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 also requires that you get to know
a bit more about searching and retrieving material from a CD-ROM
or the web.
Firstly,
try the following two search methods using the web:
- Go
to any of the search engines
mentioned previously, and type in only the phrase World War
Two. 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 "World War Two" - note
the quotation marks. 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 views expressed on the sites, and
consider how these views might inform the understanding of learners.
Try the same technique for any CD-ROM you hold. Also, though,
use the topic and subject index for the disc and note where in
the subject structure of the disc the topic has been placed.
Then
answer the following questions - just to give you some focus to
begin with:
- When
you searched for the words 'World', 'War' and 'Two' by inputting
only the phrase, what happened to your search results?
-
When you placed these words together as - "World War Two" -
what was the difference?
-
How would you describe the materials in the CD-ROM you used
from the point of view of their value as stimulus to discussion?
- Do
you know how to copy segments from the web or the CD-ROM for
insertion in your own worksheets and resources? If you do, are
you aware of the copyright laws governing this action?
- Having
looked at this material and the timeline material on the previous
pages, how could you use the idea of a timeline to inform pupils'
work in relation to the case study objectives?
When
you have looked at your CD-ROM 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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