On-Line Research in the Secondary Classroom

High school teachers, administrators and students are facing a new generation in education. The Internet superhighway is in the classroom to stay. Learning to use this vast resource is almost mind-boggling for the average teacher at the average school. The increasing availability of computers with Internet capabilities available to students has increased dramatically within the last five years. With this technology influx in the classroom setting, many new learning and teaching resources are available. Being able to harness these technology resources into a useful tool is the challenge of the new generation of teachers today. Because of the Internet and World Wide Web, research can now be looked at in a completely new way, but with this new kind of research other concerns do pop up. As a teacher, how do I get high school students involved in an online research assignment and how do I do this ethically and safely? "Most teachers will admit that having access to the Internet is a mixed blessing: it leads to wonderful learning opportunities, but requires a great investment of time and energy" (T.H.E. Journal, 1998, p. 63).

The first thing to consider before diving into an online research assignment at the high school level is understanding and teaching computer ethics. Computer ethics are the moral guidelines that govern the use of computers, networks, and information systems (Cashman, 2003). Four main areas of concern when engaging in a high school on-line research project are copyright infringement, plagiarism, complying with your school districts acceptable use policy (AUP), and the existence of objectionable materials on the Internet. This alone is almost enough to give a teacher system overload, but try not to worry too much. If you give students good guidelines and research strategies to follow, tackling the Web for research can be an enlightening experience.

When developing your guidelines, it is important not to make them to complicated or lengthy. They need to be simple, to the point, easy to follow, and consistent with your schools AUP. As students journey into their research using the Web, the guideline needs to be readily available for reference. If a student has a concern or question, as a teacher you also need to be prepared with a quick reference to all copyright rules. A complete list of copyright laws can be found at "The Library of Congress" website (The Library of Congress, 2002). If you and your students are unsure about certain copyright laws, look them up. Always keep a "better safe than sorry" type attitude when engaging in Internet research in the classroom. Another aspect dealing with copyright that has teachers worried about online research is plagiarism.

With the copy paste functionality of the computer, it would be very easy for a student to copy and paste a research paper. To hinder this type of engagement, it is important that your students are aware of plagiarism and its consequences. However, just because a student knows its wrong does not stop him/her from such activity. You, as a teacher, have to carefully observe your students as they are working on the Internet. Constant supervision and teacher observation are the keys to hindering certain Internet wrong doings.

Teacher observation and supervision are also key factors in monitoring the content students are engaging in while online. Teacher observation is extremely important and, in most cases, a final measure to prevent students from accessing objectionable and inappropriate materials on the Internet (Cashman, 2002). If such material is accessed by mistake by a student, there must be a policy for alerting the teacher immediately or the student could be subject to consequences or disciplinary action. The threat of students seeing something they shouldn't is worrisome for most teachers. Another way to reduce the r isk of students viewing inappropriate material while researching online is to direct them to a database for specific searches. By directing students to do searches within a database, you are creating a safer and more reliable search process. Not only will this lessen the chance of students finding objectionable material; it will ensure that the materials accessed are reliable and dependable. Just because you find information on the web does not mean it is reliable, but if you are within a reputable database, all the journals, articles, and writings within that database are screened for content. Ensuring that if you access a publication from one of these databases, it is good information to use on an online research project. EBSCO Online, TLC/Gale Group, Facts on File, Texas Library Connection, Encyclopedia Britannica Online, and Bridges Career Database are all reputable databases that would not only increase the productivity and efficiency of your students searches; it would also provide a safer search environment.

A major goal as an educator should be to teach your students responsibility. "One of the tools schools use to nurture responsibility is the AUP--the contract between the student and the school that outlines appropriate behavior on the Internet" (Technology and Learning, 1998, p.3). Instructing students on Internet responsibility is the best maintenance tool a teacher can use to help minimize the risk of students viewing objectionable material. "Developing in children and youth an ethic of responsible choice and skills for appropriate behavior is foundational for all efforts to protect them...on the Internet and in the physical world" (Newsbytes, 2002, p. 2). Once you feel that your students are safe and secure on the Net, the research can begin. There are helpful research and assessment tools students and teachers can use to help them create a better research assignment. There are tools on-line that can assist with assessment, reference, multimedia, and polishing papers. Being familiar with some Internet sites can make you and your student's Internet research assignment go a little smoother.

Before beginning any research assignment, it is important to communicate the goals and expectations of the online project. Most educators see rubrics as an assessment tool, but they are much more than that. Rubrics provide a guide for students to follow when creating an online research paper. If you as an educator want to make rubrics easily and quickly, you can access a rubric wizard at rubistar.4teachers.org/. Rubrics for online research are detailed tools that provides a number of important evaluation criteria, including content, documentation and technical support, ability and academic levels, technical quality, and ease of use to help assess the quality of a online research assignment (Cashman, 2002). Rubrics are effective in keeping kids focused on a set of criteria while tackling an online project as well as assessing the quality of that project after completion.

As students work on their online research paper, they will collect data from different sources. A quick way for students to store sources is through a free Internet program called "Backflip". When students find a source they want to use for their paper, they can backflip it and the site's access address will be permanently stored in the "Backflip" database. Anytime a student wants to review a particular site for good information, they can simply click on their stored site's URL in "Backflip" and that site will instantly appear. This is just another tool available on the Internet that will create a more efficient research environment.

Once all the information for the research paper is assembled, a reference page will need to be completed. Most research papers in Texas' schools are in one of two formats: Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA). Creating a reference page in either format is a snap if you use "Slate Citation Machine." The "Slate Citation Machine" provides a template for students to fill out and it will process the correct citation in both MLA and APA styles (Begley Library/Instructional Technology Center, 2003). Using tools, such as the "Slate Citation Machine" and "Backflip" help in saving time and allowing the student to focus more on the quality of the paper itself. There are also style guides available on the Internet with example papers and common question and answers posted on both the APA and MLA styles of writing.

Being familiar with what's out there in the Internet cosmos, can help make your next research paper a snap for the students as well as the teacher. Learning to utilize these tools and nurturing a responsible Internet atmosphere are important factors in engaging in a successful online research assignment.

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