Network Working Group J. Sellers Internet Draft Sterling Software/NASA IITA Expires in six months J. Robichaux BBN Planet Frequently Asked Questions for Schools Status of This Memo This document is an Internet-Draft. Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months. Internet-Drafts may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is not appropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as a "working draft" or "work in progress." To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check the 1id-abstracts.txt listing contained in the Internet-Drafts Shadow Directories on ds.internic.net, nic.nordu.net, ftp.isi.edu, or munnari.oz.au. This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. Abstract The goal of this FYI RFC, produced by the Internet School Networking (ISN) group in the User Services Area of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), is to act as an introduction to the Internet for faculty, administration, and other school personnel in primary and secondary schools. The intended audience is educators who are recently connected to the Internet, who are accessing the Internet by some means other than a direct connection, or who are just beginning to consider Internet access as a resource for their schools. Although the Internet Engineering Task Force is an international organization and this paper will be valuable to educators in many countries, it is limited in focus to internetworking in the United States. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Acknowledgments 3. Questions About the Internet in an Educational Setting 4. Questions About Getting the Internet into the School 5. Questions About Finding Materials, People, and Projects on the Internet 6. Questions About Classroom Resources, Projects, and Collaboration 7. Questions About Security and Ethics 8. Suggested Reading 9. Resources and Contacts 10. References 11. Security Considerations 12. Authors' Addresses Appendix A: Examples of Educational Projects Using the Internet Appendix B: Ways to Get RFCs Appendix C: Glossary of Terms Used in this Document 1. Introduction As more and more schools begin to use technology to achieve educational goals, access to the world-wide network of computer networks known as the Internet is expanding. Help for schools in the form of printed materials, electronic resources, and people is also expanding. The Internet School Networking (ISN) group of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) remains committed to articulating the advantages of Internet connections for schools and providing possible solutions to the challenges school s face in getting connected. The FYI (For Your Information) series, which is a subset of the IETF-produced RFCs (Requests for Comments) is one means to these ends. (See Appendix C, "Glossary of Terms Used in This Document" for further explanation of "FYI" and "RFC".) While the IETF and ISN are international groups, the authors of this document are experienced only in bringing the Internet to schools in the United States. We are aware that culture and the national economy effect how one views the issues surround ing school networking. (To give just one example, in the US school reform is an important reason for schools to get connected to the Internet. Other countries do not have the same agenda to make the teacherUs role more facilitative and less directive, or to change classroom structure in the ways that many in the US would like to see.) So, this document has a decidedly US flavor. However, we feel that the focus will not prevent it from being useful to those in other countries! Some of the questions educators have about the Internet are of a more general nature, and for those we recommend reading FYI 4, "Answers to commonly asked 'New Internet User' Questions". For information on how to get this and other IETF documents of interest to the general Internet user, See Appendix B, "Ways to Get RFCs". Please remember that the Internet is a changing environment. Although we have tried to include only the most stable of network services and contacts, you may still find that something listed is unavailable. The positive side of this constant change is that you will discover much on your own, and some of what you discover will be new since the writing of this document. This is an update of an earlier document (FYI 22/RFC 1578, "Answers to Commonly Asked 'Primary and Secondary School Internet User' Questions"). If future updates are produced, the RFC number will change again, and the FYI number (22) will remain the same. 2. Acknowledgments In addition to Ronald Elliott, Klaus Fueller, Raymond Harder, Ellen Hoffman, William Manning, April Marine, Michael Newell, and Anthony Rutkowski, all of whom contributed to the first version of this document, we would like to thank Gary Malkin of Xylogics, Inc. for his help in updating the glossary. Special thanks to Jan Wee, K-12 Internet Consultant and Library Media Director at West Salem (Wisconsin) Middle School for permission to cannibalize her list of Favorite Internet Resources for K-12 Educators. 3. Questions About the Internet in an Educational Setting 3.1 What is the Internet? The Internet is a large worldwide network comprised of smaller computer networks, all linked by a common protocol that enables computers of different types to exchange information. The networks are owned by countless commercial, research, governmental, and educational organizations and individuals. The Internet allows the almost 5 million computers [1] and countless users of the system to collaborate easily and quickly through messaging, discussion groups, and conferencing. Users are able to discover and access people and information, distribute information, and experiment with new technologies and services. The Internet has become a major global infrastructure for education, research, professional learning, public service, and business and is currently growing at an astronomical monthly rate. Since the Internet is a network of many different networks, you may already be using one of the networks that offer partial Internet access. Networks like Global SchoolNet, FidoNet, and K12Net are bulletin board and conferencing systems linked via the Internet which provide inexpensive access to some Internet services. If you can use interactive computer access (telnet) and resource-finding tools such as Gopher, as well as electronic mail, you are probably "on" the Internet. If you have questions about the specific service you're currently using, ask its support personnel if you have Internet access. See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts" for information on the Global SchoolNet Foundation, FidoNet, and K12Net. See Section 6, "Questions about Classroom Resources, Projects, and Collaboration" for further discussion of network tools such as telnet and Gopher. While there is no official governing body of the Internet, the Internet Society serves as the international organization for Internet cooperation and coordination. See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts" for Internet Society contact information. For a more complete basic introduction to the Internet, see FYI 20, "What is the Internet?" cited in Section 8, "Suggested Reading". For information on how to retrieve FYI documents produced by the Internet Engineering Task Force, see Appendix B, "Ways to Get RFCs". 3.2 What are the benefits of using the Internet in the classroom? The Internet is an exciting classroom resource. It expands the classroom dramatically by delivering information, data, images, and even computer software from places otherwise impossible to reach, and it does this almost instantly. This access to up-to-the-minute information can make a student's education more relevant. Some of these materials are original sources which are too expensive or in other ways difficult for schools to own. Some information is news unfiltered by mass media, requiring students to critically assess its content and value. But the Internet is not strictly a place from which to gather something. It is also a place to communicate, to make contact with people all over the world. The Internet brings into the classroom experts in every content area, new and old friends, and colleagues in education. And it allows students and teachers to leave the classroom by sharing ideas with people far away. The isolation inherent in the teaching profession is well-known among educators. By having access to colleagues in other parts of the world, as well as to those who work outside of classrooms, educators able to reach the Internet are not as isolated. Your site can become a valuable source of information as well. Consider the expertise in your school which could be shared with others around the world. For guidance in finding schools with a presence on the Internet, see Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". Use of the Internet shifts focus away from a teacher-as-expert model and toward one of shared responsibility for learning, making it a vital part of school reform. Many reform efforts attempt to move away from teacher isolation and toward teacher collaboration, away from learning in a school-only context and toward learning in a life context, away from an emphasis on knowing and toward an emphasis on learning, away from a focus on content and toward a focus on concepts [2]. The Internet can play an integral part in helping to achieve these shifts as it lends itself to use as a resource for project-based learning and often what students learn spans curricular areas. Information on the Internet, as in the rest of the world outside the classroom, is not divided into geometry, writing, geography, painting, etc. As a hands-on classroom tool, the use of networks encourages the kind of independence and autonomy that many educators agree is important to the learning process, but network use can also be a motivator for students in and of itself. Additionally, because class, race, ability, and disability are removed as factors in communication while using the Internet, it is a natural tool for addressing the needs of all students; exactly how this is done will vary from district to district as schools empower individual teachers and students. There are a number of resources you can use to convince others of the benefits of the Internet in the classroom. The NASA IITA (US National Aeronautics and Space Administration Information Infrastructure Technology and Applications) K-12 Internet Initiative has produced an 11-minute video describing the benefits to schools in using the Internet. Its title is "Global Quest: The Internet in the Classroom". Several articles appearing in various periodicals make a beautiful case for using the Internet in the classroom. A particularly good one by Al Rogers of Global SchoolNet is called, "Global Literacy in a Gutenberg Culture". Student essays can also give compelling testimony. For information on the Rogers article, see Section 8, "Suggested Reading." The essays can be found on NASA's Quest server listed in Section 9, Resources and Contacts," as can information on the video. 3.3 Will using the Internet replace teachers? Just as textbooks, periodicals, videos, guest speakers, and field trips are often used to support a curriculum, the Internet can be used as a tool for teaching and learning. This does not mean that it must be the sole instructional method in a classroom. Teachers will remain responsible for making educated and informed decisions about the best way to use the Internet as a tool, just as they do with other materials used in the classroom. And they can use the Internet to individualize student learning, making a student's classroom experiences more relevant. 3.4 Will this technology replace books? There is room in any school for all kinds of materials and resources. Books and other print materials will certainly continue to be important. Internet resources have the advantage of easy searching and cataloguing, making them useful research tools. As mentioned before, they can also be up-to-the-minute and therefor particularly relevant. One factor to consider is that much of the material published on the Internet lacks the authority imputed by an established publishing house or a reputable author, and may therefore be viewed as less reliable than books. For example, an encyclopedia or almanac found in a school library might reasonably be accepted as valid without question, while a source found on the Internet may require a more critical look. However, lack of authority is not always a negative. Reading an account of the fall of the Berlin wall by a student in the local region the day it happened is valuable even if the student is not a reputable author. Moreover, while it's true that with Internet materials it becomes increasingly important to evaluate where they came from, one of the hallmarks of a good education is the ability to assess information critically, whether the source be print, television, or some other media. 3.5 How can use of the Internet be integrated into the existing curriculum? This is a key question. In order for the Internet to be used successfully in schools, it must employed as a tool to teach content and to reach educational goals that have already been established. It cannot be seen as an end in itself. Individual teachers will first need to become familiar enough with the Internet to know how to do at least two things: find information on topics they consider important and locate communities with like educational goals. Once they are familiar with how to find content on the Internet, most teachers can decide how to use Internet resources to help their students meet goals. (See Section 6, "Questions About Finding Material on the Internet".) For example, science teachers often teach about hurricanes and other weather phenomena in the normal course of instruction. With Internet access they can use information and satellite data pertaining to the most recent storm to make their points, rather than out-dated examples from a textbook. When teachers become familiar with finding communities on the Internet, they can gain experience in using the Internet from educators who have been using it longer; they can join existing projects, contribute to the evolution of proposed projects, and propose their own projects; and they can ask for and give help to solve problems in the classroom ranging from the content they teach, to addressing students as individuals, to mastering effective discipline. Internet access supports project-based learning. A teacher in an individual classroom can use the data and information available on the Internet as a resource for classroom projects, and there are also a variety of projects which take place over the Internet in more than one classroom at a time. A project may be initiated by any educator with an idea. A popular example of an educator-initiated project is one which requires data to be collected from diverse sites around the world or at least around the country. For example, together students in various locations have tracked butterfly and bird migrations, compared bodies of water, and measured the north-south circumference of the Earth. Various organizations also run projects in which schools can participate. Among the many groups which have invited schools to participate in projects with a focus on a specific topic are the Global SchoolNet Foundation, the International Educational and Research Network (I*EARN), and groups associated with such federal agencies as the Department of Energy, the US Geological Service, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Internet can also be used for peer review of student materials; as a medium for publishing student newspapers, art exhibits, and science fairs; and in a global email pen-pal program for the discussion of classroom topics. We cannot stress enough that the key factor these Internet uses have in common is that they are supporting classroom curriculum, not defining it. Learning about the Internet and how to use it is an important goal for any school's Internet program, but in the classroom, the message needs to be emphasized over the medium. There are several sources of material for discussing curriculum infusion, including mailing lists, World Wide Web sites, and archives of sample lesson plans. Most of the mail lists, network servers, and organizations in section 9, "Resources and Contacts," address infusion of technology into the curriculum. See also Appendix A, "Examples of Educational Projects Using the Internet". 4. Questions About Getting the Internet into the School 4.1 How much does it cost to connect to the Internet, and what kind of equipment does my school need to support the Internet connection? The cost of an Internet connection varies tremendously with the location of your site and the kind of connection that is appropriate to your needs. In order to determine the cost to your school, you will need to answer a number of questions. For help in learning what the questions are and getting answers to them, begin asking at local colleges, universities, technology companies, government agencies, community networks (often called "freenets"), local electronic bulletin board systems (BBS), Internet access providers, or technology consultants. To give you an idea of possible equipment needs, here are three sample scenarios, based on possible solutions found in the United States. Keep in mind that these are very general examples and that there are many solutions at each level. See also the answer to Question 4.4. Low-end: You could subscribe to some kind of Internet dial-up service. This may be provided by a vendor at a cost, by a local university gratis, or as a part of a public access service like a community network. You will need a computer which allows terminal emulation, terminal emulation software, a telephone line, and a modem which is compatible with your dial-up service. This kind of connection is appropriate for using email, telnet, and File Transfer Protocol. Additionally, text-based access to the World Wide Web is often available through this kind of connectivity, but graphical user interfaces to Internet tools are not available. At the time of this writing the approximate cost in the United States, not including the PC or the cost of the phone call, is $100 to $800 in set-up charges, plus a monthly fee of approximately $30. Mid-range: You could subscribe to a dial-up service that provides Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) or Point to Point Protocol (PPP), allowing your computer to effectively become a host on the Internet. You will need a computer with SLIP or PPP software, telecommunications applications software (to allow you to use telnet, FTP, and the World Wide Web), a telephone line, and a modem which is compatible with your dial-up service. As with a lower-end connection, email, FTP, and telnet are available with this kind of connection. In addition, graphical user interfaces to Internet resources and applications, including the World Wide Web, are available for use with your SLIP or PPP connection. A high-speed modem (14,400 bps or faster) is necessary to take full advantage of graphical capabilities, however. The approximate cost in the United States at the time of this writing, not including the PC or the cost of the phone call, is $100 to $800 for set-up charges, plus a monthly fee that can range from approximately $30 for lower-speed service from a basic provider to approximately $300 for higher-speed service from a full-service provider. High-end: Your school or department could subscribe to a service that provides a full Internet connection to the school or department's local area network. This allows all the computers on the local area network access to the Internet. You will need a router and a connection to a network access provider's router. Typically the connection is a leased line with a CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit). A leased line is a permanent high-speed telephone connection between two points; this allows you to have a high quality permanent Internet connection at all times. A local area network, which may consist only of the router and a PC, Macintosh, or other computer system, is also needed, and your computer(s) will need some special software: a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) stack, as well as TCP/IP based communications software such as telnet, FTP, and a World Wide Web browser. This type of connectivity is suitable for all forms of Internet use, and allows many users access at a time. At the time of this writing , the approximate cost, not including the computers, is $2,000 to $3,000 for installation plus a monthly fee of at least $300 in the United States. Depending on the line capacity and speed you require, yearly costs can range upwards of US $20,000. In the United States, there are a number of state-wide educational networks, most of them with access to the Internet. To find out if there is a state education network in your area which gives accounts to educators and/or students, contact the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) or consult the document "Getting US Educators Online" which is listed in Section 8, "Suggested Reading". Two lists of Internet providers available via the World Wide Web can be found in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts" along with the Consortium for School Networking. The global regional Network Information Centers (NICs) such as the RIPE NCC (Reseaux IP Europeens Network Coordination Centre) in Europe can also provide a list of service providers. The APNIC (Asia Pacific Network Information Center) in the Pacific Rim will have a similar list in the near future. These two NICs are listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". You can sometimes locate a person enthusiastic about the idea of using networks in schools and willing to help you who works as an independent consultant, in a local college or university, in a technology company, for a network access provider, at a community network, or in a government agency. There are a number of books about the Internet and how to get connected to it. A few are listed in Section 8, "Suggested Reading", and more are being published every month. Check libraries, bookstores, and booksellers' catalogs. 4.2 What are the other costs associated with having Internet access? When budgeting for your school's Internet connection, there are a number of factors to consider that might not seem immediately obvious. Technical support and training will incur additional ongoing costs, even if those costs show up only as someone's time. Equipment will need to be maintained and upgraded as time passes, and even when all teachers have received basic Internet training, they will most likely have questions as they explore and learn more on their own. A general rule for budget planning is this: for every dollar you spend on hardware and software, plan to spend three dollars to support of the technology and those using it. It will be necessary for your school to have some technical expertise on-site. Your network access provider may offer training and support for technical issues, and other groups also offer formal classes and seminars. If your school has designated technical personnel, they will be good candidates for such classes and seminars. If your school does not have designated technical personnel, a teacher or other staff member with a strong interest will need take on the task of becoming the local expert. Students can help local experts maintain equipment and do other tasks, and they get to learn new skills at the same time. Training is an equally significant component to deployment of the Internet in schools. Most teachers learn about the Internet during the time they use to learn about any new teaching tool, which often means they "steal" time at lunch, on week-ends, and before and after school to explore resources and pursue relationships via the Internet. When a school is committed to providing the Internet as an educational resource, the administration will make in-service time available. It will also ensure that someone at the school is sufficiently knowledgeable to field questions and help people as they risk trying new ways of teaching using Internet resources. Again, some students make excellent tutors. Some technical support and a number of training materials can be found by using the Internet itself. You can send questions to people in the know and join discussion lists and newsgroups that discuss and answer questions about support and training. See section 9, "Resources and Contacts," for a preliminary listing of these resources, one of which is the Edtech mail list. Your local community may also have resources that you can tap. These include colleges and universities, businesses, computer clubs and user groups, technology consultants, and government agencies. 4.3 How can my school afford access to the Internet? Although school budgets are impossibly tight in most cases, the cost of an Internet connection can be squeezed from the budget when its value becomes apparent. Costs for a low end connection can be reasonable. (See the next question.) The challenge facing those advocating an Internet connection sometimes has less to do with the actual cost than it has with the difficulty of convincing administrators to spend money on an unfamiliar resource. In order to move the Internet connection closer to the top of your school's priority list, consider at least two possibilities. First, your school may be in the process of reform, as are many schools. As mentioned earlier, use of the Internet supports reform efforts, so framing Internet access as a component to systemic reform may convince some people of its value. Second, to demonstrate the value of a connection, an actual Internet demonstration can be more useful than words. While this may sound like a chicken-and-egg situation (I have to have Internet access to get Internet access), some organizations will provide guest accounts on an Internet-connected computer for people in schools who are trying to convince others of the value of an Internet connection. Contact local colleges, universities, technology companies, service providers, community networks, and government agencies for both guest accounts and funding ideas. For alternatives to your own school's budget or for supplements to it, look for funding in federal, state, and district budgets as well as from private grants. Work with equipment vendors to provide the hardware needed at low or no cost to your school, and consider forming a School/Community Technology Committee, or a joint School District/School/Community Technology Committee. Also investigate the possibility of a back-door connection to a local college or university. Service providers often allow schools to connect to higher education sites at a lower cost. A number of sites on the Internet provide more information about grants and organizations that offer them. Two in particular that you may find useful are Grants Web, for grant information of all kinds, and the Foundation Center, for information on private and nonprofit organizations. For information on where to find these sites on the Internet, see Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". 4.4 What are some ways to cut costs? It is possible to create a local, store-and-forward network using various implementations of the Unix to Unix Copy (UUCP) software suite, available as public domain (free) or shareware (small fee which is often optional) software, which can run on many different platforms including Amiga, IBM, and Macintosh. The connections are via dial-up phone lines using local phone numbers. Usenet News and email (both described in Section 6) are "stored" on a computer until the time appointed for that computer to contact the next one along the path to the final destination, at which time it is "forwarded" along its way. Most computers are set up to process outgoing requests at least every 30 minutes. With this type of system you will have access to as many Usenet News groups as your site agrees to carry, as well as email, which includes access to mailing lists such as those listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". Many file servers also offer file transfer and other services via email. There are a couple of advantages to such a system. First, it is much more affordable since such networks provide more efficient use of telephone lines, making a connection only while data is actually being transferred. Second, it allows for filtering, which gives a school some control over what kind of information is available to its students. (See Section 7, "Questions About Security and Ethics" for further discussion on school control of information available to students.) The disadvantage to this type of Internet access is that you will be limited regarding the range of Internet applications you can use. Many utilities, including the World Wide Web and other network tools described in Section 6, "Questions about Classroom Resources, Projects, and Collaboration", are not operable over a UUCP connection. Global SchoolNet, FidoNet, and K12Net are store-and-forward systems. FidoNet, for example, is a network of amateurs and hobbyists which operates on personal computers and is publicly accessible by anyone with a microcomputer and a modem. Contact information for all three organizations can be found in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". 4.5 What organizational structure needs to be in place in order for my school to have Internet access? Schools and school districts have devised structures that vary widely, depending on a school's particular requirements. In many schools, the librarians/media specialists guide the development of the network and policies on its use and serve as the top of the structure within the school. In other schools, an interested teacher becomes the driving force behind getting the Internet into the school, and may be the most appropriate person to see the project through. The school administration, if not the guiding force, needs to be behind the plan to bring the Internet into the school. And all other parties who might have a stake in the development should be brought in as early as possible. These might include area businesses, community leaders, teachers with Internet access at home, anyone in the school who finds the idea of bringing the Internet into the school appealing, the librarian or media specialist whether or not that person is knowledgeable about the Internet, and parents. In short, any organizational structure will do as long as it is clear and simple and includes the people who might have a stake in the process of bringing the Internet into the school. One way to ensure that an organizational structure develops and that the right people become involved is to invite a wide variety of people to create a technology plan for the school. The by-product of technology planning can be the development of an organizational structure, but of course the planning is useful in itself to help your school define and meet goals for Internet and other technology use. The National Center for Technology Planning hosts a collection of technology plans and planning aids for people who need help, new ideas, or solutions as they tackle technology planning in their schools or districts. Information on the National Center for Technology Planning can be found in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts." 4.6 How many of our computers should have Internet access and where in the school should they be located? You should make Internet access possible for as many of your school's computers as possible. Ideally, you have computers located throughout the school -- in classrooms, the library, and laboratories -- and they are all connected together with printers and other peripherals in one or more Local Area Networks (LANs). In that case, you acquire one dedicated Internet connection of 56 Kbs (Kilobits per second) or higher to serve the whole school. If your budget and existing computer equipment are both limited, you can use a dial-up service and a modem to access the Internet, but in most cases that will only be viable for one computer at a time. As use of the Internet catches on in your school, it will eventually be more effective for you to create the LAN with Internet access mentioned above than to keep adding modems in classrooms. If you must choose between Internet access in one lab in the school or Internet access for a the same number of computers throughout the school, your best bet for getting teachers to use the access is to make it available where they can most easily take advantage of it; this usually means that you make access available throughout the school. Although a computer lab is an easier maintenance set-up for the person in charge of keeping the equipment running and allows each individual (or pair) in an entire class to be using a computer at the same time, a computer located in the classroom is more convenient for both the teacher and the class. Internet resources can be more easily integrated into a classroom lesson, and the emphasis remains on using the Internet as an instructional tool. Since only one or two computers can usually be placed in each classroom, teachers will learn to allocate computer time creatively. And if you are only able to provide a few computers throughout the school, make sure that at least one of them is in the library where all students will have the chance to be exposed to the Internet as a resource. Networking all computers campus-wide can be expensive. You may want to investigate initially giving one lab, the library, and a few classrooms dial-up access, assuming phone lines are available. Even a connection to only one classroom as a demonstration may help you to garner more support for creating a campus-wide local area network that is routed to the Internet through a dedicated line. Or you may want to consider the other options discussed in question 4.4 above. 4.7 Can people get on the Internet from home? This depends on your network access provider. It is certainly a possibility and is definitely desirable for the educators at your school. Many teachers like to be able to learn at home as well as on school grounds, and having the ability to explore when they have the time is invaluable. One school district we know of made low-interest loans available to teachers so that they could buy home computers. When the technology was later made available in their classrooms, they already had some experience and were comfortable beginning to use it in day-to-day instruction. The question of whether or not to make the option to dial in from home available to students is more difficult. On one hand, a school may not be able to escape the idea that it is responsible for how students use the Internet access it provides, even though the school has no control over the home environment. On the other hand, particularly in high school, much schoolwork is done at home. Since most classrooms don't have enough computers for all students to access the Internet at once, it is even more likely that work will not be completed during class time. Having Internet access from home becomes more important. Discussion of whether or not you want to make this option available to students -- even if it is possible technically -- should involve as many school partners as possible, including faculty, administration, parents, and other community members. It might take place in a public forum such as a school/community meeting. 5. Questions About Finding Materials, People, and Projects on the Internet The way to find people, information, software, and anything else on the Internet is generally to use either printed or electronic guides and Internet tools. In this section we will concentrate on the tools. (See Section 6, "Questions about Classroom Resources, Projects, and Collaboration," for information on guides.) We answer more questions about the World Wide Web than about other online tools for three reasons. First, the World Wide Web is the Internet tool coming into most prominence at the time of this writing. Second, many (if not all) of the other tools are included seamlessly in the Web; that is, they're there, but you may or may not realize you're using them. Third, making your way around the Internet using the World Wide Web is very easy; it is no longer the case that for people not interested in computers the Internet is more trouble than it's worth! 5.1 What is the World Wide Web? The World Wide Web (WWW) is a project initiated and driven by CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics located in Geneva, Switzerland. When exploring the World Wide Web, users navigate through documents by selecting highlighted text, called pointers or anchors, that lead to another document or location. This navigation results in a three-dimensional exploration of documents, instead of a flat text document. The World Wide Web incorporates different media into its documents, including text, sound, graphics, and moving images. The World Wide Web presents either a graphical or a text interface to numerous Internet resources. Not only can users access documents specifically designed for the Web, they can also view documents on Gopher servers; use FTP to download files; and launch a telnet session. Some World Wide Web clients also allow for the use of email and Usenet news. This is a very easy-to-use, non-threatening way to approach the Internet, and does not require in-depth technical knowledge. (See Question 5.5 for a discussion of these other tools.) 5.2 How do I connect to the World Wide Web? To access the Web, the user runs a client on a local computer which accesses a WWW server running on another computer. In WWW terms, the client is called a browser. The browser retrieves and reads documents from WWW servers. Information providers establish WWW servers for use by network users, and when you become proficient at using the Internet, you may want to become exactly that kind of information provider. Most Web browsers share common features. One feature is the hotlist, or bookmark, feature. This allows you to mark your favorite sites. Your browser will store these sites and their addresses and allow you to revisit them later by simply selecting the name of a site from a menu. Another feature common to most browsers allows you to save the current file to your local disk. Some browsers keep a tally of the sites you've visited recently and allow you to revisit them without typing in the location again. Every browser is different, so it pays to explore your own client software and learn its features through practice. Most people, even those with little computer experience, find that it's easy to learn to use a browser just by exploring on their own. Each document contained on Web servers across the Internet has a unique address. This is called a URL, a uniform resource locator. Browsers negotiate URLs just like mail software negotiates email addresses. Users can type in the URL for the browser to access. URLs are also embedded in a Web document's text, providing a seamless link to another location or document. 5.3 How is the World Wide Web linked? The World Wide Web functions as a distributed hypermedia system. The purpose of this system is to allow the exchange of information across the Internet in the form of hypertext documents. Hypertext is text with pointers to other text, allowing the user to branch off to another document for more information on a given topic, and then return to the same location in the original document with ease. Pointers in a Web document are analogous to HyperCard stacks or Microsoft help files in which you click on an option (a pointer or a link) and the program moves you to another document, or location. Documents published on the World Wide Web are constructed in HTML, hypertext markup language. This is a very simple language that allows for formatting of text, insertion of images and sound, and creation of anchors in a document. Tutorials on creating Web services are available at the NCSA Mosaic Home Page, the automatic starting place for Web exploration when using the Mosaic client. There are also pointers to Web page creation resources in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". 5.4 Where do I get a World Wide Web browser? The two most common graphical World Wide Web browsers at the time of this writing are Netscape and Mosaic. Netscape is a commercial product, but is currently free for educational use. Mosaic is free. Both of these packages are available for Macintosh, PC, and UNIX platforms through the Internet. See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts," for details. For those users with lower-speed connections who cannot accommodate full graphical browsers, there is a text-based browser available for UNIX systems called Lynx. One public-access Lynx client is accessible through telnet at the server of the World Wide Web Consortium, which is listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". 5.5 What are the other tools on the Internet? There are a number of other tools to help you get around on the Internet. We will briefly describe the most common ones. For more information, see the "EFF's (Extended) Guide to the Internet" by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and "The Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog" by Ed Krol, both of which are listed in Section 8, "Suggested Reading" in addition to the Glossary entries mentioned for each tool. Email: Email is probably the most basic tool on the Internet. It is short for electronic mail and may be used in a couple of ways. You can send email back and forth with just one person, or you can participate with a group of people who discuss topics of common interest. These groups are called mail lists. You join and leave the lists by sending email to one address, and you post messages to all the people on the list by sending email to a slightly different address. Sometimes a human does the list registration and sometimes a software program does it. For more information, see the entries for "email" and "mailing lists" in the Glossary. A list of mail lists related to primary and secondary education can be found in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". Network News: Also known as Usenet News or Net News. Reading news is similar to joining an email list, but instead of the messages coming to your mailbox, you use news reader software to read messages on a computer where they are accumulated. For more information, see the entry for "Usenet News" in the Glossary. FTP: FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and just as the name implies, it allows you to transfer files from one computer to another. It is the name for both the protocol and the program. A special kind of FTP, Anonymous FTP, allows you to access the many public archives on the Internet. FTP is not used by itself as much as it used to be, since people often use the World Wide Web browsers and Gopher clients which incorporate FTP when they want to retrieve files. For more information, see the entries for "Anonymous FTP" and "FTP" in the Glossary. Telnet: Telnet allows you to log into a computer somewhere else on the Internet and use the services there. For example, if you don't have a Gopher client or a World Wide Web browser, there are some public access sites that you can telnet to in order to use a Gopher client or a text-based WWW browser. Gopher: Gopher is a tool that lets you browse for information on the Internet using menus. If you know what you're looking for and have an idea about where to find it, Gopher can make your search easier. And when you have located something of interest, whether it's a document, a data set, or a picture, Gopher will retrieve it for you. For more information, see the entry for "Gopher" in the Glossary. Search Tools: Archie is a tool for searching FTP sites; Veronica (Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Network Index to Computerized Archives, which works the same way Archie does) is a tool for searching Gopherspace; WAIS (Wide Area Information Service, pronounced "wayz") is a tool for searching indexed databases, whether the databases are full of numbers, text, or graphics files; and Yahoo, Lycos, and WebCrawler are some of the many search tools available on and for the World Wide Web. For more information, see the entries for "Archie," "Gopher," "WAIS," "WWW," and "Veronica in the Glossary. 6. Questions about Classroom Resources, Projects, and Collaboration 6.1 How can I find specific projects using the Internet that are already developed? When you have learned to use some of the Internet tools discussed in Section 5, "Questions About Finding Materials, People, and Projects on the Internet," particularly the search tools, you will be able to answer that question fully for yourself. In the mean time, since there are a several resources on the Internet that are directed specifically at the primary and secondary school communities, here are some ideas to get you started. The Global SchoolNet Foundation's World Wide Web site contains a wealth of valuable information and materials, including help setting up projects by learning what has worked best based on others's experience. The GSN site also contains a landmark registry of projects in which schools can participate. Andy Carvin's EdWeb is an excellent source of K-12 information; the Consortium for School Networking maintains a gopher server; and NASA's Spacelink and Quest are directed at primary and secondary school educators, and both house lesson plans and Internet-based curriculum units. NYSERNet's Empire Internet Schoolhouse is an extension of its Bridging the Gap program. Gleason Sackman of North Dakota's SENDIT network for K-12 educators maintains an active list of K-12 schools on the Internet. BBN's National School Network Testbed provides links to numerous schools and projects. Also visit the Internet School Networking home page, listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts," for a collection of documents and case studies on projects. For access to these and others, see Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". A number of Web sites also provide favorite "bookmarks," or lists of sites for educators. We will not include these in Section 9, but you will quickly find them if you begin at any of the entry points listed here. Many people on electronic mailing lists such as Ednet, Kidsphere, and the Consortium for School Networking Discussion List (cosndisc) post their projects and ask for partners and collaborators. The K12 hierarchy of Usenet News has several groups where educators post these invitations as well. For subscription to these and other electronic lists and for names of news groups, see Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". There are also a number of conferences you may want to look in to. The National Education Computing Conference (NECC) and Tel-Ed, both held annually, are conferences sponsored by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). The INET conference is the annual conference for the Internet Society. See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts", for contact information for these organizations. 6.2 What are some examples of how the Internet is being used in classrooms now? Projects which use the Internet sometimes request sites from all over the world to contribute data from the local area then compile that data for use by all. Weather patterns, pollutants in water or air, and Monarch butterfly migration are some of the data that has been collected over the Internet. In Appendix A you will find several examples collected from various online servers and electronic mailing lists pertaining to education, each from a different content area and representing different ways of using the Internet. Some of the projects require only that you be able to use email, some require that you have access to the most advanced Internet tools, and some offer varying levels of participation. There are a number of specific projects you may find interesting. KIDS, managed by the non-profit KIDLINK Society, is one. It includes discussion lists and services, some of them only for people who are ten through fifteen years old. Another place to look is Academy One of the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN), which usually has a number of projects running at a time. The International Education and Research Network (I*EARN), a project of the non-profit Copen Family Fund, facilitates telecommunications in schools around the world. Chatback Trust, initiated to provide email for schools in the United Kingdom and around the world with students who have mental or physical difficulty with communicating, and Chatback International, directed at any school on the Internet, maintain a network server that you may want to investigate. The European Schools Project involves approximately 200 schools in 20 countries and has as its goal building a support system for secondary school educators. The Online Interactive Projects on NASA's Quest server and the JASON Project are electronic field trips designed especially to provide classroom contact with real science and scientists. For contact information on these groups and server access, refer to Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". 6.3 Are there any guides to using the Internet in schools that list all these resources in one place? Printed guides to using the Internet in education are appearing along with the new books on the Internet, and we would expect to see more in the near future. The problem with paper resource guides is that the Internet is a changing environment, so they can become outdated quickly. Most (like this document) try to list only the most stable resource sites, and even if not everything you try is available, these guides can be particularly helpful if you are new to the Internet. Try the books entitled "Education on the Internet," "Teaching with the Internet: Putting Teachers Before Technology," and "Brave New Schools" listed in Section 8, "Suggested Reading" for a sampling of those available at the time of this writing, and check bookstores, libraries, and booksellers's catalogs for the others. One answer to the problem of printed Internet guides is the newsletter. Two newsletters we know are both of good quality. They are specifically for primary and secondary school educators interested in networking and contain information on new services on the Internet that are of interest to educators, projects for collaboration, conferences, new books and publications, essays, and practical tutorials on using network tools and services. NetTeach News is published ten times a year and is available both hardcopy and via email. Classroom Connect is published nine times a year. Information on subscribing and related online services for both newsletters can be found in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". Network servers which act as guides to the Internet for educators are, among others, BBN's Copernicus server, the Global SchoolNet server, NASA's Quest server, the University of Illinois College of Education's Learning Resource Server, and Web66. All are listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". 6.4 How can I add my own contributions to the Internet? In addition to sharing your knowledge and expertise on the electronic mail lists and news groups mentioned, as you gain experience you may find you have the knowledge and inclination to put up an electronic server at your own site. Many K-12 schools are maintaining World Wide Web servers to publish student projects and information about their schools. Gleason Sackman's Hot List of K-12 Internet School Sites and Web66 offer a comprehensive listing of these schools and provides links to their home pages. These pages may give you ideas about ways your school can use the World Wide Web to contribute to the K-12 Internet community. There are also a number of sites which give instruction in how to publish on the World Wide Web and how to maintain Web sites, including Web66, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), and the Geometry Forum. For the Internet locations these resources, see Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". 7. Questions about Security and Ethics 7.1 I've heard that there is a lot of objectionable material on the Internet. How do we deal with that problem? Because sensational media accounts tend to downplay the educational uses of the Internet in favor of the more controversial material available, this will almost certainly be an issue raised when you discuss getting an Internet connection in your school. Concerned educators should learn more about this issue and formulate a strategy for resolving problems before they arise. One important point to realize early is that students do not accidentally bump into objectionable material in the course of most educational explorations. Although we are not suggesting that one couldn't possibly run across objectionable material without trying, most people find this material only because they're looking for it. If your school has a direct Internet connection, and often even if it doesn't, it is not possible to use a technical solution to prevent students from accessing objectionable material. Everyone on the network, including students, is able to download files from public electronic repositories, some of which contain materials that just about anyone would consider objectionable for school-age children. Several commercial software products are available which do attempt to address this problem. They block access to sites which are known to contain materials many people would object to, look for text in email messages, or do both. Some can be configured in the home or school and some block a pre-configured collection of sites which is maintained and configured by the company. None of them has been proven to be wholly successful in addressing the problem of student access to controversial material yet. The store-and-forward scenario described in Question 4.4 is one solution to filtering the information to which students have access, but if students are allowed to use email then it is possible for someone to send them objectionable material. It is also possible to control the times and opportunities that students have to access the Internet and only allow access under supervision. Some success has been achieved through the use of proxy servers. Teachers can point their World Wide Web browsers to a proxy server, through which access to objectionable sites is forbidden. These are less desirable options than teaching the ethics of Internet access as a matter of course, but may be used in combination with other methods to ensure the integrity of the school, its students, and its educators. At the time of this writing the most important and effective action schools can take is to develop clear policies to guide students' use of the Internet and establish rules -- and consequences for breaking them -- that govern behavior on the Internet. These policies, called Acceptable Use Policies, work best when they are in line with rules governing other behavior at school. Additionally, schools should integrate issues around technology and ethics into the curriculum [3]. Schools need to exercise reasonable oversight while realizing that it is almost impossible to absolutely guarantee that students will not be able to access objectionable material. It may be wise to make this clear to parents and students before a student is given access to the Internet. To limit a school's liability, some systems have found it necessary to obtain signed releases from students and parents stipulating that they have read the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and that the student agrees to abide by it. There are resources for further exploration of the issue of students and objectionable material available on the Internet. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has produced a sensible and practical brochure entitled, "Child Safety on the Information Highway," written by Los Angeles Times columnist Lawrence J. Magid. It is available both online and hardcopy. Another good document is "Internet Parental Control Frequently Asked Questions," which describes the tools available at the time of this writing to help with issues of children using the Internet, from guidance by parents to government restrictions to rating and filtering systems. It is produced by the Voters Telecommunications Watch and is available on the Internet. There is also at least one mailing list which you may want to join, called CACI, Children Accessing Controversial Information. Information on all of these, can be found in Section 8, "Suggested Reading" and Section 9, "Resources and Contacts." 7.2 How do we keep our own and other people's computers safe from student "hackers"? In the language of computer folks, a "hacker" is someone who is excellent at understanding and manipulating computer systems. A "cracker" is someone who maliciously and/or illegally enters or attempts to enter someone else's computer system. Computer security is unquestionably important, both in maintaining the security of the school's computers and in ensuring the proper behavior of the school's students (and others who use the network). In this area, not only school policy, but also state and national laws may apply. One source of information which you can read to help you sort through security issues is the Site Security Handbook (FYI 8), which suggests to site computer administrators, Network Information Centers, Network Operation Centers, and others how to set up security policies and gives pointers to further information. The full reference for this document can be found in Section 8, "Suggested Reading". Your school's AUP (see question 5.4) should specify the consequences for such activity, and it may also be prudent to require a signed release from each student stating that he understands these consequences and possible legal implications of intentional exploitation of computer networks. 7.3 How do we keep viruses from attacking all our computers if we get connected to the Internet? If you use the Internet to exchange data (such as text or pictures), virus infection is generally not a problem. The real concern is when you download software programs and run them on your own computer. Any program you download over the network and run could have a virus. For that matter, any program, whether on tape or a disk, even commercial software still in its original packaging, might possibly have a virus. For this reason, all computers should have virus protection software running on them. Virus checking software is available free over the Internet via Anonymous FTP from the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), which is run by the US National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST). Your hardware or software vendor, your network access provider, your technical support resources, or your colleagues on network mailing lists should be able to provide more specific information applicable to your site. Information on how to locate CERT can be found in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts." To help reduce the risk of downloading a virus with your program, try to use trusted sources. Ask someone you know or send the question to a mailing list or news group to find the most reliable sites for software access. 7.4 What are the rules for using the Internet? When your Internet connection is established, your access provider should acquaint you with their Acceptable Use Policy. This policy explains the acceptable and non-acceptable uses for your connection. For example, it is in all cases unacceptable to use the network for illegal purposes. It may, in some cases, be unacceptable to use the network for commercial purposes. If such a policy is not mentioned, ask for it. All users are expected to know what the acceptable and unacceptable uses of their network are. Remember that it is essential to establish a school-wide policy in addition to the provider's . A school's AUP is usually more restrictive and specific than the one used by the service provider. A repository of sample AUPs can be found on the Armadillo Web server, listed in section 9, "Resources and Contacts." As mentioned earlier, some school systems have found it worthwhile to make Internet access contingent upon a student's signed agreement to abide by the school's AUP. Beyond your service provider's AUP and any you create for your school, there are no overreaching rules for Internet use. There are, however, community standards and conventions that should be observed. You can review some generally agreed-upon guidelines at Arlene Rinaldi's etiquette page and by reading FYI 28 (RFC 1855), "Netiquette Guidelines". See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts," for the location of the etiquette page and Appendix B, "Ways to Get RFCs" for instructions on obtaining FYI 28. 8. Suggested Reading Those items marked with an asterisk (*) are available free online. For information on retrieving RFCs and FYIs, see Appendix B, "Ways to Get RFCs". * Conrad, Linda B. "Getting US Educators Online" http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/online/table.html (State-by-state compilation of Internet service offerings especially for teachers.) Cummins, J. and D. Sayers. Brave New Schools: Challenging Cultural Illiteracy Through Global Learning Networks. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995. Ellsworth, J. H. Education on the Internet: A Hands-on Book of Ideas, Resources, Projects, and Advice. Indianapolis, Indiana: Sams Publishing, 1994. * Electronic Frontier Foundation. EFF's (Extended) Guide to the Internet. http://www.eff.org/pub/Net_info/EFF_Net_Guide/netguide.eff and from the EFF online archives at ftp.eff.org, gopher.eff.org, AOL keyword EFF, CIS EFFSIG forum. * FYI 4 "FYI on Questions and Answers: Answers to Commonly asked `New Internet User' Questions", Malkin, G.S. and A. Marine. (fyi4.txt or rfc1594.txt) * FYI 5 "Choosing a Name for Your Computer", Libes, D. (fyi5.txt or rfc1178.txt) * FYI 8 "Site Security Handbook", Holbrook, J.P. and J.K. Reynolds. (fyi8.txt or rfc1244.txt) * FYI 18 "Internet Users' Glossary", LaQuey Parker, T. and G. Malkin. (fyi18.txt or rfc1392.txt) * FYI 20, "What is the Internet?" Krol, E. and E. Hoffman. (fyi20.txt or rfc1462.txt) * FYI 28, "Netiquette Guidelines," Hambridge, S.(fyi28.txt or rf1855.txt) Giagnocavo, G., et. al. Educator's Internet Companion (with diskette and video). Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Wentworth Worldwide Media, 1995. Harris, J. Way of the Ferret: Finding and Using Educational Resources on the Internet. Eugene, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education, 1995. Krol, E. The Whole Internet User's Guide & Catalog, Second Edition. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 1994. * National Center for Missing and Exploited Children http://www.missingkids.org/information_superhighway.html (Online brochure "Child Safety on the Information Highway") Also available from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 2101 Wilson Boulevard Suite 550 Arlington, VA 22201-3052 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) Protheroe, N. and E. Wilson. The Internet Handbook for School Users. Arlington, Virginia: Educational Research Service, 1994. * RFC 1480 "The US Domain", Cooper, A. and J. Postel. June 1993. (rfc1480.txt) [This document will also be useful to people not in the United States. See the sites listed under the FYI documents for the location nearest you from which to download the file.] * Rinaldi, Arlene. "The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette" http://rs6000.adm.fau.edu/rinaldi/netiquette.html * Rogers, Al. "Global Literacy in a Gutenberg Culture," http://gsn.org/gsn/article.gutenberg.html * Safdar, Shabbir J. "Internet Parental Control Frequently Asked Questions," Voters Telecommunications Watch, 1995. http://www.vtw.org/pubs/ipcfaq, or email vtw@vtw.org and in the subject line type "send ipcfaq" without the quotes Steen, D.R., M.R. Roddy, D. Sheffield, and M.B. Stout. Teaching with the Internet: Putting Teachers Before Technology. Bellevue, Washington: Resolution Business Press, Inc., 1995. 9. Resources and Contacts ------------ CONFERENCES: ------------ A list of other conferences, primarily in the United States, can be found at http://www.classroom.net/classroom/conf.htm NECC and Tel-Ed International Society for Technology in Education 1787 Agate Street Eugene, Oregon 97403-1923 USA phone: 503-346-4414 or 1-800-336-5191 fax: 503-346-5890 email: iste@oregon.uoregon.edu (Compuserve: 70014,2117) (AppleLink: ISTE) See Also "Network Servers" in this section. INET Internet Society 1895 Preston White Drive Suite 100 Reston, Virginia 22091 USA Phone: 703-648-9888 Fax: 703-620-0913 Email: isoc@isoc.org ---------------------- ELECTRONIC MAIL LISTS: ---------------------- A list of electronic mail lists which you can search by category can be found via the World Wide Web at http://tile.net/listserv/ and another list can be found at http://k12.cnidr.org:90/lists.html. Both of these lists are for mail lists handled by listserv software. (See the entries for "Mailing List" and "Listserv" in Appendix C: Glossary.) Classroom Connect mailing list To subscribe, send a message to... crc-request@wentworth.com Leave the Subject field blank and in the first line of the body of the message enter... subscribe CACI (Children Accessing Controversial Information) To subscribe, send a message to... caci-request@cygnus.com Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message enter... subscribe Cosndisc (Consortium for School Networking Discussion List) To subscribe, send a message to... listproc@list.cren.net Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message enter... subscribe cosndisc YourFirstName YourLastName To post, send a message to... cosndisc@list.cren.net Ednet To subscribe, send a message to... listproc@lists.umass.edu Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message enter... subscribe ednet YourFirstName YourLastName To post, send a message to... ednet@lists.umass.edu Edtech (Educational Technology list) To subscribe, send a message to... listserv@msu.edu Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message enter... subscribe edtech YourFirstName YourLastName To post, send a message to... edtech@msu.edu Internet School Networking (List for the working group which produced this document) To subscribe, send a message to... listmanager@nasa.gov Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message enter... subscribe isn-wg (NOTE: Do not add your name) To post, send a message to... isn-wg@nasa.gov Kidsphere To subscribe, send a message to... kidsphere-request@vms.cis.pitt.edu Type any message asking to subscribe. To post, send a message to... kidsphere@vms.cis.pitt.edu KIDLINK (Also KIDS-96, KIDS-97, etc.) KIDLINK operates 24 public mailing lists in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Hebrew, and Scandinavian languages, and a private "chat" network for members. To learn about KIDLINK projects, subscribe to the news service by sending a message to... listserv@vm1.nodak.edu Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message enter... subscribe KIDLINK YourFirstName YourLastName To receive a file of general information on KIDLINK, send email to the same listserv address, leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message enter... get kidlink general K12admin (A list for K-12 educators interested in educational administration) To subscribe, send a message to... listserv@listserv.syr.edu Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message enter... subscribe k12admin YourFirstName YourLastName To post, send a message to... k12admin@ listserv.syr.edu LM_NET (A list for school library media specialists worldwide) To subscribe, send a message to... listserv@listserv.syr.edu Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message enter... subscribe LM_NET YourFirstName YourLastName To post, send a message to... LM_NET@listserv.syr.edu NOVAE Group: Teachers Networking for the Future (Distribution list -- not discussion list -- of projects and happenings of interest to educators) To subscribe, send a message to... listserv@idbsu.idbsu.edu Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message, enter... subscribe novae YourFirstName YourLastName UK-schools (for teachers and others interested in the use of the Internet in UK schools and for general discussion about anything concerning international classroom connections) To subscribe, send a message to... mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message enter... join uk-schools YourFirstName YourLastName To post, send a message to... uk-schools@mailbase.ac.uk WWWedu (the World Wide Web in Education list; pronounced "we do") To subscribe, send a message to... listproc@kudzu.cnidr.org Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body of the message, enter... subscribe wwwedu YourFirstName YourLastName To post, send a message to... wwwedu@kudzu.cnidr.org ---------------- NETWORK SERVERS: ---------------- Academy One (National Public Telecomputing Network) via WWW: http://www.nptn.org/cyber.serv/AOneP/index.html Armadillo's WWW Server via WWW: http://riceinfo.rice.edu:80/armadillo/ BBN National School Network Testbed via gopher: copernicus.bbn.com via WWW: http://copernicus.bbn.com:70/testbed/ Censorship/Freedom of Speech/Child Safety on the Internet Web page via WWW: http://www.voicenet.com/~cranmer/censorship.html Classroom Connect on the Net via WWW: http://www.classroom.net/ ...via ftp: ftp.classroom.net/wentworth/Classroom-Connect/aup-faq.txt (for an FAQ document on Acceptable Use Policies) Chatback Trust and Chatback International network server via WWW: http://www.tcns.co.uk/chatback/welcome.html Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) via WWW: http://www.sei.cmu.edu/SEI/programs/cert/CERT.info.html via e-mail: cert@cert.org via FTP: info.cert.org cd pub/ Consortium for School Networking via gopher: cosn.org via WWW: http://cosn.org/ Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) via WWW: http://ericir.syr.edu/ via gopher: ericir.syr.edu via telnet: telnet bbs.oit.unc.edu login: launch (Follow directions on screen for registration. At the main menu, choose number 4, "Topical Document Search (WAIS)", and move to eric-digests. For help in WAIS, type a question mark.) via email: askeric@ericir.syr.edu (In your message ask for the topic you're interested in. A human will answer you.) Empire Internet Schoolhouse via gopher: nysernet.org (port 3000) Electronic Frontier Foundation ("A non-profit civil liberties organization working in the public interest to protect privacy, free expression, and access to online resources and information.") via WWW: http://www.eff.org/ via email: ask@eff.org via snailmail, telephone, and fax: The Electronic Frontier Foundation P.O. Box 170190 San Francisco CA 94117 USA +1 415 668 7171 (voice) +1 415 668 7007 (fax) EdWeb via WWW: http://edweb.cnidr.org:90/ Foundation Center via WWW: http://fdncenter.org/ Geometry Forum via WWW: http://forum.swarthmore.edu/ http://forum.swarthmore.edu/~steve/steve/wwwhtml.html ("Learning to Use the Web and Create Web Pages") Global SchoolNet via WWW: http://gsn.org/ Grants Web via WWW: http://infoserv.rttonet.psu.edu/gweb.htm Hot List of K-12 Internet School Sites (Gleason Sackman, SENDIT) via WWW: http://www.sendit.nodak.edu/k12/ International Education and Research Network (I*EARN) Through I*EARN's network of 1,500 schools in 25 countries teachers and students engage in collaborative and curriculum-based projects designed to make a meaningful difference in the health and welfare of the planet and its people. To access I*EARN's many conferences or participate in projects, you must be a member of I*EARN. For details about membership, point your gopher client to gopher.iearn.org port 7008 or send e-mail to: iearn@iearn.org via WWW: http:// www.iearn.org/iearn/ via gopher: gopher.iearn.org (port 7008) Internet School Networking (ISN) working group home page (publishers of this document) via WWW: http://spider.lloyd.com/isn/index.html International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) via WWW: http://isteonline.uoregon.edu/ via gopher: isteonline.uoregon.edu KIDLINK via WWW: http://www.kidlink.org/ via gopher: gopher.kidlink.org Learning Resource Server, University of Illinois College of Education via WWW: http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/ http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/Activity-Structures/ (Judi Harris' Network- Based Educational Activity Collection) via gopher: gopher.ed.uiuc.edu NASA Jason Project via WWW: http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/JASON/JASON_HOME.html NASA Online Educational Resources via WWW: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/OER/ NASA Quest via WWW: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/essay/essay-index.html ("Networks, Where Have You Been All My Life" student essay contest winners) via gopher: quest.arc.nasa.gov (port 70) via FTP: ftp quest.arc.nasa.gov NASA Spacelink via WWW: http//spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov/ via gopher: spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov via telnet: telnet spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov login: guest via FTP: ftp spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov To find information on the NASA Teacher Resource Center Network, choose "Educational Services," then "Teacher Resource Center Network". For television schedules, follow the menu for "Educational Service" to the menu option, "Technology". National Center for Missing and Exploited Children via WWW: http://www.missingkids.org/ http://www.missingkids.org/information_superhighway.html (Online brochure "Child Safety on the Information Highway) National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) via WWW: http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/NCSAMosaicHome.html (Mosaic Home Page) http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimer.html (A Beginner's Guide to HTML) via FTP: ftp ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu (to download the Mosaic WWW browser) National Center for Technology Planning via gopher: gopher.msstate.edu Choose "Resources Maintained at MS State University," then select "National Center for Technology Planning." National Science Foundation's (United States) Science and Technology Information System (STIS) via WWW: http://stis.nsf.gov/ via gopher: stis.nsf.gov via telnet: telnet stis.nsf.gov login: public Follow instructions on screen. Netscape Communications via WWW: http://www.netscape.com/ via FTP: ftp ftp.netscape.com Netscape's WWW browser can be downloaded from Netscape's FTP sites at ftp.netscape.com, ftp2.netscape.com, ftp3.netscape.com...through ftp7.netscape.com. Office of Educational Research and Improvement (US Department of Education) via WWW: http://oeri.ed.gov/ via gopher: gopher.ed.gov Providers of Commercial Internet Access (for a list of Internet Service Providers) via WWW: http://www.celestin.com/pocia/ THE LIST (for a list of Internet Service Providers) via WWW: http://thelist.com Voters Telecommunications Watch via WWW: http://www.vtw.org/ http://www.vtw.org/pubs/ipcfaq [Internet Parental Control Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Shabbir J. Safdar] World Wide Web Consortium via WWW: http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/ via telnet: telnet telnet.w3.org (public access Lynx client. Use "lynx" without the quotes if a login is requested.) Web66 via WWW: http://web66.coled.umn.edu/ http://web66.coled.umn.edu/schools.html (International WWW Schools Registry) http://web66.coled.umn.edu/Cookbook/contents.html (Classroom Internet Server Cookbook) ------------ NEWS GROUPS: ------------ alt.algebra.help alt.comp.shareware.for-kids alt.education.distance alt.kids-talk bit.listserv.edtech comp.security.announce k12.chat.elementary k12.chat.junior k12.chat.senior k12.chat.teacher k12.ed.art k12.ed.business k12.ed.comp.literacy k12.ed.health-pe k12.ed.life-skills k12.ed.math k12.ed.music k12.ed.science k12.ed.soc-studies k12.ed.special k12.ed.tag k12.ed.tech k12.edu.life-skills (especially for school counselors) k12.euro.teachers (in Europe) k12.lang.art k12.lang.deutsch-eng k12.lang.esp-eng k12.lang.francais k12.lang.russian k12.library k12.sys.projects misc.education misc.education.multimedia misc.education.language.english misc.kids misc.kids.computer news.announce.newusers pubnet.nixpub (where a list of open access Unix sites is often posted, for those looking for access to Usenet News and email only) uk.education.misc uk.education.teachers ------------------------- NEWSLETTERS and JOURNALS: ------------------------- Classroom Connect Published monthly during the school year, a subscription currently costs US $39.00. Wentworth Worldwide Media 1866 Colonial Village Lane P.O. Box 10488 Lancaster, PA 17605-0488 USA Phone: 1-717-393-1000 1-800-638-1639 Fax: 1-717-390-4378 Email: connect@wentworth.com via WWW: http://www.wentworth.com/classroom/crcpub.htm (Classroom Connect home page) http://www.wentworth.com/classroom/orderform.htm (order form for Classroom Connect Newsletter, books, software, and videos about the Internet for educators) The Computing Teacher Published monthly, the current US $61.00 ISTE membership fee includes $36.00 for this journal. ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education 1787 Agate Street Eugene, OR 97403 Phone: 1-503-346-4414 Electronic Learning Published eight times per year, a current subscription to this magazine for technology and school change costs $23.95. Scholastic, Inc. 2931 East McCarty Street P.O. Box 3710 Jefferson City, MO 65102-3710 MultiMedia Schools Published five times a year, a subscription currently costs US $38.00. Online, Inc. 462 Danbury Road Wilton, CT 06897-2126 USA Phone: 1-800-222-3766 NetTeach News Published ten times a year, subscription prices are as follows. Annual hardcopy subscription cost: US $38.00 for individual subscriptions in the US US $45.00 for individual subscriptions in Canada and Mexico US $60.00 for individual subscriptions outside North America Annual ASCII electronic copy cost: US $22.00 for individual subscriptions worldwide Site licenses are available for the electronic version. Discounts are available for ten or more orders of the printed version for educational institutions. For subscription questions and submissions contact: Kathleen M. Rutkowski, Editor Chaos Publications 13102 Weather Vane Way Herndon, VA 22071 USA Phone: 1-703-471-0593 Fax: 1-703-471-0596 Email: netteach@chaos.com via WWW: http://www.chaos.com/netteach -------------- ORGANIZATIONS: -------------- Asia Pacific Network Information Center c/o University of Tokyo, Computer Center 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113 Japan Phone: +81-3-5684-7747 Fax: +81-3-5684-7256 Email: hostmaster@apnic.net WWW: http://www.apnic.net AskERIC Project ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources Syracuse University 4-194 Center for Science & Technology Syracuse, New York 13244-4100 Phone: 315-443-3640 Fax: 315-443-5448 Email: AskERIC@ericir.syr.edu See also "Network Servers" above. Chatback International Dr. R. Zenhausern, Executive Director Psychology Department St. Johns University SB 15, Marillac Jamaica, NY 11439 USA Phone: 718-990-6447 Fax: 718-990-6705 Email: drz@sjuvm.stjohns.edu The Chatback Trust Tom Holloway, UK Director 6 St. Mary's Crescent Royal Leamington Spa Warwickshire, 1JL Phone: +44-926-888333 Fax: +44-926-420204 Email: t.holloway@warwick.ac.uk See also "Network Servers" above. Consortium for School Networking P.O. Box 65193 Washington, DC 20035-5193 USA Phone: 202-466-6296 Fax: 202-872-4318 Email: info@cosn.org See also "Network Servers" above. European Schools Project ("...a support system for secondary schools to explore applications of educational telematics".) University of Amsterdam Centre for Tele-Learning Wibautstraat 2-4 1091 GM Amsterdam The Netherlands Contact: Dr. Pauline Meijer or Dr. Henk Sligte Phone: +31-20-5251248 Fax: +31-20-5251211 Email: risc@esp.educ.uva.nl WWW: http:/www.educ.uva.nl/ESP FidoNet 1151 SW Vermont Street Portland, OR 97219 USA Contact: Janet Murray Phone: 1-503-280-5280 Email: jmurray@psg.com WWW: http://bbs.owls.com/~jerrys/fidonet.html (A Fidonet Primer) Global SchoolNet Foundation (formerly FrEdMail) P.O. Box 243, Bonita, CA 91908 USA Phone: (619) 475-4852 Fax: (619) 472-0735 Email: info@gsn.org See also "Network Servers" above. International Education and Research Network (I*EARN) c/o Copen Family Fund 345 Kear Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 USA Contact: Dr. Edwin H. Gragert Phone: 914-962-5864 Fax: 914-962-6472 Email: iearn@iearn.org See also "Network Servers" above. Internet Society 1895 Preston White Drive Suite 100 Reston, Virginia 22091 USA Phone: 703-648-9888 Fax: 703-620-0913 Email: isoc@isoc.org WWW: http://www.isoc.org/home.html KIDLINK Society 4815 Saltrod Norway Phone: +47-370-31204 Fax: +47-370-27111 Email: kidlink-info@kidlink.org See also "Network Servers" and "Electronic Mail Lists" above. K12Net 1151 SW Vermont Street Portland, OR 97219 USA Phone: 503-280-5280 Contact: Janet Murray Email: jmurray@psg.com Telnet: telnet gopher.psg.com login: gopher Gopher: rain.psg.com:70/11/schools/k12net WWW: http://arlo.wilsonhs.pps.k12.or.us/k12.html Reseaux IP Europeens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) Kruislaan 409 NL-1098 SJ Amsterdam The Netherlands Phone: +31 20 592 5065 Fax: +31 20 592 5090 Email: ncc@ripe.net WWW: http://www.ripe.net/ripe/default.html ------ VIDEOS ------ Master Communications Group 7322 Ohms Lane Minneapolis, MN 55439 Phone: 1-800-862-6164 Fax: 1-612-835-9573 Titles: Experience the Power: Network Technology for Education (produced by the National Center for Education Statistics) Future Schools: Connected to the World (produced by MIT) NASA Central Operation of Resources for Educators (CORE) Lorain County Joint Vocational School 15181 Route 58 South Oberlin, OH 44074 USA Phone: 1-216-774-1051, x293/294 Fax: 1-216-774-2144 Email: video-info@quest.arc.nasa.gov Titles: Global Quest: The Internet in the Classroom Connecting to the Future: A Guide for Building a Network Infrastructure for Education Global Quest II: The Internet in the Curriculum Others The fee for the videos is cost plus shipping and handling. You may also make a copy yourself by taking a blank copy to the nearest NASA Teacher Resource Center. For information on the NASA Teacher Resource Center Network or on NASA Select, contact your nearest NASA facility or consult NASA Spacelink, listed above in "Network Servers". Wentworth Worldwide Media 1866 Colonial Village Lane P.O. Box 10488 Lancaster, PA 17605-0488 USA Phone: 1-717-393-1000 1-800-638-1639 Fax: 1-717-390-4378 Titles: The Amazing Internet Internet Email Searching the Internet Discovering the World Wide Web Others 10. References [1] "Internet Domain Survey, January 1995," Network Wizards http://www.nw.com/zone/WWW/report.html [2] "Restructuring Schools: A Systematic View", Action Line, the newsletter of the Maryland State Teachers Association, a National Education Association Affiliate. R. Kuhn, Editor. No. 93-6. June, 1993. [3] Sivin, J. P. and E. R. Bialo, "Ethical Uses of Information Technologies in Education." Washington, D. C.: U. S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. 1992. 11. Security Considerations General security considerations are discussed in Section 7 of this document. 12. Authors' Addresses Julie Robichaux BBN Planet Southeastern Region XXXX Phone: 301-982-4600 x 169 Email: julie@bbnplanet.com Jennifer Sellers Sterling Software/NASA IITA 700 13th Street, NW Suite 950 Washington, DC 20005 Phone: 202-434-8954 Email: sellers@quest.arc.nasa.gov APPENDIX A: EXAMPLES OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS USING THE INTERNET The following examples of projects using the Internet appeared on various online servers and electronic mailing lists pertaining to education during the 1995-96 school year. The messages have been edited in the interest of space and because many of the details about how to participate are dated, but the information presented can give you a feel for the types and range of projects that happen today. A good source for project examples is "Judi Harris' Network-Based Educational Activity Collection" and other World Wide Web sites listed above in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts". -------------------------------------------------- Example One: WhaleNet Interdisciplinary Activities -------------------------------------------------- Welcome to WhaleNet This packet gives you the information that you need to begin using WhaleNet in your classroom. This packet contains the following information: 1. Instructions on How to Access WhaleNet 2. Start-up WhaleNet Activities 3. Instructions for recording whale watch data. 4. Instructions on how to input data into the WhaleNet program 5. Marine mammal species sheet with abbreviations 6. Whale Study Data Sheet 7. WhaleNet data base Information Sheet 8. Supplemental Materials information Please feel free to contact us for further information. Mr. Michael Williamson Mr. Paul Colombo Dr. Karen Talentino WhaleNet Coordinator Co-Director EnviroNet Co-Director EnviroNet Science Dept. Dept. of Biology Simmons College 200 Riverway 300 Fenway 300 Fenway Boston, MA 02215 Boston, MA 02115 Boston, MA 02115 617/734-5200, x256 617/521-2665 617/617/521-2666 Mwilliamson@vmsvax.simmons.edu Pcolombo@vmsvax.simmons.edu Ktalentino@vmsvax.simmons.edu WhaleNet is a teacher enhancement project funded by the National Science Foundation (RED-9454757) and sponsored by Wheelock College and Simmons College in Boston. The purpose of the WhaleNet is to enhance science education and environmental awareness using interdisciplinary learning through the use of telecommunications. [text deleted] Expand Your Educational Horizons with Telecommunications WhaleNet, in conjunction with research groups, educational organizations, and whale watch companies, provides a program to enhance the educational opportunities of students. WhaleNet offers, students and teachers, curriculum support, a source of data for interdisciplinary classroom activities , and interactive informational support through WhaleNet/EnviroNet utilizing telecommunications. WhaleNet provides a system where students, teachers, and researchers collect data on their whale watching cruises and compile their data on the WhaleNet bulletin board. The data is then shared, via WhaleNet, with schools for interdisciplinary curricular activities and student research in their respective classrooms world-wide. WhaleNet is establishing Internet communication between classes from around the world so that students can use collaborative learning, compare and relate their experiences, data, and knowledge with one another. WhaleNet is an interdisciplinary program to enhance science education and environmental awareness using telecommunications. WhaleNet, part of EnviroNet, is an enhancement project funded by the National Science Foundation and sponsored by Wheelock College and Simmons College in Boston. Class activities may be supplemented with information packets with materials supplied by WhaleNet. Plans to build a life-sized (55 ft.) inflatable whale that the students can actually walk through are also available through WhaleNet. Also available are Interactive CD-Rom and curriculum materials and the Elementary Whale Study Curriculum (EWSC) developed by Whale Conservation Institute and the Discovery Channel, and the booklets Whale Watches as Interdisciplinary Teaching Opportunities, The World of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises -- Interdisciplinary Curriculum Activities for Pre-K through High School, and Marine Science Activities on a Budget. WhaleNet curricula support continues through the winter months by utilizing information from the humpback southern breeding areas, WCI Patagonia right whale research, and research information on tracking whales, ocean toxics (ECOTOX), and bioacoustics supplied by the voyages of the WCI research vessel Odyssey. If you are interested in receiving an information packet, participating in the program, or learning more you can contact me, Michael Williamson, WhaleNet Coordinator at 617/734-5200, X256 or 508/468-4699, or Dr. Karen Talentino or Paul Colombo, EnviroNet co-directors, Park Science Bldg., Simmons College, 300 Fenway, Boston, MA 02115, 617/521-2665. [text deleted] GUEST INSTRUCTIONS FOR EnviroNet / WhaleNet LOGINS The following are some directions to access our network as a "guest". Please feel free to browse through our bulletin boards and let us know if you find them a help to your instruction. Bold type indicates information that you type. >From the TELNET> prompt you can either type connect vmsvax.simmons.edu to connect to us (you may use our IP# 134.140.112.5), or our direct dial-up # is (617)521-3000. username> ENVIRONET and password >SIMMONS [if Local appears--- Local> c vmsvax] This will give you the BULLETIN> prompt. There are currently thirteen different bulletin boards that we are running: ENVIRONET ROADKILL LEADPAINT ETHNICPLANTS ACIDRAIN OZONE ENVST-L LICHENS FLU WHALENET BIRDS WATERSHED ENVIROQUEST MARINE You should access the WhaleNet bulletin board first by typing at the prompt BULLETIN> select WHALENET. Once the folder has been set to WHALENET you should view the directory by typing at the prompt BULLETIN> 1 for the introductory message , then at BULLETIN> dir This will give you a list of current postings. Type the number of the file and [Return] to view the material. To access any of the other bulletin boards you would type select (space) and then the name of the bulletin board at the BULLETIN> prompt. When the board is activated you would simply hit your return key to read the messages or you can type dir to see a directory of all messages that appear in the board and access any one message by its number. To LOG OFF or to get out of the system BULLETIN> exit ENVIRONET logged out at 8-MAY-1994 11:30:38.90 Local> lo Local -020- Logged out port 1 on server MCB3 NO CARRIER We hope you enjoy our network and please send us your comments. *WhaleNet is funded by the National Science Foundation and supported by Wheelock Colege and Simmons College, Boston, MA. Recording Whale Watch Data Prior to making reservations for your whale watch, ask the company if they are WhaleNet affiliated and/or if they will allow you to conduct your research: record Lat/Long positions, collect water samples, and/or collect plankton samples. The companies need not be affiliated with WhaleNet, but you should be sure that you will be allowed to conduct your activities. Ask if the captain will allow a student in the pilot house to collect Latitude/Longitude (or LORAN) readings, depths, etc. Organize your data collecting teams or individuals before you arrive at the boat. The excitement of the day, boarding, etc. does not lend itself to organizing at dock side. Data Sheet 1. Fill in as much of the general information (weather, tides, etc.) in the data sheet header as possible. Sea state (beaufort scale of wind velocity), wave height, and visibility should be recorded at sea. 2. Take a Latitude/Longitude (Lat/Long) fix about every 15 minutes on the way to and from the primary whale watching area beginning at the harbor mouth. 3. The time should be recorded for each Lat/Long fix and marine mammal observation. Use 24-hr. time for all data entries, i.e. 2:15 PM would be 14:15. (For afternoon or evening just add 12 to the hour.) 4. The location is determined by Lat/Long coordinates (i.e. 71 24'W, 42 40'N) Two coordinates are used for a fix. Write one coordinate in each column under Location. 5. Depth can either be recorded by depth sounder on the boat or by making a fix on the chart and noting the depth on the chart closest to the fix. Many depth sounders do not work well when the boat is traveling at higher speeds. 6. When a whale is observed record the species using the Species Abbreviation Sheet, i.e. Mn for humpback, Bp for fin whale etc. 7. Record the number of whales in the immediate area (subjective distance judgment) around the boat. This can be confusing when there are a number of whales in the area. Use a separate line on the data sheet for each species in an area, all the other data will be the same, i.e. time, Lat/Long, depth, etc. 8. Grouping is recorded by listing the number of whales in a group. The sum total of grouping must equal the previous Number recorded. For instance, if you have 6 humpback whales, you may have 2+2+1+1 if there are two pairs and two single animals. a cow/calf pair is recorded as c/c. 9. Behavior is recorded as feeding, traveling, breaching, flipper slapping, lob tailing, spy hop, logging, trumpeting, etc. There are more behaviors and some researchers take minute detailed behavioral data, but for your purposes that detail may not be necessary. 10. The last column can be used for names of humpbacks. Most of the Gulf of Maine population have been named to facilitate data transfer by researchers. Marine Mammals and Turtle Sighting Abbreviations [text deleted] WhaleNet Data Input Instructions After you access the E-mail address (see WhaleNet Access Sheet) input the data as follows. [text deleted] ** NON-WHALE WATCHING CLASSES ** If you are a class not going on a whale watch but using the whale watch data, use the data sheets to copy data off of the WhaleNet Bulletin Board. You can then use the data in the same way as those that did go on an actual whale watch. [text deleted] WhaleNet Sample & Start-up Activities Activity 1: Navigation Simple navigation methods can be used to involve mathematics. Using latitude and longitude, or a system of navigation called LORAN (Long Range Aid to Navigation) the ship's position can be plotted very accurately on a navigation chart. The ship's track can be plotted on a chart by taking a position check or fix periodically by recording the time and ship's Lat/Long coordinates. Prior to your trip laminate your chart or cover it with clear contact paper. The students can use water soluble fine tip markers to plot the fixes and course as the day progresses. Different colors can be used to indicate different species sightings, etc. The chart can be reused when the fixes are washed off. (Use Lat/Long if possible.) With the plot of the ship's course a number of activities can be undertaken. Plot the vessel's research track and calculate: the distance covered, the rate of the vessel's travel from point to point (D-R*T, "a minute's a mile the world around"), the depth of water at various points can be found by checking the depth on the chart at the point of the fix, and the topography of the research track can be observed (see bathymetry below). Students can plot the track of the boat by recording the Lat/Long coordinates at preset time intervals, i.e. every 15 minutes and/or at every sighting of marine mammals, and then plotting these points (taking a fix) on a chart of the area. (Charts are available for $13.00 or a bathymetric (fishing) chart for $3.00 through boat yards or boating magazines. The bathymetric chart gives a better visualization of the bottom topography and may be more helpful if a study of bottom topography is planned. The bathymetric chart also has some LORAN lines on it, but not as many as the navigation chart. NOTE: you only need the Lat/Long or two LORAN coordinates to plot a position.) Using the research track, students should note locations, depths, topography, etc. where marine mammals are observed along with the behavior and activity observed. Activity 2: Water Testing Water testing is an important part of oceanography and whale research. Activities such as testing the water temperature, density and salinity are commonly measured qualities of sea water. To collect a water sample notify crew members, wait until the boat STOPS COMPLETELY, drop a bucket with a line attached to the handle overboard and bring up a water sample. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature, and a hydrometer to measure the density. With the density and temperature, the salinity can be determined using temp/density/salinity charts or graphs. The color of the water, sea state (wave height), wind velocity and direction, and air temperature are also important bits of information to the researcher. This information is listed on the data sheet. Activity 3: Plankton Tow and Analysis A plankton tow and analysis explains a great deal about why the whales are where they are. The plankton can be examined with hand lenses or microscopes, and depending on the class age various degrees of plankton analysis can be conducted. Data on density of plankton, identification of plankton types, etc. can be included. be a natural follow-up to the plankton tow. Phytoplankton (plants) and zoo-plankton (animals) can be observed under normal conditions. If only one plankton net can be purchased choose a phytoplankton net. It collects both plant and animal plankton. Activity 4: Data Collection Data collection should be made on: the location of the observation, the species observed, the number of each species, behavior of the organism, and any other information that might be important. Data sheets should be photocopied from the one included in advance of the trips and research groups can be assigned in any manner appropriate to the class. Groups can either be assigned to take data for the class or groups can be assigned to take data throughout the trip. It would be suggested that only one person at a time be assigned to record the position coordinates (Lat/Long) in the pilot house, and the captain should be contacted and talked with about the best procedure prior to the trip. Some vessels have Lat/Long or LORAN receivers in the public cabin, inquire at the time you make your reservations. For more class involvement, additional data can be collected on the pollution (floating trash) and bird sightings. The Pollution Data Table should include time sighted, location, type of trash, amount of trash, composition of trash, etc. The data of the times sighted can be coordinated with the position recordings to approximate the location of the trash sightings. Totals of the trash sightings should be included after the whale sighting information. Bird sightings can also be recorded in a similar fashion. There is a bird sighting bulletin board in EnviroNet, see the EnviroNet booklet for procedures to input bird data. Activity 5: Photo-Identification of Whales Photo-identification photographs of humpback whales taken on the cruise should be recorded as follows: date, location, photo taken by whom, what roll number of film (number each roll of film with the initials of the photographer & roll number such as: JMW/95-001), and what number on the roll. The photographs can be used later to identify the whale using a humpback whale catalogue or they can be mailed to Allied Whale, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine to be entered into the Humpback Whale Catalogue data base. Activity 6: Mathematics Plot the complete research track on a chart. How many miles did the trip cover? What was the average speed of the boat from fix to fix, for the entire trip? What was the heading (compass direction) on each leg of the trip? How many sighting were made for each hour of the trip? (This is the "catch effort" used by whalers to compare the efficiency of a trip.) This method can also be used to compare different trips, on different days, locations, boats, etc. Activity 7: Bathymetry Using graph paper placed along each leg of the research track the bottom topography can be plotted and displayed. Fold a piece of graph paper along a line about one inch from the edge of the paper. Place the graph paper on the track line drawn on the chart and using a predetermined scale for depth on the vertical axis, plot the depth of the bottom on the (vertical) Y-axis vs. appropriate/convenient points on the (horizontal) X-axis. Connect the strip profiles for each leg of the cruise together to show the bottom topography of the entire trip. Return to the bottom topography profile and note where on the surface what species were sighted and what the behavior observed was, i.e. feeding, logging, traveling, etc. Is there a pattern of behavior of the whales or the location of the whales to the bottom topography? Are sightings usually made over a specific type of bottom? Analyze the data from your trip. Activity 8: Topographic Model of the Bottom Construct a model of Stellwagen Bank. Draw lines perpendicular to the ridge line of the bank about one inch apart. Have students use graph paper to make a profile of the bottom on each line. Glue the graph paper to pieces of cardboard and cut out the profiles. Line the cardboard profiles up one inch apart in clay or similar substance to hold up the cardboard, and cover with damp cloth or paper. Press the cloth or paper down gently to the contour of the cardboard, allow to dry, and spray with paint and allow to dry. Use your imagination! Activity 9: Analysis of Whale Watch Data Suggestions for analysis: (1) compare "catch efforts" (number of sightings of a species for each hour on the whale watch) for different days, different species, etc.; (2) compare the range of behaviors of species on a given day; (3) compare data for Jeffrey's Ledge and Stellwagen Bank on a given day or week; (4) compare numbers of cow/calf pairs on given days; (5) calculate the number of whales with killer whale scars; (6) compare the depths where the different species were observed; (7) compare where most of the sightings were, on the bank or ledge, over the deep water, etc. or (8) compare numbers of sightings vs. sea state, cloud cover, wind velocity, etc. Activity 10: Analysis of Marine Pollution sheet similar to the marine mammal data sheet, but substitute Object for Species and Composition for Grouping. Up-load the data using the same procedure as for the marine mammals but use Pollution Data in place of Data in the subject header. We will also be collecting Coast Sweep data in the future. Activity 11: Analysis of Pelagic Birds Collect data on pelagic birds by using a data sheet similar to the marine mammal data sheet. Up-load the information by substituting Bird Data in the subject header. ** NON-WHALE WATCHING CLASSROOMS ** If you are one of the classrooms not going on a whale watch but using the whale watch data, use the data sheets to copy data off of the WhaleNet Bulletin Board. You can then use the data in the same way as those that did go on an actual whale watch. WhaleNet Supplementary Materials The listed materials may be purchased to supplement your classroom curriculum. Marine Science Activities on a Budget (booklet) - Contains a cross-section of oceanographic activities that can be altered to accommodate many grade levels. The World of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises - Interdisciplinary Curriculum Units for Pre-K through High School (book) - This contains 200+ pages of interdisciplinary activities, bibliographies, etc. suitable for a wide range of interests, abilities, and grade levels. $20.00 How to Build an Inflatable (55 ft.) Fin Whale (booklet) - Instructions on how to build a 55 foot long model of a whale that can be carried in a duffel bag by one person. Students and teachers can walk inside. Estimated cost for materials is between $40.00 and $50.00 Marine Science Bibliography (pamphlet) - Extensive bibliography for a wide range of grade levels and interests from general knowledge, children's books, to scientific information for the marine mammal biologist. Marine Science Activities on a Budget (booklet) $13.00 The World of Whales, Dolphins,and Porpoises - Interdisciplinary Curriculum Units for Pre-K through High School (book) $20.00 How to Build an Inflatable (55 ft.) Fin Whale (booklet) $8.00 Marine Science Bibliography (pamphlet $3.00 Prices (in US funds) include Shipping. TOTAL -_____________ Make Check payable to: J. Michael Williamson Send order form to: J. Michael Williamson Your Name:____________________________ MICS Address ______________________________ 20 Moynihan Rd. _____________________________________ So. Hamilton, MA 01982 _____________________________________ Whalenet Info Packet/ )1995-WhaleNet/J. Michael Williamson ----------------------------------------------- Example Two: Astronomy at Various Grade Levels ------------------------- ---------------------- P A S S P O R T T O K N O W L E D G E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ __ ______ | | | __ _ _ __ |___ ___ __ __ __ _____ ___ | | \ / |__ | |__| | | | \ / | | |__| |__ | _|_ \/ |__ | | \ |__| | \/ | | | | |__ |____ _|_ ______ | ____ ___ _ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_____ | |__| /_\ | | | |__ |__| |__| |__ |__| |__ | | | \ / \ | |__| __| | | | |__ | \ |__ _____| ************************************************************************ N E W S L E T T E R # 3 O C T O B E R 9, 1 9 9 5 ************************************************************************ ** Exploring Space and Cyberspace ** This week we are taking off for a tour of Jupiter and the stars. Please join us on-air, online and in classrooms. Here is what is happening this week --- ___ |ELEVISION, ___ |ELECOMPUTING, & ___ |EACHERS -------------------------- -------| T E L E V I S I O N |------- - -------------------------- We hope all of you were able to join us for a very exciting and informative "Pre-Flight Briefing on the Kuiper Airborne Observatory." We had the opportunity to look around inside and out and to meet and talk with the people who will be directing the "Flight to Jupiter" this week. April Whitt and some very talented students helped others show us what is involved in mounting a telescope on a C-141 jet and flying it out beyond the distortion caused by the atmosphere. The flight crew, scientists and technology experts explained how the 36 inch primary mirror gathers light and reflects it through a series of mirrors into a camera which transmits the digitized infrared data to a computer where a image is displayed and recorded. We know that students feel more a part of the journey if they can ask their own questions as they listen to the questions from students in the video linked sites. All students are invited to send their questions to the people that they are seeing on camera. Fax machines or E-mail provide links for sending students questions. Jake Chaput (Arlington Elementary) comments on his student reactions to their opportunity to pose a question: My class went wild with enthusiasm when they heard " A question from Arlington Elementary School in Poughkeepsie, NY ..." We hope that this introduction helped prepare your student for.... ---->>> T H I S W E E K: __________________________ | /--------------------\ | | | | | OCTOBER 12TH | | T H E | | | | J U P I T E R | | | | M I S S I O N | | | | | | OCTOBER 12TH, | \-------------------/ | 14:30 - 17:00 EST | * * .... 0 0 | |________________________| Off to Find Jupiter ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Students can track the flight as it leaves Ames Research Center in California on its quest to bring Jupiter and its moon into view for students across the country (see Activity 2E in the Teacher's Guide for more information). If you have online access, you will be able to plot the course by receiving flight data every 5 minutes. (Converting Universal time to local time and noting what happens as time zones are crossed may help students understand why scientists keep there records in Universal Time) With the aid of technology, and some good luck, we should be able to leap aboard the KAO at 2:30 EST somewhere above Florida or the Gulf of Mexico and stay with the crew until they land the KAO in Houston, at Ellington Air Force Base just before 5:00 EST. The goal of this flight will be to view Jupiter and its moons. Student who have been following along will have studied the obit patterns for Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto and will be ready to match their predictions with images from the KAO. We hope you will join us for this Passport to Knowledge FIRST ever "LIVE FROM THE STRATOSPHERE" broadcast. The program will air live from 2:30 - 5:00 PM EST Eastern on October 12, 1995. Check local listings to see if your local PBS station will be carrying the program and at what time. ___________________________ | /---------------------\ | | | | | OCTOBER 13TH | | N I G H T | | | | F L I G H T T O | | | | T H E S T A R S | | | | | | OCTOBER 13TH, | \--------------------/ | 20:00 - 25:00 EST | * * .... 0 0 | (01:00 10/14) |_________________________| Discoveries in the Stars ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Students will be with the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (virtually) as it travels back from Houston to its home at the NASA Ames Research Center. During the flight, we will explore the life cycle of the stars, looking at "baby pictures" of places in th sky where stars are forming, a middle-aged galaxy half as large as our own Milky Way, and a nebula formed as a star approaches death. In addition, the KAO will study the planet Saturn and its giant moon, Titan. Across the country, many classes and museums will be holding "Star Parties" and camp-ins. Following the progress of the KAO will be a highlight for these gatherings; in addition, many locally developed activities will help help engage students in the wonders of astronomy and science. The program will air live from 8:00 PM EST on October 13, 1995 until 1:00 AM on October 14, 1995. Check local listings to see if your local PBS station will be carrying the program and at what time. ORDERING the Live From the Stratosphere VIDEOTAPES from NASA The programs will be available shortly (within a 3-5 days) after the live broadcast schedule from : NASA CORE, Lorain County JVS 15181 Route 58 South, Oberlin, OH 44074 Phone: 216-774-1051,ext 293 or 294; Fax: 216-774-2144 ------------------------------- -------| T E L E C O M P U T I N G |-------- -------------------------------- _____________ |\ \ /^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^\ | \ \------\ \ ^-^-^ NEW OPPORTUNITY ^-^-^ \ \_____________\ \^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^/ \ QUESTIONS? | \______________| KAO SCIENTISTS AND SUPPORT CREW NOW READY TO TAKE QUESTIONS.... Live from the Stratosphere experts are ready and willing to answer questions from teachers and students from October 5 through November 17, 1995!! It is easy. Just write a single question in a message and address it to question-lfs@quest.arc.nasa.gov. In the subject field, please put the letters "QA:" before a descriptive subject. Also, provide a sentence of background information to help the experts understand the grade level of your students. The following example should illustrate this idea. TO: question-lfs@quest.arc.nasa.gov FROM: your Email address SUBJECT: QA: How the telescope works Hello, I am a fifth grader from Oakland, California. I don't understand how you detect water vapor with infrared photography. Can you explain this to me. Miai Kayato To allow for participation from the largest possible number of classes we ask that each teacher send no more than 20 questions during the project. We hope that classrooms discussions and use of the materials will help students frame questions that cannot be answered by other classroom resources. If you and your students would like to receive all of the questions and answers, you can do this by sending an Email: To: listmanager@quest.arc.nasa.gov Subject: (Leave blank) subscribe answers-lfs (type this one line of text) You can also search the data base for answers to your questions. There are instructions online for how to do this. --->> Join a Web Chats and/or VideoConferencing Participants connect with each other on our Web page. During the days, students discuss their preflight plans with each other. At night, teachers are communicating with each other and with KAO Telescope Tracker Allan Meyer. Last Friday, Allen invited classrooms with CUSeeMe technology to join in a videoconference at the KAO hangar on a computer called "Cave", IP - 128.102.130.110. Here is are Marilyn Wall's comments on this experience: "Around 11:30 EDT we set up the computer,camera,and modem, typed in the reflector and found ourselves looking in the NASA Ames room and at Roger's fifth grade in Austin. Wow, it worked! By making this CU SeeMe connection, the whole LFS program became "personal" "interactive" experience for my students. They felt as if THEY were part of the Ames research team." The Houston Museum of Natural Science invites Live from the Stratosphere schools on the Internet to participate in the October 12 program through the Museum via CU-SeeMe. The Museum will have 10 consoles in a communications center directing questions to the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. Two of these consoles will be targeted for CU-SeeMe participants. For more information send a message to Carolyn Sumners (sumners@alfven.rice.edu). --->>> Field Journals for Juniors ****NEW FEATURE***** Field Journals are a regular feature of PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE Electronic field trips. These journals introduce students to the human dimensions of doing science. In feedback from Live from Antarctica, some of our youngest viewers asked for journals that were easier for them to understand. This year we are creating a new feature: Field Journals for Elementary students. The first postings are now online. For information on all online features, send Email To: info-lfs@quest.arc.nasa.gov Gopher Server quest.arc.nasa.gov Live From the Stratosphere Web site: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/livefrom/stratosphere.html ------------------------- -------| T E A C H E R S |-------- -------------------------- ---->>>> discuss-lfs Discussion list now really OPEN!!! A temporary glitch affected our discuss-lfs list this week blocking many postings that were sent to the list. These postings have reached the list and we are now back in *full force!* Many members shared their personal classroom experiences focusing on the October 5th broadcast and integration of the LFS activities. Thanks to Roger Stryker, Chris Rowan, Ginny Dexter, Jake Chaput, Marilyn Wall, Margaretha Gebhart, AFC Martine, Pam Berger and others for sharing their input! Classroom teachers are sharing their excitement about LFS! Many have plans for upcoming sleep-overs, inclusion of local astronomy clubs, invitations extended to local guest experts, involvement with local broadcasting companies. Experienced Internet-using educators like Roger Stryker, Chris Rowan and Marilyn Wall are reaching out and helping those new to this medium by sharing expertise. We have a very organic & rich discussion on discuss-lfs! The Star counting activity is about to begin online so ... Please feel free to join in. We want all teachers and students to feel welcome. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ SPANISH TRANSLATION OF LFS WEB SITE/GUIDE Live From the Stratosphere seeks to include *everyone* in our project through such efforts as our Spanish translation project.... Did you know that the Teacher's Guide bilingual Spanish translation version is available on our web site! You will find some of our web site (including the teacher's guide, diaries, background information, etc.) translated and ready for use at : http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/lfs/espanol/lfs-overviewE.html More in Spanish Language resources next week... /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ We want to include all teachers who want to join us.... PLEASE COPY THIS DISK SERVICE.... a service to help those with minimal access to the Internet! If you would like to have access to our online resources, but have difficulties doing so, or would simply prefer to take advantage of this useful service, you can now order our online resources on diskette from: B & R Samizdat Express P.O. Box 161 West Roxbury, MA 02132 Diskettes are available in IBM and MAC format (be sure to indicate your preference) for $10.00 per diskette (this fee includes the shipping and handling). You have permission to copy this diskette for other educators in your district! At this time one diskette of materials is available. As our resources grow, there will be additional diskettes made available. B & R Samizdat Express is run by Richard Seltzer who has his own web site at: http://www.tiac.net/users/samizdat You can reach Richard at this email address if you have other questions about his service: seltzer@samizdat.com CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES These classroom activities from the Teacher's Guide will help students actively participate in Program 3: "The Jupiter Misson." Planning the Jupiter Mission Digitized Data Finding Jupiter's Moons The Energy Equation These classroom activities from the Teacher's Guide will get students ready for Program 4: "Night Flight to the Stars" Mapping a Birth Cloud Seeing the Invisible Whispers from the Ring The Case of the Disappearing Rings Mapping a Galaxy `/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/ Online Collaboration on "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" `/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/ Please share your data as soon as possible. We hope to have a summary of your work ready to be broadcast on October 12th. -------------------------- -------| T O R E G I S T E R |------- - -------------------------- There is no cost to participate in LIVE FROM THE STRATOSPHERE. It is funded in part, by the Information Infrastructure and Technology Applications program of NASA's Office of High Performance Computing and Communications, the NASA Astrophysics Division, NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Education, and PBS K-12 Learning Services. It is also supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation. Live From the Stratosphere is a Passport to Knowledge project. The video programs are a co-production of GEOFF HAINES-STILES PRODUCTIONS and MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION. "Night Flight to the Stars" is co-presented by WNET/New York. To register, receive the printed Teacher's Guide, other NASA materials on astronomy, an original color poster, the "mini-kit", and to cover postage, and handling please send $10.00 to: LIVE FROM THE STRATOSPHERE P.O. Box 1502 Summit, New Jersey 07902-1502 or call: 1-800-626-LIVE (1-800-626-5483) COME FLY WITH US, COME FLY, COME FLY THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY, INTO THE STRATOSPHERE... INTO ORBIT, AND INTO THE FUTURE OF SCIENCE EDUCATION! . . . . . * /| . . . . + . / / / . + . . . ______/ /_____| | . . . . . --<((__*@*_ ______|-- NEXT NEWSLETTER . . +. + . \ \ | | OCTOBER 16TH . \ \ \ * \| LFS Newsletter Editor: Margaret Riel (mriel@weber.ucsd.edu) ------------------------------------------------------ Example Three: MathMagic; Math at Various Grade Levels ------------------------------------------------------ Note: The MathMagic World Wide Web home page is located at http://forum.swarthmore.edu/mathmagic/ What is MathMagic? MathMagic is a K-12 telecommunications project developed in El Paso, Texas. It provides strong motivation for students to use computer technology while increasing problem-solving strategies and communications skills. MathMagic posts challenges in each of four categories (k-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12) to trigger each registered team to pair up with another team and engage in a problem-solving dialog. When an agreement has been reached, one solution is posted for every pair. MathMagic has received wide ideological acceptance by hundreds of past FidoNet users, because it addresses most of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. A modified format has now expanded into the Internet and is available via regular e-mail or via the World Wide Web (WWW). Who can participate? K-12 teachers and students, but higher education teachers, librarians, technology coordinators, computer teachers, and even home-schoolers are joining to act as facilitators. What is needed? Any teacher with access to electronic mail via the Internet can participate. Several net service providers and most of the commercial boards (America Online, Genie, Compuserve, Delphi, The Well, etc.) now offer e-mail gateways and other Internet services. MathMagic is best suited to schools that use computers with modems and have direct Internet access. In some areas, a local Bulletin Board System (BBS) or a Net user (such as a parent with net access) may have to act as a go-between. Please ask about special arrangements. Example challenge for grades 10-12: *************************************** MathMagic Cycle 18: Level 10-12 Regular *************************************** Using the numbers 1 9 9 2 in a "locked" position, can you develop a 31 day calendar for the month of October? You can use addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/) exponents (^) factorial (!) square root (sqrt) and, naturally, parenthesis ( ). Example: Friday the 13th could be: (1+sqrt(9))!-9-2 (Scary, isn't it?) (Notice that the numbers appear in the "locked" sequence) **************************************** MathMagic Cycle 18: Level 10-12 Advanced **************************************** What 6 digit number, with 6 different digits, when multiplied by all integers up to 6, circulates its digits through all 6 possible positions, as follows: ABCDEF * 1 - ABCDEF ABCDEF * 3 - BCDEFA ABCDEF * 2 - CDEFAB ABCDEF * 6 - DEFABC ABCDEF * 4 - EFABCD ABCDEF * 5 - FABCDE ********* Good luck MrH Example challenges for grades K-3 ************************************* MathMagic Cycle 16: Level K-3 Regular ************************************* When two straight lines meet, they form an angle. Some angles are easy to recognize. For instance, a RIGHT ANGLE is any of the four angles formed by a piece of paper (like typing or computer paper) that has sharp corners. Using a clock and "talking" with your partners, try to figure out how many times in a day (24 hours) the hour hand and the minute hand form a right angle. You may want to do a chart and watch the hour hand move between the numbers, as you move the minute hand... ************************************** MathMagic Cycle 16: Level K-3 Advanced ************************************** One of the better known works of architecture of the Roman Empire was the Coliseum. For a few months, at it's maximum splendor (before the senate began cutting its funding... yes, old problem) there stood an Imperial Roman Guard in each of its 1000 arches. Imagine the splendor! (Not too cool if you were the entertainment) The first budget conscious cut called for the removal of every other Imperial Guard. Imagine, one stayed, the next went. The second senate cut called for the removal of every third guard (from the original count) So, the order went out that guards of gate 1 and gate 2 (if there was one) could stay, while guard of gate 3 (and every other third one) had to go... Naturally, what the senate was doing was getting rid of some guards, but also getting the credit for a lot of "cuts" of gates that had no guard. The "cuts" continued number after number, until a diligent member of the opposition party cried foul. He said " Only some of the cuts are actually getting rid of guards. A lot of them are not!" Can you build an argument for this senator? Also, if you were a Roman Imperial Guard that every week had to choose a different gate you had to look after (and run the risk of loosing your job), which gates would be your choice? ------------------ Good luck MrH ------------------------------------------------------------ Example Four: Various Projects Announced by Global SchoolNet ------------------------------------------------------------ Hi, Our teachers have been doing K12 projects over the Internet for the past 12 years. There is NO CHARGE for schools to participate in the projects. Global SchoolNet organizes, manages, and facilitates collaborative learning projects for schools with any level of connectivity . . . from email only . . . to desktop videoconferencing. To access these projects go to: http://gsn.org/gsn/gsn.projects.html Sample of Projects you will find" --------------------------------- The Global Schoolhouse (Featuring Desktop Video-Conferencing) Today's "school of the future" uses the most powerful Internet tools, including live video, to link K12 classrooms to their communities and to other children around the world. CALREN: Building the California Global Schoolhouse Education leader (Global SchoolNet) partners with business leader (Aldea Communications) to discover and document how schools, businesses, and the community can network to share resources. CyberStars: Number Ones of Tomorrow For the first time ever, children around the globe can share their musical talents with the world via the Internet. PAACE: Personal Achievement And Career Awareness Students learn and practice important career skills, including those dealing with education, attitude, manners, grooming, and fashion. Scientist-on-Tap Scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory demonstrate the power of distance learning, by interacting with students around world, from the comfort of their own offices! Projects that Require Email Access Only -------------------------------------- Ask a Geologist (AAG) Have you ever wondered about why California has so many earthquakes, and New York does not? Why is there so much oil in Texas, but not in Wisconsin? What are the deepest canyons in the United States? (The answer might surprise you!) While the answers to many of these questions might be as close as an encyclopedia, some questions are difficult to answer without checking many sources. Beginning Monday, October 3, 1994, the USGS will offer a new, experimental Internet service - Ask-A-Geologist. General questions on earth sciences may be sent by electronic mail Family Tree-Mail: Language Translation In this pilot project, children use Globalink's language translation software to share family histories via email, in their native languages of Spanish, French, German, and Italian. Field Trips Join other classes on their live field trips. In turn, you take other classes with you when you visit local places of interest. Our FIELDTRIPS-L mailing list manages this "exchange" of classroom field trips and excursions. Geogame This perennially favorite project will excite your students as they immerse themselves in atlases, maps, almanacs, and other references in order to solve a geography puzzle. Your students help create the puzzle by answering 8 questions about your community: latitude, typical weather, land formations, time zone, points of interest, etc. We combine their responses with other classes to create a geography puzzle your students will love to solve. A simple first project for beginning telecommunicators. Global Grocery List Your students visit their local grocery stores and record the prices of items on the grocery list, then share their prices with other participating classes all over the world. The result is a growing table of current, peer collected data that can be used in math, social studies, science, and health classes (and others). This project is especially good for telecomputing beginners: it has very little structure and no timeline. Jane Goodall Institute Students learn about the interconnectedness of all life on earth as they observe the world around them and become involved in environmental and humanitarian issues. Explore Gombe and Kibira National Parks, ChimpanZoo, and the Roots & Shoots Program. The Jason Project The Jason Project brings the thrill of exploration and discovery live to students around the world as they participate in an amazing electronic field trip. In 1995 they trekked to Hawaii to study volcanoes. The Global SchoolNet Foundation manages the Jason Project Listservs and features them in our Global SCHLnet Newsgroup Service. LOGO Foundation The Logo Foundation, in cooperation with the Global SchoolNet Foundation, is now managing a Logo listserv discussion group available to anybody on the Internet. Newsday Your students write articles and post them on the Newsday Newswire for the whole world to see! Then they read and choose articles from other schools to download and include in their own newspaper! Finally... you share your newspaper with other classes... and they in turn share theirs with you. Your students' reading and writing skills will improve while they learn about current local, national, and global issues. Where on the Globe is Roger? Children are invited to learn about history, culture, geography, and the environment, while they electronically travel around the world with Roger Williams - in his quest to promote world peace! <<*>><<*>><<*>><<*>><<*>><<*>><<*>><<*>> Yvonne Marie Andres, Global Schoolhouse/Global SchoolNet Foundation 7040 Avenida Encinas 104-281, Carlsbad, CA 92009 WWWeb http://gsn.org Voice (619) 433-3413 FAX (619) 931-5934 email: andresyv@cerf.net <<*>><<*>><<*>><<*>><<*>><<*>><<*>><<*>> -------------------------------------- Example Five: Professional Development -------------------------------------- THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND ANNOUNCES "DISASTER IN THE CLASSROOM" A *LIVE* TELEVISION PROGRAM TO ILLUSTRATE USES OF REAL-TIME WEATHER AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMAGERY IN K-12 EDUCATION Beginning in September 1995, Professor Perry Samson, University of Michigan professor and Director of the Weather Underground, will host an innovative, biweekly series of live, interactive, television shows aimed at teachers, administrators, and parents interested in K-12 education, Internet resources, and the use of real-time weather information in science. Aimed specifically at the professional development of teachers, the programs create a model for teachers to carry back into their classroom, a model that promotes project-based student centered learning environments using new technology and science ideas creatively. The programs, interactive in design, allow participants to ask questions and respond to information through a simultaneous e-mail dialogue. A strength in the design of this series is its ability to allow an interactive discussion of environmental issues (severe weather, snowstorms, droughts, earthquakes, volcanic activity , El Nino, etc.) in a timely manner, matching current news items to science activities. The programs in the virtual classroom series are uplinked to a satellite from the University of Michigan. Teachers, administrators, parents or students can view the class either on their own or in groups. Participants will be encouraged to use their computer and modem to log into our server during the show. This interactive virtual classroom will allow participants to pose or answer questions live (or after the show). Navigation on the Internet and pointers to information specific to the science curriculum ideas presented on the show are emphasized and made available to teachers for use in their classrooms. Participants are shown where on the Internet to find imagery and activities relevant to the topics discussed and are lead through a discussion of new methods to utilize these data in their classroom activities. Example activities utilizing current weather, climate and environmental conditions are demonstrated. If you are interested in participating in this series from your home or school and would like to receive graduate credit for it, please contact: The Weather Underground Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2134 or URL: http://groundhog.sprl.umich.edu e-mail: blueskies@umich.edu Call: 1-800-386-4141 !!!!!!First show is Sept. 18, contact us or look to URL above for more information soon!!!!!! APPENDIX B: WAYS TO GET RFCs FYI documents such as the one your are reading are a subset of the Internet Engineering Task Force's RFC documents. Note that the latest version of the following file may be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc-editor/rfc-info For more information on Internet Engineering Task Force publications, visit the RFC Editor's home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.isi.edu:80/rfc-editor/rfc-sources.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- RFC-Info Smplified Help ----------------------- Use RFC-Info by sending email messages to RFC-INFO@ISI.EDU. 1. To get a specific RFC send a message with text as follows: Retrieve: RFC Doc-ID: RFC1500 This gets RFC 1500. All RFC numbers in the Doc-Id are 4 digits (RFC 791 would be Doc-ID: RFC0791). 2. To get a specific FYI send a message with text as follows: Retrieve: FYI Doc-ID: FYI0004 3. To get a list of available RFC's that match a certain criteria: LIST: RFC Keywords: Gateway Returns a list of RFC's with the word Gateway in the title or specified as a keyword. 4. To get the Index of all RFCs published: HELP: rfc_index 5. To get information about other ways to get RFCs, FYIs, STDs, or IMRs. HELP: ways_to_get_rfcs HELP: ways_to_get_fyis HELP: ways_to_get_stds HELP: ways_to_get_imrs 6. To get help about using RFC-Info: HELP: help or HELP: topics ----------------------------------------------------------------- APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT The following is a short glossary of terms used in this document. For a more complete glossary of Internet terms, refer to FYI 18 (RFC XXXX), "Internet Users' Glossary". These definitions are largely excerpted from that glossary. (See Section 8, "Suggested Reading", above for complete reference information.) Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) Many transit networks have policies which restrict the use to which the network may be put. Enforcement of AUPs varies with the network. Anonymous FTP Accessing data via the File Transfer Protocol using the special username "anonymous". This was devised as a method to provide a relatively secure way of providing restricted access to public data. Users who wish to acquire data from a public source may use FTP to connect to the source, then use the special username "anonymous" and their email address as the password to log into a public data area. Archie A system to automatically gather, index and serve information on the Internet. The initial implementation of archie provided an indexed directory of filenames from all anonymous FTP archives on the Internet. Later versions provide other collections of information. See also: Gopher, Wide Area Information Server. Cracker A person who uses computer knowledge to attempt to gain access to computer systems and/or maliciously damage those systems or data. Dial-in (also dial-up) A connection, usually made via modems, between two computers (or servers) over standard voice grade telephone lines. Download To copy data from a remote computer to a local computer. The opposite of upload. DSU/CSU (Data Service Unit/Channel Service Unit) The digital equivalent of a modem. A Channel Service Unit connects to a telephone company-provided digital data circuit, and a Data Service Unit provides the electronics required to connect digital equipment to the CSU. Paired together a DSU/CSU allows computer equipment to be connected into the telephone digital service for highly conditioned, high speed data communications. Electronic Bulletin Board System (BBS) A computer, and associated software, which typically provides electronic messaging services, archives of files, and any other services or activities of interest to the bulletin board system's operator. Although BBSs have traditionally been the domain of hobbyists, an increasing number of BBSs are connected directly to the Internet, and many BBSs are currently operated by government, educational, and research institutions. EMail (Electronic Mail) A system whereby a computer user can exchange messages with other computer users (or groups of users) via a communications network. FidoNet A network of computers interconnected using the FIDO dial-up protocols. The FIDO protocol provides a means of "store and forward" file transfer similar to UUCP. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) A protocol which allows a user on one host to access, and transfer files to and from, another host over a network. Also, FTP is usually the name of the program the user invokes to execute the protocol. FYI (For Your Information) A subseries of RFCs that are not technical standards or descriptions of protocols. FYIs convey general information about topics related to TCP/IP or the Internet. See also: RFC (Request for Comments). Gopher A distributed information service that makes available hierarchical collections of information across the Internet. Gopher uses a simple protocol that allows a single Gopher client to access information from any accessible Gopher server, providing the user with a single "Gopher space" of information. Public domain versions of the client and server are available. See also: archie, archive site, Prospero, Wide Area Information Servers. Hacker A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in particular. The popular media has corrupted this term to give it the pejorative connotation of a person who maliciously uses computer knowledge to cause damage to computers and data. The proper term for this type of person is "cracker". Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) The IETF is a large, open community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers whose purpose is to coordinate the operation, management and evolution of the Internet, and to resolve short-range and mid-range protocol and architectural issues. It is a major source of protocol proposals and standards. InterNIC A Network Information Center (NIC), funded by the National Science foundation, that provides information about the Internet. The InterNIC is a team of three contractors, each of which focuses on a particular network support task. The three tasks are: Information Services (the task most often cited in this document), Registration Services, and Directory and Database Services. Kbs (Kilo-Bits per Second) A data transmission rate expressed in 1000 bit per second units. For example, 56Kbs is 56*1000-56,000 bits per second. LAN (Local Area Network) A data network intended to serve an area of only a few square kilometers or less. Since such are networks relatively small they can usually be directly controlled by the users and operate at relatively high speeds (up to 100Mb/s [10 million bits per second]) over inexpensive wiring. Leased line A leased line is a special phone company permanent connection between two locations. Leased lines are generally used where high-speed data (usually 960 characters per second and higher) is continually exchanged between two computers (in the Internet, generally between routers). A leased line is billed at the same rate per month independent of how much the line is used and can be cheaper than using dial modems depending on the usage. Leased lines may also be used where higher data rates are needed beyond what a dial modem can provide. Listserv (mailing list server) An automated program that accepts mail messages from users and performs basic operations on mailing lists for those users. In the Internet, listservs are usually accessed as "listname@host"; for example, the list server for the hypothetical list "newsreports@acme.org" would be called "listserv@acme.org". Sending email to "newsreports@acme.org" causes the message to be sent to all the list subscribers, while sending a message (to subscribe or unsubscribe, for example) to "listserv@acme.org" sends the message only to the list server. Not all mailing lists use list servers to handle list administration duties. Mailing Lists A list of email addresses. Generally, a mailing list is used to discuss a certain set of topics, and different mailing lists discuss different topics. A mailing list may be moderated. That is, messages sent to the list are actually sent to a moderator who determines whether or not to send the messages on to everyone else. Many mailing lists are maintained by mail handling software such as listserv, majordomo, or listproc, which are programs that automatically handle operations such as adding new people to the list. (See above.) In the Internet, for those mailing lists maintained by a human, rather than by a program, you can generally subscribe to a list by sending a mail message to: "listname- REQUEST@host" and in the body of the message enter a request to subscribe. To send messages to other subscribers, you will then use the address "listname@host". Modem (MODulator/DEModulator) A device that converts the digital signals used by computers into analog signals needed by voice telephone systems. Modems can be "dial" or "leased line" type. Dial type modems are used on normal telephone lines to call remote computers, and usually operate at speeds between 120 to 1,920 characters per second. Network Access Provider (Network Service Provider) Any organization that provides network connectivity or dial-up access. Service providers may be corporations, government agencies, universities, or other organizations. Network News Another name for "Usenet News". NIC (Network Information Center) A central place where information about a network within the Internet is maintained. Usually NICs are staffed by personnel who answer user telephone calls and electronic mail, and provide general network usage information and referrals, among other possible tasks. Most network service providers also provide a NIC for their users. Port TCP/IP assigns at least one address to a host computer, but applications such as FTP must talk to a corresponding server application on the host. The "port" is the way TCP/IP designates the remote application. Most common Internet servers have specific port numbers associated with them. For example, Telnet uses port number 23. These are known as "well known ports" and allow application programmers to write standard applications (such as Telnet, FTP, etc.) that "know" where the corresponding server is on a particular host. PPP (Point to Point Protocol) A protocol used to establish TCP/IP connections using serial lines such as dial-up telephone lines. Similar to SLIP (see below), PPP is a later standard that includes features such as demand dial-up, compression, better flow control, etc. Protocol A formal description of message formats and the rules two computers must follow to exchange those messages. Protocols can describe low-level details of machine-to-machine interfaces (e.g., the order in which bits and bytes are sent across a wire) or high-level exchanges between allocation programs (e.g., the way in which two programs transfer a file across the Internet). Protocol Stack A series of protocols linked together to provide an end-to-end service. For example, the File Transfer Protocol uses the Transmission Control Protocol, which uses the Internet Protocol, which may use the Point to Point protocol, to transfer a file from one computer to another. The series FTP->TCP->IP->PPP is called a protocol stack. RFC (Request for Comments) The document series, begun in 1969, which describes the Internet suite of protocols and related experiments. Not all (in fact very few) RFCs describe Internet standards, but all Internet standards are written up as RFCs. The RFCs include the documentary record of the Internet standards process. Router A computer which forwards traffic between networks. The forwarding decision is based on network layer information and routing tables, often constructed by routing protocols. SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) A protocol used to establish TCP/IP connections using serial lines such as dial-up telephone lines. Small computers, such as PCs and Macintoshes, can use SLIP to dial up to servers, which then allow the computer to act as a full Internet node. SLIP is generally used at sites with a few users as a cheaper alternative than a full Internet connection. SLIP is being replaced by PPP at many sites. TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) TCP/IP is named for two of the major communications protocols used within the Internet (TCP and IP). These protocols (along with several others) provide the basic foundation for communications between hosts in the Internet. All of the service protocols, such as FTP, Telnet, Gopher, use TCP/IP to transfer information. Telnet Telnet is the Internet standard protocol for remote terminal connection service. The name "telnet" also is used to refer to programs that allow interactive access to remote computers, as well as the action of using said programs. For example, the phrase "Telnet to host xyzzy." means to interactively log into host "xyzzy" from some other host in the Internet. Upload To copy data from a local computer to a remote computer. The opposite of download. Usenet News An electronic bulletin board system created originally by the Unix community and which is accessible via the Internet. Usenet News forms a discussion forum accessible by millions of users in almost every country in the world. Usenet News consists of thousands of topics arranged in a hierarchical form. Major topics include "comp" for computer topics, "rec" for recreational topics, "soc" for social topics, "sci" for science topics, etc. Within the major topics are subtopics, such as "rec.music.classical" for classical music, or "sci.med.physics" for discussions relating to the physics of medical science. UUCP (Unix-to-Unix CoPy) This was initially a program run under the UNIX operating system that allowed one UNIX system to send files to another UNIX system via dial-up phone lines. Today, the term is more commonly used to describe the large international network which uses the UUCP protocol to pass news and electronic mail. Virus A program which replicates itself on computer systems by incorporating itself into other programs which are shared among computer systems. WAIS (Wide Area Information Server) A distributed information service which offers simple natural language input, indexed searching for fast retrieval, and a "relevance feedback" mechanism which allows the results of initial searches to influence future searches. Public domain implementations are available. WWW (World Wide Web) A hypertext-based, distributed information system created by researchers at CERN in Switzerland. Users may create, edit or browse hypertext documents. The clients and servers are freely available. The WWW servers are interconnected to allow a user to traverse the Web from any starting point; in addition, many other servers such as WAIS and Gopher have been incorporated into the WWW servers.