ERIC ED438129: Teaching with Technology.

38 Pages·1999·1.3 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
RC 022 257
ED 438 129
Benson, Chris, Ed.
AUTHOR
Teaching with Technology.
TITLE
Middlebury Coll., VT. Bread Loaf School of English
INSTITUTION
PUB DATE 1999-00-00
36p.; Theme issue. Published twice a year.
NOTE
Descriptive
-- Reports
Collected Works
Serials (022)
PUB TYPE
(141)
Bread Loaf Rural Teacher Network Magazine; Fall-Win 1999
JOURNAL CIT
MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Class Activities; *Computer Mediated Communication; Computer
DESCRIPTORS
Uses in Education; Elementary Secondary Education;
*Humanities Instruction; *Information Networks; *Internet;
*Literature; Multimedia Instruction; Rural Education;
*Teaching Experience; Writing Instruction
*Teacher Networks; Technology Integration
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
This serial issue contains 11 articles all on the theme of
"Teaching with Technology", specifically about how teachers in the Bread Loaf
Rural Teacher Network (BLRTN) are using computers, the Internet, and various
audiovisual technologies in the classroom. BLRTN consists of.approximately
200 rural teachers in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Mississippi, New
Mexico, South Carolina, and Vermont. Several articles describe projects
funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, in which two or three
classrooms communicated electronically while studying a literature text, and
a Middlebury College faculty member served as online consultant and mentor.
The articles are: "Multimedia Authoring on CD-ROM: Applying New Technology to
Shakespeare" (Kurt Broderson); "Netting the Past: Putting Our Town's History
on the Web" (Linda F. Hardin); "The 'Promise' of Technology: An Interview
with Director Rocky Gooch" (Chris Benson); "A Framework for Designing a
Computer Conference" (Robert Baroz); "Voice and the Language of Power in
Computer Conferencing: Who Speaks?" (Dean Woodring Blase); "BreadNet
Conferencing: A Bridge to Other Places, Other Times" (Brad Busbee); "The Face
of Lawrence: Integrating Photography and Writing" (Mary O'Brien Guerrero);
"Beyond Chat Rooms and Listserves" (Dixie Goswami); "The World Outside and
'The Island Within'" (Anne Gardner); "Creating Community with Visual
Technology" (Renee Evans); and "A Letter from the Classroom: Idalia,
Colorado" (Lucille Rossbach).
(SV)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
rall/Wintee. 1999
etwork
Magazine
Mississippi New Mexico South Carolina Vermont
Georgia
Alaska ° Arizona o Colorado
Teaching with Technology.
In This Issue
Multimedia
Authoring on
CD-ROM
The "Promise"
of Technology
-1,-
A Framework
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
for Designing
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
CENTER (ERIC)
L
his document has been reproduced as
eyls
0 it)
received from the person or organization
.
a Computer
originating it.
Minor changes have been made to
improve reproduction quality.
Conference
Points of view or opinions stated in this
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
document do not necessarily represent
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."
official OERI position or policy.
Beyond Chat
Rooms, and
Listserves
Plus more stories
about how the Bread
Loaf Rural Teacher
Network is teaching
LC)
with technology.
COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF EDWARD BROWN
A Publication of the bread Loaf 5chool of English
AVAILABLE
BEST COPY
Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont
3ireull
©Er
Rural Teacher Network
From the Director
consultant with the teachers and their can pay off with rewarding words
by James Maddox, Director
classrooms during the academic-year
of praise from other students
Bread Loaf School of English
across the country and a professor
exchanges.
Middlebury College
just up state. They're learning
These exchanges are very similar
Middlebury, VT
to those carried out by members of
that if one class puts forth an
BLRTN since 1993, with the one dif-
idea, they can respond with a rich
/11 THIS ISSUE of the Bread Loaf
ference that the regular inclusion of a
expansion on that theory.
Rural Teacher Network Magazine
Through this Internet project,
Bread Loaf faculty member in each
you may find several of the writ-
we've entered into a respectful,
exchange has become formalized.
ers referring to a National Endowment
Some of the recipients of the grants rigorous investigation into the
for the Humanities grant in which
have been BLRTN teachers. But we
novel.
they and their students have been in-
have strongly urged non-BLRTN
In reading and writing elec-
volved. Since the activities carried out
teachers to apply as well, since one of
tronic versions of their ideas, my
under this grant are so similar to what
my major reasons in applying for this
students are learning how to
goes on in many BLRTN classrooms,
grant was to make the entire Bread
shape their rhetoric (and how
I would like to describe some of our
Loaf community more aware of the their use of rhetoric shapes them)
teachers' NEH activities.
pedagogical possibilities of electronic
in ways that are incredibly imme-
In 1998, Bread Loaf applied for
diate, personal, and profound.. ..
exchanges.
and received a grant. from NEH for
The results of these exchanges can
What .a discovery for me as a
$212,500, with an extraordinarily
be illustrated eloquently through the teacher! Here I find my students
generous matching grant of $10,000
words of some of the participating asking me to teach them this new
from Middlebury College alumni
teachers. Dean Blase, who teaches in
way to write. Our discussions
Wendy and Peter Mullen. Under the
Cincinnati, carried out an exchange center on what "works" in elec-
tronic academic discoursemany
terms of the grant, twelve, teachers
with Justin Chapman in Vermont,
attending Bread Loaf in 1998 were
Stephanie Stein in Massachusetts, and
students have found that they
given fellowships (equivalent to the
value a friendly tone, one that's
Tassie Gniady in Texas on Zora Neale
fees for room and board at the Ver
Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching not too formal, but that sticks
mont campus) and stipends of $1,750
God. The faculty mentor was with the topic at hand. They love
for follow-up work in their class-
Jacqueline Jones Royster of Ohio it when they can find a quotation
rooms in 1998-99; fifteen teachers
State. Dean wrote of the exchange: from the literature that "proves"
received similar fellowships and sti-,
When I first envisioned a multi- their point, knowing that the
pends for the summer of 1999 and the
state.electronic mail exchange, I readers on the other end of the
academic year 1999-2000; and we
imagined that my students would email line will have access to the
project that thirteen more teachers
benefit from hearing from a
same page numbers and contexts.
will receive fellowships and stipends
larger audience of peer readers They also are finding that
for 2000 and the academic year 2000-
than our small junior English
"sounding smart" works well on
2001.
class could otherwise afford. I line. All sides are quick to point
A teacher who receives one of
thought that having access to a
out discrepancies in logic, and
these awards chooses a humanities
university professor would en- when these criticisms are written
text that her class will be reading,
gage my students in their reading
in a constructive manner, my stu-
finds one or two Bread Loaf col-
of Their Eyes Were Watching dents respond with appreciation.
leagues who, with their students, will
God in ways that reading "just
When responses take on a cruel
be her partners in a telecommunica-
another book for English class"
tone (which they have once dur-
tions exchange based on the chosen
would not. I figured that perhaps
ing this exchange), they know
text, and spends the Bread'Loaf sum-
they would get more out of Zora that their initial responses are of-
mer planning the exchange. Each of
Neale Hurston's challenging lan-
ten much more angry than is ap-
these exchange groups has a Bread
guage and enlightening themes. propriate to write in an academic
Loaf faculty mentor whose expertise
What they're doing with the lit-
exchange. What the students have
is in the field Of the chosen text; this
erature goes beyond these expec- learned here is to negotiate their
mentor participates in the summer's
tations. They're learning that tak-
discussions and then acts as an online
ing risks in literary interpretations
(continued on page 13)
rail/ Winter 1999
Lt"t
nilenqs
TabOs og
Multimedia Authoring on CD-ROM:
Applying New Technology to Shakespeare
4
by Kurt Broderson
A Vermont middle school teacher takes a course at Bread Loaf that allows
him to create a CD-ROM for students on the history plays of Shakespeare.
Netting the Past: Putting Our Town's History on the Web
7
Editor
by Linda F. Hardin
Cris Benson
A South Carolina teacher gives practical advice about having students do
[email protected]
archival research to create a Web site about their town's history.
Address correspondence to Chris
The "Promise" of Technology:
Benson, Bread Loaf School of English,'
An Interview with Rocky Gooch
10
Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT
by Chris Benson
05753-6115. The Bread Loaf School of
Many educators embrace facile notions about incorporating technology into
English publishes the Bread Loaf Rural
the classroom. The challenge is greater than many think.
Teacher Network Magazine twice a year.
A Framework for Designing a Computer Conference
12
Director of the Bread Loaf
by Robert Baroz
School of English and
With ten years of experience in computer conferencing with students on
Director of BLRTN
literary topics, the author provides a guide to learning activities for students.
James Maddox
Voice and the Language of Power in Computer Conferencing:
Coordinator of BLRTN
Who Speaks?
14
Dixie Goswami
by Dean Woodring Blase
Bread Loaf Office Staff
As the proliferation of online technology increases opportunities to engage
Elaine Lathrop
in discourse with online partners, students discover the power of language.
Sandy LeGault
Dianne Baroz
BreadNet Conferencing:
Judy Jessup
A Bridge to Other Places, Other Times
17
by Brad Busbee
Faculty Coordinators
Mississippi students learn about life in Emily Bronte's "wuthering" York-
JoBeth Allen
shire through communication with Oxford Professor Kate Flint.
Courtney Cazden
Tharon Howard
The Face of Lawrence:
Andrea Lunsford
Integrating Photography and Writing
20
Lucy Maddox
by Mary O'Brien Guerrero
Jacqueline Royster, Senior Consultant
Elementary and middle school students capture part of the ongoing immi-
John Warnock
grant history of Lawrence, Massachusetts, in their photographs and writing.
Tilly Warnock
Director of Telecommunications
Beyond Chat Rooms and Listserves
23
BLRTN
by Dixie Goswami
Rocky Gooch
Students in the BLRTN are developing a new "online" literacy as they dis-
[email protected]
cuss literature, writing, and learning with partners in the network.
Technical Consultants
The World Outside and The Island Within
24
Caroline Eisner
by Anne Gardner
Douglas Wood
A teacher in South Carolina creates a global learning community in an on-
line discussion of Richard Nelson's challenging book The Island Within.
Documentation Consultants
Scott Christian
Creating Community with Visual Technology
26
Eva Gold, Research for Action
by Renee Evans
A New Mexico teacher describes how she and her students wrote, shot, di-
Teacher Research Consultant
rected, and edited a public service video about the dangers of inhalant abuse.
Bette Ford
A Letter from the Classroom: Idalia, Colorado
28
Copyright 1999
Bread Loaf School of English
by Lucille Rossbach and Students
A Colorado teacher and her students share successful strategies for using
No part of this publication may be re-
portable keyboards in the classroom.
produced without permission of the editor.
bread Loaf School of English Middlebury, Vermont
Middlebury College
3
=Joe
.Birealail
Rural Teacher Network
luthoring on CD-ROM:
Um®
sda
Owing ex
A
Technology to Shakespeare
of a paper, allowing us to take a more
plays are not the most common choice
by Kurt Broderson
experimental approach to our studies.
for a teacher, particularly in a second-
Mt. Abraham Union High School
The students in our class under-
ary school. I have taught Romeo and
Bristol, VT
took a variety of projects, from revis-
Juliet before, at my previous school,
ing a scene in Henry V to document
but it is taught to freshmen at my cur-
S A MIDDLE school lan-
the French point of view to compiling
rent school, and many other popular
guage arts teacher, I find that
and annotating lesson plans and mate-
Shakespeare plays are taught in later
many of the resources I use,
rials for teaching Macbeth. I chose to
years. Being conscious of academic
such as textbooks, teachers' guides to
create a multimedia presentation fo-
turf, I felt it prudent to chart out unde-
novels, CD-ROM encyclopedias, and
cusing on the geography of the four
veloped Shakespearean territory.
educational Web sites, are produced
plays collectively known as the
When I finished the project and
in corporate or university contexts and
Henriad: Richard II, the two parts of
presented it to an audience of gradu-
then distributed in a sort of trickle-
Henry IV, and Henry V. The central
ate students and faculty at Bread Loaf,
down academic economy. As a stu-
feature of this presentation would be
Susanne Wofford said she was inter-
dent this past summer at the Bread
an interactive map that linked impor-
ested in using it with her undergradu-
Loaf School of English, however, I
tant geographic locations to photos,
ates at the University of Wisconsin.
found the flow of information re-
relevant scenes from the plays, and
At this point I realized that the com-
versed. This was my fifth summer
commentary by me on the signifi-
mon flow of academic knowledge
working toward an M.A. in English,
cance of the location or event in rela-
from professor to studenthad been
so I was relatively adept at writing the
tion to the Henriad.
reversed. I had become the designer,
traditional literary criticism that is a
As the project developed, it
and not just the consumer, of educa-
hallmark of most graduate work in
seemed to take on a life of its own,
tional materials for studentsgradu-
literature. To my great delight, my
and I became interested in its use out-
ate and middle schoolas well as
professor in my Shakespeare course,
side the context of our class. I began
their teachers.
Susanne Wofford of the University of
to consider teaching Henry IV Part I
The process of multimedia design
Wisconsin at Madison, provided me
to my seventh graders, and then fol-
is not as complicated as it looks, al-
and my classmates with an opportu-
lowing it up with them the next year
though it does take time and some
nity to develop a final project in lieu
with Henry V. Shakespeare's history
specific knowledge of what is known
as "authoring" software. To construct
this presentation, I used Hyperstudio,
which is available for both Mac and
PC, and which many elementary and
high schools already own. I've used
Hyperstudio regularly with my
classes, having originally learned to
L)()
use it from my own middle school
students during my first year of teach-
ing. Hyperstudio, or any other multi-
media authoring program, allows the
author to incorporate text, graphics,
sound, and video into an interactive
presentation. For instance, a student
can use the mouse to click on a high-
lighted word, which might cause a
text box to pop up with more informa-
tion. Or, students can read a scene
from a play, then click on a button to
watch a video clip of that same scene.
In this kind of format, the user of the
Bread Loafers Sue Locarno and Kurt Broderson at Vermont BLRTN meeting
5
bread Loaf School of English,
4
rail/ Winter 1999
mine the reliability of
your electronic sources,
Holinedon Hill
Map Key
and use them and cite
rth Castle
0
Link to
them the same way you
.
inberland)
0
(N
Location
would with any print
earlisle
source.
Return to
After the final pre-
Gaultree Forest
Main Menu
o
sentation to my class,
York
Lancaster
Professor Wofford pro-
avonspurgh
vided me with feedback
and recommended two
ENGLAND
main areas for revisions,
Flint Ca sflelk...
rIhrewsbUry
which I was very inter-
ested in reviewing. Like
auFFoLk
CambrIglge
most teachers taking
Heretordk.)
graduate courses, I usu-
WALES
40 Gloucester
C
.Oxford
ally tended to file my
hill .
Berkeley
1.119Nr,
final papers away with
0
Landon
Canterbury
Windsor'
no more revisions in-
Salisbury
KENT
Southampton
tended, but this project
was different. Two
weeks after class was
Agincourt
officially finished, my
FRANCE
diploma and transcript
Oliarfieur
safely in hand, I began
Main map of England in Kurt Broderson's CD-ROM on Shakespeare's Henriad illustrates the
to make the revisions
significant geography of the history plays.
Ms. Wofford suggested.
Why? Because this
work would become an integral part
of my teaching of Shakespeare, and if
scanning is much more time-consum-
it could be improved, I was more than
program assumes greater autonomy
ing than downloading from the
interested in doing so. I included
and enjoys more flexibility in how the
Internet.
more information on the genealogical
product is used.
As I worked on this project, I real-
chart of the royal families and added a
This project began with lots of re-
ized the importance of maintaining an
new section on the Northern Rising of
search to gather information and im-
accurate bibliography in order to give
1569, a rebellion early in Elizabeth's
ages. My bibliography eventually
credit where it was due. In cases like
reign that paralleled Shakespeare's
amounted to three pages, with many
this project, copyright does not tend
portrayal of the rebellion of Henry
Web sites listed. The Internet is an
to be a large issue, because the pre-
Percy, the Earl of Northumberland,
invaluable asset in this type of
sentation is intended for limited edu-.
and others during the early 1400s.
project, because the information is
cational use in my own classroom
Geographically, the northern counties
already digitized and, therefore, ready
and won't be used or distributed com-
of England were more likely to rise up
to be used in a multimedia presenta-
mercially. For any wider use, how-
in rebellion against London than the
tion. For example, nearly all of
ever, permission to use the material
wealthier south, and this point is more
Shakespeare's plays are available as
should be received from the copyright
readily made when one can see the
full-text versions on the Internet, so I
holder. This can be tricky with the
connections between the maps and the
did not need to laboriously type up
Internet especially. Shakespeare's
genealogy.
every excerpt or scene I wanted to
plays, for example, are in the public
The project is now complete, al-
include. I could simply copy and
domain, but the computer code,
though I am making minor changes to
paste. Images on the Internet are also
known as HTML, or Hypertext
ensure that the presentation will run
already in usable format, so most of
Markup Language, that is used to dis-
smoothly on a PC platform, which is
the maps and pictures for my project
play a play on a Web page may be
what Susanne Wofford's classes will
came from Web sites. The alternative
copyrighted. Then again, the images
use. My own school uses a mix of
to this is digitizing the images your
or text you view on a Web site may
self, by scanning from books, posters,
be pirated from some other source
magazines, etc. Some of the images I
and the original copyright holder may
used were scanned in this fashion, but
(continued on next page)
be unknown. When indoubt, deter-
6
Middlebury, Vermont
Middlebury College
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
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(continued from previous page)
Macs and PCs, so I've had to become
familiar with both systems. When I
s
first started this project, I only antici-
pated presenting it to my Shakespeare
'England, from Trent end
Severn hitherto) By south
class, so I didn't plan to use it on both
end east is to mg part
systems. Although the necessary
assigned' (III 1 71-72)
changes are minor, I wish I had
Mortimer's portion is bg far
planned earlier and incorporated both
the largest of the three As
systems from the beginning.
the husband of Glendower'e
daughter, he and his heirs
It's true that I put a lot more time
stand to gain control of a
into this project than I would have
large amount of land through
this division
Whet Hotepur
into a traditional paper, but I also
calla the 'monstrous cantle'
walked away with a lot more. I have
is In the northwest corner of
Mortimer's lande.
created a resource for my students to
use later this year, and I can even tell
Sgt. COM TO
them that they are using the same
software that college students are us-
POOR
CIN1r:N
ing! Since this was my last class at
Bread Loaf, I am particularly excited
ENO 0 Wr .7,"
that I could build a bridge from Bread
Loaf back to my own classroom. I
also think it is a valuable lesson for
my students to see that I can combine
Graphics above and below from Kurt Broderson's CD-ROM on Shakespeare's
the roles of student, teacher, and now
Henriad illustrate the relation of the genealogy of the Crown to the geography of
multimedia author. When we use this
those who rebelled against it. The CD can be used as a resource by middle and
project in class later this year, I think
high school students as well as college students.
my students will have a much stron-
ger investment in it than they would if
I had simply bought it on CD-ROM. I
certainly know I will.
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bread Loaf School of English
6
rail/
Winter 1999
Kl®Ming
EOR
L
MG,:o
Pa Ming CDap
_X-MoRaFiv ors
-6\Ns6c0o,
library truck, the first pizza palace,
now part of the Peace Center for the
By Linda F. Hardin
the first McDonald's, and the first
Performing Arts; drink a Coke at the
Beck Middle School
drug store crowded our files.
soda fountain that served its first soda
The students planned to publish
Greenville, SC
one hundred years ago; and read the
their research in a unique historical
inscription on our city founder's
Web site, where our city's famous
grave in Christ Church Cemetery.
GOOD QUESTION, Brad,"
firsts, along with the people and
History presented by textbooks is
our city's mayor, Knox
events that led to their creation, would
rarely real for middle school students,
White, complimented one of
be easily accessible. During the pro-
who live so determinedly in the
my students and watched the rest of
my eighth graders for confirmation.
He rephrased Brad's query, thinking
out loud. "What landmark of
Greenville, South Carolina, has in-
spired the most controversy, both now
and in the past?"
He was speaking, of course, of our
river, the Reedy River. Cherokees
fought to keep it part of their territory
prior to the Revolutionary War. Its
falls drew the city fathers to build
mills, first gristmills, and then textile
factories. In the beginning, the river
was pristine, the site of baptisms and
picnics, but with the growth of tex-
tiles, it became known as the Rainbow
Reedy, its color varying with the hue
of the cloth being dyed that day. In
the 1950s, the city fathers sponsored
the building of a tall bridge over the
river to hide the pollution. Recently,
Students Ryan Frazierand Joseph Churchwell of Beck Middle School identify
however, the Greenville City Council
local history articles to include in theirWeb site.
decided to tear down that bridge and
cess, the students used many forms of
present that they can barely recall yes-
open the river to redevelopment.
technology, from Web surfing, to
terday. But once we walked through
Mayor White has been a leading pro-
emailing messages to scholars across
the old churchyards and wandered
ponent of preserving and renewing
the United States, to creating data-
down Main Street poking into ornate
Greenville's natural resources. Many
bases, to desktop publishing. We
doorways and peering through broken
more questions followed as my stu-
hoped our Web site would be useful
windows, the past became vivid, ac-
dents asked the mayor to describe his
for amateur historians as well as dis-
proposal in depth. They were reliving
cessible.
interested Web surfers.
Interviewing historians, longtime
the past and envisioning the future of
Each of my eighty students con-
Greenvillians, and city officials; visit-
their community in an exciting forum.
tributed at least one essay and a brief
ing downtown landmarks; and re-
My class began the Netting the
presentation on an aspect of Green-
searching dusty tomes in the
Past project in early September by
ville history. Jeffrey, who had se-
Greenville County Library produced a
becoming tourists in their own town.
lected Greenville's first skyscraper,
massive collection of data on the
Our goal was to document part of the
was outraged. "It wasn't a skyscraper
worktables in our classroom. Stories
history of our town, and this research
at all. Thirteen stories, that's all. And
of Shoeless Joe Jackson's ouster from
would be a foundation for thinking
baseball lay beside the transcribed
about the future. We wanted to see the
memories of a longtime Greenville
places that we would research; touch
(continued on next page)
fireman. Pictures of Greenville's first
the bricks made by slaves which are
8
Middlebury College ° Middlebury, Vermont
7
IBTead
©RE
KuraiTeacner Network
Netting the Past.
instructing farmers to plant hun-
book; instead, we had enough for ten
dreds of acres with kudzu. We're
books. Further, we could see no end.
(continued from previous page)
exploring some of the reasons
We discovered that we would never
that our city developed as it did,
have the entire story; there would al-
and kudzu is surely a part of our
ways be just one more person to con-
the elevator doesn't work, and I had
city's problems. Our mayor has
tact, one more dusty file to peruse,
to walk up all thirteen," he com-
just told us that kudzu removal
one more scrapbook to examine.
plained loudly during his presenta-
costs our city thousands of dol-
How could we publish a story that
tion. However, as Jeff defined a sky-
lars each year.
would need endless revisions? The
scraper and explained the technology
Gathering stories, photos, inter-
Internet, of course, was the perfect
associated with its construction, he
views, and statistics was no problem.
solution. If history is evolving, then
admitted that Greenville's first really
We discovered that our city is full of
the Internet is a logical format to keep
tall building fit the bill. His essay had
history fanatics, each with a story to
pace with it. Once their initial Web
more positive comments: "The best
tell and a famous relative or two. One
page was created, my students could
thing about this old building is the
retired photographer has a collection
add a link to a newly discovered map,
floor. It's all tiles, like a bathroom
of a thousand photos of Main Street,
insert a photo, revise a fact, or update
floor, only with designs and names
which includes images of buildings
a story in just a few minutes. The im-
everywhere. It's a mosaic, a beautiful
long since demolished, movie theater
mediacy was a gift unparalleled for
artwork that should be preserved."
marquees studded with flashing elec-
them. They could immediately record
"At least you didn't have to poke
tric lights, little diners with separate
the results of plowing through the
around in the kudzu," retorted Pen-in,
booths for white and black patrons, a
kudzu or climbing thirteen stories.
when she displayed the enormous
jeweler who sold locks of hair en-
At first, the class wished to tell the
load of kudzu vines that she and her
cased in gold, an elegant old hotel
story of Greenville sequentially, as
partner, Emily, had collected during
gone to seed. Finding information was
though the city were a person and we
their walk along Greenville's old trol-
easy; organizing it was not. We had
the biographers. Their literacy had
ley tracks. They had decided to learn
planned on enough stories for one
been developed by training with
why kudzu vines crawl through-
books, and they initially con-
out Greenville and all around
ceived their work in this project
the South, strangling trees and
in linear fashion. To produce an
masking barns. Their email
excellent Web site, however,
questions to Princeton professor
they needed to develop different
Dr. Edward Tenner, famous for
organizational strategies that
his theories on technology's
would allow "readers" of our
revenge and his book, Why
site to browse, to find what they
Things Bite Back, revealed their
needed when they needed it.
ability to ask the right questions
One of the advantages of the
and use information from a va-
Web is that information can be
riety of sources:
"hyper-organized" in a branch-
Dear Dr. Tenner: You say
ing rather than a linear way.
that kudzu was planted by
The American Library Asso-
farmers who sought to re-
ciation calls this approach to
lieve the effects of erosion
reading and writing on the Web
after the disastrous
"information literacy" and has
droughts of the 1930s. How
developed nine information lit-
did farmers gain the knowl-
eracy standards for student
edge of the plant? Where
learning, divided into three cat-
and when was it first dis-
egories: information literacy,
played in the United
independent learning, and social
States? Why did they not
responsibility. My project used
think to test it on a small
two of these as goals. The stu-
piece of property first? We
dents would evaluate informa-
even have pictures from
tion critically and competently.
Clemson University's Spe-
Next, they would contribute
cial Collections showing
positively to the learning com-
state agricultural agents
munity and to society, partici-
Beck Middle School studpnts working on primary
resources for their local history Web project
breaci Loaf School of Englisk
8
rail/ Winter 1999.
century, using rudimentary, unsophis-
that can be read in a variety of orders,
pating effectively in groups to pursue
ticated technical software and inferior
or in part, according to a reader's
and generate information. By the end
equipment, by a rather unorganized
need or interest.
of the project, the students would be
group of adolescents and an overly
One of our main organizational
able to
demanding teacher who attempted to
tools was the WebQuest design devel-
know when they need information,
place every known and often unim-
oped in 1995 by Bernie Dodge and
find information,
portant local history event on what
Tom March of San Diego State Uni-
evaluate information,
was then called the World Wide
versity. Their idea was a lesson plan
process information, and
Web." 'a'
that incorporated links to, from, and
use information to make appropriate
along the World Wide Web. In our
decisions in their lives.
Web site, we did not send the reader
In order to build our own Web
Maaes
outside of our site. Rather, we pro-
site, we conceived of our audience as
vided the links within our site while
information consumers. What did they
For excellent resources on the design
maintaining the exploratory nature of
want or need to know about
of a WebQuest as well as a design
the WebQuest plan.
Greenville? The author of our South
template, see "The History and Devel-
We used commercially prepared
Carolina history book, Dr. A. V. Huff
opment of WebQuests" in Learning
Web software to create our site, since
of Furman University, helped us with
and Leading with Technology, April,
we wanted to concentrate on the facts,
a survey design. We asked longtime
1999. The article can be accessed at
the writing, and the research rather
community residents, newcomers,
http://www.edweb.sdsu.edu.
than on learning HTML. This was the
businessmen, religious leaders, educa-
best decision for us. It forced us to
tors, and government officials to list
For a provocative article on teaching
keep our design simple. Because we
ten details about Greenville that they
students to evaluate Web sites, see
wanted our site to load quickly, we
might need to know quickly. Then we
"The WebTeaching Zack to
used graphics sparingly. However, by
consulted with the reference staff at
Think," by Alan November, in the
clicking on links, readers could access
our public library about the most fre-
September 1998 High School Princi-
special pictures of maps, people, or
quently asked questions about
pal Magazine. It can also be found at:
landmarks when they wished to see
Greenville history. With these details
www.anovember.com/articles.
the graphic. At every turn, I asked the
in mind, we began a flow chart dia-
zack.html.
students to consider themselves:
gram of our Web site. We hoped our
Would they use the Web site? Would
site would have the same standards of
they be able to find information easily
excellence that one might expect of
with a minimum of frustration?
any reliable reference material, such
Even with all of our planning, our
as broad scope, accuracy and author-
project was constrained by the space
ity, and a readable presentation.
provided on our school district's
We separated our materials into
server, limiting the amount of mate-
sections such as government, trans-
rial we could include on our school
P. H u a n
portation, business, industry, educa-
g ffi w@a-
LL II
Web site. This year, we are currently
tion, arts and entertainment, sports
aen ash &a oracle k
remounting our history site, redesign-
and recreation, and religion. At the
w t o w a i r a z
o
f t hangs
ing our links to show more graphics,
beginning of each section, we used
ans dm=
banamscas 5n
and including some current photos of
key words to send readers to specific
go
ao aatteRn Tatb
1 a no uag,
old places now under renovation. The
facts. For example, in the government
city of Greenville, the public library,
awl
section, we created a set of quick facts
be gatodbm. A
and the local newspaper will carry
a reader might want to know, such as
aNsghtv Toff 28 ralm, %line
links to our Web site.
the name of the first mayor, the first
ombefed &I 5 RCM
Joey, one of the students who was
woman to serve on City Council, the
a 2000 Arfaz saw
1f 1
willing to spend hours correcting my
first African American elected to
Tircent dig South Csamilbangn
mistakes, suggested, "Mrs. Hardin,
county office, the first sheriff, the first
we'll be history by the time this site
eparbment
fire chief, and the first street map.
©IT Edaretakon
DD
gets really going." Indeed, I consider
Simply by clicking on these links, the
mgandy anna5fod
NM
my class and their work a "Famous
reader could speed to the appropriate
*a OD &Mbabane SQ09000
Greenville First." Fifty years from
paragraph. For us, it was like putting
higan &mutat fro- ahg
11a6
now Greenville researchers may make
the index at the beginning of a book
mama strand r&r.
another entry into our database: "First
and allowing the reader to jump
Greenville history computer database,
around from page to page rather than
researched and built at the turn of the
reading the entire text first. The text is
now viewed as a fragmented whole
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Middlebury, Vermont
Middlebury College
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