Tips on Using the Internet in the Classroom

In today's society, it is extremely difficult to incorporate the Internet in your teaching curriculum and not be afraid it will conflict with a certain law. In this article, I will discuss some issues teachers should be aware of and concerned with. Copyright laws, CIPA and COPA , and simple Netiqutte are a huge responsibility for teachers to follow.

Technology makes it extremely easy to access information from the Internet. You can find novels, textbooks, videos and music at the touch of a button. I find this to be the biggest obstacle to overcome when using the Internet. It is so easy, that sometimes it could be easy to forget the fair use aspect of the Copyright law. It is, however; not that easy to forget when you get caught "stealing" from someone else. You also need to know when a good thing is enough. If you do use material from another source, you need to pay attention to how much you copy and how long you use the material. Some say you should use the , "one semester rule". Plus, on the web, some material could have a copyright and never say it does. ( www.umuc.edu/library/copy.html ) As a teacher you have a moral agreement you should follow, as well as a legal obligation. Copyright violations are harsh. You can be fined up to 100,000.00 for each act of infringement you commit. I don't know about you, but can a teacher's pay cover that expense? To learn more about Copyright laws and what you can and can't do, go to www.home.earthlink.net/~cnew/research.htm#

Another issue is the privacy issues for children with CIPA and COPA. These are laws that have been establish to protect children from on line endangerment. COPA has a lot of rules that Internet sites and companies must follow when requesting information from children 13 years and younger. When the law was first introduced, many sites felt that the act was unfair and too confusing to follow. Those sites that were sited not following the guidelines had to pay a pretty penny. They could have fines of 11,000.00 each violation made. This is a huge issue for teachers when they use the Internet as a learning tool. They must closely follow CI PA and if there is a violation found, they could lose well needed grant money for their school. As you create a lesson for children which includes the use of the Internet, one must keep in mind how easy it is to accidentally go to the wrong website when entering in information on a search engine. I'm sure everyone has been directed to a site that wasn't exactly what you were expecting. ( www.ombwatch.org/article/articlview/593/1/96 ).

In conclusion, I will talk about a subject that is on the lighter side. It is Netiquette. What is this? This is just a few tips to follow when using the world wide web. Especially when using e-mail. When sending e-mails or posting comments on a website, remember, not everyone thinks like you do. Here are 4 examples of what you should do:

Don't write emails in all CAPITAL letters. It looks as if you are shouting.
Keep your e-mails short and to the point. Some people still might have to pay by the hour for their service.
When sending an email, especially for business, clearly state your agenda in the subject.
Use abbreviations when possible. Some fun examples are:
LOL-"laugh out loud"
RTFL-" rolling on the floor laughing"
BRB-not burp," but be right back"
I'm sure if you keep all of these Internet tips in mind, you will become a more effective and technology savvy teacher.