March 1998 — Features
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ED's Oasis: Teacher Support for Internet Use
To many teachers the Internet is like one of those old "Good News/Bad News" jokes: "The good news is you now have Internet in your classroom. The bad news is that now you have to use the Internet in your classroom." In candid moments, most teachers will admit that having access to the Internet is a mixed blessing: it leads to wonderful learning opportunities, but requires a great investment of time and energy.
Let's look in on a few teachers and see what Internet access means to them. Anne, fresh out of college, just found out that she'll be teaching fourth grade in the Fall. She's comfortable using the computer to write papers, balance her checkbook and e-mail her parents, but not at all sure how to use it for instruction. She's lucky, though -- there will be four computers in her room-and a technology-experienced teacher right next door.
Ben is a veteran high school science teacher, who after many faithful years of service, is pretty clear on what works and what d'esn't. Last year's NetDay effort and a reallocation of site and district funds have introduced a new element to his classroom -- telecommunications. Now what? Ben's not sure whether this is a "d'es work" or a "d'esn't." He knows he's "supposed" to get the kids to use the computers, but he's not sure where the Internet fits in his traditional schedule of labs, investigations, textwork and exams. Cindy, Dan and Eva are middle school teachers who will be "teaming" for the first time. They're responsible for developing at least one unit that ties together their primary subjects: English, history and science. They wonder if they can somehow use the Internet in a unified, thematic approach to curriculum.
Finally, Frank is the district technology specialist. He's responsible for coordinating technology professional development workshops, and works with the district's Ed Tech committee and various curriculum committees. While Frank has had a lot of experience with technology, he sometimes feels isolated and could use some help in meeting the technology learning needs of teachers and district personnel.
Hopefully, each of these educators receives support through needs-based staff development programs, timely peer-coaching and responsive administrators. But even the most comprehensive program can't address every need at the moment it arises. Fortunately, a new resource is now available to teachers from Tallahassee to Seattle, before and after school. And it's free! All a teacher has to do is log on the Internet and link to ED's Oasis (http://www.EDsOasis.org).
What is ED's Oasis?
ED's Oasis is a multi-function Web site funded by the AT Foundation, through the AT Learning Network program, and developed by a team of educators to help teachers use the Internet with their students. One of its objectives is to foster the growth of a professional learning community by providing opportunities for colleagues to share their expertise, experiences and concerns through:
Real-time and asynchronous discussions;
Posted comments about classroom use of specific educational Web resources; and
In-depth "Spotlight" profiles of Internet-using teachers.
