East Ramapo Instructional Technology

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 February 1998

Letter to Staff

Now that students, with signed acceptable use agreements, will have access to the Internet, each classroom educator must begin to ask: What is the best ways to employ the Internet in support of the curriculum. What will I do with access to such rich and varied information? How will I apply all that information power to the curriculum? Does the curriculum prepare students to take on the challenges of the next century and an Information Society? As you continue to explore ways to implement technology tools that help students achieve the NYS Learning Standards, consider the issues raised in Jamison McKenzie’s article on The Internet as Curriculum:

"If the curriculum is a list of topics to be covered, with little attention paid to concepts, generalizations or learning strategies...(then the) curriculum lends itself to a linear sequence of neatly packaged lessons presented by the teacher. The role of information in such a curriculum is very tightly defined...Five hundred years of history are boiled down into a mere 500 pages of text. The textbook keeps only the most important facts, even so, there is never enough time to get through it all. It’s like rolling boulders up a steep hill. Trying to get the kids to remember all those facts at least until the test or the exam...Because there is never enough time to finish...the textbook or "cover" the curriculum, the Internet’s...wildly rambling information is likely to be viewed as a jungle...by teachers and administrators who value such a curriculum. Schools should be much more about students making meaning rather than merely committing someone else’s insights to memory...In those schools where the curriculum is viewed more as an adventure, as an invitation to explore interesting questions and issues, the Internet and the other new information technologies will prove far more valuable..."

Guiding students safely to quality information on the Intenet, that is both relevant to the curriculum and age appropriate is a challenge. Please keep in mind that the Internet was not designed with schools in mind. Unlike textbooks which compact information, the Internet is a highly disorganized frontier. Your planning will be required to direct students away from info-glut and info-garbage and towards valuable information sites. To use the Internet effecively students will need to be able to pose initial questions, plan, search, review and compact information. These information problem-solving skills must be developed over time and throughout the K-12 curriculum.