post #5

I think the Internet is very useful to support research.  There are millions of sources at your students' fingertips.  Although, it is also hard to determine what sources are credible.  When doing a research project, finding reliable sources on the Internet is great because you can print out the article and high light the necessary information.  When you check-out a book from a library in order to high light the information you have to photocopy the source.  The Internet has some books available online that you can sometimes print.  The Internet is not useful when you want students to strictly use their own ideas.  They can always "google" the question and different cites will come up with other people's opinions.

In Palm Beach County, the school district has a website that has links of credible search engines that students should use.  They district funds these websites and makes them available for students to use in the classroom and at home.  Some of these cites include eLibrary, Literature Resource Center, SIRS Discover, and many more.  The school district filtered through many cites to find appropriate ones for students.  

It is very important to supervise students use of technology.  The Internet is filled with inappropriate websites that students could easily access.  In the classroom, schools usually block websites that are not suitable for students but there are ways around the system.  High school students are normally more technologically savvy than the teachers.  It is harder to monitor their Internet access but it can be done.  While in the classroom, teachers can walk around and make sure students are on task. You can keep a sign-in and out log for each computer to keep track of who researched each topic.    Also, they can check the computer history to see what websites have been logged on to and report the students who been using the Internet wrongly.