d.
Developing Your Own Knowledge of the Resources
Having
made decisions about using some of the resources and opportunities
in tandem, it is important for the teacher in the case study to
get to know the resources well enough to feel confident about
using them in the classroom. It is also important that the pupils
will feel comfortable about using the resources.
We
can focus on this with an exercise that requires that you get
to know a bit more about searching the WWW or CD-ROM. First, try
the following two search methods using the web:
- Go
to any of the search engines
mentioned earlier, and type in only the words: earthquakes of
the world. Take a note of how many hits you get from the search,
and look at them to see how relevant they are.
- Then,
repeat the search, this time typing in: "earthquakes of the
world". Note again the number of hits and their level of relevance.
Take
a look at the results of your search, and visit as many of the
sites as you like. Note the information available on the sites,
and consider how it might inform the work of learners. Try the
same technique for a CD-ROM such as Encarta - this time asking
about the concepts plate tectonics and earthquakes. Also, though,
use the topic and subject index for the disc and note where in
the subject structure of the disc the topics have been placed.
Then
answer the following questions - just to give you some focus to
begin with:
- When
you searched for the words 'earthquakes', 'of' and 'world',
what happened to your search results?
- When
you placed these words together as - 'earthquakes of the world'
- what was the difference?
- How
would you describe the usefulness of the information you found
in relation to the specific area of work in the case study?
- How
would you describe the materials in the CD-ROM you used from
the point of view of their value as stimulus to understanding?
- Do
you know how to copy segments from the web or the CD-ROM for
insertion in your own worksheets and database resources? If
you do, are you aware of the copyright laws governing this action?
Then
take a look at the database that is supplied with this case study.
It covers dates, location, deaths, magnitude and additional comments
for earthquakes with more than 1000 deaths since 1900.When
you are familiar with the way the database works to help manage
earthquake data, answer the following questions:
- Are
you comfortable with creating queries and sorting data within
a database?
- What
purposes can you see served in manipulating data?
When
you have looked at database and the web in the light of these
questions, and perhaps written some worksheets of your own to
go with the CD-ROM and web, you should discuss with your mentor
what you want to do with the resource in the classroom. This can
be done in a mentor visit, over the telephone or by e-mail, and
should serve merely to satisfy you that you are on the right track
with your use of the materials.
 e.
Planning the Work of Learners
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