAI Summer Conference 2007