putting kids mentors/teachers on the net

ooh! let me know how it goes! (I am so glad this new education topic has nothing to do with all that crap in Arkansas -- I got a little worried when I saw there was a new topic in this little used conference)

I'd also like to hear about this experimental project.

OK, an update will be posted soon!

Me, too... My stepson may be going to a new school this fall for Dyslexic/ADD/ADHD students...

what school? and where? wouldn't, by any chance, be run by the Schoenborn's would it?

It's called Odyssey...not sure, I'll dig out the info and see...

There is a program like this at my daughter's elementary school; the teacher literally looks over the kids' shoulders while they look up research topics and gather info (it's sort of a gifted & talented thing).

I'm new to this group...can anyone tell me where I might find out about strategies for using the internet as a learning tool for kids (k1-6) with hearing impairment? thank you

Here is a great place to start, I'll post your comment in the porch conf... or, better, yet ... why don't you post this there and point to thes conference and topic? And welcome aboard. also, you may want to send an email to the conference host mailto://spif@well.com and tell him that you're here.

mmm...welcome, Simon, I'll see what I can find...

Simon, I would think the web would have a host of resources. Try this link: http://www.education-world.com

Anyone email spif?

http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm?id=11 August 22 2000, Education Week Connecting to the Internet Connecting to the Internet opens up a world of possibilities for America's schoolchildren. All of a sudden, the greatest libraries in the world are closer than the cafeteria. Forget those musty encyclopedias and old maps; colorful, interactive, and up-to-date information is instantly accessible with a click of the mouse. Students in otherwise ordinary classrooms become part of the biggest school of all time, with the best field trips, the most diverse student body, and the greatest assembly speakers ever. From the Archives "Web Sites Worry Privacy Watchdogs," June 21, 2000. "Laptops for All Doesn't Mean They're Always Used," June 7, 2000. "Cheaper Quasi-Personal Computers To Be Marketed to Schools," May 31, 2000. "Study Finds Disparity in Internet Use," May 24, 2000. "Black And Unplugged," Teacher Magazine, March 2000, in which a leading African American scholar examines cyber-segregation. "Attacks on Web Sites Put Technology Officials on Alert," Feb. 23, 2000. "College Board Sets Sights on Closing 'Digital Divide,'" Feb. 2, 2000. "Poorer Schools Still Lagging Behind On Internet Access, Study Finds," Feb. 23, 2000. "Early-Childhood Professionals Ponder Value of Internet Access," Jan. 12, 2000. "For-Profit Company To Offer High School Diploma Over Internet," April 21, 1999. "Final Tally Released on 1st Round of 'E-Rate' Discounts," March 10, 1999. "Business Group Calls for More Technology Training," March 3, 1999. "Program Aims To Make Teachers Masters of Technology," Nov. 4, 1998. "Computers Have Little Use Without Teacher Training, Study Says," July 9, 1997. Nevertheless, many students, teachers, parents, and administrators are entitled to wonder what all the fuss is about. Connecting to the Internet--and surfing on its primary attraction, the World Wide Web--takes hardware, software, and expertise that most schools simply don't have. The hardware issue alone can leave some classes behind. Classrooms lacking computers or phone lines need both for even the slowest connection to the Internet. In a survey released in spring of 1999, the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics announced that 51 percent of the nation's 2.4 million public school classrooms had Internet connections as of last fall. In 1997, that figure was 27 percent, up from only 3 percent of classrooms in 1994. Even the "education rate" program, funded at $1.66 billion in 1999, its first year, won't fully solve the problem. The e-rate program, which the Federal Communications Commission oversees, was authorized by Congress in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Fees charged to the nation's telecommunications companies pay for the discounts; schools and libraries must pay the remainder of the cost of the eligible services and hardware. But the program has raised political and corporate hackles. Long-distance companies are balking at having to foot the bill, and some Republican politicians have taken to calling the program the "Gore tax," linking the program to Vice President Al Gore's goal of connecting all the nation's schools to the Internet by 2000. Consider some of the other complications. Teachers frequently need extensive training before they feel comfortable using computers--not to mention connecting to and navigating the Internet. Most have no idea yet how to integrate the Net into their lesson plans. And most schools don't have technical support staffs to repair broken computers or answer questions. The Internet--literally, an international public network of computers--can be a confusing place to visit. Equity is a serious issue. Students with Internet access will have potentially much greater learning opportunities than those who don't. And perhaps more importantly, knowing how to use the Internet is itself an increasingly sought-after job skill. Many educators worry that the have-nots could be left out yet again. Schools serving poor areas are still only half as likely to be on the Net as those in wealthy communities. Some of the concern about the Internet has been about pornography. The same network that offers visitors a wealth of information and social interaction also has more than its share of vandals, impostors, and pornographers. Net-savvy educators say the risks students may face on-line are almost insignificant compared to the risks they face in the real world, but there is obviously cause for concern. Many schools have found a partial solution by crafting "appropriate use policies." These policies, often drafted with community support, forbid such activities as downloading pornography or tampering with the network. In addition, many schools use filtering and blocking software. But nothing is 100 percent effective, of course--and many teachers have concluded that supervision is the best safeguard. In spite of the concerns about connecting to the Internet, it's been a long time since the educational community voiced such optimism about anything.